How to Learn to Sew Leather
Leather is a beautiful yet tricky material to work with. It is thicker than most types of material and therefore requires stronger needles and more effort. It is also expensive, though many high-quality pieces of leather can be reclaimed from old leather furniture, jackets and purses. Learning to sew leather requires time and patience, as you need to go slow at first so you do not ruin the material.
Things You'll Need
- Leather pieces
- Sewing machine
- Cardboard pattern
- Pattern weights
- Silver pen
- Scissors
- Walking foot or Teflon foot
- Heavy-duty fabric needle
- Nylon upholstery thread
Instructions
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Attach a walking foot or Teflon foot to your sewing machine. Thread the machine with nylon upholstery thread. Put a heavy-duty needle into the machine to prepare for sewing.
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2
Lay your leather pieces out on a table before marking with a pattern. Look for imperfections in the material. You will want to cut pieces that do not have imperfections in them, or that do have markings that you wish to show off.
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3
Trace around a cardboard pattern held in place by pattern weights, as you cannot pin leather with sewing pins due to its thickness. Trace with a silver pen so that you can see the markings well. Cut the pattern out of the leather with scissors. Cardboard patterns can be found at sewing and fabric shops.
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Practice sewing leather scraps that you are not using for your finished piece to get the feel for the machine and the leather. Once you have a feel for the leather, begin sewing your pattern as you would for fabric. Go slow at first so that you do not make a mistake and ruin the leather.
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Take a class in leather sewing from a local craft shop or sewing store. A class will be able to help you perfect your technique. Otherwise, sewing leather is the same as sewing fabric except that it is heavier and requires different tools.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
