From One Beginner to Another: Sewing with Leather

After completing my first leather project,

and after lots of research and personal trial and error,

I decided to write down what worked for me when it came to machine sewing leather.

 

Must Haves and Tips



 

Leather needles

These are a must!

They have a cutting edge that helps pierce the leather.
If/when that edge/tip gets broken, you will know!
The needle will have a difficult time piercing the leather,
and mine made clanking and puncturing sounds while sewing.

 

Nylon thread

There are actually other recommended types of thread you can use,

but 100% nylon was the easiest for me to find and worked really well.

As long as you can't break the thread when you pull it hard
 (like I do with cotton thread when I can't find the scissors)
then it should withstand sewing the leather.
Plus, the nylon thread had a glossy feel/finish, which I think worked similar
to waxed thread, which I read in various places was recommended for leather sewing.

 

Corn starch/baby powder

Ok, this is actually a trick I found while searching the web.

Ideally, you should use a Teflon or walker foot for your machine.

I didn't have one, so I used corn starch (because I didn't have baby powder)

to dust the working surface of my machine, the bottom of my foot,
and the surface of the leather I was working with.

This reduced the drag and helped feed it through more evenly,
reducing the amount of teeny tiny bunched up stitches.
It does make a mess though.

 I would recommend getting the special foot, but in a pinch, this trick will help.

 

Thread tension

On some scrap pieces, I experimented with tensions

and found that it worked best between 1.5 and 2.
Whatever your numbering system is, you just want to reduce the tension.

 

Feed dogs

Leather has bulk and sticks,

 so lower the feed dogs a lot so it will feed through more easily and not bunch up.
Some posts I read, the seamstress completely lowered the food dogs
and fed the leather through manually.

 

Bobbin tension

I used a nylon thread for my project,

and when I inserted the bobbin into the case, I realized it was very tight.

Depending on the thread you use, make sure to adjust the tension.

I follow this little method to test and set my bobbin tension.

 I just use my finger nail instead of a screw driver.

It works all the time and it is so easy.

 

Thread length

You don't want teeny tiny stitches, so adjust your length to a longer stitch,

I had mine set at about 3.5- 4.
(4 is the longest stitch setting on my machine).
 

 

Don't back stitch!

When leather is pierced, the holes remain.
So why make more holes and put your machine through the extra strain of back stitching?
Instead, pull your thread through to the backside and tie your ends.
Use this method to tie your string and finish your ends,

it is the same method I used to do the detail top stitching for this peplum blazer.


Trim Edges
To reduce the layers and bulk when sewing over edges/seems,
trim them down...this will make it much easier on you and your machine.


Fold Once
Leather doesn't fray, so you don't need to roll or double fold your hems.
In fact. DON'T. It is way too much work to sew through.


Go Slow
This may be a no brainer, but take is easy and go slow so stave off broken needles and mistakes.
 

 

These methods worked for me, so I wanted to pass along what I learned.
I am in no way an expert, I have in fact to date only sewn on leather once!
But if you are a beginner, you might find this helpful.
If you are more experienced, I welcome your comments and suggestions!
Good luck!

Refashion Runway Season Two: Week 4, Leather

I have come to the conclusion that cows are stubborn,

no matter what form they come in.

And try as you might, you can't always get them to do what you want.

At least, that was my experience with this week's leather challenge.

This project really put me to the test, and had me pretty scared at first.

I'll admit, my first day had me oober frustrated, near tears, and,

actually, a small little expletive was uttered.

I don't swear...at all...so that was a sign things were going really rough!

 

But, just like working with cows,

you've gotta lay down who the boss is and not let 'em whoop ya!

And that is just how I decided to approach this knee-knocking challenge!
 

 

To start things off, I found a hideous fake fur and leather coat at Goodwill.

I say hideous because fake fur gives me the heeby-jeebies,

especially the stained and discolored variety this coat was sporting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I did the only humane thing that could be done...

I put the furry fiend out of its misery.

 

 

 

 

With seam ripper in hand, I completely dissected this coat.
 

 

 

 

And quickly discarded this furry mass...careful, it might bite!

(If I come down with rabies, we all know where it came from.)

 

 

 

I was left with the lining...
 

 

 

...and these leather pieces.

I had already removed the sleeves from the jacket before snapping this.

 

Having never sewn leather before, this was a huge learning curve for me!

I didn't want to get too ambitious, so I decided to make a vest.

 

To get things started,

I needed to make some fitting adjustments to my vest.

The arm holes were way too long and gaped terribly.

 

 

 

To fix this,  I first took in the shoulders.

 

 

 

 

The arm hole on the right is after taking up the shoulder,

and the one to the left is what it looked like without any changes.

 

Next, I needed to fix the neckline, which was too wide.

 

 

 

 

I marked and sewed a graduating seam or long dart down the seam in the middle of the back.

This took in the neckline and pulled the shoulders in a bit more.

 

 

 

 

My neckline was pretty high, so I marked and cut off the excess,

leaving enough to fold over and hem down later.

 

 

 

 

The arms still gaped a little bit,

so I gradually tapered in the side seams under the arms.

 

All of these little tweaks made for a great fit!

 

 

 

Next I removed the pockets and sewed up the holes.

I really wanted to keep them, but the pockets stuck out too far and

just didn't work with this vest.

 

After that was done, I folded and hemmed all the edges and armholes of the vest.

 

 

Taking the leather piece that was originally the collar,

 

 

 

I cut a lining piece from some beautiful red fabric,

this covered up the messy underside that had been glued to the

lining and 'fur'.

 

 

See how messy that is?
 

 

 

Laying it on the fold...
 

 

 

 

...leaving lots of extra room around the edges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those edges were folded inward and ironed down.

 

 

 

 

Then I pinned...err, paper clipped the lining to the leather piece.

 

 

 

 

And sewed them together.

 

 

 

 

Now the collar got clipped to the vest,

right sides together.

 

 

 

 

After that was sewn down,

I flipped the collar over and sewed down the lapel corners to keep it laying flat.

 

Five broken needles (and lots of chocolate) later, I have a fun, leather vest! 

 

 

 

For a fun pop of color, you can even fold that collar up a bit!

 

 

It was a bit windy, can you tell?

 

 

Both me and my sewing machine survived

with a completed leather project to boot,

I think that deserves a thumbs ups!

 

Now head on over to The Renegade Seamstress

and cast a vote for your favorite leather refashion!





Refashion Runway Season Two: Week 3, Peplum

Out of the entire gauntlet of Refashion Runway challenges,

when I saw 'Peplum' was on the list, I knew exactly what I wanted to make!

It was with that clear vision that I selected this huge, coral blazer!
 

 

Help, I'm drowning in coral!

 

Funny story.

As the Goodwill clerk was ringing up and folding this coral creature,

he gave me this look and said, "Now ma'am, do you see this tag...?

Just leave this on, and if anything doesn't fit, you can bring it back."

 

Obviously he was concerned.

I just smiled and thanked him for the advice...little did he know

that I had most specifically selected the biggest blazer I could find.

 

So first things first...

 

 

 ...I cut off that 'tag'!

There is no going back now.

 

 

Before proceeding, I feel I had better warn you this is a very long post!

This project was pretty detail intensive...I took lots of pictures.

 

 

To get started, I set to work removing the pockets.

 

 

 

These were sewn in to the side seam and the bottom hem,

so it took a little extra work and left the side seam open.
 

  

Then I ripped out the football jersey-worthy shoulder pads,

and removed the sleeves.

 

 

 

 

Taking some measurements,

I marked where I wanted the bottom of my blazer to end and the peplum to begin,

factoring in a seam allowance.

 

 

 

 

*Snip, snip*

I had great plans for that precious bottom piece, so I laid it aside for later.

 

 

 

 

Focusing on the upper part of the blazer,

I trimmed the armholes/shoulders down so they would fit better.

 

 

Next, I spent hours meticulously measuring, tracing patterns,
pinning and repining in order to create a thin, curving pin tuck,
running from the shoulder all the way down to the waist.

 

 

 

 

I did this on both sides of the front and back of the jacket.

 

 

 

 

 Next, I fitted the blazer by taking in the sides.

 

 

  

 

 I made a few more fitting changes later on, but this is basically what it looked like.

Now I needed to create a button hole.

 

 

 

In the past, I hand stitched or fudged my way through making the button hole,

this time I actually used the button hole foot!

 

 

 

 

It took a few test runs, but in the end I think I got it figured out.

 

 

 

 

Moving onto the sleeves, I knew I wanted my jacket to have puffed sleeves.

 

 

 

 

So before taking them in, I sewed a gathering stitch across the top of the shoulder portion.

 

 

 

 

With that done, I proceeded to take in the sleeves and cut off the excess.

 

 

 

 

Once finished, I attached them to the jacket.
 

 



 

After doing some research,

I was able to use this tutorial and chart for drafting a circular pattern for my peplum.

 

 I altered the pattern by creating a graduating slant so the peplum was longer in the back,
 as well as enlarging the radius of the arch so I had excess ruffles with which to create pleats.

 

 

The original peplum pattern calls for one arch cut on the fold for a seamless back ruffle,
and two more arches for the two front ruffles.

 

I wanted to be certain I liked the peplum before cutting into my precious remnant pieces,

so I cut out some experimental pieces from an ugly fabric first.

 

 

 

I didn't like what I saw.

Once I had all the ruffles pinned onto my blazer, I felt like a fat ballerina! 

 

 

 

 

After some experimenting, I altered and drafted a different pattern for the two front panels.

 

  

Armed with my two tried-and-true self drafted pattern pieces, I was ready to proceed.

 

Returning to the bottom half I had cut off earlier,

I unpicked the invisible hem and ironed it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you see now why I chose this huge blazer?

Look at all the fabric I have to work with!

 

 

 

 

I proceeded to lay out my pattern pieces and cut the peplum sections.

 

 

 

 

The back arch was laid out on the fold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Next came the two front pieces.

 

 

 

 

 All cut out!

 

 

 

Pin them all together...
 

...and sew.



 

 

Then I pulled out another previously unused wonder...the hemming foot!

This created a tiny, folded hem at the bottom and sides of my peplum.

This fabric was fray-crazy, so for extra measure, I did fold it over again and sew it down.

 



 

There remained one last thing before attaching the peplum to the blazer.

For some extra pop and detail, I sewed rows of varying width at the bottom of the hem
in rust metallic and burgundy thread.
 

 

 

 

To keep my edges and rows clean, I did not back stitch at the end.

Instead, I caught the loop and pulled the top thread through to the back, then tied several knots.
 

 

 

 

 

 

See?

Much cleaner finish.

 

 

 

 

 

Now the peplum and blazer were ready to be united.

 

 

 

 

   After attaching the peplum, I was left with an ugly, exposed seam.

Doing some more research, I discovered a technique called Hong Kong binding.

Wow, talk about a lot of work!

There had to be an easier way.

Using Hong Kong binding as a spring board, I came up with an easier method.

I have no idea what it is called, but I'm sure it must be an actual process,

so if you know, please let me know!

 

 

 Using bias tape, I pinned the right side of the bias tape

to the wrong/back side of one of my seam edges.

 

 

 

  

I pinned the bias tape the entire length of the seam,

then sewed it down.

 

 

 

 

After that was done, I flipped the bias tape over the seam and ironed it flat.

The stitching I had just sewn is covered under the fold.

 

 

 

 

With the bias tape folded over, I pinned it to the other seam edge and sewed that down.

This last stitch line was visible on top of the bias tape, but I didn't see any way around that.

 

Iron again, and voila!

A much neater, completely concealed seam!

 

Almost done, I promise.

 

For the final finishing touches,

I repeated the same metallic and burgundy thread pattern on the cuffs of the sleeves.

 

 

 

 

For my first line, I measured in 2 inches from the cuff and marked it all around.

 

I decided to unstitch the seam of the sleeve so it would lay flat while sewing,

this made it much easier to sew in straight rows.

It was simple to stitch it up again when I was finished.

 

 

 

Stitching all done,

I added a button as well!

 



 

Buttons were also added to the points of the lapel for a rounded, finished look.

Finally!!

It was done!

 

 

 

Lovely lines!

I love how this blazer turned out!

 

And there is the pleated peplum back!

 

 

See how it angles and slants downward?!

 

 

 Here is a close up of the thread detailing on the hem...

  

 

...and the cuffs, along with the added buttons. 

 

Here, you can clearly see the pin-tuck lines running from shoulder to back.

My dad calls them 'angel wings'!

 

 

Didn't those puffed sleeves turn out adorable?

And the front pin-tucks add so much!

 

Once again, my brother is obsessed with lens flairs...and he wanted

to play up the fashion model vibe I was channeling...hey, the peplum brings it out of me!
 

 

This blazer was such a beautiful challenge and gave the opportunity to try lots of new techniques!

 I am so pleased with how it turned out!

To date, I think this is possibly my most intense refashion!

As you can see, I'm happy.

Very happy!

 

Now head on over to The Renegade Seamstress

and cast your vote for what floats your boat (sorry).

And if you happen to like the coral you see while floating about (sorry again),

well, that would be grand!