Fine Art of Moving Off the Leather and onto Canvas
I bet if you have once sat in front of your good solid leather canvas sewing machine you know that switching between leather and canvas is a game of sorts. You are accustomed to one minute of needling your skin through heavy-rooted hide, and the next minute to slide over smooth, yielding fibers. Questions such as: “Will this needle take both?” or “Is this too heavy thread to use on canvas, and too thin to use on leather?” have bothered most crafters. Here is a bit of confusion, stitch by stitch we will untwist it.
The Reason Behind the Need of Leather and Canvas to Treat Differently
First impression, leather and canvas are very distant relatives. But in reality they are even closer than you imagine. They are default options when it comes to the popular projects such as bags, shoes and belts, as well as outdoor gear. The requirement, however, is that the differences between them can give you a stumble as they are thick, non-unravelling, not easily-causing stickiness, in the case of leather and easy-to-use, yet able to become unraveled, breathable in the circumstance of canvas.
It is all about approaching each material as a beast in its own right without losing the tempo once you mix them. As opposed to what is commonly accepted, it is not the size of the needle that is the key variable. Such details as thread elasticity, the thickness of the material, and even the manner you pass the fabric beneath the presser foot are highly important.
Needle Know-how: Selecting the point of need during the job
A neophyte once asked me, a conréU©n Radier, Which needle is it? She had only dulled a common needle on a heavy belt her machine had been grumbling about its work. This is your shortcut list:
In the case of Leather: It should be a wedge or a chisel-point needle, commonly used 90/14 to 110/18. Why? Those are needles that are aimed to pierce through hides smoothly without tearing ragged holes (stiletto in fabric, you know). They also slide, as opposed to pushing, which also helps avoid missed stitches.
In case of Canvas: powerful all-purpose or jeans/denim needle, 100/16 or 110/18, can do miracles. These are thicker shafted and sharp pointed-good in thread weaving tight and they do not fray the threads in the weaving or bend the needle.
In the case of Blended Seams: The 100/16 jeans needle is a sure middle-ground when your project goes lightweight all of a sudden such as thicker leather to heavier canvas (and in some cases as different as both ends of a seam-messenger bags, anyone?). It packs a sufficient amount of walloping however it will not turn your canvas into confetti.
Thread Tactics: The Art of Searching Your Soulmate
The correct needle serves more than keeping things together. It affects the strength, feel, and even the life of your perfect project. Cotton thread? Leather is too strong. Fine polyester? Drill holes in canvas that may not be considerable. That is how to align them:
Leather Your hero is bonded nylon or polyester thread. Tex 70 (or #69), or Tex 90 (#92) provide muscle as well as flex. Bonded options slide across tough hide, they do not fray and they never rot in sweat or water, fundamental requirements in the landing of belts and bags.
Canvas: Heavy cotton thread or all-purpose polyester make the cut. When working with lighter canvas you can incline Tex 40 or heavy all purpose thread and Tex 70 when using heavy projects.
Leather-Canvases: Split the difference through a bonded polyester Tex 70. It is powerful on most of the leathers but supple to canvas. fatter thread or thinner? Tension and needle size should be adjusted and a small test patch should be used before actually running the piece.
Some Tips and Tricks To A Perfect Finish
Even experienced home sewists freeze before a switch of leather-canvas. It is so, as each sewing machine processes this transition in a somewhat different way. These are some of the suggestions taken out of the numerous late night trouble-shooting sessions:
On the Fly Tension Adjustments
An increase in drag occurs when your needle hits leather. Canvas has a tendency to draw through much easier. Pay attention to the machine: as you switch materials, changing the colors of whether it is knitted as well, adjust the top tension knob. Raise it less for leather, raise it more on canvas. It is similar to tracking down the Goldilocks zone, aka, the what is just right.
Clips Rather than Pins
Have you ever cursed when you plucked a pin and left a blatant hole behind? That is a typical leather issue. Choose sewing clips or a two-sided adhesive tape to be used in a case of blended seams. Your project (as well as fingertips) will appreciate it.
Don not rush your Machine, Walk it
Attempting to zip up the two layers at speed of light? You will have irregular stitches, broken threads or even worse you will have a jam. Work slowly and particularly at seam starts where the layers accumulate. It is the hand wheel by which the machine should be walked through.
Clean, Oil and Rest
The use of other material can create lint (on canvas) and goo (on treated leather) up. Take just a bit of TLC to your machine following every project. A spritz of dust, a wipe with oil and a burr check will keep your stitches professional.
Workshopparables
Just imagine this with me. Many years past, I sewed a hybrid leather-wallet, canvas coinpurse. The initial group? Disaster. Thick thread was tangled on canvas corners and my needles lost their edge pronto on the leather. It was there that the original rule of thumb originated – the so called “needle sandwich rule”, never test without all your layers of sandwich in place; leather, canvas, liner, before you go out on the real one. It spares not only heart-ache but the frantic run in middle of the night trying to find new needles.
