An expensive material that can be unforgiving, leather also is a high-margin item so it pays to learn the following tips for successfully sewing this material.

There is probably no other material in embroidery circles feared as much as leather. It is the one material people actually tell me they are scared to sew on.The reasons are two-fold. First, you can’t hide mistakes on leather too well. Once you put a needle hole in it, that’s it. If you have to remove the stitching, the needle holes remain right there for everyone to see. So you basically have one shot to get it right.

An expensive material that can be unforgiving, leather also is a high-margin item so it pays to learn the following tips for successfully sewing this material.

There is probably no other material in embroidery circles feared as much as leather. It is the one material people actually tell me they are scared to sew on. The reasons are two-fold. First, you can’t hide mistakes on leather too well. Once you put a needle hole in it, that’s it. If you have to remove the stitching, the needle holes remain right there for everyone to see. So you basically have one shot to get it right.

The second fear is that a design can carve a huge hole in a leather item. This is a real concern because leather is not forgiving. If there are too many stitches in a design, with too many needle holes placed too closely together, you might cut through the material, leaving a hole in the shape of the design.

The unforgiving nature of leather would be a concern — but not a big deal — if leather goods were cheap. But they’re not. The high cost of a leather jacket can make you hesitant to embroider it. Couple that with the fact that the needle holes are permanent, and it is enough to give you the willies.

There are some things that are easier about sewing on leather than fabric. It’s smooth surface requires fewer stitches to get good coverage. It also is fairly stable and requires less backing or stabilizer. Finally, embroidery just plain looks good on leather.

There also is generally a higher profit margin on decorated leather goods because of the higher price of blanks. So let’s take a deep breath and work through the panic of having to embroider leather.We will look at the pitfalls to avoid and the best practices to use when working with this scary material.

THE BASICS

Ideally, the design should be digitized for leather. In cases where you have to make do with an existing design or stock design, you might want to increase the design 10% to 15% to spread the stitches out a little bit. Designs that are too dense can literally carve out the design in the leather. Remember, you are embroidering, not etching.

As with any material, selecting the right needle and stabilizer are key.What is important when working with leather is balancing the strength of the needle and the size. Minimize the size of the needle to prevent holes and minimize the amount of resistance encountered when penetrating the material. At the same time, some leather is very coarse and thick, particularly at seams, and it can break needles that are too small.

I have found that the more important aspect is minimizing the resistance — especially when embroidering thick leather. This means you should use a normal (sharp) point needle at the smallest size you can get away with. You would think that thick material would require a thicker needle (80/12 or larger). It has been my experience that while a larger needle is less likely to break, it tends to skip stitches because it gets stuck in the material. A 70/10 needle can penetrate many leathers without too much resistance and is less prone to getting stuck.

Most leather is pretty stable, not to mentioned that many leather items, like jackets, are sewn to a woven lining that further stabilizes it. This minimizes the need for backing. Different types of leather stretch more than others, but generally a good tearaway backing is sufficient for most leathers.

When it comes to framing leather, you must be careful not to “burn” the material. Leather is more sensitive to over-tightening of the hoop than other fabrics. One way to avoid this is to open the hoop slightly wider than would be needed to hold a more conventional fabric. Then, frame the item, gently pulling it tight in the hoop. Once it is framed, tighten up the adjusting screw just enough to hold the item for embroidery.

After the design has been completed, remove it from the hoop fairly quickly. Leaving leather goods framed for extended periods of time can leave an impression of the hoop in the material.

Many leather items are somewhat thick. Thick leather is generally not very pliable, so it is difficult to get into the frame. The good news is that this type of leather is durable and can handle the rough framing. The bad news is that you might end up with Carpel Tunnel syndrome trying to frame the stuff. Paying attention to the type of garment, particularly jackets and vests, can help overcome some of this difficulty. If you are providing the items to the customer, avoid goods that have a seam in the framing area. Not only are seams more difficult to frame, but they also can be extremely difficult to sew through. On thinner leather goods, seams aren’t too bad to sew through, just more difficult to frame. On thicker leather, they can make it nearly impossible to get the item framed.

OUT OF CONTROL

Of course, you can’t always control which jacket or vest you will be sewing. The customer may select one that has inconveniently placed seams or may even bring in a garment that presents similar challenges. You can still work with it as long as you are mindful of the seams. Try to position the frame and the design to avoid seams as much as possible.

When you have to sew over a thick seam, nudge the design one way or the other to prevent small details from sewing over the seam and, if possible, keep the stitches running perpendicular to the seam.This will help the design sew better and look better.

Seams are not the main problem for some of the thickest leather, which is difficult or impossible to get into a conventional frame. Forget putting things like boot leather and belts in a conventional hoop. Your best bet is to use either a bag clamp or use one of the framing systems designed for adhesive backing, such as Fast Frames or Quick Change frames.

GETTING THIN

Now let’s look at the other extreme of leather goods. Examples of thinner leather goods are higher-end jackets, as well as purses, bags and such. Thin leather does stretch some so you must use a tearaway stabilizer. You also need to be more careful with design and digitizing. Heavy stitch counts not only raise the risk of cutting holes in the material, it also can make thin leather pucker. The layout of the design can cause the same effect.Try to edit the design so it sews from the center out.

THE UN-LEATHER

Not all that looks like leather is leather. Many leather-looking products are actually vinyl or Naugahyde. Vinyl is generally more forgiving to sew on than leather. It can handle more stitching and is not as easily damaged by framing as leather. However, it does show needle holes if stitches are removed, just as leather does.Vinyl typically has more stretch to it as well, so use a good stabilizer — heavy tearaway will work fine.

Sueded leather is not that different to embroider than regular leather. It is the same material; it has just been brushed to give it a textured surface. The texture of suede usually is not heavy enough to cause problems. If you are concerned about it showing through stitches, use water-soluble topping to hold the pile down.

After it's sewn, use care when removing the remaining topping from suede. On fabric, people spray the garment with a water bottle to remove the backing. Don’t do this on suede as water could discolor it. Instead, use a piece of tape (i.e., duct tape or packing tape) and blot the fabric with it to remove any remaining backing.

If you have a mishap with leather, don’t panic. Many normal sewing malfunctions such as thread breaks and birdsnesting don’t normally have an adverse effect on the final product. The toughest thing to do is remove stitching and cover up all the little needle holes in the material. If you have just a few needle holes here and there within the body of the design, you may be the only person to notice. If you have a lot and they stand out, your best option is to try to cover them up by widening the design or putting down a fill background.

The best way to deal with mistakes is to prevent them. If you are already guarded about doing leather, that is a good thing.We often do better work on materials we don’t like because we are more cautious. Just make sure you have all the details covered and double check those before you start. Use the same advice many carpenters follow, “Measure twice, cut once.”

With leather, it pays to double check all the little things before you start because you can’t sew twice.You don’t need to be scared of leather, just cautious. While it is unforgiving, it is not impossible. Just mind the details and get it right the first time.