Stitching ClampFree

 Classic Saddlestitch is done with the project clamped in a stitching pony or stitching clam, and the awl and one needle held in one hand and the other needle in the other hand.

If you do not have something to clamp the work in and your project is small enough, you can achieve the same stitch freehand.

The video shows how.

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In the video I mention finger gloves / finger cots.  Here is what the packaging looks like.  I cannot remember where I bought them.

Here is a more comprehensive post about hand-stitching, if you want to kick it up a notch:
Hand Stitching Leather

Swivel Knife Blades

 A lot can be said about swivel knife preference and quality, etc..

All I want to do here is show the different blades that leatherworkers might come across.

Resist and Antiquing

 I will be adding description to this post soon - in the mean time here are the three videos that showed this comparison.

This photo shows my preparation for the process:

I first stamped the top piece of leather with the hats and slightly beveled around them.

Then I applied Neatlac in specific spots as I will soon explain.  Those areas stayed dark, even after the Neatlac dried, and I realized I would have to do the same on another piece of leather that was tanned differently.  You can see the difference in the effect of the Neatlac.  I did the same on both pieces, so when I refer to "B", it is the second hat from the left in the top row, on both pieces of leather.

A:  No resist, no dye.

B: Both hat and background resisted.

C: Just the hat is resisted with the Neatlac.

D: Only the background is resisted.

E: No resist, no dye.

F: Hat painted with white acrylic paint

G: Background dyed with Java brown water-based dye.

H: Background dyed and hat resisted.

After this, the Hi-Lite stain was applied:

Here is the result:

On both pieces the background dye around G and H almost completely disappeared - I think the Java brown dye and the Chestnut Hi-Lite colors were too close for the dye to show through in contrast.

And here is a quick tip:

After applying Hi-Lite stain, you always have to seal it in, because the stain leaves a residue on top of the leather.

If I am happy with how my project looks at this stage, I will often simply spray it with Leather Sheen aerosol - goes on shiny and then after five minutes you cannot even see that it has been sealed. 

In this case however, I wanted to get the Hi-lite stain off as much as possible and also make sure that the color was on as even as possible.   To do this, I applied the Neatlac with a sponge as you can see in this video:

All that remained now was to apply white acrylic paint to the hat in E.  In this case it was not very successful, but with things like flowers, it is often nice to get a bright color going on top of the Hi-lite stain.  I prefer option F where the Hi-lite stain slightly dulled the white of the hat, but you can see how much contrast there still is.

 The final result is as follows:

So I hope you can now see how you can use different pathways to achieve different results.

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Pattern Transfer

 

In a discussion on how to prevent leather from stretching while you tool it,  Laurie Sackman-Lewis mentioned the product you see in the photo.

She said that she also uses it to enclose a design (laminated) so that you can just trace it.

I had to try and it worked well, so I made a quick short video to show how this can be done:

I hope it helps!

Thanks again Laurie

Cracking Leather

 Stop Leather from Cracking

"My leather cracks when I fold it after dyeing.  Help!!"

This comes up often as a problem - here is my take on the issue:

First Question:   Are you using the Eco-Flo water based stain from the square bottle?

If you are, please read this blog post (it covers the two important secrets in using this stain - shake and long application):

WATER STAIN

Next Issue:   The dye changed to very top layer of the leather.   This will take some explanation.

If you aggressively fold leather as it comes from the tannery, the outer layer will probably stretch enough so that it does not crack.

Now think of the leather fibers as the same as the hair of a paintbrush.   Easy to bend over, until you use it in paint and you do not wash it.   They dry very stiff and hard.

Exactly the same happens to the leather fibers that you dyed.   People think it is the dye that dries out the leather, but you start off with dry leather.  It is now the leather fibers that stick to each other.

To solve this problem, there are a few things to consider:

• You can bend the leather while it is damp and the leather can stretch more.   This can be when it is still damp from the dye, or you could get the whole piece damp again.
• You can treat the leather with a conditioner such as olive oil, neatsfoot oil or any of the waxy greasy conditioners out there.   After it has penetrated the leather, manipulate the leather to give the fibers a chance to work them selves loose and become lubricated.
• Not all leathers are tanned with the same recipe - some may easily accept an aggressive fold and some may crack just because of the way it was tanned.
• The thicker the leather, the further you expect the outer layer to stretch, which could also be a factor.

Keep these points in mind and test with cut-off pieces what works best for you.

There is a lot of opinions out there about oil and dye / before and after.  You have to be VERY careful with this advice!!!       Please read this:

OIL BEFORE DYE

I will add to this post as I think of more things.

Have Fun!!!

Cutting Straight

Yes, I know:  you have cork under your ruler.....

BUT.....Cutting against a metal straight edge will work well, until you cut a big piece for an expensive project.

And then the straight edge will slip and you will cut into your project leather......     [Learning from a friend...]

So I suggest this:

Use a ruler / straight edge and a scratch awl to mark the line where you want to cut.  Then make the cut freehand!

Because during the marking phase you can focus just on keeping the ruler straight.   Then when you do the cut, you can just focus on that and do not have to worry to also keep the ruler stable.

Here it is in action:

 

Water Stain

 Using Eco-Flo Water Stain (the one in the square bottle)

Probably one of the top stains on the market today for the leathercrafter. To understand how to properly use it, I want to quote what was on the Tandy Website in 2019:

"It’s a blend of natural and synthetic waxes, dye-stuffs and binders with high penetration and dyeing power. This stain will not bleed or rub off. Colors can be mixed to form different hues. It can also be thinned with water to reduce intensity."

BUT, it has to be applied properly to be effective. Remember also that it was developed as a stain to color large areas of leather. 

It is important that the leather is dry before you apply the stain.  Damp or wet leather will give unpredictable results:

WET or DRY

However, I have used it very successfully with a small brush in selected areas only, by staying in one spot for a long time.

One of the most important points for getting good even coverage on the leather: 

Shake the bottle for five minutes, have coffee and shake for five minutes more.... 

 Then spend at least two minutes applying the stain with a sponge. 

 It will go on super dark, dry very light, and then pop when you apply a conditioner or sealer.

Published Mar 2019