Stitching a Collar or Lead by Hand

Most hand-sewn leather straps use the saddle stitch. Two threads travel in opposite directions through one line of holes, and each thread has its own needle.¹ In thick material such as leather, the holes come from an awl, a pricking iron or a stitching iron instead of the needle.¹

The big advantage is what happens when something breaks. A cut thread loosens only one side of the stitch.¹ Tandy says a machine stitch is different: one break can compromise the whole length.²

What you need

• Two needles and lightly waxed polyester thread.²
• A groover, a pricking iron and an awl.²
• A stitching pony, the stand that clamps the work.²

Steps

1. Mark the line. A groover cuts a small channel, so the stitches end up flush with the surface. Tandy calls this optional. It recommends it where the surface will rub against things and wear the thread.²
2. Mark the stitches. Set the pricking iron's prongs in the groove and tap the top of the iron with a mallet.² The iron only marks the stitch positions and cuts through the surface of the leather. It isn't meant to go all the way through. The awl finishes each hole later.²
3. Cut the thread. You'll want about five times the length of the seam, and a thicker project may need more. Spare thread is better than a short thread.²
4. Put one needle on each end of the thread.²
5. Clamp the strap in the pony.²
6. Open the first hole. Push the awl through the first iron mark, in line with the angle of the mark, so every stitch leans the same way.²
7. Stitch the row. Tandy has you start at the mark furthest away and stitch down the row toward yourself. Both needles go through each hole from opposite sides.² While the needle is still in the hole, loop the thread on the left over the needle. Tandy says this loop, or cast, locks the thread in place.² Then pull the thread tight on both sides, with equal lengths on each side.²

Backstitching the ends

This is the step that stops the thread working free. A backstitch keeps the line from coming unwoven at the ends. It can also strengthen places under stress.²

To add one, use the same process as the main row, but stitch away from you, back over the holes you've already filled. Keep the new stitches underneath the old ones, and don't loop or cast the thread.² Two or three are usually enough.²

Do it at every end. The buckle fold. The ring fold. The loop of a lead, if you're making one.

Locking the last stitch

Poly thread can be trimmed close, then melted with a lighter so it can't slip back through. Take care not to burn the leather.² Keep dyes and solvents well away from the flame. With linen or hemp thread, a tapped-in drop of glue does the same job.²

Then tap the stitches down with a smooth hammer or maul. That presses them into the leather and can reduce rubbing wear on the thread.²

Thread and water

Dogs get wet, and thread can rot. One supplier says a burnished, sealed edge helps prevent that.³ It's another reason to do the edges well, which the edge finishing page explains.

Where it goes

Same steps, new place. They work on a hardware fold or a hand loop, and the lead project uses them again. Rivets? No thread. The riveted collar in the collar project doesn't need thread.