Sewing With Leather: The Basics

As I delve into this project I'm going to post some info that may help you to make a leather jacket of your very own. The contents below are compiled from various websites and books over the years from costuming classes. Unfortunately I don't have the links to where these came from, I just retyped it from a handout while throwing in a few extras!

Supplies:

• Leather (duh).
• Leather Needles (for machine and hand sewing).
• Good quality 100% polyester sewing thread. Avoid cotton or cotton-blend threads-the chemicals used in the tanning process may cause them to rot.
• Rubber cement to secure seams and hems, and to temporarily hold pieces in position. Pinning leather will leave permanent holes in the skin.
• Rubber cement will stay flexible and help make the seams water resistant to boot!
• If you find the glue isn't sticking to the finished surface of the leather you can use a bit of acetone or nail polish remover to "de-glaze" the leather first. The glue will stick much better afterwards.
• Binder clips can be used to hold seams in place!
• Wax or chalk for marking.
• A rubber mallet to flatten thick areas. This feels like wack-a-mole at first but then it gets boring.  

 Pattern Choice:

• You don't need a special pattern for sewing leather.
• Designs that have multiple seams will make the most efficient use of skins.
• Sleeves can be tricky as leather is difficult to ease. So watch out!
• A muslin is essential for checking fit and seaming details.    

Cutting:

• Leather must be cut single thickness.
• The grain of leather runs along the backbone area of a skin.
• The lengthwise grain is not as precise as that of fabric, but it will have less stretch and more strength than other areas of the skin.
• When laying out a pattern, always work with the finished side of the skin facing up, checking carefully for imperfections.
• Use masking tape to attach the pattern pieces to the skin.

Sewing and Construction:

• Increase your stitch length as well as your patience.The thicker the seam, the longer the stitch length.
• Leave long thread tails at the beginning and end of seams to knot by hand.
• Leather garments are interfaced in the same areas that you would normally interface fabric.  
• Always use a brown paper press cloth and avoid leaving the iron in one place too long-it may dry out the skin and leave a permanent mark.
• Once seams are sewn, press them flat and open. 
•  Darts should be slashed to within 1" (2.5cm) of the tip and pressed open. 
• To hold seam and dart allowances open, apply a small amount of rubber cement to the garment and finger press the edges to stick into position. 
• Always apply a narrow strip of fusible interfacing or a length of cold tape to the garment edges to stabilize the zipper area before insertion.
• Waistbands, collar and cuff edges can be fairly thick areas to work with. Grade seam allowances and hammer as flat as possible.

Hopefully my hide will come in soon so that I can post some pictures! I'm in the process of drawing up my jacket design and hopefully making a mock-up tomorrow! Pictures soon!