I haven’t seen anybody mention a sewing awl (like the Speedy Stitcher) for doing the saddle stitch with one needle instead of two. I discovered I had one kicking around here (I think we inherited it) and wish I’d thought of it before my last leather project (kept stabbing myself with the two needles and it was very slow). I’m planning on using it for another leather case for one of my puzzles.
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I’ve had a speedy stitch for years and it works well but it doesn’t do a true saddle stitch. I can’t illustrate the difference right now as I am on my phone.
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If you figure out how to use it - be sure to demo. I’ve got one too, but lost the blinking instructions and I would love to know how to load the thing. (Maybe I would even think of a leather project, but so far I’ve avoided them because I don’t want to mess with the stitching. Looks hard. I need a pony.)
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Everyone needs a pony.
I think stitching is like weeding, do it while you do other things like watching TV.
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I think I know what you mean, but it seems to me you could get there by pulling on the threads until they are even. Have to try that.
There are videos all over YouTube–just search for Speedy Stitcher.
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No, I’ll illustrate when I get home, no matter how much you pull or adjust it is still another stitch.(lock stitch I think?) Saddle stitches are labor intensive but strong and good looking.
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Correct!! In saddle stitch each thread goes on both sides of the material through alternating holes. In lock stitch like the Speedy Stitcher or a sewing machine each thread stays on its own side of the material with a little ‘hi, how are you’ in each hole. This is why saddle stitch is stronger - if one side breaks the whole seam is still held together.
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This is the stitch you get with a speedy stitch, note that you can dress where the two interlock but the stitch remains basically the same.
Here is a saddle stitch, it is fundamentaly different.
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Oh duh! Of course you are right. Saddle stitch was what I did for my puzzle case but probably overkill for such a low-wear item. I’m still going to try speedy stitch for the next one, but thanks for showing me the difference!
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One of the main reasons I got a pro. I want to make long things like belts. 
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thanks everyone! I am planning to do attempt #2 this weekend since I only have access to the glowforge at night and weekends! Honestly with how much time it took to make the first one I don’t understand how people can make a profit with this. The materials aren’t cheap and including labor time it would just cost too much for what it is. We’ll see what I can do.
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People like to make things for themselves and as gifts. You could consider selling kits of cut materials, especially if you could get them in bulk, for a project like this if the assembly time is the bottle-neck. You’d need to include some instructions, though.
If you want to keep using fabric instead of leather for the inner color (which I love the look of!), you could try using something like fray-check to reduce fraying on the edges, use a synthetic fabric which might not fray if laser cutting sears the edges, and/or go back to the outline design without the curves on the edges at the fold (which is where I’d guess most of the fraying happens). Or just have two small pieces of fabric glued to the inside of the cutouts under the stars, but away from any edges that you would see fray. You could also think about just painting the leather there a different color rather than dealing with the separate material all together.
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i would guess it’s a combination of becoming significantly faster through repetition and a mix of savvy material purchasing and bulk pricing.
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Yeah, it is all about batch processing items when possible. Setup time in most hand making, or production for that matter, is where you lose a lot of productivity.
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They pretty much don’t. There are niche markets and people who enjoy doing it for themselves. Otherwise it mainly comes from India. Yeah, I have no idea how a land of mostly vegetarians where some people revere cows become a global leather power either. If you’re still interested find yourself that niche.
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Ohh! This is so cute! I love the colors!
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I think this is a great first run and imagine your next one will be even better, now that you’ve learned a little bit to start. A wallet is on my list of stuff to make, so the quality you got on such an early project is very encouraging.
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A sewing awl is good, but isn’t a saddle stitch. Tandy teaches a fake saddle stitch where you sew one way then back the other. Go to YouTube and search under ‘Tandy’. if you want to feel inadequate look for Ian Atkinson.
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I’ve watched that guy…yeah, he’s good.
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This is really wonderful, especially for a first attempt! I love the design.
Small holes and a saddle stitch are definitely the way to go for a professional look!
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