Leather? Help!

[Shiloh]

Okay so I am getting some leather hides...so nervous.
Getting samples in the mail to pick from - have jogging stroller and am remaking the sling type seat in leather...

I've never sewn leather.
anyone?

any advice?
I'd like to embelish it a bit but?
anyone?
where do I start what would be 'easy'
and do i need a snap press for new snaps?

[she]

I have experience with leather...

a definite must is an even feed foot/walking foot. Your hide might not actually be very thick (the leather I worked with wasn't) but the surface of the skin is very 'sticky' to pressure foot and feed dogs. Use smaller seam allowances, 1/4" is fine, 5/8" is a waste of leather. Longer stitch length, too many holes can weaken the seam and cause rips.

um... oh, if you don't want to topstitch every seam (which I do, fast and easy, and a classic look for leather anyway), you'll need to glue your seam allowances down because you can't iron leather. If you're going to glue, hammer the seam flat with a rubber mallet and then glue, I think regular rubber cement is fine, but your supplier might carry specific leather glue.

What kind of embellishment were you thinking about?

[boingo82]

You will also need leather needles.

[Shiloh]

well I got my samples so I put them through my machine!
don't know what I was afraid of it sewed well!

now anyone know of any good sources for things I can do to the leather to make it pretty? books, online?