How To Sew Thin Leather?

Thin leather is a great fabric for your sewing projects and is just as easy to handle as denim. Working with thin leather can be simpler than with some other lighter fabrics because it does not shrink or fray.
However, some people may find it challenging to work with delicate leathers. Understanding the thickness of the leather you are dealing with and the best methods for handling the material are crucial.
In order to prevent the leather from bunching up when cutting and sewing it, this article offers you some great tips that can give your products a more polished appearance. Let’s go straight into the content, shall we?

What is thin leather?

As you are probably already aware, rawhide and skin from animals, mainly cows, are tanned to produce leather, which is a very common animal-derived material.

Its popularity comes from the fact that it is strong, flexible, and useful, so it can be used for many different things. Thin leather differs from normal leather.

Thin leather is different from normal leather in terms of thickness. Leather typically comes in four different thickness levels, each of which is better suited to a specific task.

The choice with the least thickness is thin leather, which is occasionally also referred to as upholstery leather and typically has a thickness of no more than 1.2 mm. Clothing, furnishings, vehicles, and leathercraft all benefit from the use of thin leather.

Its thin appearance makes it simpler to sew, and because it is less difficult to control than thicker types of leather, it is a wonderful place to start for beginners.

Thin leathers are available in a wide range of hues, designs, and materials. Since thin leathers are simpler to cut and shape and can be used for a variety of goods, including wallets, bags, belts, jewelry, and purses, many leather workers prefer to work with them.

Tips on working with thin leather

1. Use a rotary blade when cutting thin leathers

Soft leathers, as opposed to thicker leathers, can snag if the blade is not balanced properly when going forward and downward. This becomes an issue if your blade is dull. Use a rotary cutter instead when working with finer leathers because of this.

The rotary blade itself is much less likely to catch because it is thinner than the blade of a round knife. If the blade on your rotary cutter is worn out, it is simple to replace it and to hone it using a rotary blade sharpener.

2. Over your needle, cast the thread

When you look at a thin leather product, the stitching is frequently very flat on one side and very diagonal on the other. This is because there is not enough room for the strands to twist around one another before exiting the other side. Casting the thread over your needle before you begin the knot is one solution to this issue.
Make sure not to pull your thread too tightly as you tie your knot. This may actually cause the leather to bunch on weaker leathers. Also, your stitching will look crooked, and the bunching of your leather will make it look bad. Therefore, strengthen your knot gradually but firmly, not using all of your strength.

3. Thread selection

When sewing thin leather, a thicker thread is required. Either an all-purpose heavy-duty thread or a leather thread can be used.

4. Needle selection

Specialized needles are needed to sew thin leather. The additional hook on these needles aids in piercing the leather in order to pull the string back. Additionally, attempt to purchase a larger-sized needle. Read our article on the best sewing machine needles

The Equipment You’ll Need for Sewing Thin Leather

1. Sewing machine

To stitch thin leather, you won’t require an industrial sewing machine. Fortunately, if you have the appropriate tools on hand, you can sew leather using a normal sewing machine

You should, however, exercise caution when stitching. This is due to the fact that a conventional sewing machine will not be able to complete your sewing project if it calls for sewing together multiple layers of thin leather. As a result, you should make your plans in light of the type of job you’re attempting and we recommend using at least a heavy duty sewing machine. Read our post on the best sewing machines for leather

2. Thread

When sewing leather, you should purchase thick polyester strands. Threads made of regular cotton won’t be able to pierce it. If you attempt to sew leather with those threads, they are not strong enough to hold up and will snap. Make sure the thread’s thickness corresponds to the needle’s eye’s breadth.

Silk threads are another option that you might want to give a shot since they work well for stitching thin leather. Pure silk threads are somewhat pricey, so you may rather go for a polyester thread instead.

3. Presser Feet

For normal sewing chores, you can use a regular sewing foot. But you’ll need specialist sewing machine feet if you want to sew leather. It is advised that you purchase a Teflon-made zipper foot since it can easily slide over leather. Make sure the sewing machine pressure feet you purchase will suit your machine as well. Read our buying guide on the best presser feet

4. Needle

On the market, there are specialized needles designed specifically for sewing leather. These needles have a wedge-shaped point that readily penetrates leather without leaving behind any noticeable holes.
There are several diameters available for these needles. And you ought to choose one that is compatible with the thickness of the leather you intend to stitch. Typically, you can use these unique needles to sew up to three or four pieces of thin leather.

5. Clips

While sewing leather, Wonder Clips should be used. This is the case because a puncture punched into leather will remain there. You should avoid pinning your leather down because of this. To hold the leather in position, wonder clips would be a preferable alternative.take

6. Tools for cutting leather

Tools that can quickly cut leather are required. To cut thin leather, use blades that are razor-sharp. Leather can be easily sliced with shears. However, a rotary blade should be used if you need to cut a lot of leather.

When using a rotary cutter, however, exercise caution. This is due to the difficulty of handling these tools. Your leather could be destroyed with just one wrong motion.

For straightforward cuts, just use a rotary cutter; for intricate cuts around the borders, use shears. Additionally, keep in mind to secure the leather with pegs before cutting. Additionally, you can use a weight to keep the leather in position.

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How to sew thin leather?

When stitching thin leather, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. When sewing leather, it’s crucial to select the correct type of sewing machine. A tiny home sewing machine can stitch very thin leather, such as calf Nappa. However, when sewing heavy leather or more than two layers together, an industrial sewing machine will be required. Thin leathers that are between 0.08 mm and 1 mm thick can typically be stitched on a domestic sewing machine.

2. To keep leather from tearing while being sewn, use lengthier stitch lengths. To get a balanced stitch across, keep the upper thread tension at its highest setting.

3. The finest leathers for machine stitching are flexible, thin ones that can be bent easily around a seam. It can be very challenging to machine stitch saddle or bridle leather due to its thickness. If the leather is too thick, the needles will keep breaking.

4. To account for the leather stretching, make sure to pull the thin leather fabric tight and rest the bottom of it against a hard surface. Marble boards are typically suggested as they are much denser than wood and do not shift as much beneath the material. They will also significantly lessen problems with tracing thin leather.

5. A thinner awl and smaller needles are required for hand stitching thin leather than for conventional leather stitching, and you should not pull the stitches too tightly.

Many claim that hand sewing is difficult and that the leather bunches. Sewing machines are advised as a result. Use the proper stitch for thin leather if you plan to sew with a sewing machine.

6. It’s crucial to think about how your merchandise will fit together. Even thinner leathers are thicker than the majority of fabrics you will sew. You must be cautious when sewing your seam and how many layers you are sewing together at once.

To watch a video on tips to sew leather, watch this amazing video from Melly Sews.

Summary: How to sew thin leather

When you’re learning and working with various types of leather, it’s simple to become frustrated. When you attempted to sew leather on your subsequent project using a different type of leather, you thought you had successfully mastered the technique only to find out that you failed.

When you first start, it’s simple to assume that the issue is your lack of experience, which is typically the case. However, keep in mind that the issue could also be the type of leather. While stitching thin leather on your machine, proceed slowly. Otherwise, if you’re not cautious, the stitch might become crooked.

When dealing with thin leather, the only thing to watch out for is cutting or stapling too close to the edge. If you commit that error, your work might start to degrade over time.

Finally, there’s no reason not to use thin leather in your upcoming project; it can yield some adorable results.

As you work with a variety of leathers, including thin leathers, hopefully this article on sewing thin leathers will help you focus on the skills you need to keep honing.

Sewing projects you will enjoy

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Frequently Asked Questions