Okay, so most of my sewing has been with a machine, and right or wrong, I pick the stitch length I think appropriate and started sewing. When getting close to finishing the sewing, or at a corner, I would release tension and manually adjust the leather so the last needle hole hits the corner/end point as desired. How do you match you sewing to a new pattern, so you aren't 1/2 a stitch off when marking your stitch lines?
use a single iron to bridge any gap essentially making a one stitch a different length
adjust pattern to match desired sewing stitch length
measure pattern and use that to determine stitches per inch (cm)
I don't have the answer - most patterns I've seen or used have it matched perfectly already. I see many folks are using software - not there at this point; I'm eyeballing what looks good.
My current use case is making a lined belt, and wanting to ensure the stitches end at the belts point.
Haven't finished all the videos yet if it is in there.
Useful responses all - thanks. I was hoping for some magical tidbit to substitute for hard work, practice, and experience. If it that simple, I suppose more people would be really good at this craft. Time to practice my persistence - and find some graph paper until I decide to learn some software. Over time, I suspect owning more than one set of irons might be useful, however, I've learned that iron size is more related to how "delicate" the project is.
Hello,
Never let a pattern dictate your irons size. Always build your pattern based on your irons.
If you do your patterns by hand, get a graph paper and just prick it and draw your dimensions according to the pricks.
Also, keep in mind, to have a pattern perfectly dimensions to suit your irons from ALL sides and faces takes a bit of experience and many many revisions to the original dimensions.
A small tip that I personally use, when i am forced to have a long or short stitch somewhere, i always try to place it in a "less obvious place". For example, on a bifold, you can place it in the middle of the back as the wallet will be closed 99% of its lifetime and the long/short stitch will be in the middle of the bend, less obvious and eye drawing that if it were at the beginning.
One last thing, for your belt, start your pricking from the belt end point and work backwards. If you need to have a longer/shorter stitch, you can hide it under the loop or where the leather bends around the buckle.
I would create a pattern around the pricking iron size I was using. Wallets are a good example of this, but I wouldn't bother on medium to large bags, too many variables. Take a look at the pattern for the 'Slimline Coat Wallet' for example.
You can bypass software by gluing graph paper onto card and using your pricking iron to mark out your dimensions and instantly knowing the measurements you need.
Hey, so all of your listed solutions are viable options that can be used depending on what you're doing. I personally use option 2 (adjust pattern) as I make and design my own so it's easy to just work it in. Getting a pattern right so you dont have option 1 (long or short stitches) is what I aim for as I feel its details like this that will elevate your work.
When it comes to your belt I'm probably not the best person to give advice as I only hand stitch so I just prick from both end points and then have any long or shorts stitches that may occur (sometime you get lucky and they dont) get lost in the mass of stitches and it's easier to space them so they are barely noticeable 😅 but hand stitching a lined belt is a labour of love 🤣
I hope someone with a machine can help more than me 😄
Phil has an amazing video that includes SPI vs thread weight and what works well but ultimately it comes down to what u like and think looks good (without going into strength/application) but I honestly think you cant go wrong with what Phil advises.