Finally sewed my first leather spine on Monday

Took me about 5 tries across the last 3 weeks to get it right. I was using a cheap awl from Michaels and it kept catching on the lining. My buddy Rick at the local craft shop in Portland let me borrow his proper curved needle and it made all the difference. Anyone else struggle with getting the thread tension even on tight curves?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_ellis29d ago

Oh, the thread tension on tight curves is a beast. I had the same exact trouble when I started doing leather work last year, my first few spines looked like a wobbly mess because I was pulling too hard on the inside of the curve. Switching to a good curved needle and a proper sewing awl fixed it for me, just like with your buddy's loaner.

hugo_robinson2529d ago

Actually I kind of disagree with that. I've been doing leatherwork for about 3 years now and curved needles always threw me off more than they helped. I found that switching to a really sharp straight needle and just taking smaller bites on the tight curves worked way better for me. The awl is key though I'll give you that, but I think the problem was more about stitch spacing than the needle shape. On spines I just punch my holes at an angle so the thread sits more naturally without pulling. Everyone's got their own method but for me straight needles are the way to go.

tylerj2229d ago

Huh, that's interesting. Hugo_robinson25 makes a good point about angling the holes on spines, I saw that trick in a video somewhere and it seems like it would help a lot with the thread laying flat.