What's happening with my saddle stitch?

[DaveP]

I've been saddle stitching for a little bit now...not much  mind you. When I'm stitching sheaths on the curve I occasionally get this wonky bit a couple times. I use a cast on the front side with every stich. It happens about 1 out 4 sheaths.  I  don't do anything differently that I know of. You can see in picture the difference in the stich. I'm self taught watching the Utube. Especially the English fella Armitage.  Advice please?

Thanks again 

[YinTx]

A really big thread in a small hole.  Also, possible that you occasionally reverse a needle as you are going, easy to do.  If a hole size is a bit different when you use your awl, or your angle is slightly off, will make 2 stitches look funky too.  Just some guesses. 

Cool use of a background texture stamp, by the way!

YinTx

[Scootch]

Looks to me like you were using a two prong pricking iron and got two strikes a little off.  Are you creasing you're stitch line or grooving?  I find it easier to keep things 

straight with a groove.

 

Scootch

[DaveP]

I'm using a 8 prong and 4 prong stitching chisel, 7 spi with .8mm tiger thread.  I think that the 4 prong makes a slightly larger hole...not much. I've been waiting on a set of Kevin Lee irons for a year now. I don't use the 2 prong much at all.  Should I?

What do you mean by reversing needles? If I am, I don't know what it is.

I'm not using a groover. I've been using dividers to mark a line. Some say grooving weakens the leather.  I  pound the stitches flat with a cobblers hammer. I'm pretty new at this,  but like the diagonal look instead of the drilled holes. 

 

 

 

 

[Retswerb]

9 hours ago, Scootch said:

 

Looks to me like you were using a two prong pricking iron and got two strikes a little off. 

My first thought as well. No way hole 5 is lined up with 4 and 6.

[Tugadude]

To my eyes that thread looks bigger than .8, maybe because of the small holes.  It is easy to miss a stitch here and there and end up with a wonky area.  Even if you maintain right hand and left hand priority there is the chance that you might enter the hole below the existing thread, throwing things off.

Also, I don't think that a project like that requires a cast.  You might try it without and see if there is any difference. 

[battlemunky]

I'd guess that you simply went low when you shoulda went high, or vice versa, with your second needle...super easy to do. Next time, as soon as it happens (watch for it) just undo the stitch or two and ensure you are remaining consistent. It will help you determine what is going wrong. It does look like you have a hole a little off too though...so I'm not 100% sure which.

It drives me crazy when it happens. Self doubt sets in immediately and then I spend the next 2 days watching Nigel and Ian videos on stitching.

[Hardrada]

It happens. That's one reason I always use thread that is the same or close to the same colour as the leather: easier to conceal stitches that are off. Of course, this might not help you if your artistic vision for a project demands contrasting colours. Then again, dark on dark makes the sheath less conspicuous, more... ooo tactical!

Also, I've found that when using two-prong chisels along a curved line, if you follow the standard practice of using the last punched hole (last two punched holes, actually, but with a two-prong you can only use one hole) as a guide to avoid a crooked line, the required slant can make you end up making the last hole(s) larger and rounder when you punch. My approach to prevent that is to just mark the next hole on the curve or corner with the two-prong, and then use the mark and the line made with the dividers to place the second hole, then punch; then repeat. Thus, I'm punching the two holes at a time without touching the previous ones.

If worse comes to worst, and the curve is too steep or I'm reaching the starting point and the prong is gonna leave too long a space between the last and the first hole, I make the last hole manually midways with a diamond awl.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Hardrada

[Scootch]

6 hours ago, Hardrada said:

 

Also, I've found that when using two-prong chisels along a curved line, if you follow the standard practice of using the last punched hole (last two punched holes, actually, but with a two-prong you can only use one hole) as a guide to avoid a crooked line, the required slant can make you end up making the last hole(s) larger and rounder when you punch. My approach to prevent that is to just mark the next hole on the curve or corner with the two-prong, and then use the mark and the line made with the dividers to place the second hole, then punch; then repeat. Thus, I'm punching the two holes at a time without touching the previous ones.

 

This is what I do as well.  I usually make my first and last hole with a round awl. 

I also believe a stitch groover weakens the leather a bit but a knife sheath isn't going to see hard enough use to know the difference and I find it easier to keep the pricking irons in line with a groove than with a crease.  Also when I pull my stitches tight I pull them at the angle I want them to go.  It seems to help.

Scootch

[TargetRockLeather]

16 hours ago, DaveP said:

I'm using a 8 prong and 4 prong stitching chisel...

In my opinion, a 4 prong chisel can't make a curve as tight as the one at the bottom of your sheath. To me, it looks like you have two straight rows of holes, rather than a softer curve. Have you ever tried using a two prong chisel for the tighter curves? I would give that a try on a piece of scrap just to see if you like the way it looks.