Sewing Leather & Sewing Vinyl

Sewing leather or vinyl (faux leather) trim when sewing bags and clutches can add a deluxe look to your finished product. Did you know that you can sew vinyl and leather on your home sewing machine? With a few simple tools and adjustments, you can get professional looks for your purse sewing patterns or clothing sewing patterns at home.

1. Choose the correct thickness of leather/vinyl

Choose a leather/vinyl thickness that your machine can handle. For parts such as pockets, just use the leather/vinyl on top of the flap and fabric underneath. For vinyl choose thin to medium thicknesses. For leather choose sheepskin or thinner goat skin.

2. Use Leather Needles

Leather needles are sharp and pierce through the vinyl or leather eliminating skipped stitches. Schmetz, Singer, Hemline (Klass) and Birch brands all manufacture specialized leather needles.

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Euro-Notions Schmetz Leather Machine Needles, Size 16/100 5/Pkg

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SINGER 2087 Leather Machine Needles, 3-Count

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Schmetz Leather Machine Needle Size 18/110

Price: $6.10
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SINGER Leather Machine Needles- Size 90/14 (2X) and Size 90/16 (1x)

Price: $5.12

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3. Machine Foot

When sewing leather or vinyl, use a Teflon foot or roller foot. These stop the vinyl or leather sticking to the bottom of the foot and keeps your tension and stitches even.

Personally, I think Teflon feet are much less bulky and easier to use as the open toe makes it easier to see where you are stitching. They are available cheaply for most makes of machine. I sewed leather for many years using the Janome ultra glide foot(affiliate link). You can see in my photo below how well loved it is (middle foot).

Products from Amazon.com

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4. Tissue Paper

If you can’t get a Teflon or walking foot, place tissue paper over the leather or vinyl and stitch through all layers. You can then rip it out when you are finished. Just be careful when you are removing the tissue paper so you don’t cause loops in your stitching.

5. Get a hammer

You can’t iron vinyl or leather, so where the pattern calls for seams to be pressed, gently hammer the edges instead. The best kind of hammer to use is one with a very flat hitting surface.

A hammer is also great for reducing bulk in seams. Just hit gently to compress the vinyl to make it easier for your machine to go over. Stop the hammer marking the leather/vinyl by putting a cotton cloth in between before striking.

6. Use a quality thread

When sewing leather, use a strong polyester thread that won’t break. For topstitching and seams that need to be durable, use a thicker or specialized leather thread. Don’t use cotton thread in leather as the chemicals tend to rot the thread over time.

7. Don’t use pins

Pin marks will show in your leather or vinyl so use a double sided tape or glue to hold pieces in place. If you are using double sided tape, use a quality brand that won’t gum up the needle or don’t place the tape directly under your stitching line. Alternatively, pin within the seam allowance