I don’t know why, but 1 day, I wanted to do a leather project. So, I asked Grandma what type of stitch I needed for the leather project. She said saddle stitch. I asked whether it was for book building.
She said, yes, it does, but saddle stitch is the strongest one, so it is perfect for a leather project. I asked, ok, then teach me how to saddle stitch by hand?
She said let me show you a project-
Saddle Stitch By Hand
To saddle stitch leather by hand, cut the leather, punch holes with a picking iron, stitch with 2 needles, secure with a back stitch, tie knots on the back, trim excess thread, and hammer the stitches to finish.
Is it that easy?
Haha, not really. Let’s do the project together.
Crisp point:
- Use sharp scissors to cut the leather piece.
- Use thicker leather suitable for sewing projects.
- Create stitch holes with a pricking iron, holding it vertically at a 90-degree angle.
Table of Contents
What Is Saddle Stitch?
Saddle stitch is a binding method where folded sheets of paper are stapled together along the fold line, typically used for booklets, brochures, and magazines.
How To Saddle Stitch By Hand For Beginners?
To do saddle stitch, you need to follow 4 steps.
- Prepare The Leather
- Make The First Saddle Stitch
- Warp The The Saddle Stitch
- Hammer The Leather
Prepare The Leather
To prepare the leather, use sharp scissors to cut the piece of leather, then grab a picking iron to create holes in the leather. That’s the start of the sewing stitch.
Note: Use thicker leather for leather for sewing.
Then, you need to punch the layer of leather with a picking iron. Hold the picking iron vertically (90 degrees).
Put it in the middle of that line and then as vertically as you can. It’s like creating a buttonhole for a buttonhole stitch. Then, push it hard until it makes the holes. Then again, put the picking iron in the last hole and repeat the process until the end.
Make The First Saddle Stitch
To make the first saddle stitch, you need to put it into the sewing stitching and make stitch holes. Go through the first hole and pull the linen thread out so you have an equal amount on both sides.
Now that that’s done let’s start. You should always begin with your left hand. Since the hole has been opened up, push the needle in through the second hole.
Take the needle in your right hand and bring it underneath the left needle so it forms a cross. Just like you had to do while doing cross stitch.
Pull the first needle through, then with your left hand, push the thread back underneath, forming the cross again and hand-stitching leather. This isn’t like a slip stitch, so don’t be gentle with it.
Now, bring the needle back through the same hole, through the top part. Lift the thread over and around that needle, then grab it and pull both threads tight at the same time. And there you have your first stitch!
Continue doing that until the end.
Warp The The Saddle Stitch
To wrap up the saddle stitch, Just keep the leather for stitching as you did before. Once you get to the last hole of your stitching holes, it’s time to secure the stitching with a back stitch. To do this, simply stitch back through the previous 2 holes the same way but in reverse. This technique can even be used to repair by hand.
Manha Soliman said-
After completing the back stitch, take the needle on the “finished” side and push it back through to the “back” side of the leather. This will hide any loose thread ends and make thread tight from the front of your workpiece, making it look neat.
Now, on the back side, tie the double knot a couple of times to secure the end. Just like doing a backsitch. While not completely necessary since the back stitch locks everything in place, the knots add extra security. Finally, trim any excess thread close to the knots, but be careful not to cut too close and risk the knot coming undone.
Hammer The Leather
Hammer the leather on the wrong side of the heavy leathers. Hit it at the stitch section hard so the stitch is more visible on the right side.
Hit it with all your anger! If you can’t, then remember your ex and hit it 😜
See? It worked!
Now you can see how beautiful the Saddle stitching.
Still in doubt? Then, watch this video tutorial.
Watch The Tutorial
How to HAND STITCH LEATHER – Saddle Stitch Tutorial
Saddle Stitch Tools
You need 4 saddle stitch tools. Such as:
- Needle
- Thread
- Hammer
- leather items
-2.5 inch poly thread is enough for saddle stitch. This heavy thread is perfect for saddle stitch.
-What about the leather sewing needle?
– You need 2 point needle for saddle stitch.
And 5 size harness needle is a perfect fit for saddle stitch.
How To Saddle Stitch A Book?
To saddle stitch a book, start by folding each sheet of paper in half individually for clean edges, using a flat-edged object like a bone folder to sharpen the folds. Unfold the papers and poke evenly spaced holes along the folds using a needle, then stack the papers, ensuring the holes align.
Cut a piece of thread 2 times the length of the book, thread a needle, and tie a knot at the end. Pull the needle through the holes in an alternating pattern, then back through the holes in the opposite direction until you reach the starting point. The process is kind of similar to ladder stitch. Tie a knot to secure the thread, pull the needle back through the first hole, and cut any excess thread to finish.
Sewing this kinda fun, but it’s hard. It’s not like the sew top stitch so be prepared to do some hard work with saddle stitch.
Can You Saddle Stitch With One Needle?
Yes, you can totally saddle stitch with just one needle using what’s called the 1 needle, 2 passes method. It’s handy in certain situations, especially if only one side of your project will show. Now, the more traditional way is with 2 needles at once, which is easier to get the hang of but needs a stitching pony and gives you more even stitches.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
How Do You Straight Stitch Leather By Hand?
To straight stitch leather by hand, mark your stitching line, punch holes along the line, thread a needle with waxed thread, and stitch through each hole in a straight line using a saddle stitch technique, securing the ends with knots.
Sum up
Now I know how to saddle stitch by hand.
And I did finish my leather project with it.
Can you do it? If yes, then why not share it on sewinginspo?
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