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Posted on November 22, 2008 by Pearle Tsuji | Posted under Crafts Hobbies
Sewing Leather: Master Your Sewing Machine
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How to play with sewing needles The first rule of thumb is to have sewing needles at your disposal. Leather can be pierced through by these needles and you will save a lot of time. Smaller needles are recommended, as they seem to work faster for leather. Leather needles can ease your work a lot, but you can use a standard sewing machine to complete your leather sewing projects, but that may require a lot more work than with needles. How to decide for the stitch width To avoid the leather to rip, when you decide for the stitch width, stay away from a small measure. First, try to see how the stitch width works on a small piece of leather, so you can see how that will work. From experience, many people say that using a 5-5 � width for the stitch works just fine with leather. How to tension the thread If your leather is thin, you will not need to tension the thread, but, for thicker pieces of garments, you will need to adjust this so the thread does not break. How to use binder clips Binder or alligator clips are recommended if you want to pin your leather in order to make visible holes as a part of the final design. Tools of the trade: scotch tape For leather appliques, scotch tape will do just fine. You can use pieces of scotch tape to make the design that you want your applique for. It will give you an idea about how the final piece will look like and it will be easier for you to align the applique so it suits on the garment. As you work on the design, you can take out the pieces of tape one by one. The use of baby powder You can make your piece of leather slide easily on the sewing machine by using baby powder spread on the leather. Take care of the excess powder from the bobbin of the sewing machine, as well as from the leather. Make your job easier with scrap fabric You can use pieces of scrap fabric for an unique design on your leather. You can put the applique on scrap fabric and then go on with your sewing. Your applique will be better sewn into the leather. How to decorate your leather with pattern pieces You can cut pattern pieces from leather, by using the wrong side of the piece. If you want to avoid the pens that can skip the leather and make your work more difficult, you can use black and silver markers. An ink pen is the best tool to mark your appliques; a disappearing ink pen may sound like a good idea, but it can disappear before you can get the job done. It is best to use a similar color ink pen and then wash the piece and the markings will disappear. What thread to use When sewing leather, a stronger thread is recommended. Rayon and Quilting are the best, but it is also advisable to try the thread on a small sample, to see if it breaks or not. If that happens, then you will know that you will need a stronger thread. Last advice: the start up It is best to start working on the leather from a quarter of an inch from the each, and only after that get to sew the leather from the other way. If you leave enough space, so you can manipulate the leather under the sewing machine easier and only in the end, take care of the edges. That will make sure that the leather will not end up cut up. About The Author: Visit www.articleclick.com for additional article contributions by Pearle Tsuji. |
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