What sewing machine to buy exclusively for soft and thin Lamb nappa leather jackets sewing?

[ClaudioBravo]

Dear friends,

I'm working with textile, making ladies evening dresses for more than 10 years. Also men's business shirts in the last few months. So I have some experience in sewing, cutting...

I would like to start manufacturing expensive, high-end fashion jackets from fine and delicate leather, like a lamb (sheep) napa leather. I'm not interested at all in calfskin or any other hard leather, like those used in bike jackets because those can be bought very cheaply in my market!

Could you please give me your opinion, what type of sewing machine I would need for that kind of soft and thin leather? Mostly 0.6-0.7mm is the thickness of the leather I will use.

The attached photos are from the jacket I will clone for the beginning. That is a high fashion brand jacket which I like very much and would like to use that as a milestone for me, to have some quality standard, a target how my product should look!

In the attached photos, you could easily see a black thread. Could you please tell me what kind is that thread and what is the thickness of the thread used in this jacket is? Leather is Lamb Nappa as I wrote in the beginning.

Thank you very much for all the useful answers!

 

[Wizcrafts]

Lambskin leather, or Plonge, is soft density leather that has fairly sticky top grain that will have a lot of presser foot drag on a bottom feed only machine. I used to make ladies vests with Plonge and learned it is best to use a walking foot machine or a roller foot machine to feed it properly. There are two types of walking foot machine that can be used to sew this soft leather. One is a top and bottom dual feed machine and the other is a triple feed machine. Either is preferable to a roller foot machine unless the roller is gear driven (most aren't). I tried converting a straight stitch machine into a roller foot and it worked fine until the roller met a sudden higher layer. Then it sat there and punched the thread into the same hole until I lifted the roller foot with the knee lever. Walking foot machines just walk up onto higher layers, then walk down onto lower layers.

Garment leather doesn't usually hold marks from presser feet or feed dog teeth. So, you could get by with a dual feed walking foot machine that has teeth on the feet. This has the most positive feed for slippery materials, but will make deep marks on vegetable tanned (carving) leathers. The leather in your pictures is already textured, so you could get away with teeth on the feet.

You asked about the type of thread to use in leather vests. I use and recommend bonded nylon thread. It is very strong and lays tight against the top and bottom. For thin leather use #69, which has 11 pounds breaking strength. For thicker layers use either #92 or #138 bonded thread. The needles for these threads are #18 for #69 thread, #19 or 20 for #92 thread, or #22 for #138 thread. You should use leather point needles, not round points. There are several shapes for leather points. If you want the stitches to lay straight, use D/Tri point, or Diamond point needles. The stitches will be bold on top with these needles. If you want offset stitches, buy LR twist needles. Other shapes include LL and S points.

 

[DrmCa]

Pfaff 335.

[Wizcrafts]

1 hour ago, DrmCa said:

Pfaff 335.

Beware the Pfaff 335 machines. Some of them are specifically built for use as edge binders and will not function the same on broad stitching as a normal walking foot machine. There have been numerous topics posted here by unsuspecting buyers of Pfaff 335 machines and their clones who couldn't use them for normal sewing operations without spending a significant amount of money on conversion parts. Also, a cylinder arm will fight you as you try to sew large flat areas, like the back and front panels. The place where a cylinder arm would be proper is for sewing armholes and attaching sleeves and cuffs.

Note, some dealers sell table attachments for particular cylinder arm machines. While they are good for small pieces of flat work, they aren't very good at supporting large pieces, like jacket and vest backs. But, the reality of the situation is that making vests and jackets often requires more than one type of sewing machine. I do repairs and modifications to leather jackets and vests and often use both cylinder arm and (long body) flat bed walking foot machines to complete a job.

If there is an industrial sewing machine dealer within driving distance, go there and bring a sample of the work you want to do. They can advise you about the best machines to accomplish the tasks. You will probably see machines made by Juki, Pfaff and Adler. If the Pfaff 335 comes up, ask if it is a binder or standard sewing machine. Don't buy a binder machine unless you know you will be sewing edge binding onto the edges!

If there is a jacket maker nearby and they allow guests to see the sewing shop, take a tour. You will learn a lot by watching the little old ladies with babushkas gather cut pieces of leather and cloth from the cutting room/clicker press to the sewing area where they send them from machine to machine to sew them into a finished product. It is mind boggling to watch and hear. Walking foot machines and clicker presses going tapockita tapockita tapockita!

[Wyowally]

If you're not familiar with our forum, you should know that you just heard from the recognized authority here for such things - Mr. Wizcrafts! No need to look further or wait for additional answers, IMHO.

[ljk]

I did notice on the second video that as the stitching came off the double seam the stitch got shorter. This happens using a drop feed or walking foot machine. A compound feed machine usually won't do that.  Many of those machines also have adjustment to alter the lifting height.  For example we sew embroidery twill to backing and need triple feed to keep materials aligned. By simply adjusting the lift we can sew heavy leather.  If you buy singer 111 or Oriental feet you will have a huge selection. If you buy Adler or Pfaff feet for those machine the prices are much higher, I am only speaking for the USA. You can buy knurled,smooth and teeth feet for the 111 style.  I don't know your market but if you see something just ask for a opinion from our members.

 

[ClaudioBravo]

Guys, thank you very much for your answers and opinions.

In my workshop, in my Lock Stich machines range, right now, i have:

Juki DDL-9000B-SS  

https://www.industrialsewing.co.uk/industrial-sewing-machines/under-bed-trimmer/juki-ddl-9000b-ss-direct-drive-ubt-

and 

Jack A5E

https://www.industrialsewing.co.uk/industrial-sewing-machines/lock-stitch/jack-a5e-direct-drive-lockstitch-industrial-sewing-machine

I could easily buy:

H5 walking foot:

https://www.industrialsewing.co.uk/industrial-sewing-machines/direct-drive/jack-h5-automatic-walking-foot-industrial-sewing-machine?search=H5

A6F needle feed:

https://www.industrialsewing.co.uk/industrial-sewing-machines/direct-drive/jack-a6f-direct-drive-needle-feed-industrial-sewing-machine?search=A6F

Jack 2060GHC Automatic Walking Foot Needle Feed

https://www.industrialsewing.co.uk/industrial-sewing-machines/needle-feed/jack-2060ghc-automatic-walking-foot-needle-feed-large-arm

Also, i have offer for very low used Juki 2810-7, exactly as in this video, but i'm in doubt is it overkill, to rough for fine leather jackets:

Pfaff machines are only clones in my country. Also, cylindrical, i thought about flat bed first, especially for long seams, zippers etc, i need machine for stitching long pieces of leather.

Needles, i can buy Groz-Beckert here. I would try with LR, SD, S, R points.

Threads, i could buy this:

https://industry.guetermann.com/en/products/product-finder/mara-80
https://industry.guetermann.com/en/products/product-finder/mara-70
https://industry.guetermann.com/en/products/product-finder/mara-50

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by ClaudioBravo

[ClaudioBravo]

Samples of my test stitches, on my Juki 9000B and Jack A5e machines, with just ordinary needles and threads. Those are just simple tests, nothing else, to try leather stock I bought for a beginning. Also ordinary iron foot for textile.

I have both top grain lamb nappa leather and Plongé lamb leather. First is leather with original grain and Plongé is corrected grain, for consistent finish across hides.

[Wizcrafts]

Can you get a hold of a Juki DNU-1541 to try out? It may be suitable if the pressures and tensions are reduced. Alexander compares them in this video...

 

[Wizcrafts]

Here is a video of a Juki DNU-1541 sewing a variety of materials.