Hi friends and Phil @Leathercraft Masterclass, I need help to understand how to improve my stitching.... I am doing an experimental project , so I chose contrast colour of thread and leather, and tried different leather types. This part shows obviously the problem of stitching, but I don't understand the reason (I had better result on 3.8mm veg-tanned leather before) , because I have intentionally punched the holes into a consistent depth (I thought they were consistent :-) ) , tightened the treads, played the guitar. But there is no wave .... . I used 3.38mm pricking iron and 0.45mm prewaxed thread. Could you help me to see where is the problem ? Thanks a lot ! Simone
Thank you @Leathercraft Masterclass Phil for these priceless advices ! WOW !! And also thanks to the person who promoted you :D I would do according how you told here, one by one. I do want to reach the perfection someday in future, and I am so lucky to find a master like you to learn from.
@simone_ruan First of all, apologies for taking so long to get back to you. I didn't get the notification somehow. Luckily someone prompted me!
Thank you for making the video.
1) Your stitching technique looks good, however I would recommend bringing your left hand up and forward, and your right hand down and back as you pull tight. Rather than left up, right down.
I call this technique 'playing the guitar' which helps you visualise your final hand positions.
2) I also notice you are stitching quite thin leather with a cast. This makes it more difficult to maintain a consistent high angle on the face side. Switching to a non-casted hand stitch will solve this issue on the face side while giving you a straight stitch on the rear.
This is fine if your rear side is unseen, otherwise match the rear side leather with your thread colour, so it is camouflaged.
3) The large-for-thickness stitch spacing will also provide consistency issues. If you are going to create a seam on a thin piece of skin, I would recommend going down a size to combat this issue. You may even be able to cast your stitch on thin leather and gain a decorative angle on both sides.
Test on a scrap piece with various iron sizes first, this will give you a practical idea of what is going to work on your chosen leather. Reduce thread size proportionate to iron size.
I never start a project without several test seams first.
4) Lastly, a surface texture is always going to make consistency more difficult, but when you throw in the above possible issues, the effect is then compounded.
I hope this helps! And one last piece of advice; don't use all the above tips all at once, otherwise you won't know which one gave you the desired outcome and you won't have learnt anything. Test one variable at a time. It's not important that you solved the issue, it's important that you know how the issue was solved.
@Daniel Wøhlk Thank you for your kind encouragement ! The movie would be done in a few days.
You are soo close to perfection Simone! Trust me, one day, you will find the "magic", and it is such a good feeling! Did you make the movie?
OK! Will do. Thanks a lot in advance !
@simone_ruan I think the easiest way to diagnose the problem is for you to take a 1 min video on your phone of you stitching a similar piece of leather.
Upload it to YouTube as 'unlisted', then share the link on here. I would like to see your technique before breaking down other possible issues.