advice on thread for sewing leather with machine please

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smojo

Forager
Jan 19, 2014
137
0
West Yorkshire
I've got some soft leather and a good heavy duty Singer sewing machine. I want to make some pouches etc. Had a go with some heavy duty cotton thread but the bobbin struggles a bit (thread probably too thick) and the tension gets screwed up and bunches sometimes. So I wondered what can the experts recommend as a strong type of thread for machine work please. What make? What thickness? I guess ordinary Gutenberg polyester is not strong enough really.
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
Yes, it is strong enough; Guttermann (sp) polyester sew-all is the perfect thread to use on garment or upholstery leather for pouches. It's not the thickness of the thread that makes for a strong seam, it's stitch length, basic
pattern seam allowance and how carefully you do it that count for much more. Lacing your shoes with rope won't make them any stronger! :)
 

smojo

Forager
Jan 19, 2014
137
0
West Yorkshire
Yes, it is strong enough; Guttermann (sp) polyester sew-all is the perfect thread to use on garment or upholstery leather for pouches. It's not the thickness of the thread that makes for a strong seam, it's stitch length, basic
pattern seam allowance and how carefully you do it that count for much more. Lacing your shoes with rope won't make them any stronger! :)

What would be a good stitch length please. My machine has settings stitches/inch
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,109
2,847
66
Pembrokeshire
I always use the max length on my machine - the fewer holes the less likelihood of tearing...
I also find that a walking/equal feed foot helps avoid seam slippage.
 

smojo

Forager
Jan 19, 2014
137
0
West Yorkshire
Thanks, not sure what a walking feed foot is though. I have an old 1939 Singer 201-2 and just standard and zip feet. I have found the seams slip which is annoying. Do you need more foot pressure or less for leather than say cotton? I tried adjusting the pressure a bit but made no difference.
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,109
2,847
66
Pembrokeshire
Thanks, not sure what a walking feed foot is though. I have an old 1939 Singer 201-2 and just standard and zip feet. I have found the seams slip which is annoying. Do you need more foot pressure or less for leather than say cotton? I tried adjusting the pressure a bit but made no difference.

A walking or equal feed foot has feed dogs so that the top layer of material being sewn is fed through the foot just as the lower material is by the dogs in the baseplate
51ioImmodAL.jpg
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
On a 201, you need to reduce the pressure on the foot according to the thickness of the material going through it; slacken the thumbscrew on the very top of the needle bar housing as much as you can, run a test piece through and then increase again 'till you get seam slippage; then come back off a bit and you'll be good to stitch.

Some people like to apply a little glue to the seams to hold them in place whilst stitching, others will baste (sp), or long rough stitches by hand just to hold everything aligned, then either left or cut and pulled away later.
 

bilmo-p5

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 5, 2010
8,168
9
west yorkshire
Some people like to apply a little glue to the seams to hold them in place whilst stitching, others will baste (sp), or long rough stitches by hand just to hold everything aligned, then either left or cut and pulled away later.

Basting tape (double sided sticky tape) is also handy and available from haberdashers in widths from about 5mm through 25mm.

These are also useful for holding thicker fabrics together and you can just pull them off as the fabric is about to go under the foot.
 

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