Leatherwork Q - dye &sew or sew & dye?

[Kerne]

Now that I am getting into this leatherwork stuff I have come to question my practice so far of making something, then dyeing it. I find that this often produces unevenness in places where I have stressed the leather. Would I be better off dyeing it first? Is one approach more popular than the other?

Any advice?

 

[Black Sheep]

Hi Jim,

I usually cut it, glue & sew it then dye it. But sometimes sew it after dying if I want contrasting stitching

I've also heard that dying it while wet helps for a more even colour, but I've not tried it.

Regards

Richard

 

[Tor helge]

I usually cut, sew and then dye.
As for dyeing wet leather; I use to clean the leather with a good measure of alcohol (Rødsprit) on a rag before I dye it. It removes fat and other things that make an uneven color.

Tor

 

[brancho]

I do as Tor and dilute my dye with meths (denatured alcohol) it takes several wipes to get the colour but get much more even results. Dye the leather when damp not wet.

 

[Kerne]

Cheers, folks;

I'm coming round to the idea that sew & dye is the usual practice but I have seen some really nice work with contrasting stitching, so I suppose it's horses for courses... I have been damping the leather down before dying and this certainly does help avoid a streaky finish.