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Hand-stitching: Elegant, Strong and Durable

Two hands stitching two pieces of leather together.

Photo credits Kristyen Perera

In our advertising and the product descriptions, you will see us getting all excited about the hand-stitching method. Leatherworkers around the world will tell you that hand-stitching is the most elegant and the strongest approach to stitching leather. With stitching control being in our hands, we are able to pay a lot of attention to detail while stitching. ChapterOne Leather absolutely loves the hand-stitching approach.

Owning a quality leather product is a great feeling, and when you know how it is made, the feeling is even greater. You feel more confident of the product. Let me share the steps of hand-stitching practiced by me. 

Always Use Superior Thread: I mostly use Ritza Tiger Thread commonly referred to as Tiger Thread. I say 'mostly' only because inventory emergencies sometimes call for grabbing another brand. Yet, I only stock Tiger Thread. Tiger Thread is considered the No.1 thread by leatherworkers around the world and I stand by its strength and durability. It is manufactured by the Danish company Julius Koch founded in 1895. Tiger Thread is coated with wax making the thread stronger and water resistant. It is a finely braided and flat thread made out of 100% polyester.
Preparing for Precision: The stitch lines are made either by using a leather groover or a stainless steel divider. These lines help the artisan to punch the stitch holes with considerable precision. The thread, once stitched, can then be pressed down to lay flush on the leather.

A Strong Stitch: I use the traditional and the well loved Saddle Stitch. A saddle stitch in its approach is two threads running parallel in the same direction and crossing each other through each stitching hole. I love the saddle stitch as it locks and binds the leather with every stitch and, just in case a stitch breaks, it only pulls out one thread. All in all, making it an extremely durable stitching method.

Pressing the Stitch Down: Different artisans use different methods to press the thread flush on to the leather, such as either hammering the thread down or using a heavy roller. I only use a stainless steel hammer to reach the thread that is hard to reach by a roller. Other than that I prefer the heavy roller approach mainly to avoid the tool mark impressions on the finished product. As a customer you wouldn't like to see them, and as an artisan I hate being disappointed when I damage my creation.

What this all means is that, the process used by ChapterOne Leather pays careful attention to detail and ensures a strong and durable stitch to bring you a quality product.  

If you currently own ChapterOne Leather products, please do let us know how much you love them through your social media channels. We are on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. All of them use the handle @ChapterOneLeather and the hashtag #ChapterOneLeather.

Enjoy your leather my friends.

Cheers,

The name Shaminda Perera in cursive writing

Sole Artisan and Owner

ChapterOne Leather

 

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