Hi Guys,
Recently I spoke to some leather crafters that I know.
I asked about the topic of using the needle awl technique and how to get both side of the stitching straight, neat and nice. I was told that the way to do that is to punch your prongs all the way through the leather.
I've been practicing marking one side of the leather, gluing 2 pcs of leather together and applying the needle awl saddle stitching technique for 6-8 months. I still can't get one side of the stitching straight.
I want to achieve to the level of a hermes craftsman stitching. I understand that it takes a lot of practice but I wish to find out if I'm practicing the right way.
Im in the same position. I just bought an awl and am forcing myself to learn to use it.
What I’ve been doing is scribing a line on both sides of the test piece The same distance from the edge. I then use a pricking iron on one side to mark my angles.
When I pierce the leather with the awl, I make sure that the awl pierced through the center of the line on the other side. This will also help me make a straight stitch the length of the piece. If I practice that long enough, hopefully I get used to the motion.
The line helps me see if my arm is too high or low when I pierce