Hand Stitching Leather Goods Guide & Related Tidbits!

Hello all. I decided to post this guide to hopefully help others that may be interested in learning how to hand-stitch leather goods to avoid the trial and error and weeping and wailing that I encountered when learning how to hand stitch properly. I no longer hand stitch much but still find I need to on certain items. If only this type of information had been around when I was first learning (I've been at it off and on for about 40 years now).

This guide is not meant to be all encompassing but merely to add to the wealth of information readily available in books. I very highly recommend the book "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" by Al Stohlman. Al's wife Ann probably hand stitched more items in her lifetime than most of us will ever dream of so why try to reinvent the wheel? I stitch mostly knife sheaths that are approx. 1/2" thick and there are a few hard earned tricks and tips not in the book that I'm happy to pass along. Since about all I make right now is high-end knife sheaths, this guide will be slanted slightly towards that style of stitching but the information can be applied to most any hand-stiching project.

First off, I highly recommend you buy or make yourself a stitching horse if you are going to do much hand stitching. I made the stitching pony that is detailed in the book mentioned above. It was a lot of work to be sure, but it was also a challenging fun project and the end result was worth it to me. If you decide to go this route feel free to email me for a couple of time saving suggestions. I haven't seen one of these in person but the one in the Weaver catalog appears to be well made and at a decent price. They only sell wholesale to licensed businesses though (by the way, a retail license isn't expensive or difficult to come by - do some research online for the state you live in if you're interested in getting one). I'm sure there are some other good stitching horses out there as well. The stitching horse will free up both your hands for double needle stitching and hold the work securely and at the proper level for comfortable stitching.

I have read how some folks like to use a drill or punch or such for the stitching holes. This method could result in a hole that is too big, is difficult to keep aligned correctly on the backside of the project and may not look professional as a result. It also can allow for a looser thread fit which is not very desirable especially if the thread becomes broken somewhere down the road. A diamond shaped awl is the proper tool for the job in my opinion and when done correctly will be almost invisible giving a much neater appearance and more secure stitch. I use a saddler's harness awl for the job.

After roughing up the welt area on the flesh side of the sheath as well as the welt itself on both sides with a hand leather rougher that's made for the job, I then apply the glue (Barge's rubber cement or Duall #88 cement works for me) and allow it to dry for a minimum of 10 minutes. I then assemble the sheath and use spring clamps around the edge with a piece of soft doubled buckskin underneath the clamps to protect the leather from clamp marks and allow the glue to dry. Then I sand the edge even on a belt sander which makes for a nice smooth even edge. The even edge makes it easier to get a nice uniform channel gouge and also makes it easier to burnish later. I use a 4" x 36" belt sander with a 120 grit belt for this. You can finish sand with a finer grit if you desire. As an aside, your local pawn shop is a great place to pick up some cheap shop tools if you are a bargain hunter like I am. I've purchased the belt sander, a drill press and other tools in great shape for as little as 1/3 the new cost. It helps to have an idea of the item's new price beforehand and be willing to dicker. I rarely pay over 1/2 the new cost for a used tool no matter how good the condition unless it is something I need right away. Don't pay any attention to the sticker price as they intentionally are marked high (sometimes ridiculously so) to allow for dickering which they fully expect from an experienced pawn shop patron. Check the date on the sticker. If the item has been sitting there for more than a few weeks they are more likely to be motivated to move the merchandise at a great price. Usually you can find one shop in your area that has the most reasonable prices and/or is easier to dicker with.

Now, back to stitching! I prefer to gouge a stitching channel on both sides of my sheaths with a stitch groover so that the thread sits just below the surface of the leather. This will protect the stitching from abrasion and will make your work last longer. It also gives you a guide on the backside when pushing the awl through. Of course to do this the leather must be thick enough so as not to weaken it. I would be leery of using the gouge on leather under 8 oz. or so myself. Alternatively, you can dampen the stitch area and merely depress the channel with an edge creaser or similar tool if preferred though this will make stabbing the holes more difficult. After gouging a channel I dampen it and run an appropriate sized stitching space marker in the channel to keep the stitches evenly spaced. I prefer a spacer that has 6 or 7 stitches per inch for my sheaths. I also run the spacer over the stitches when I have completed the sheath. This evens out the stitches and gives it a more finished look. It also helps to make white thread white again, at least with the Nyltex thread I use it does.

I have found that the textured rubber palmed gloves that you can buy at Harbor Freight and elsewhere work much better for me than leather gloves or just my bare fingers as they offer a much better grip to pull the needles through with less effort, plus they last for a good long while. Since I use the double needle method I use both gloves. I also very highly recommend buying 2 sewing palms - one for each hand. It is basically a piece of leather that fits over your thumb and wraps around your palm which has a vinyl bound iron thimble sewed to it just below the thumb. The palms make pushing the needles through much, much easier as well as safer! I use the large blunt tip egg-eye harness needles size 4 or 5. These help avoid the needle piercing the previous thread when pushing the 2nd needle through which would create a bit of a problem. I prefer the awl haft with the chuck on it rather than the handle with a needle shoved in it which can become loose over time.

Make sure your awl haft fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Mine didn't so I cut some off the end and sanded it to a slight roundness. You may also want to drill a small hole through the handle near the end and thread a piece or stout thread or cord through it as well as through the sewing palm. Why do this? Well after I dropped mine on concrete for the 2nd time (strangely they ALWAYS seem to land on the blade tip!) and had to spend a couple of hours each time re-sharpening the awl blade I finally got smart - at least temporarily :-). I like to use Nyltex thread. It is good and strong and there is no need for any thread preparation except maybe to cut an angle at the ends to make threading the needles easier, but thread of course is a personal choice.

OK, we should be about ready to clamp the sheath in the horse and start stitching! I prefer to have my work extending above the jaws by about a half inch or so, that way I can support the work on the back side with my thumb and forefinger as I stab with the awl and it also gives me room to angle the awl up or down if I miss the center of the channel. I also make sure I keep the stitching line parallel to the top of the stitching horse jaws so that my awl stabs are always at the correct angle. You should backstitch at least a couple of threads at the beginning and end of the sewing depending on the thickness of the leather. I usually start by stabbing 3 holes and start my first stitch in the 3rd hole and stitch backwards to the 1st hole and then proceed forward. A pair of linesman's pliers helps to pull the last needle through the double stitched holes. You should always start your first stitch from the back side of the project by the way to be sure you get the needle in the correct hole in case you had to make an adjustment. When I get to the 3rd hole again I only stab one hole at a time from then on. One of the best tips I can give you is this one: don't just stab the awl all the way through and hope for the best as you will certainly be disappointed with the results! I use my index finger on my awl hand as a stop (keep this in mind if you have to shorten your awl haft) so that the awl is just barely peeking out of the other side. I take a quick look at it dead-on and if it isn't in the center of the channel but is close I merely push or pull the awl handle up or down to compensate and then push it through (this is why I find it helps to wear a bright headlamp so that I can clearly see what I am doing on both sides of the work, it also helps when I'm cutting leather). This forces the awl back towards the center and works well. If its nearer the edge of the channel or out of the channel entirely just pull the awl back about half way, adjust the angle and try again! With practice you will soon be able to get it in the center most of the time on the first try. Using this method your missed awl stabs won't be visible and your stitching should be pretty uniform. This is one of the big advantages of stitching with an awl - you can't do that type of correction with a drill bit. Once drilled, it's there for good. Of course when pushing the awl through it is very important to look down directly over the awl so that you can keep it perpendicular to the work. When I am finished backstitching at the end of the project I simply cut the thread flush to the surface. There is no need to tie a knot as the backstitching will hold the thread tight. To cut the thread, I have found that nothing beats a toe nail clipper with a slightly rounded head for quickly cutting the thread flush with the surface with no fear of damaging the leather or nearby threads as is quite possible with a knife.

Since the awl blade must be consistently stabbed at the correct angle (about 45 degrees) in relationship to the channel (please refer to Al Stohlman's book), I sanded a small flat spot on my awl haft (handle) as a quick visual reference point once I got the angle where it should be. I have found that a very sharp awl blade is a must - buy the best you can find. I believe Bob Douglas at Sheridan Leather Outfitters in Sheridan, Wy. has some very good ones. I have also found that even with a sharp blade stabbing through thick leather can be tough sometimes especially with harder leather so what I discovered is that if the awl is first stabbed a short distance into a cake of beeswax it lubricates the awl blade allowing it to pierce the leather easier. If it's still hard to punch the awl through then you need to sharpen or maybe just hone your blade which is an art form unto itself. I made a large tapered hole near the top of my stitching horse's right clamp that is the same size and taper as a new cake of beeswax and just shoved a new cake in there. Since the hole was tapered to a smaller diameter as it goes in, the cake won't fall out when pushed against with the awl even though the hole goes completely through the wood. One cake has lasted for several months with plenty of wax to go. I can just do a quick jab into the cake without letting go of the awl or needles before I stab each hole. I only stab one hole at a time as the holes seem to close back up fairly quickly. I find it's also easier to establish a rhythm this way. I takes me about half an hour to stitch up 9" of completed work with the double needle method and that's taking my time and stitching 1/2" thick leather. Since I stitch a lot of the same items I prefer to cut my thread to the length I will be needing so that I don't have hardly any left over when I'm done rather than using a length that is way too long and harder to work with. It is easy to figure out how much thread you use per inch for different thicknesses of leather if you make notes of how long the thread is when you start and how much you have left when you've finished. Just try to make sure you have enough thread so that you don't run out of it before you're done or you will waste time trying to get going again. You can figure to use about 7 times your stitching length for your thread length (that's for stitching about 1/2" thickness).

Well, I guess that's about it. The rest is covered better than I possibly could in the book and it has illustrations to boot. I strongly urge you to learn how to stitch as suggested in Al's book. By not setting down the awl or dropping the needles you will become much more productive in time. I can't say I do everything exactly as suggested in the book (such as exactly how to hold the awl and needles) but I have adopted most of it. Find what works best for you by experimenting. It does take a while to get comfortable with this method and it will feel awkward at first but I have tried others and have found this to be the fastest as well as the most ergonomic method and one which produces the most professional looking stitches as well. Just start out slowly and methodically while practicing on scrap and have patience - it will come to be second nature in time. I hope this guide has helped in some small way to those of you that my be striving to learn this style of hand stitching. Good luck and Happy Stitching!