Leather Sewing and Pressing Hints

One way to 'pin' leather is with binder clips found in an office supply store.

Never use a short stitch length on leather. This will perforate the cloth and make it easy to tear.

Leather has grain like knit fabric. It is fairly stable on the lengthwise grain and stretchy on the widthwise grain. This is so that the animal can eat without discomfort.

To sew leather on a sewing machine, use a rolling, walking, or non-stick presser foot. Otherwise the leather will stick to the presser foot and twist the stitching.

It is 'taboo' to press leather with an iron. I do it anyway. I test the garment at an inside hem where it is not conspicuous to see if the appearance of the leather is changed. Remember that heat and steam makes leather brittle, so be very cautious. Corinthian leather presses much more readily without damage than most other types.

To crease leather, use a wooden clap board to hit the fold. This separates the fibers, weakening the bond and causing a crease.

To hem leather, glue the cut edge of the hem about ½ inch from the crease. Press the hem up with your hand. Place wax paper between the layers of the garment so that the glue does not glue the layers together. Place the garment hem under weights, like heavy books, to set the hem until it dries.