Since the beginning of time, humanity has been dealing with skin. In order to protect their bodies from cold and damage, the ancient ancestors of people used the skin (skin) of mammoths. A little later, warriors used leather armor, which protected them very well from weapon strikes and protected their owner. Currently, leather products are also widely used in everyday life. They are able to emphasize a person’s individuality and show his status in society. Clothes, shoes, bags, purses, briefcases made of leather, furniture in the house and car interior covered in leather, belts and many other accessories made of leather - all this can attract attention and show the refined taste of the owner.

Working with leather is a real pleasure, because this natural material is soft, pliable, pleasant to the touch, durable and at the same time elastic.

For many people, making accessories from genuine leather is a hobby through which they can express their creative potential and which, among other things, also brings additional income.

When working with leather for beginning furriers, many questions arise related to the intricacies of work and technologies for making leather products: what types of leather are there, what tools are used, what technologies are available, is it difficult for a beginner to start working. All this will be discussed in this article.

Skin types

There are many differences; they differ in the type of animal from which it was obtained (pork, veal, deer, crocodile), the age of the animal and the method of processing the leather (tanning). Depending on what product is planned to be manufactured, the type of trunks and backpacks is selected; the so-called “bychina” is suitable. This type of leather is ideal for embossing (both manual and mechanical); products made from this type of leather have a long service life. Leather called “chevro” is widespread. It is used for the manufacture of key rings, credit holders, dress shoes, clothing and upholstery of luxury furniture. It owes its popularity to its unique pattern on the surface. But no matter what type of leather you choose for your product, you will need tools for working with leather.

Tools used for work

In order to get started, you need to select the necessary tools and accessories:

Considering that leather is not an ordinary material, there are some requirements for equipment for working with leather. There are also special tricks when using tools.

The peculiarities of a sewing machine are that it must have sufficient power in order to be able to sew leather blanks. In addition, special requirements apply to the sewing needle and sewing machine foot. The needle should have a triangular blade. It is this shape of the needle that allows you to cut through the fabric. One of the features of working with leather on a sewing machine is that it is necessary to set the maximum stitch length. Otherwise, due to frequent holes, the seam will tear over time.

The sewing machine foot should slide smoothly over the leather. For this, it is best to use a foot with rollers. You can also use special fluoroplastic feet or special stickers on regular feet. Such stickers ensure easy sliding on the material.

Threads for sewing leather

When sewing leather, it is best to use strong and elastic threads. You can use waxed or silicone threads. The difference between these threads is that impregnation is carried out with wax, and silicone - respectively, with silicone. Nylon threads are not suitable for use on a sewing machine.

Skin polishing

A shoe knife is used for cutting or sanding. One of the features of its sharpening is that only one side needs to be sharpened. The sharpening angle of the polishing knife is 15-30°. The leather is buffed “from one’s hand”, and the knife is held at a slight angle to the surface of the material being processed. In addition, the knife should cut off a layer of skin, and not cut into it. When performing this action, it is necessary to start with the long edges of the product, moving to the short edges in the process.

The board or slab on which the leather is cut also has certain requirements - its surface should not be slippery, otherwise the workpieces will slide when cutting. Also, the surface should not be loose. In this case, the knife will get stuck in the board and the workpiece can be damaged. Excessive surface fibrousness can also deflect the knife from the cutting line. A good option when working with leather are plastic boards for modeling clay. You can also use plexiglass or linoleum.

Taboo at work

Beginners should remember a few “don’ts”:

1. The skin is never basted, that is, temporary connections are not made with pins or stitches. This is due to the fact that puncture marks always remain on the material. In order to temporarily fasten the parts of the product, you can use adhesive tape or regular paper clips. You can also use a special pencil to temporarily connect two pieces of leather to fix the seams.
2. Leather should not be ironed, especially thin leather. If there is a strong need (or desire) to iron a leather product, then this can only be done from the inside of the product and only with a weakly heated iron and through some fabric. It is strictly forbidden to use a steam iron. This is due to the fact that at high temperatures the skin becomes deformed, loses its elastic properties and becomes brittle. Although this property of leather can be used in decorative work with leather.
3. Leather does not respond well to washing, as water and detergents wash out oils from the leather, which in turn causes it to become rough. But in fairness, it should be noted that not all skin types are critical of this; some products can easily tolerate washing in warm water. After washing, the skin must be treated with a softening liquid, for example, a glycerin solution.

Leather cutting and embossing

When cutting leather, remember that it stretches differently in different directions. This is important in cases where either paired parts are cut or parts that will be sewn together.

When working with suede, you should pay attention to the direction of the pile. During cutting, the pile should be directed from top to bottom. When sewing two pieces of suede, it is also necessary to monitor the direction of the pile - it should be directed in one direction.

Before you begin the embossing procedure, the skin must first be prepared. To do this, you need to wet it until it stops absorbing water. At the same time, those starting to work with leather should remember that it tends to shrink when wet. And the thinner the skin, the more it shrinks. Therefore, the preparation must be done with a reserve. After embossing, the leather should be allowed to dry, and it should dry evenly. Otherwise, the places where the skin has not dried completely will be darker. Softeners, paints, oils and other chemicals should be applied to the skin using a brush, sponge or woolen swab.

Literature to help beginners

Books on working with leather will be of great help. In them you can find many patterns for embossing, weaving, and instructions for stamping. Most books are presented by English-language and Japanese authors, but there are also domestic publications. In addition, you can find many tutorials, work manuals, and reference books for working with this material freely available on the World Wide Web. These are the books that will help you master the craft at home and reveal little tricks when working with leather manually.

Main types of work

In addition to the types of work already listed, there is also covering, heat treatment, burning, painting, and appliqué.

Covering is used for making leather bracelets, decorating bottles or vases. Heat treatment is used to make decorative parts from leather, which will subsequently be used in the manufacture of appliqués, jewelry or finishing.

Burning is done to give leather products a special charm. Performed with the simplest burner. In order for the drawing to look good, it is best to give preference to light-colored skin. Working with a burner requires certain skills, so it would be better to practice first and understand the process of burning on thick scraps of leather.

Painting is a technology in which paints are applied to a finished product. Before you start painting, the skin should be wiped with a solution of potash. The paint should be applied in a thin layer; if the work is done with oil paints, then they are literally rubbed into the surface of the skin.

Applique - making a pattern in the form of a stripe. There are two types of applique: overhead and cut-out. Making an overlay applique involves cutting out the details of the pattern from a separate piece of leather and then gluing or sewing it to the main product. Cut-out applique, on the contrary, is performed on the product itself. To do this, the future pattern is cut out on the main fabric, and on the wrong side, in place of the cut out pattern, fabric or leather is sewn (glued). It is desirable that the sewn fabric contrasts with the main color of the product.

Leather carving

Perhaps the most beautiful type of working with leather is carving. This is the name of artistic leather carving. Of all the styles of drawing with a knife, one can distinguish Sheridan. This style differs from other ways of constructing a drawing. Initially it was performed on saddles, belts and other leather items from the arsenal of cowboys. The Sheridan style is made in the form of interconnected and intertwined stems, leaves, and rosehip flowers. It is distinguished by a very large number of small details.

Of course, learning to work with leather is a rather complicated process, but the end result exceeds all expectations. If this work brings pleasure, and someone is looking for a hobby that, in addition, will bring additional income, then it is undoubtedly worth learning this craft.

Working with genuine leather (part 1). Working with leather for beginners at home

Working with genuine leather (part 1)

For many, making products from genuine leather with their own hands is a favorite hobby, a space for self-expression, an area for using personal creativity, and for some it becomes a source of additional income. This article will discuss the basics of working with leather at home. You will receive theoretical knowledge, practical recommendations and advice from experienced craftsmen, which will be especially useful for those who are just taking their first steps in working with leather. The information presented will be of interest to those who already have experience in leatherworking, and, perhaps, will help someone in realizing long-standing creative plans.

Genuine leather as the main material for creativity

Genuine leather is a material created by nature itself, amazing in its beauty and properties: it is soft, warm, elastic, pliable, durable, practical and always noble. We often simply don’t think about how many things that are the result of professional work with natural leather surround us in everyday life: these are the familiar leather shoes, outerwear, leather-covered furniture, interiors of expensive and not so expensive cars, handbags, men's briefcases, branded belts, suede gloves, crocodile leather wallets brought from exotic countries, as well as a myriad of smaller accessories. Products and equipment made from genuine leather are used in many sports. Without special equipment, which is made exclusively from the most durable leather, the service of the military, rescuers and firefighters is unthinkable. Drive belts made of technical leather are used in industrial machines and various transmission mechanisms. Recently, genuine leather has become actively used for finishing premium electronics and expensive gadgets. We can give examples of many more areas of our life in which the results of working with leather are still in demand, but the most important thing in our case is that the scope for creativity and handicraft is practically unlimited.

Undoubtedly, you can always find on sale any serial and piece, useful and not very useful, familiar and the craziest masterpieces made of genuine leather. Nowadays, when goods from other countries are available for ordering via the Internet, this has become especially easy and simple. Despite this, the creative process of turning a piece of leather into a finished product sometimes promises to be a very interesting and exciting activity: you may be overcome by a sudden need to sew your own clothes, or a desire to give a second life to worn-out items, or the need to fill your life with useful little things, and the inspiration of new trends in interior design using original leather works. As a rule, almost any thing made of genuine leather, made with your own hands, provided that the creative impulse is realized at the appropriate level, is designed to emphasize your individuality, sense of style and personal skill.

Over the course of our lives, we or our loved ones accumulate quite a lot of available material for creative and experimental handicrafts: first of all, these are outerwear and shoes, worn-out gloves, old belts, out-of-fashion bags and briefcases made of genuine leather. Often, scraps for sewing small items and decorative elements can be purchased in specialized ateliers or from private craftsmen for almost nothing. At first, for experiments, you will also need various elements of accessories from old things and small accessories: clasps, eyelets, buttons, rings, buckles, chains, as well as vintage treasures from grandma’s chest that have no family or material value: brooches, hairpins, beads, pebbles, beads and other tinsel.

If you are serious about making large items or individually producing exclusive works for sale, then it is better to buy genuine leather of the desired type, purpose, finish, area, thickness and color, as well as accessories and tools for working with leather in a specialized leather store.

In addition, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the description of various types of raw materials, differences in tanning methods, the purpose of natural leather for specific work, as well as the terminology used in leatherworking in the reference articles “Leatherworking” and “Topology, measuring and cutting leather.”

Household methods for cleaning natural leather

Over many centuries of working with natural leather, people have developed many different ways to clean it. The description of some popular everyday methods for cleaning natural leather of various types within the framework of this article is very useful, since the part of the leather that you will use for work has its age and almost always has a high degree or specific types of contamination. In addition, these recommendations will be useful for quickly cleaning wearable leather items in cases where professional care products are not at hand.

First of all, you should remember that natural leather should not be cleaned with concentrated organic solvents such as acetone, gasoline, turpentine and other aggressive substances. Despite the fact that they are included in small quantities in many professional products for the care of natural leather, if they are used directly, you risk causing irreparable damage to the product or workpiece.

Of course, the products for cleaning natural leather available in retail sales are quite effective in most cases, but we will consider the least expensive methods of cleaning with improvised means that are available to almost everyone in everyday life. The following are the most popular and proven folk methods for cleaning natural leather:

Wipe the contaminated surface of the skin with a sponge moistened with a soapy solution of boiled water and ammonia (15-20 drops per 1 glass of water), and then with a soft damp cloth soaked in glycerin, petroleum jelly or castor oil; wipe contaminated natural leather with warm, unboiled milk; wipe contaminated natural leather with beaten egg white or rub with a cut of a fresh onion; for light stains, clean white and light natural leather with egg whites beaten with milk; for particularly persistent or long-standing stains, increased cleaning efficiency of light natural leather is ensured by washing powder dissolved in warm water; patent leather should be cleaned with a swab soaked in warm milk and then wiped with a soft cloth soaked in glycerin; To restore the shine lost during use or storage, the surface of natural leather is rubbed with squeezed coffee grounds or fresh orange peel, as well as a cotton swab soaked in lemon juice (the method is applicable only for smooth natural leather of dark tones).

It is recommended to clean suede, velor, nubuck and other polished natural leather in the following ways:

Rubbing in sawdust soaked in a small amount of gasoline, followed by removing the remaining sawdust and dust with a coarse brush; soft office eraser and fine abrasive sandpaper; in case of extensive or uniform contamination, wash the product or workpiece by hand in warm water at a temperature of no more than 50°C with soap, shampoo or washing powder; hold the contaminated area of ​​natural leather over water steam, then clean the area with a polyurethane sponge or medium-hard brush.

You can remove old stains from the surface, and in some cases from the deeper layers of natural leather, in the following ways:

Grease and oil stains are removed by covering the entire area of ​​the stain with chalk or talc powder for a day, followed by removing the remaining powder with a brush; To remove old stains of unknown origin, table vinegar (not essence!) or a solution of oxalic acid, followed by rinsing the area where the stain was removed with water, may also be suitable; traces of ballpoint pen ink can be removed using a mixture of ethyl alcohol and acetic acid (acetic essence) or magnesia, but you must ensure that the contact of such a mixture with the surface of the skin is short-term, and the area of ​​contact is thoroughly washed with warm water after cleaning.

After any manipulations with such types of leather as suede, velor or nubuck, you should wait until they are completely dry, and then brush over their surface in different directions to restore the structure of the pile and the appearance of the leather.

Also, when removing various stains from the surface of almost any natural leather that you intend to use for work or creative experiments, you may need various household chemicals (with the exception of aggressive and highly concentrated ones). They must first be tested on a small area of ​​contaminated natural leather and used with caution.

When it comes to expensive and beloved leather items, in cases of particularly severe contamination there is no need to save money - it is better to spend money on the services of a trusted dry cleaner than to irrevocably ruin your favorite item due to the fault of a green toad.

Painting genuine leather

Nowadays in retail sales you can come across a wide variety of dyes for natural leather of various types, which at first are difficult to navigate, but the main thing to remember is that they are all divided into two types: superficial and penetrating. Surface dyes are used for dyeing smooth leather, and penetrating dyes are used for deeper dyeing of leather types such as suede, velor, nubuck and other types of sanded leather.

To dye natural leather at home, dry aniline dyes, ready-made water-, alcohol- or polymer-based dyes, nitro dyes or special high-tech compounds are usually used. Regardless of the type and purpose of the dye, it is necessary to remember that only unfinished natural leather or leather without a finishing coating can be dyed. Finishing is one of the final stages of processing natural leather, the purpose of which is to apply a glossy or matte coating to the surface of the leather to give the finished product a special shine and additional protection. In the case of finished or varnished natural leather, in order to prepare for painting, it is first necessary to remove the finishing coating from its front side using a solvent, and in some cases also mechanically, using a special knife. This operation, which we will discuss in more detail in the next section, is called skin roughening. When removing any topcoat, extreme care must be taken to avoid damaging the surface or structure of the leather.

Before painting smooth natural leather of venerable age without a finishing coat, it is advisable to wipe its front surface with a swab dipped in ammonia and then dry thoroughly, avoiding contact of the painted surface with the greasy film of your hands.

Often, after painting leather with water-based pigments, craftsmen wash its surface with warm water, lubricate it with glycerin and air dry it naturally. To fix the dye on the surface of natural leather, there are a lot of specialized fixatives, which you can always find on sale in leather stores and from private craftsmen, or you can use table vinegar for these purposes.

As a rule, the same dye can be applied in different ways and using the tool most suitable for a certain composition and a specific type of natural leather: a swab, sponge, brush, and also use the method of complete or partial immersion of the product or workpiece in the dye. So, when using nitro paint for coloring, decorating or applying a pattern to the surface of the skin, it is very convenient to use squirrel or kolinsky brushes. In some cases, to achieve greater durability of the coating, some craftsmen add castor oil to leather dyes in the amount of two drops per 100 ml.

Dyes for natural leather in the form of aerosols are quite popular and very convenient to use. Before using such dyes, you should pay attention to the fact that a specific composition is usually intended for natural leather of only a certain type of dressing. For example, suede dyes are not suitable for dyeing smooth leather, and dyes for smooth leather are not compatible with sanded leather with a nap. When using aerosol dyes for leather, you must follow the instructions for their use, as well as follow the rules and safety precautions for working with aerosol products.

When carrying out any work on painting leather, you should always remember that genuine leather is a porous material that easily absorbs any liquid products, including dyes. That is why you should not apply a large volume or a thick layer of dye at once. A much more effective result is obtained by applying the dye to the surface of the leather in thin layers in several passes with intermediate drying of the layers to achieve the desired shade and ensure the stability of the dye.

Even if we do not take into account various industrial methods, there are so many techniques and methods for dyeing natural leather in the independent production of products that it is simply impossible to describe them within the framework of this article, especially since sometimes the process itself and the final result depend on a specific piece of leather and , personal skill, dye composition and even instructions for use. Therefore, we recommend that you regularly visit thematic forums, where you can always not only learn about new and well-proven dyes, but also get advice from experienced ones, as well as ask questions to experienced craftsmen.

Process and technique of sanding natural leather

When performing basic work on preparing natural leather for the production of products, sanding is one of the most important technological stages, during which the required thickness is given to the leather. In most cases, it becomes necessary to uniformly reduce the thickness of the workpiece only at the joints, however, if there is no source material of suitable thickness at hand, then you have to resort to sanding a piece of leather over its entire surface area from the mesh side.

Sanding requires perseverance, patience, a steady hand and a certain skill that must be developed in practice. It is best to learn this rather complicated operation and get your hands on small or unnecessary pieces of leather that you don’t mind spoiling, or that you are just going to throw away.

To carry out the work, first of all, you will need a special knife for sanding natural leather, which is similar to a shoe knife and has the same sharpening with the only difference being that its blade is strictly straight in the central part and slightly rolled towards the edges. Such knives can be easily found in specialized stores that sell tools for working with leather, ordered from a professional leatherworker, or, if you have the skills and experience in working with metal, made yourself. If you are just that kind of jack-of-all-trades, then it is best to make a knife for sanding leather from hardened steel blades for mechanical saws, since they often have the required Width and hold an edge well. For convenience, it is best to cover the knife handle with a thin piece of genuine leather. It is not recommended to use electrical tape and other similar materials, as they quickly wear out and stain your hands during work. Every 10-15 minutes of manipulation, it is recommended to edit the knife in the manner of a straight razor on a strip of genuine leather or a wide belt. After 35-40 hours of operation, the knife must be resharpened to ensure a sharpness as close as possible to the original.

Since a grinding knife is a fairly precise tool on which the quality of your work largely depends, unevenness, burrs and scratches on it are unacceptable, and its sharpening should be close to ideal. That is why, when working with such a knife, as when working with any other cutting tool, you should always have sharpening stones, both coarse and finely abrasive, at hand. Typically, knives for sanding leather are sharpened at an angle of 15-30°, which ensures the highest quality and easiest sanding. For better preservation of the knife, it is recommended to use it only for its intended purpose and store it in a thick leather case or a special case.

You will also need a special mat or stand made of hard plastic, plexiglass or other suitable material, which is placed on the table at an angle to the edge of the tabletop in the manner of a school notebook. In the future, in the process of developing the skill, you yourself will determine the most convenient position for the backing on the table. A piece of leather is placed closer to the front and right edges of the stand with the side up and pressed against it with the fingers of the left hand. The scarfing knife is taken in the right hand with the little finger, ring and middle fingers from below, the thumb rests on the end, and the index finger presses the knife from the top in the center. It is necessary to ensure that the blade of the knife, the index finger and the forearm of the right hand are in the same line during the sanding process. Of course, if you are left-handed, then the position of your hands, the position of the stand and the workpiece are mirrored. The height of the table and chair must be selected or adjusted so that the elbows of the bent arms do not rest against the tabletop, but are at a distance of 2-3 cm from it during work - as practice shows, in the vast majority of cases this position is the most comfortable.

The skin should be roughed away from you, and the knife should always be operated at a slight angle to the plane of the skin surface. It is necessary to learn not to plane, but to cut off the bakhtarma layer by layer: to do this, the knife must cut parallel to the surface of the substrate, without cutting into the skin or tearing pieces out of it. The fingers of the hand holding the workpiece should not be placed in the path of the knife or in front of it - if due to inexperience the knife comes off, then you risk cutting yourself quite seriously. In the process of sanding a piece of leather, first its long edges are cut off, then the short ones and, if necessary, last but not least the central part of the workpiece.

Some craftsmen prefer to use a special plane for sanding natural leather: a tool reminiscent of a classic wood plane, but designed to process the mesh side of the leather in order to give it the desired thickness. Perhaps, if you already have the skill of working with a carpentry analogue of this tool, then the process of sanding leather using a plane will seem more convenient to you and you will choose it.

At first it will seem to you that sanding natural leather is too complicated a technological operation, but with more experience you will understand that this is not so. You should be patient and have a good tool, and then with sufficient skill and dexterity, sanding leather will not be very difficult for you and will not require a significant investment of effort and time. But even if you were able to master the art of sanding at a high professional level, it is better, if possible, to immediately buy natural leather of the required thickness and save time and inspiration for more creative work.

Methods for stitching genuine leather

When working with leather, one of the main operations for connecting various parts of the product, in addition to gluing, is stitching. You can sew thin natural leather either by hand, using various methods and techniques, or in the usual way on a sewing machine, but you need to use a special needle for natural leather. Old sewing machines with an oscillating shuttle can sew even thick leather - thanks to the design features, many vintage machines do this quite easily without any additional modifications. However, most modern sewing machines that are not specifically designed for sewing genuine leather are either not suitable for these purposes at all, or require modifications, sometimes quite significant.

It should be remembered that the leather for temporary basting cannot be fastened with stitches or pins, since such an operation always leaves marks and completely unnecessary holes. For marking and temporarily fastening parts, it is best to use special glue, for example, rubber, since it does not set firmly and can be easily removed if necessary.

When sewing parts made of genuine leather, one of the most common types of seams is stitching. With this joining method, it is necessary to first sand the seamed edges to the width of the allowance to compensate for the thickness of the parts and thin the seam area. The parts to be sewn are folded with the right sides inward, the allowances are filled with glue, and then stitched. After this, the parts should be unfolded, excess and remaining glue should be removed, carefully bend the seam allowances in different directions, tap along the entire length of the seam with a wooden hammer and, having coated the allowances with permanent glue, press them to the base and secure.

In cases where it is necessary to obtain a seam of minimal thickness, a butt seam is used, which is performed in a zigzag at the side joint of the parts. Such a seam can be reinforced with a strong braid or strip of leather on the back, front or both sides. The butt seam is often used for the so-called set - a canvas made up of smaller pieces of genuine leather. Craftsmen use the set to make bags, accessories, cases, and sometimes elements of outerwear. The set can take the form of a mosaic of free-form pieces of various sizes or regular, also called geometric due to the fact that it is assembled from pieces of leather shaped like regular geometric figures. Popular designs for regular typesetting include parquet, herringbone, stripe, American square and stained glass. By and large, the design of the set can be anything for the sake of the overall design of the product and is limited only by the flight of imagination of the master.

Another type of seam, stitching, is distinguished by the fact that it has a closed cut. The technique for making an adjustment seam is as follows: the parts to be sewn are folded with their right sides facing each other, the allowances are coated with rubber glue, the top part is turned 180° relative to the bottom, after which both parts are sewn together with one seam to the required edge width. This seam can be made in another way: by first connecting the parts with a stitch seam and then bending the top part in the same way as in the first method, stitch both parts to the desired edge width. With this method, you must make sure that both lines are made in the same direction.

When joining parts with an overlap, an overhead seam is used. Its essence is that the cut edge of one part, without bending, is superimposed on the edge of another part, also not folded, after which the parts are connected by machine stitching at the same distance from the edges. As a rule, when using such a seam, the amount of overlap between the edges of the parts being joined is in the range from 4 to 8 millimeters. An overlay seam is very convenient for connecting parts with a figured edge, adjusting braid, strips of leather and various decorative elements. This seam is also relevant when making mosaic sets with a regular stitch or a zigzag stitch.

Natural leather braid

In addition to stitching and gluing, a technique called braiding is widely used to connect different parts of genuine leather products. To perform this operation, holes are pre-marked and punched in the workpieces for subsequent connection of the parts to each other. To obtain high-quality and even perforation, regardless of the thickness of the workpiece, it is best to carry out this manipulation using special punches for genuine leather. On sale you can easily find punches of various shapes and sizes, among which there are both single and line punches with different tooth pitches.

When working with a punch, it is highly undesirable to pierce more than one layer of skin in one pass. Even if you need to make symmetrical perforations in two or more parts, each part must be processed individually. When placing one piece of leather on another, the lower piece may move imperceptibly both at the moment of fixation and at the moment of striking the punch with a hammer. As a result, you risk irreversibly damaging one or even several parts.

Since when braiding leather, in most cases the distance between the holes must be constant, it is recommended to use a marking compass or ruler to mark future holes. In cases where it is necessary to make a new part for braiding in addition to a pre-perforated one without your participation, then to mark future holes you need to fold the braided parts of the parts with their right sides inward so that the part with the finished holes is on top. Then, using a pen or awl, you need to carefully mark the locations for future holes on the lower part to ensure mirror symmetry.

To braid leather, craftsmen use various materials: laces, braided ropes, soutache, braid, strong ribbons, but strips made of genuine leather are best suited for these purposes. If there are no strips of the required length and width at hand, then a special tool called a belt cutter or strap cutter is used to cut them. Also, with some skill, you can cut even strips without a special tool by hand, having only a metal ruler and a stationery knife. Unfortunately, a piece of leather of suitable length may not be available at the most necessary moment. In this case, a strip of the desired length can be cut in a spiral from a relatively small piece of leather, but this operation requires even greater skill and the presence of high-quality sharp scissors. If you received strips of leather in this way, then in order for them to become straight and even, you need to moisten them with warm water, and then tightly wrap them around any cylindrical object, such as a bottle, and wait until they dry completely under natural conditions. When cutting strips in a circle, the central part of the spiral should not be used in the work, since it practically cannot be straightened due to too much curvature.

If you need to get a long strip of leather from pieces of shorter length, then their edges must be sanded to the thickness of the joint, coated with glue that retains strength and elasticity after drying, and then, following the instructions for using the glue, combine the gluing points and press them tightly together . When braiding, you need to ensure that the places where the strips are glued are on the wrong side of the parts being fastened.

An important condition for making high-quality and beautiful braiding of natural leather is the use of strips, the width of which exactly matches the diameter of the holes, or slightly exceeds it. In addition to matching the braid to the diameter of the holes, the correct selection of the pitch length between the holes is also extremely important.

Braiding is not only one of the ways to connect parts made of genuine leather, but also a design element, which is often of a purely decorative or purely artistic nature. Be that as it may, the braid almost always draws special attention to itself, so the choice of its shape, material and color should be treated especially scrupulously. Depending on the overall style or cut of the product, you can always place and vary accents using braiding: make the braid unnoticeable with a bias towards the overall tone, ensure harmony of different colors of the braid with the parts being connected, or play on the sharp contrast of colors and materials.

Braiding, as a method of connecting parts, is quite often used in the manufacture of small accessories: cases, eyeglass cases, cosmetic bags, wallets, sheaths, belts, belts and other haberdashery. Often decorative braiding can be found on items of outerwear and shoes made of genuine leather.

Often, when preparing parts for braiding, the allowances at the places where they join must be lightly sanded and pre-glued, and all sharp corners must be rounded, since they cannot be braided correctly.

The ends of the strips can be fixed in different ways, but almost all of them come down to gluing the remaining ends to the wrong sides of the parts after completing the braiding work. Sometimes the ends of the strips are secured with external knots, but this is rather an artistic technique of the master for the sake of the overall design of the product in particular cases.

The braiding of genuine leather can be either simple, in one or two rows, or complex, when several strips are used, which can intertwine with each other, forming geometric shapes, various knots and rather intricate patterns.

To facilitate the braiding process, it is recommended to sharpen the ends of the strips of genuine leather into a wedge shape and lubricate them with wax for better glide. If the diameter of the holes in the workpieces is significantly smaller than the width of the leather strips, then to carry out the work you can resort to using a needle or an awl with a rounded end to facilitate threading.

Remember that when making products from genuine leather, after a certain number of experiments with different perforation configurations and several types of strips, you can easily repeat any of the braiding options you like. (part 2)

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I want to try working with leather. Where to begin????

We are pleased to welcome everyone who has come to the “Accessories made of leather and fur” subforum with the desire to start working with these materials. Many people have reasonable questions: “Where to start?”, “What tools to buy?”, “Which direction to choose?” etc. This topic is especially for you. First, familiarize yourself with the main areas of working with leather that our participants are passionate about. There is a separate topic for each of them.1. Various small items made of leather (bracelets, belts, leather jewelry, wallets, etc.) Part 1. Part 2.2. Leather paintings Part 1Part 13. Leather bags4. Leather in the interior (pots, plates, frames, rugs, etc.)5. Leather + other handicrafts = interesting products (about the combination of different materials and techniques)6. Leather knitting is the rage!7. How to sew leather goods8. Fur bag

For anyone who has decided to work with leather and fur for the first time, it is advisable to start with the topic Books on working with leather and various resources. Reading literature often removes many problems and questions.

For beginners, the topics on tools and materials that can be useful in working with leather and fur, as well as in the preparatory processing of the material, will be very useful: 1. Tools for working with leather2. My workplace3. Where to find leather and fur?4. Leather dressing5. We paint, iron, restore leather and suede

There is a topic on the subforum created specifically for master classes - Artistic processing of leather: master classes

If you have questions about color harmony, the topic "Itten's Color Wheel" may be useful.

If you don’t immediately find a topic that suits you, then look through the subforum again (it’s not that big). Perhaps some confusion got in the way.

We hope that you will find a lot of interesting and useful things for yourself. And don’t forget to show the results of your work (even if you don’t like it at all). You will be given valuable advice.

And further. Come to the leather and fur flood. In it we talk about everything under the sun. And believe me, you won't be bored.

club.osinka.ru

How to learn to work with leather, secrets and techniques or DIY leather products

≡ March 21, 2014 · Category: Gift Workshop

Hello, my dears! Today I have great news - I met an extraordinary smart girl, a creative person with golden hands and a clear, bright head. Meet Tatyana Zeyda, a leather craftsman who specializes in painting, cold porcelain and many other handmade techniques. In addition, he knows how to beautifully photograph, formulate and describe his work.

In the blog "Mom's Creative" Tatyana will be leading a new section for us - "Gift Workshop". She will share with us the secrets of working with leather, teach us how to make interesting leather products with our own hands for the interior, flowers and paintings from leather, introduce us to cold porcelain modeling and many other interesting things.

Just look at Tatyana’s panels, flower arrangements, originally decorated clocks, vessels and boxes - impressive! I just want to look at it and do something similar for my home. I give the floor to the master - Tatyana Zeida is with you next.

Leather decor of the vessel

Bright, colorful, original and unique handmade products - what could be better? No monotonous gifts from the store, originality is our answer. If you really want to pleasantly surprise your loved one, then your way is to us, to the Gift Workshop!

Watches decorated with genuine leather

Everyone can test their strength. Consistently, step by step, armed with the necessary tools and following the instructions, you will become the owner of your own masterpiece. Tell me am I exaggerating? But no. Try it and see for yourself! Now let's get acquainted with my most favorite material - leather.

Properties of leather and features of working with it

Leather is a surprisingly docile material. It is easy to heat treat, stretches when wet and drapes beautifully. One of its remarkable qualities is its natural origin, which means that products made from it will have an extremely beneficial effect on humans.

We can say that there is no waste in work.

Large pieces are used for decorating large fragments and background design. Medium shreds are used to make pendants, flowers, and create small decorative elements. But it turns out that even very small ones can find their uses. By grinding, for example, scraps of suitable shades into small crumbs, you can create the appearance of a forest in the background of the picture.

In short, the variety of ways to use this material has no limits. As they say, “live and learn.” I am still in the creative process of learning, but I will be happy to share with you my already accumulated knowledge. The list of my necessary tools is not long, but I dream of supplementing it with more professional devices, but that will come later, but for now:

• scissors (flat and serrated edge)
• ruler, compass
• burning device, dry fuel tablets
• tweezers, PVA and Moment glue, punches with holes of different diameters
• awl, marking roller, knife, hammer
• heat gun and glue sticks
• brushes, acrylic paints

It’s good when you have the opportunity to purchase leftover leather from a leather sewing workshop or from furniture factories. But usually we end up with outdated boots, jackets, bags, gloves that are pretty worn out and look unsightly. They urgently need to be “reanimated”! To restore the necessary properties to the skin and restore its original color, I use proven methods:

• lubricate the facial surface of the skin with castor oil or glycerin
• wipe the contaminated areas with a solution of slightly warmed milk.

Well, what are you ready to do? Then act boldly! Let's get started right now and make a beautiful leather brooch in the shape of a bouquet of delicate lilies of the valley.

Tatyana Zeyda for the site http://mama-creative.com

More about needlework

mama-creative.com

Working with leather. Part one.

It's time to update the post-navigator for working with leather

The video is a little abstract, but on topic :)

And then a huge list of useful things. So big that LiveJournal demanded that it be divided into parts:))))))))) A selection of materials on working with leather (message by Kastil and Desmodeus) A selection of pattern templates monia http://forum.guns.ru/forummessage/97/ 748228.htmlSearching for templates for embossing in the Sheridan style and preparing them for work Living SkinMagazine "Leatherwork" https://vk.com/docs?oid=-83722516 http://forum.guns.ru/forummessage/273/1487314.htmlKingsmere CraftsN.B. I recommend the book “The Art of Hand Sewing Leather” by Al StohlmanForums and sections of forums on working with leather:arnesi.ru (registration is required to view attachments in messages)forum.kozhremeslo.ruzadi.rupinterest.com thematic collections of images, registration requiredin English leatherworker.net britishblades.com in Polish knives.pl leatherwork.pl in Chinese dongshou.com - registration required Master classes, tutorials livemaster.rulinod.livejournal.com making bags, clutches, materials and reviews on bags. in English leatherworker.net in Chinese shougongke.com YouTube channelsMIS7Ter repair shoes, steering wheel reupholstery NORD OST 777zorovavelKastil03mafejxLivingLeatherNew LivingLeatherIgor BezuglovLEATHER HANDMADELeather Craft garyipip

Ian Atkinson Tandy Leather Arthur Porter WIZARD LEATHER shin kitazawa BALISAGE バリサージMarcell Mrsán shoe making Diogo Lopes Mike Fedler JDOCustomLeather Nigel Armitage Richard Black Patterns and ornaments: http://www.arnesi.ru/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=1183http:// vk.com/album14959407_183055768http://vk.com/album14959407_183060363Celtic Initial lettersEgyptPatterns and Templates (registration on the forum is required)Ruler template for the ends of beltsSet of templates for beltsTemplate for rounding cornersUsing the Compass program for creating patterns Tech manufacturing technologies: Visual demonstration of the techniques of hand sewing leather described in book by Al Stohlman "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" Saddle stitch in detail What to do if it is impossible to find a thread of the required thickness and color Thread and needle / Sewing with needles / Stitch We bend blunt needles and sew on a zipper http://arnesi.ru/viewtopic.php?f=91&t= 1 ... 5bc1aeb153 RANT seam. Sewing leather. Stitch seam.How to make an even seam on a sheath. Sewing thick leather - sewing with one needle NORD OST 777 We sew leather end-to-end, angle 90 degrees. (“Angle vise”, a corner block for cutting leather at an angle, DoneDeal Turkley adhesive-sealant) Living Leather Sewing leather at an angle Seams for re-upholstering the steering wheel with Leather RR leather Corners on bags - how to sew on the sides Thinning of the edges of the leather - sanding Covering boxes Nasty steering wheel re-upholstery MIS7Ter Little tricks for working with leather Materials for leather goodsTools:http://arnesi.ru/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=511http://www.livemaster.ru/topic/285321-n ... dlya-kozhiTools for a beginner (minimum set) Leather Craft Tool stand Pincushion Hammers/ mallets/bludgeons for a leatherworker Using a Tandy Leather manual sewing machineHomemade toolsReview of tools from China aliexpress.com Kastil03 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KktoXbG8f4Marking a seamhttp://forum.zadi.ru/viewtopic.php?f= 20&t=3766 http://www.dongshou.com/course/show/10454.html http://www.shougongke.com/course/162379.htmlGrooving cutter, makingHomemade Groover - Answer #42Diamond-shaped awl Saddlers Awl Kastil03 Diamond-shaped punches 3-6 mm. Tools Hole Punches Lacing Stitching. Kastil03 Stepper punches DiamondStepper punch made from a fork http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zATzq4RNtJU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuni9CQrYvQfrom a wood drill from leather needles No. 110 for sewing machines - for sewing soft leather from the blade of a hair clipper MIS7TerRotary punch, hole punchRotary punch + and - NORD OST 777 Topex Aleksander Anatolich Cutting toolJapanese leather knife Aleksander Anatolichvariation from Olfa model BTC-1 Japanese Leather Knife https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=pdyqOjm9NygAbout OLFA blades and knives. Advantages and disadvantages MrAkimdim Circular knife OLFA CMP-3Olfa. Knives RTY-2/G and 180 Black. Blade LBB-10B and AB-10BYAPONE CREARY Knife Kosyak IKEUTI A600 Curlers OLFA, bison-mrakimDima for the leather-gathering with your own hands, Sharpet Ejegransmment for polishing the slice of the leather-clip https://wwww.youtube.com/watch?v=htwgeft PT48 Production of the manufacture of a woolen polishing circle for polishing leather cut Richard BlackBurnishers - attachment for drill, motor or dremel http://www.arnesi.ru/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=1109 Burnishers attachment for dremelNORD OST 777 made of juniper http://www.shougongke.com/course/ 190601.htmlfrom a furniture handle http://i60.tinypic.com/2valc84.jpgHomemade version of Edge Dye Roller Pen for painting the end of Bormental leatherMachine for painting leather edgesSanding of thick leather with a pedicure machine SPL - LEATHER HANDMADESanding of a leather strip with a wood planerTool for processing glued surfaces Living SkinTool for shoe repair Shoe awl NORD OST 777 Hook for stitching shoes skimenruslan Cutter for shoe repair MIS7Ter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCWV7w_ ... 7&index=24 Syringe for glue fixing a needle MIS7Ter Syringe for glue Pony, Saddler, Vise for leather sewing - sewing devicehttp://www.arnesi.ru/viewtopic.php?f=4& ... d335bc07f6http://forum.knives.pl/index.php?topic=76771.0 http://forum.guns. ru/forummessage/97/1156326.htmlhttp://www.instructables.com/id/3rd-Han ... /?ALLSTEPSMaking a pony - message acccPro Stitching Pony #3133-00Leathercraft Tool ELFITA: Table Pony Leathercraft Tool ELFITA: Pony

How to shorten jeans at home

Many who are interested in sewing very often have to work with natural and artificial leather. Handmade bags, leather jewelry, various crafts and even leather paintings look very original and stylish. But most often, working with leather involves repairing leather clothing, replacing zippers, restoring torn areas, etc.

There are many books on teaching the technique of sewing natural leather by hand or using a sewing machine, which tell in detail about the purpose of certain tools for working with leather.
I offer only a few basic recommendations that will be useful to anyone who decides to repair a bag, jacket, etc.

Working with leather has many “secrets” and little details that you need to know and take into account. For example, when cutting out paired parts, you need to remember that leather stretches more in the transverse direction than in the longitudinal direction, so paired parts need to be cut in any direction, but only in the same direction.

Do not chip the skin with pins. Punctures leave marks on the leather, and if you change the zipper on a leather jacket or bag or jacket, you can easily see this.

Soft leather can be sewn on a sewing machine using a regular #80 or #90 needle. But for sewing rough leather or thickened areas, a special needle for working with leather is required. Even for hand sewing leather, the leather needle looks special, instead of a point it has a triangular tip.
When sewing leather, the stitch length of a sewing machine should not be too small, since frequent punctures will cause the leather to tear at the joints.

You need to cut the leather with a special shoe knife on a plastic board or plexiglass. You can also use a wooden surface, but then the tip of the knife will cut into the wood.
A shoe knife, rubber glue, adhesive seam enhancers, a thimble, strong synthetic threads and a small hammer with an awl - this is a mandatory kit for any home “furrier” who decides to replace a zipper in a bag or repair a torn section of a leather jacket.

What kind of sewing machine can you use to sew leather?

Not every sewing machine can sew leather; treat your sewing machine with care and do not try to sew thick and rough fabrics, leather products, especially bags. As a last resort, you can use a Podolsk or Singer manual sewing machine, but not modern “seamstresses”, which cost 5 thousand rubles.
To work with leather, special industrial sewing machines are provided or, as a last resort, the instructions should indicate that this machine can be used to sew leather clothes.

If you sew leather on a household sewing machine, be sure to buy special needles and a foot, with a wheel (as in the photo) or a roller. Then the skin under the foot will not “slip” and the machine will easily advance the product without forming a seat on the top layer of leather.

If you don’t have a foot or it doesn’t fit (Podolsk sewing machine), then in order to make the leather move easier under the foot, you can sew it through thin paper, which can then be easily removed.

Sewing machine threads need to be strong and elastic. But only nylon threads (as in this photo) are not intended for machine sewing. They are only used for manual leather work or industrial sewing machines.

Technology of sewing genuine leather and suede

When sewing suede products, you need to take into account the direction of the pile, otherwise the parts will have a different shade.
The leather is ironed from the wrong side with a low-heat iron without steam through a dry cloth.
To prevent the top part from stretching relative to the other, purchase a special foot with a Teflon-coated sole, as in this photo. Teflon feet cost much less than special leather feet.
The ends of the seam threads must be securely fixed with several knots, since machine stitches on leather products do not secure them and therefore they tend to unravel easily.

Working with leather is impossible without glue. The glue is applied with a brush onto a cleaned and degreased surface. Universal adhesives such as PVA and Moment, as well as rubber glue, are very effective.
Repeat the procedure of applying glue several times to thoroughly saturate the skin. At the same time, make sure in advance that the glue is not too liquid, otherwise the skin will get wet.
Set the parts treated with glue aside until the adhesive has dried “to the point of casting”.
After some time, connect the parts together. Place the glued parts under the press. You can even lightly tap these areas with a hammer.
Using a cotton swab or rag, immediately remove excess adhesive solution so that it does not damage the front surface of the leather.

How to install fittings on leather products

Any handmade leather item must be decorated with fittings. Large metal rivets and buttons, buttons, blocks, locks greatly decorate leather goods.
Buttons are sewn to the skin only if there are buttons on the wrong side.
Before punching holes for the buttons, they are strengthened either with pieces of leather or thick adhesive fabric.
Installing buttons requires a special tool. You can get by with homemade devices, but this installation method produces a lot of waste, then purchase more buttons than required.
Before installing a zipper into a leather product, you should secure it. Instead of basting with thread, adhesive tapes or glue are used. Sometimes even ordinary paper clips can “help”.
The edges of the cut skin areas are glued with special skin enhancers (tapes). On one side, a weak adhesive is applied to such a tape.
The puncture with a needle leaves holes, so the seam is done only once. As a last resort, a seam is laid along the old holes.

After finishing working with leather, the appearance of the product can be refreshed.
You can remove marking lines with soap and water and ammonia, then wipe with a cloth moistened with petroleum jelly or glycerin.
Heavily contaminated areas on the skin can be washed with warm, unboiled milk, rubbed with whipped egg white or half an onion.
White skin is cleaned with a mixture of milk and beaten egg white.
Patent leather should be wiped with a cloth soaked in glycerin or cleaned with a swab dipped in milk.
Suede can be cleaned with sawdust soaked in gasoline (the remaining sawdust is cleaned off with a brush), or an ink eraser, as well as fine-grained abrasive paper.
Stains from household grease are removed with gasoline or talc and a solution of oxalic acid. But be careful, you can remove the paint along with the stain.

Leather paint in aerosol packaging is very easy to use: it is sprayed by holding the can at a distance of about 20 cm from the skin and quickly moving it along the surface to be painted. After a ten-minute break, the next layer of paint is applied. This operation continues until the surface of the skin acquires an even and durable color.

Some tips on how to sew and cut clothing items made of leather or suede.
1. Select patterns that do not require planting. Complex shapes in this case are easier to create using construction seams than using darts. In the past, tailors tried to use as few stitch lines as possible on leather goods. Nowadays, leather production has become thinner and softer and leather products have more seams; often even leather clothing or accessories are sewn from small scraps of leather.

2. Kimono and raglan sleeves are easier to make when sewing leather clothes than set-in sleeves. If you are making a set-in sleeve, measure the increase in fit. It should be no more than 1.5 cm. It is better to make a shirt-cut sleeve, as it has a looser armhole.

3. You must be sure that your patterns are correct. Therefore, it is good to use the pattern that you have already worked with. Or the prepared pattern should be checked on a mock-up made of non-woven material (non-woven fabric without glue) or inexpensive fabric, and only after that it should be marked on the skin and cut.

4. Before cutting the leather, mark holes and thin places on the wrong side of the leather so that you can avoid them when cutting. Carefully lay out the patterns, make sure that the paired parts (right and left shelves, right and left sleeves, etc.) are cut out in a mirror image. Mark contours, lines and marks on the underside of the skin with a ballpoint pen or soft pencil, or a special marking pen. Mark seam and hem allowances. Some marks can be made using notches or adhesive tape. The seam allowances should be the same width, which makes it easier to sew together the cut pieces.

5. Leather stretches in different directions in different ways, so when cutting it is necessary to maintain the same direction of paired and mating parts. When cutting suede, you must follow the direction of the pile. The pile should be directed from top to bottom.

6. The needle leaves puncture marks on the leather, so leather parts are not swept away and stitching seams are not ripped out. To pre-connect the parts, use adhesive tape or paper clips. There is also a special pencil for fixing seams from Guetermann. The pencil does not leave a mark on the sewing machine needle. By the way, glue is a certain problem when sewing. It clogs the eye of the needle, causing gaps in stitches and even thread breaks.

7. Use overstitched, overstitched or covered stitches. You cannot press or press seam allowances like you would on fabric. Instead, they can be glued with rubber glue or another, which remains elastic even after polymerization (drying). There are special adhesives from Rudolfix, as well as NT 2 glue from Gütermann. If you don't have glue, machine stitch the seam allowances in position.

8. It is recommended to use a special interlining for leather LE 420 as a gasket, which is glued with an iron.

9. The fastener is made with a zipper, loops (stitched, overcast and hinged) and buttons. The buttons must be riveted. They are installed in hardware installation workshops.

10. If you do not have such a convenient tool as in this photo, then smooth the seams with the handles of scissors.
First, place the seam allowances from the inside out using short taps and smooth them out. Then do the same on the front side with the seam groove.

11. Working with leather involves ironing the leather with a non-hot iron without steam through a dry cloth from the inside of the product. Before ironing the item, try it on a small piece of leather.
Ironing leather is not recommended because the hot sole of the iron can cause the leather to change its properties, become stiff and shrink in size. But sometimes when working with leather it is necessary to put an adhesive pad. Then you need to iron very carefully and always only on the wrong side, placing an iron pad under the sole of the iron.

For each product, it is necessary to select a certain material: for example, leather from gloves is suitable for jewelry - it is soft, elastic and capable of conveying the most subtle nuance; It is better to sew bags from tougher leather, and if soft leather is used, the lining must be made of dense material.

First you need to make a pattern for the product. If it is complex, it is recommended to first sew the model from cheap fabric and, after making the necessary changes, use it as a pattern. In order to cut out the details, the patterns are placed on the wrong side of the leather and the outline is traced with a ballpoint pen.

When cutting out paired parts, you need to remember that the skin stretches more in the transverse direction than in the longitudinal direction, so they need to be cut in the same direction. You cannot use pins to chip the skin: marks will remain on it.

Soft leather is sewn on a machine using a regular needle No. 80 or No. 90; Sewing thicker leather requires a special triangular needle. The stitching should be large, as the leather is easily cut through. If the machine does not move the leather well, you can stitch it through thin paper, which is then removed. Threads need to be strong and elastic: cotton, linen or twisted silk. Nylon threads are not suitable for sewing.

When sewing suede, you need to take into account the direction of the pile: it is better if it is directed from top to bottom.

If the product is assembled from individual pieces of leather, they need to be sewn onto non-woven fabric or thick cotton fabric. For ease of use, they should be glued to the base with rubber glue so that the upper pieces overlap the lower ones by 0.5–1 cm.

The leather should be ironed from the wrong side with a low-heat iron without steam through a dry cloth.

This is a very important process due to which the skin is given the required thickness. As a rule, it is necessary to thin the leather evenly only at the joints of the parts, however, if there is no leather of suitable thickness, you have to sand its entire surface.

You need to learn sanding on small pieces of leather that you don’t mind ruining.

To work, a plastic stand (plexiglass) is placed on the table like a school notebook - at an angle of approximately 70° to the edge of the tabletop. The height of the table and chair should be selected so that the elbow of the bent arm does not reach the table 1-2 cm. The leather is placed on the tile with the side up, closer to the front and right edges, and pressed against it with the fingers of the left hand. The knife is grabbed from below with the little finger, ring and middle fingers, the thumb rests on the end, and the index finger presses the knife from above in the center. The knife, index finger and forearm should be on the same line when working.

They begin to sand from the edges in the direction away from themselves. The knife is held with a slight tilt to the right. You need to learn not to plane, but to cut off layers of leather: to do this, the knife must run parallel to the surface of the slab, without cutting into or tearing out of the leather. The fingers of the left hand should not be placed in front of the knife - you can forget and cut yourself.

When sanding, the long edges are cut first, then the short ones, and lastly, if necessary, the middle.

Do you think these are too complicated manipulations? Don’t be upset, with a certain skill and a good tool, sanding does not require physical force.

Finished products are coated with varnish, beeswax, mastic or shoe polish, applying them with a soft cloth, then polished with a piece of flannel - this will protect the product from contamination.

To fix the color, it is recommended to coat the painted product with leather varnish or egg yolk.

Joining leather products

Skin stitching

You can sew thin leather parts using a sewing machine in the usual way, you just need a special leather needle.

Those who have an old-fashioned swing-hook sewing machine can sew even thick leather—lucky them. Thanks to its special design, this sewing machine makes this quite easy. Modern imported sewing machines have a removable foot with wheels for pushing fabric. This foot can also be installed on a domestic sewing machine by purchasing an adapter. Another option to make the sewing machine work easier is a Teflon foot for imported machines. It can be installed on any sewing machine using an adapter.

If the leather does not glide well, you can lubricate the seam with machine oil or place thin paper underneath and on top, and then remove it.

The leather should not be held together with temporary stitches; For basting you need to use rubber glue.

It is most convenient to use an awl needle for sewing. First, the needle is inserted into the skin. When it moves back, a loop is formed on the opposite side, into which the elongated end of the thread or a second strong thread is pulled. You can tie a regular, preferably blunt, needle of any size to the end of this thread: this makes it more convenient to thread the thread into the resulting loops.

The result is a seam that resembles a regular machine one: both threads form stitches, each on its own side, and the interlacing of threads occurs between layers of leather.

Types of seams

Stitch seam- the most common, used to connect parts. To thin the seam, you need to sand the edges of the parts to the width of the allowance, then fold the parts right sides inward and, filling the allowances with rubber glue, sew a stitch. After this, unfold the parts and remove any remaining glue; Bend the allowances in different directions, tap them along the entire length with a wooden hammer and, coated with Moment glue, press them to the base (unstick).

The stitch seam can be decorated with a piping (Fig. 6). The parts are folded side-by-side, and a piping folded in half, with the side side inward, is inserted between them (Fig. 7). Along the line of the future seam, strips of leather 3–4 mm wide are laid on one or both sides. Both parts, the edging and the strips, are sewn together at the same time, and the strips are not stitched through, but are grabbed with oblique stitches and take on the appearance of a twisted cord.

Rice. b

This seam can be used in the manufacture of bags, vests, etc. A seam with an edging overlay on one side when sewing house shoes will decorate the junction of the sole with the upper.

Rice. 7

Butt seam. Performed in a zigzag pattern. It is used to connect parts if it is necessary to obtain a minimum seam thickness (Fig. 8a). It can be reinforced with braid or a leather strip at the bottom or top, as well as on both sides (Fig. 86).

Butt seams are used for recruitment(this is the name given to canvas assembled from small pieces of leather). The set can be used for sewing bags, vests, cushion covers, etc. The set comes in mosaic, from pieces of various shapes and sizes, and regular(geometric), assembled from regular geometric shapes that make up the pattern repeat. It can be “parquet”, “herringbone” (Fig. 9), “American square” (Fig. 10), “stained glass” (Fig. I).

Adjustment seam. This seam has a closed cut. To do this, fold the parts right sides together, coat the allowances with rubber glue, then unscrew the top part and sew both parts together with one seam to the desired edge width.

Rice. 8

Rice. 9

Rice. 10

Rice. eleven

This seam can be made in another way: first connect the parts with a stitch seam, then, bending the top part, stitch both parts to the desired edge width (both lines must be done in the same direction).

Overlay seam. It is used when joining parts with an overlap: the cut edge of one part, without bending, is placed on another, also not folded edge, and connected by machine stitching at the same distance from the cuts. The amount of overlap of one part onto another is 4–8 mm. For preliminary connection, the allowances can be coated with rubber glue.

This seam is convenient for connecting parts with a figured edge, made, for example, with zigzag scissors, as well as for adjusting braid or finishing strips of leather, which can be the same color as the main part or, conversely, contrasting.

This seam is especially good for making mosaic sets. On a base made of material or non-woven fabric, you need to lay out small pieces of leather so that the upper ones are on the lower ones, select them by color, glue them with rubber glue and attach them, moving gradually from top to bottom, with a regular stitch or a zigzag stitch.

Pillows made in this way are simply a sight for sore eyes!

Braiding and holding

To connect parts, in addition to stitching and gluing, a technique such as braiding is widely used. First, perforations are made in the workpiece - holes are punched. It is better to do this with punches of various diameters or a chisel. Since the distances between the holes must be the same, we use a ruler or compass for marking.

When using a punch, you should never pierce the skin by placing one piece on top of another, since the lower one can easily and imperceptibly move. Therefore, first we finish with one part, then we place the braided parts of the parts on top of each other with their right sides inward (there should be a part with already punched holes at the top) and with a round awl we mark the location of the holes on the second part so that the number of holes and the distances between them subsequently coincide.

For braiding, you can use various materials: thin cord, soutache, braid, narrow ribbon, thread, but leather strips are best suited for this purpose. To get a fairly long strip from a relatively small piece of leather, you can use a simple technique - cut it in a spiral (Fig. 12), trying to cut evenly. We need several strips so that their total length is three times the braided edge. After this, the strips are moistened with warm water and tightly wound onto the bottle. Once dry, the strip will become smooth; the middle of the skin is not used in the work - the steepness of the spiral is too great.

Rice. 12

To join our strips, their edges need to be sanded, spread with glue, folded (Fig. 13) and pressed tightly. When braiding, you need to try to ensure that the gluing area is on the wrong side of the braided parts or between adjacent holes.

To braid a part, the width of the strip must be no less than the diameter of the hole. It is important to correctly select not only the hole diameter and braid width, but also the distance between the holes.

Rice. 13

Do not forget that the braid serves not only to connect parts, but is also a decorative element, so you should carefully select its color: it must be in harmony with the color of the base material. Braid can be used to connect parts in handbags, eyeglass cases, cosmetic bags, sheaths, and for finishing edges in belts, hairpins and vests.

When joining parts, their allowances should, if necessary, first be sanded and glued, and the corners should be rounded with a knife or scissors, since sharp corners cannot be braided.

Secure the ends of the strips in the following ways:

1. One end of the strip is glued between two parts, and the second is pulled twice into the hole of one of them so that one turn fits on the other (Fig. 14).

Rice. 14

2. The beginning of the leather strip is cut wider and a hole is punched in it. The other end of the strip is pulled into the hole of the part and its own hole, forming a lock (Fig. 15). If two parts are connected, the lock is located between them.

Rice. 15

The braid can be simple, in one or two rows, or complex. Figures 16–20 show a series of simple braids.

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To make it easier to thread leather strips into the holes, their ends should be sharpened; For work, you can use a needle with a large eye.

If there are no punches, you can punch holes with a chisel.

Using a chisel, holes are made to perform the so-called “holding” of pulling leather strips, braid, cord, soutache, etc. (Fig. 20).

Now we will take a closer look at several braiding options that will later be useful to us for finishing. The work is very painstaking, but the result is worth it (Fig. 21 a-h). Options b-z can be used for finishing. The technique is slightly reminiscent of cross stitch. Stitches are obtained by holding two straps. One is threaded from the bottom up (it’s convenient to push it with an awl), and the other is threaded through the same hole from top to bottom.

Rice. 21

To decorate products, you can use decorative braids that combine the technique of holding and embroidery (Fig. 22–24). Keep in mind, ethnic is always in fashion!

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Leather is an elastic material, subject to any deformation, which, when moistened, takes on any shape. These properties are often used to make covered products.

The basis for molding the product can be temporary (for example, when a blank for a bracelet is pulled onto a bottle) - in this case, after the skin has completely dried, it is removed; or permanent (if you decide to decorate the bottle itself) - then the base becomes an integral part of the product.

In the first case, the leather should be thick, strong and tough, that is, it should retain its shape well after drying. The blank can be a glass, metal or wooden vase, jar, shampoo bottle, glass or interestingly shaped box.

An example of making a decorative item based on a small glass vase is shown in Figure 25.

Rice. 25

First, you should make a pattern from paper: to do this, place the vase in the center of the sheet and around it the paper is gathered and folded; the excess paper on top is cut off and the pattern is straightened out. Based on it, taking into account the size and shape of the leather, the workpiece is cut out.

An interesting effect is obtained when using saddle leather and undyed lining leather in this work, which can be decorated with perforation, burning, embossing, overlay elements in the form of bouquets or ornaments.

On the cut-out workpiece, you should first perform the intended perforation or stamping, and then, after moistening it, pull it onto the base, laying out arbitrary gathers and folds, and in the narrowing areas, wrap it with a wide rubber band and leave to dry. The product can be dried in the oven or on a radiator: in this case, the skin will become harder and drier, this will give the structure a more rigid shape.

After the skin has dried, you need to remove the base and finally decorate the vase. Using a burning machine, you can create a design on it according to your taste and imagination.

At the end of the work, you need to secure the shape of the vase by gluing the folds from the inside or gluing a decorative strap on top around the narrow place; and the glued leather bottom will increase its stability.

Drapery (blind man's buff)

In the manufacture of some products, draping leather has a good effect. This technique can be used both as decorative and as camouflage. If, unfortunately, there are defects on the skin (holes, scratches, colored spots, uneven thickness of the skin), drapery will help hide these defects. Drapery is also very convenient in cases where, say, a piece of leather is not enough to cover the entire surface of the product. In this case, the joints or seams are folded, masking them inside these folds. Skin defects are also removed into folds.

As for uneven coloring, it can give a special effect to the product. We must remember this when starting drapery.

To work you will need Moment or 88 glue, tweezers, a knitting needle or an awl. The work is done on a basis. If the drapery is a fragment on a large canvas - for example, on a bag - a piece of leather is draped and glued directly to the canvas. The situation is different if we are not talking about a fragment, but about a separate thing, completely draped. For example, when making a hryvnia (neck decoration), you need to cut out a base from thick leather or cardboard that follows the silhouette of the product, and when making a hairpin, you can use an old plastic base.

Please also note that the front side of the leather and the front side of the product are not always the same thing! If the leather has a beautiful bakhtarma, then this may be the front side of the product.

Heat treatment

Leather can be subjected to heat treatment, as a result of which it changes its shape and bends. This property of leather is successfully used in the manufacture of jewelry, appliqués, and decorations.

The simplest heat treatment option is “fried button”. Several circles of different diameters are cut out of leather (preferably tough). They are placed face up on a heated cast iron frying pan (on an electric stove you can fry the skin directly on the burner). After some time, the circles will evenly bend upward (if you remember, when frying sausage circles, the effect is the same!), and you will get a convex “button”. Such buttons can be used instead of overhead elements, edging them with a leather strip or cord; You can make fantasy flower cores from them or lay out an ornament from “buttons” of different diameters.

Heat treatment can also be used when making flowers. To do this, leaves and flowers are cut out according to patterns and lightly fried; the petals should take a natural shape, slightly bending towards the edges. The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise the edges of the skin will char and shrink too much.

If this does happen, the edges can be ground off with a chisel or sandpaper.

You need to be especially careful with light-colored leather: it darkens towards the edges, although sometimes this gives the product a special charm, for example, in floral arrangements.

The same effect can be achieved if you use a candle instead of a frying pan - especially if you want not the entire part to be bent, but only part of it, as, for example, in flower petals. You need to take the part with tweezers and hold the part that should be convex over the candle. You need to hold it until it changes shape.

Burnout

Skin burning is carried out with a conventional electric burning device. It looks especially beautiful on light skin tones: white, creamy, beige and sand. The best material for work is yuft and thick leather. Dear beginners, you should not take thin skin for burning - without the necessary skill, you will simply ruin it.

You need to work, lightly touching the material, and follow the lines of the drawing with the heated tip of the burner as calmly as with a pencil or brush. The main thing to take care of during the process is not to linger the sting in any one place, since, once it stops on the skin, it will, of course, immediately burn through it. It is generally not recommended to press hard on the material: even if the sting does not burn through it, it will give a too wide black line. Of course, the lines can be different in width, but this should depend solely on the drawing itself.

In order to gain some skill in handling an electric burning device, it is better to take thick leather for work: the sting moves easier in it - its smoothness contributes to this. If any line is not burned out enough, then you need to go through it a second time with a weakly hot tip. Each line started should be completed without jumping to others. To ensure that the lines are of the same thickness, you should try to move the sting evenly and with the same, very light pressure.

Burning is the easiest way to depict contour patterns, without conveying different shades of chiaroscuro.

A design made by burning on thick leather can be painted with aniline dyes. They are applied with a brush in several stages with a break of 15–20 minutes. After the paints have dried, the design is rubbed vigorously with a piece of woolen cloth to give it brightness and shine. The resulting color should be fixed with a fixative.

Stamping (embossing)

This is a relief treatment of leather. This is quite painstaking work; here you need to be attentive to the thickness of the skin. Stamping (embossing) can be hot or cold.

Leather finishing hot stamping is based on its properties to take a durable imprint when pressed on it with hot metal stamps. Leather from 1.5 to 3 mm is suitable for this embossing. Hand embossing produces a wide variety of designs by combining available dies.

You can make the stamps yourself using ordinary nails with large heads, filing them to the shape you need (Fig. 26).

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Usually the drawing is imprinted immediately: it is difficult to get onto the previous imprint in order to make it stronger. For complex designs, a preliminary print is made on thin paper, placed on the workpiece and printed through the paper on the skin using slightly heated tools. Then, having removed the paper, they go through the drawing again with the same tools.

To make a convex (concave) ornament, you need to carefully press the stamp from the bakhtarma side (or vice versa) until the desired pattern is obtained. The relief of the reverse side should be greased with PVA glue.

For cold stamping Suitable for leather with a thickness of 0.8–1.2 mm. It is used when you need to apply a pattern to smooth leather, for example, to draw lines along the edges of frames. To do this, use a roller or other wooden tool, which is moved back and forth along the ruler until the line is deep enough.

To perform cold stamping on smooth surfaces, you can use a cardboard template made to fit the product. A pattern is applied to the cardboard and then cut through it with a sharp knife or scalpel. Rounded contours are cut with nail scissors with rounded ends (some of the design elements may fall out).

After this, the cut cardboard (template) is glued to the product, the fallen elements are pasted into the right places. After drying, remove glue and uneven areas.

When the template is completely ready, it is covered with thin leather, and first it is wiped with a soft cloth, and then a bone is passed along the contours of the pattern so as not to damage the skin.

After drying, you can pour paint into the recesses: nitro enamel, pentaphthalic gouache or watercolor diluted with PVA glue. Acrylic paints are widely used.

Using oil and acrylic paints, you can paint album covers, boxes, jewelry and other leather products.

When starting to work with paints on leather, it is necessary to wipe it (especially light leather) with a solution of potash (1 teaspoon of potash for 1 glass of warm water). A cotton wool wrapped in a clean cloth is dipped in the solution, wrung out a little so that it does not drip, and the skin is carefully wiped with it. This is done so that the skin accepts the paint better, holds it more firmly and is clean enough: the potash solution destroys dirt and perfectly cleanses the skin.

The paint should not be applied in a thick layer to the skin. When working with oil paints, you must not only apply them thinly, but also lightly rub them into the material. This should not be taken literally, but it is necessary to adhere to this rule so that the paint adheres firmly to the skin. A smear that is too thick may break, crack, or even fall off. When rubbed into the skin, a thin layer is absorbed into it and adheres firmly to it.

Automotive dyes in aerosol cans can be used to paint leather either smoothly or using the stencil technique. Using a traditional stencil, cut out figures from cardboard or plastic and paint the skin through the resulting holes. Or, on the contrary, they put small objects of a clear shape on a leather part (for example, on a future earring): circles, rings, sticks. After dyeing, a design will appear on the earrings.

The pattern obtained by applying various plants, for example, maple or fern leaves, to the skin looks impressive. The leaves are beautifully placed on a plane and sprayed with dye, trying to alternate places that are more saturated with color and places that are less saturated. This design can decorate a book cover or a bag.

Decoration using the hot batik technique is popular. Melt a piece of an ordinary stearin candle in a water bath and apply a design to the skin with a brush. The “dry brush” technique looks impressive when a trace of individual fibers is visible. For this purpose, do not put a lot of stearin on the brush. It is advisable to practice on unnecessary pieces of leather first. After applying stearin, the leather is coated with aniline dye (sold in hardware stores for dyeing fabrics). The dye is pre-diluted according to the recipe on the package. You can also use colored ink as a dye.

After applying the dye, the skin is dried. The product produces a pattern - the original color of the leather against the background of the color of the dye.

If a multicolor pattern is conceived, the work is carried out as follows:

1. Apply a pattern with stearin to those areas that should remain the lightest - skin color.

2. Paint the surface with the lightest tone you have chosen and dry it.

3. Apply stearin to those areas that will remain light.

4. Paint with a darker dye. Don't forget that mixing paints produces other colors! For example, if you apply blue dye over yellow, it will turn greenish. Dry again.

5. Now a pattern of several colors is visible on the product - skin color, yellow, green. Apply stearin again to those areas that remain green. Now you can cover the product with the darkest color - blue, black, brown.

6. Remove stearin from the surface of the skin. Where it lies in a thick layer, it is carefully scraped off so as not to spoil the surface of the product. You can quickly iron it with a hot iron on top of the newspaper. This procedure is repeated several times. You need to iron it quickly and carefully so that the skin does not tighten. This method is suitable for thick and medium-thick leather.

7. To add shine, the surface of the leather is rubbed with pastes containing wax or colorless shoe polish.

Application

Applique is one of the types of embroidery: patching or gluing a pattern of pieces of fabric onto the main fabric.

The applique can be overhead or cut-out.

For execution patch applique The details of the pattern are applied to the main fabric, glued or sewn. You can sew on it manually or by machine; you can secure the applique to the product using braid. Figure 27 shows an example of an overlay application. On thin leather, beads of different colors or beads can be sewn into the centers of the flowers.

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For execution cutout applique the pattern is applied to the main fabric (leather) and cut out, then pieces of fabric or leather of a contrasting color are placed on its reverse side. If the holes are large, the parts are glued along the contour and sewn; if the pattern consists of a group of small holes, then it is better to place a common piece under them - the background. It can be “grabbed” in several places with glue and secured with braid (Fig. 28). The bottom piece can be a lining, for example for a belt.

The skin of killed wild animals is the first clothing and footwear of primitive man. And if the technology of leather dressing has stepped far forward, the process of sewing clothes itself has remained practically the same. You still need to first cut the skin and then sew it. Let's see what modern industry offers us instead of a piece of obsidian and a cactus needle. Let's discuss tools for working with leather.

Devices for marking leather

The prepared tanned leather must first be leveled. To do this, it should be stretched and smoothed on a flat working surface, and then secured along the edge. We can discard the chalk right away. When it comes to expensive, and even more so exotic, leather, every millimeter counts. For this type of work, special pencils are available in two colors. If you don’t have one, you can use a marker, felt-tip pen or a simple pen. Remember that leather is a waste-free material. Even the smallest scraps can be useful, so it’s easier to draw using templates and patterns. You can’t do without a tailor’s triangle and a ruler.

How to cut material

When cutting the canvas, it is best to start with straight lines while the leather is secured, and then, after detaching it, cut along the bends and broken lines. To do this you will need a knife and scissors. It’s easier with a knife; you can use a shoemaker’s, wallpaper, stationery or scalpel. The main thing is that they are sharp. But you need a whole set of scissors:

Tools for working with leather are produced as a set, which also includes scissors with a shaped blade profile. They are mainly used in the manufacture of leather jewelry.

How to stitch leather

Let's consider two options for sewing leather products - manually or mechanically, using a household or industrial sewing machine. Enterprises professionally engaged in such activities have all the necessary equipment: powerful sewing machines with feet and wheels, needles with dihedral, trihedral, and tetrahedral sections. We will look at what tools are needed for working with leather at home.

The main problem that arises when sewing leather on a household sewing machine, in addition to low power, is that the leather does not slide well under the foot. Hence the appearance of folds, distortions, and thread breaks. Housewives are trying to deal with this problem in different ways. Someone places a newspaper, someone lubricates the leather with soap, and someone pulls the edge of the leather with their hand, helping the sewing machine. But it’s still easier not to waste thousands of rubles and go buy a special roller foot. You will also have to use faceted needles, trying to sew with the widest stitch possible, protecting the material from tearing.

As for the manual sewing method, tools for working with leather should be selected depending on the type and thickness of the leather itself. Soft materials such as suede, husky, opoek can be sewn with a simple needle. Don't forget to use a thimble. This will not only make the sewing process easier, but also protect your hands from injury. For thicker leather (chrome, yuft, shagreen, chevro) we use an awl. And of course, everyone has seen how a master uses a shoe hook when repairing shoes.

You also need to pay special attention to the choice of threads, since not all of them are equally good for the skin. Synthetics and nylon are certainly cheaper, and they look more beautiful. They shine and shimmer in the sun, but are not suitable for sewing leather goods. Strong artificial thread cuts through the leather over time, this is especially noticeable on shoes. It’s better to pay a little more and buy flax threads, or at worst, cotton threads. If you want shine, then buy a silk cord.

Bonding agents

The technology for gluing leather is almost similar to the process for gluing rubber. Hence the choice of glue. True, newer compounds appear on the market every day, but this is not a problem, since it is very difficult to “corrode” the skin. So, unlike rubber, the leather does not need to be rubbed with sandpaper, but it will have to be cleaned and degreased. Then we apply glue, let it dry for some time, depending on the brand, again add a little glue, press it and put it under a press. You can glue the skin at the tear site with tape, plain or double-sided, but this is a temporary solution to the problem, since such a seam will not bear much load.

Auxiliary Tools

What tools are used for working with leather, besides those described above? There are many of them. First of all, these are figured punches and patterned stamps. We use punches and a hammer to pierce the leather, for example, for rivets, or to make openwork decoration. We use stamps for hot prints. You can also use an electric burner for these purposes, but first it is advisable to get good at it on a separate piece of leather.

When hand sewing, a tracing roller is used to mark the stitch length. Sometimes pliers and wire cutters come in handy. The entire set of drawing accessories is suitable for making patterns. In general, everyone chooses the tools for working with leather with their own hands individually. Some people use an iron, while others borrow a hairdryer from their wife. One person likes to use glass when cutting leather, the other uses a board. The main thing is that everything works out for you in the end.

What to choose?

Making tools for working with leather yourself is actually not difficult. You can take, for example, a bicycle spoke, sharpen it, attach some kind of handle - and the awl is ready. Or, by chamfering and sharpening, make a round punch from any thin steel tube. And if you heat it up and hammer it into a square or triangular shape, the punch will come out shaped. With a little imagination and hard work, you can, of course, make stamps and marks from any piece of iron. But is this really necessary, because for little money in stores you can buy high-quality, specially made tools for working with leather.

Devices can be homemade or factory-made. It's up to you to decide which tools to use for working with leather. In principle, there is no difference, because the point is not in them themselves, but in the ability to use them and apply them correctly.