TxTroy Report post Posted January 18, 2021 I've been a hobbyist for a few years now but have mostly used patterns for all of my work thus far. I'm working on a round box with lid (simple cylindrical box) with the round piece of the lid and bottom inset vs. laying on top of the cylinder. I don't want to use an overstitch and would prefer to use a box stitch. However, I don't understand the process for matching up the stitches between the inner circle/lid and the strip that forms the cylinder. The stitch line around the circle is a shorter distance than the line along the cylinder so if I use a pricking iron or wheel to lay out my stitches, I end up with more stitches on the strip than on the round inner piece. What is the traditional way of getting uniform stitches in this scenario? Or is it just a matter of practice and skill to do it by hand/eye vs. using a wheel or pricking iron for spacing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GatoGordo Report post Posted January 18, 2021 The stitch is a basic saddle stitch and the holes are marked as normal. As you point out, there are fewer holes on top than on the side. Luckily for us, Nigel Armitage shows how to do it although he does not explain what he is doing. In the attached video he starts the top at 4:45. You can see him mark the holes with the same spacing. The trick is to reuse the holes on the top. Look at 5:13 and you will see him use his awl to drill back to the previous hole on the top. By reusing the holes on the top, the stitching eventually works out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Vux9RY9Vw Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TxTroy Report post Posted January 18, 2021 That's exactly what I needed. Thank you. Funny part is I actually watched that video just yesterday while searching for tips on how to do it but didn't pick up on the fact that he was reusing some holes to make it all match up. It's a topic that has proven surprisingly difficult to find much info on through searches and watching various videos. Seems to be one of those minor details that feels like a given to the seasoned leatherworker so it doesn't get much attention in writeups or videos. Thanks again! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted January 18, 2021 When I made a dice cup with inset bottom I punched the holes for the sides. glued the bottom up into place then used a round awl to punch each hole through as I came to it (actually I did about 6 holes at a time) I know its not great work Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Webicons Report post Posted January 18, 2021 Here I just used two different size pricking irons (smaller on top / wider on side). That solved the issue of differing stitch count. Then I used an awl to connect the two at a 45 degree angle. I may have had to backtrack once to match things up. https://www.instagram.com/p/BeiVBE8AL08/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TxTroy Report post Posted January 18, 2021 1 hour ago, fredk said: When I made a dice cup with inset bottom I punched the holes for the sides. glued the bottom up into place then used a round awl to punch each hole through as I came to it (actually I did about 6 holes at a time) I know its not great work Looks good to me. 1 hour ago, Webicons said: Here I just used two different size pricking irons (smaller on top / wider on side). That solved the issue of differing stitch count. Then I used an awl to connect the two at a 45 degree angle. I may have had to backtrack once to match things up. https://www.instagram.com/p/BeiVBE8AL08/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link That's precisely the look I'm going for. I'll experiment with that method as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites