Hey everyone,
I've been hand stitching "American" style with a pony made by my father from Al Stolhman's Hand Sewing Leather book since I started. He also made me a French style clam and I have recently been stitching in it because I can see my pricking marks without moving my head so much.
I also like that there are less things for my thread to catch on.
Has anyone else made the transition from stitching vertical to the French style? Any tips and any recommendations for a new clam?
Thanks,
Chris
Later he made me a French style and I didn't really give it a chance but now I'm going to give a go.
Pics of the clams my father made. The first is the Al Stohlman style from his book The Art of Hand Sewing Leather. I've used this for about 5 1/2 years.
Thanks, Phil. I really like the rhythm of this lady stitching for Hermes. Scroll down to find it. Hope it shows up. https://www.hermes.com/us/en/bags-and-small-leather-goods/womens-small-leather-goods/#||Category
Hi Chris! I'd very much like to see your fathers clams that he made! Any chance of some pics?
Regarding general tips, I would say that you should focus on a consistent rhythm and technique with french clams. Once mastered I am convinced that your stitching will improve overall, but initially for many it cam make it worse. So keep practising on scrap pieces. @Dave Magic has a great post on this about the first 20 hours to learn any skill.
Posture! When you are not used to stitching this way you will find your neck and shoulders can suffer - then so will your stitching. To prevent fatigue I like to make sure that my chair is 45 degrees to the way I am sitting so that the back rest is pressing against my right side which reduces stress on the low back.
Cheers and happy new year!
Phil