When it comes to sewing, leather is a very tricky material to master. Whether you are planning to use real leather or one of the faux options available, you will find the following advice on how to sew leather quite helpful.
1. Don't Use Pins
Most people prefer to use pins to hold fabric in place when they are sewing. While this is fine when working with many materials, it is not a good idea when dealing with leather. Placing pins will leave holes that don't close once they are removed. It would be better to use clothespins, tape or paper clips to hold things in place.
2. Do Fitting Ahead Of Time
The next thing that should be mentioned on this journey to learn how to sew leather is fitting. Usually, you can do fittings several times during the course of sewing; this is not the case when it comes to leather. Every time you create a stitch, it will leave a hole, so there is no way to make alterations once a stitch has been made.
3. Choose The Right Needle
There are sewing needles that were created for use with specific fabrics, and leather is one of them. When you are shopping for needles, make sure that you place these at the top of your list. If you try using a standard needle when sewing leather, there is a possibility that they can bend or break when trying to force the needle through the fabric.
Keep in mind that threading leather needles is a bit more involved than doing so with a traditional needle. It may take you a few tries in order to master it, so be patient.
4. Practice Your Stitching
As you were told earlier, once you create stitches in leather, there is no way to redo them. This means that they have to be done perfectly the first time. If you are worried about whether this is something you can do with ease, you should grab some scraps and practice your stitches beforehand.
Once you see that you are able to sew without mistakes, then it will be time for you to move on to the leather you purchased for your project. Again, this will take a bit of patience, but you want to make sure that things are done perfectly.
5. Place Markings On The Wrong Side
If you are sewing with a pattern, make sure that you place all markings on the side of the leather that will not show when the piece is complete. By the way, marking wheels and transfer tape are not ideal when working with leather. Tailor's chalk and marking pens are much better options.
Sewing is a tricky concept, especially if you are working with a fabric that you are not very familiar with. If you are thinking of creating sewing magic with leather, you should keep all of these tips in mind. That will ensure things turn out exactly as you expected.