Test project #2

Hello Steve,

To hide your stitch mark, there a couple of things you could try:

1. You crease your leather before pricking, then use the crease line as a guide to prick. Once you stitch and hammer down, you can recrease the edges for a crisper crease.

2. You can mark the line with a wing divider like you have been doing, but place the line dead center in the middle of your pricking iron teeth, that way the thread will be lying on the line you made and render it almost invisible.

3. You can put a strip of masking tape on the edge, mark your line, prick and then remove the masking tape. The line might still show on the leather depending on the leather and how heavy you press. But with practice, no line will be visible 95% percent of the time

4. As a bonus, you can go with a lighter press when using the wind divider, like barely mark the line. It will be a bit harder to prick in a consistant straight line, but it is doable.

Regarding the stitch starting in the corner, i agree, most of the time, it will look a bit off and draw the eye to it. But, sometimes, like on a square or rectangular piece that is too big to be stitched with a single lengh of thread, it might be a good idea to do it. What i do is usually start the stitch 1 prick before the corner, back stitch 2 times, and then start stitching in the "normal" direction. That way the backstitches for a prominent V shape on the corners. I dont know if i make sense.