So, it's about 6pm and I'm sitting on the back porch with a glass of wine, chatting with Phin and blogging. When it's 70 degrees and sunny in March, it's hard to stay in the Craft Lounge sewing a leather jacket. BUT I did make good progress this weekend.
Tools
I finished with muslin 1.0 on Monday morning (more on this later in the week) and moved on to transferring all the changes back to the pattern. This morning I was about half way thru cutting the icky faux leather for muslin 2.0 when UPS showed up with my new Olfa Rotary Cutter and 2' x 3' cutting mat, along with a bunch of other leather sewing supplies.
I was so excited I tried the cutter immediately. I normally look at cutting as a necessary evil in order to get to the sewing tasks that I like, but the rotary cutter was so quick and precise that it glided through 2 layers of faux leather like butter, making cutting a breeze.
Not to mention that using pattern weights is easier and quicker than pinning. I was worried that the cutter would be difficult to use or get the hang of, but it was not hard at all and I felt like I had as much control than with sheers.
The verdict: having cut half of the faux leather with sheers and the other with the rotary cutter, the cutter wins. No contest! If I can help it, I will never cut with sheers again. There are probably some things that sheers are better for, like very small pieces and making notches. But if you are cutting with sheers and thinking about a rotary cutter, I say go for it. My first impression is that it's a great tool.
Book Review
Over the weekend I also read Sewing with Leather & Suede by Sandy Scrivano.
Despite the fashions showcased in this book being tragically out-of-date (this 1998 edition looks more circa 1988 to me), it was a great buy. It has an impressive amount of detailed information about everything to do with sewing leather and suede. It answered several questions that I had including how much of a seam allowance is appropriate (1/2"-5/8" generally), appropriate interfacings (in short, there are lots of options), different seam treatments for leather (which were well photographed, I thought), different tools to work with, how to shop for leather, how to lay out your pattern and cut... the list goes on.
The book also had thorough instructions for lining a leather jacket. Given that I'm working with Burda instructions, this was pay dirt. Additionally, it talked about how leather behaves in general, but then added specifics throughout. For example, because leather will stretch and conform to your body when you first wear it, it suggested making the armscye and sleeve higher and tighter than you might make it in other fabrics. I found this immeasurably helpful guidance while working out the sleeve of my muslin. (More on this later in the week!)
The verdict: this book may not inspire, but it will teach you how to sew leather. So, a big win in my book. Anyway, Sewing with Leather & Suede was updated in 2001, but I settled on the 1998 edition mostly because of cost (the 2001 was $50+ on Amazon). I bought mine from Half for $15 from a book dealer I had previous experience with. Honestly, a lot of the information in this book can be found on blogs, but not in this depth or all in one place. This is a great reference to answer all your questions about working with leather.
Anyway, more on muslins 1.0 and 2.0 later this week!
Tools
I finished with muslin 1.0 on Monday morning (more on this later in the week) and moved on to transferring all the changes back to the pattern. This morning I was about half way thru cutting the icky faux leather for muslin 2.0 when UPS showed up with my new Olfa Rotary Cutter and 2' x 3' cutting mat, along with a bunch of other leather sewing supplies.
 |
| Rotary cutter, leather needles and 1/2" and 1/4" leather tape |
I was so excited I tried the cutter immediately. I normally look at cutting as a necessary evil in order to get to the sewing tasks that I like, but the rotary cutter was so quick and precise that it glided through 2 layers of faux leather like butter, making cutting a breeze.
Not to mention that using pattern weights is easier and quicker than pinning. I was worried that the cutter would be difficult to use or get the hang of, but it was not hard at all and I felt like I had as much control than with sheers.
The verdict: having cut half of the faux leather with sheers and the other with the rotary cutter, the cutter wins. No contest! If I can help it, I will never cut with sheers again. There are probably some things that sheers are better for, like very small pieces and making notches. But if you are cutting with sheers and thinking about a rotary cutter, I say go for it. My first impression is that it's a great tool.
Book Review
Over the weekend I also read Sewing with Leather & Suede by Sandy Scrivano.
Despite the fashions showcased in this book being tragically out-of-date (this 1998 edition looks more circa 1988 to me), it was a great buy. It has an impressive amount of detailed information about everything to do with sewing leather and suede. It answered several questions that I had including how much of a seam allowance is appropriate (1/2"-5/8" generally), appropriate interfacings (in short, there are lots of options), different seam treatments for leather (which were well photographed, I thought), different tools to work with, how to shop for leather, how to lay out your pattern and cut... the list goes on.
The book also had thorough instructions for lining a leather jacket. Given that I'm working with Burda instructions, this was pay dirt. Additionally, it talked about how leather behaves in general, but then added specifics throughout. For example, because leather will stretch and conform to your body when you first wear it, it suggested making the armscye and sleeve higher and tighter than you might make it in other fabrics. I found this immeasurably helpful guidance while working out the sleeve of my muslin. (More on this later in the week!)
The verdict: this book may not inspire, but it will teach you how to sew leather. So, a big win in my book. Anyway, Sewing with Leather & Suede was updated in 2001, but I settled on the 1998 edition mostly because of cost (the 2001 was $50+ on Amazon). I bought mine from Half for $15 from a book dealer I had previous experience with. Honestly, a lot of the information in this book can be found on blogs, but not in this depth or all in one place. This is a great reference to answer all your questions about working with leather.
Anyway, more on muslins 1.0 and 2.0 later this week!
