Sunday, 2 September 2012

Techniques for Using A Sewing Machine with Leather

By Joyce Walters


In recent years, the use of leather in an assortment of projects has started to gain in popularity. Leather can be used to create various items. Many people have started to work with lightweight leather with the sewing machine. If you are not sure how to work with leather using a sewing machine, this can be an extremely difficult task. Here, you will find some straightforward steps that will assist you while working with leather in a sewing machine.

The first thing that you should know when you are taking into account working with leather on a sewing machine is that ordinary sewing machine needles will not work for your project. You will need to buy a special needle from a craft store that is specifically designed for leather. Sewing needles that are designed for leather will cut the substance appropriately. These are called tripoint leather needles. There are many sizes of leather sewing needles, so, you will have to evaluate the thickness of the leather that you are working with to establish the needle size that is needed.

It is significant that you recognize that leather is a unique type of material and some stitches will not be able to work. For example, doing a small stitch on leather usually does not work well. Many people have tried small stitches and have found that the material is destroyed after doing so. It is imperative that you buy a scrap piece of leather in order to test the stitch that you wish to use. If the stitch works, then you can use it. The standard size stitch that seems to do well when working with leather on a sewing machine is about three inches.

On nearly all sewing machines, you can adjust the overall tension of the thread that you are working with. It is important to note that if you are working with thin pieces of leather on your sewing machine that the tension must be increased. If you are working with thin pieces of leather on a sewing machine, the thread tension should be decreased. If you find that the thread is constantly breaking off, or you are experiencing other issues, you should try to adjust the tension on the thread of the sewing machine to see if it helps.

Crafting with leather on a sewing machine can prove to be quite a test if you must have the material stay together. When you are working with basic types of material, you can simply bind the fabric together using pins and similar items. You will find that if you attempt this with leather, you will visibly mark the material. Alligator clips are the best thing that you can use in order to bind leather material together while using a sewing machine. I even prefer to place a piece of tape over both sides of the binding spot prior to placing the clips in place to stay away from having to worry about clip marks.

Working with leather on a sewing machine can be a difficult task, but if you follow normal common sense guidelines, you are sure to find that you are a success in this task! A leather project will give you many years of achievement and enjoyment.




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