Leather is made from the tough derma layer of animal skin and reaches its final state after numerous processes. Unlike knitted or woven material it is formed by natural fibres being bonded together in a random manner. This is strengthened during the processing with the thickness and hardness of the finished product varying depending on its use. Whatever the grade though all leather has one thing in common when it comes to stitching, it can be easily damaged. The act of driving a needle through a piece of leather is similar to pushing a ballpoint pen through a piece of paper. The needle needs to cleanly penetrate the leather and, as it is made of random fibres, it is wise to use a needle that will actually cut the leather on contact. This is quite common in normal manufacturing with different angled points being used to achieve different stitch patterns. For instance the angled seam on a shoe is accomplished by using an angled point to make the thread lay in a certain direction but this, of course, would be no good for embroidery as it would have an adverse effect on the pattern so, to overcome this, it is recommended to use a needle that has a conical point but with minute cutting edges on the tip. At Your Embroidery Services Ltd. supply needles from the two top manufacturers, Schmetz and Groz Beckert, and in their catalogues this needle is respectively known as SD1 and Tri-Tip but here may be some occasions where this could cause a problem. Because of the closeness of the stitches there is a possibility that using a cutting needle may damage the thread already sewn into the pattern so in these cases it is recommended that a ball point, or rounded point, needle is used. This type of needle will move the existing thread out of the way and stitch around it without damaging it. It really is a "horses for courses" decision but in general we would always recommend the cutting style needle

It is also important that the pattern is digitised with leather in mind because this too has a serious effect on the final outcome. We have already established the similarity between leather and paper so let's apply another comparison. If we make a series of close holes in a piece of paper we achieve something called perforation. This can also happen when sewing leather although, of course, being much stronger it is not quite so critical. When the 'YES Ltd.' design studio knows that a design will be embroidered on leather they adopt a different set of rules relating to stitch density, under stitching etc. If a design that was originally digitised for knitwear is used on leather the resultant excessive stitching may cause damage. Even if this does not happen you should still consider that the majority of the packing stitches needed for knitwear are not necessary for leather and so the pattern will take much longer to sew. In general it is advisable to have patterns for leather, digitised for leather.

There are other problems associated with embroidering leather, though, other than the actual stitching. Framing can present what seem to be insurmountable problems but don't let them beat you. Somewhere someone has probably already solved the problem.

At Your Embroidery Services Ltd. for instance much research has gone into how to frame different materials and products from cotton to suede and jumpers to football boots. The latter for instance can be handled using a clamp frame which will easily hold the boot without damaging it.

Generally the standard push-in frame is not suitable for leather because there is not enough flexibility in the fabric to allow the two parts of the frame to be pushed together and, in any case, on fine soft leathers this type of frame may well mark or bruise the surface.

Other ways of "framing" leather include the "flop on" method where the panel is simply laid onto a piece of framed fabric (normally non-woven) and held in position with some sort of adhesive such as double-sided tape but if you use this method try to make sure that you are not sewing through the glue.

Leather is a common embroidery medium and has been for centuries so don't let it worry you. If it is the first time you have ventured into this arena then use the expertise that is available at companies such as Your Embroidery Services Ltd. You know what they say, "where there is a will, there is a way"

For information about the products and/or techniques mentioned contact Your Embroidery Services Ltd. on 01623 863343 or e-mail them at sales@yesltd.co.uk or visit www.yesltd.co.uk

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