leatherwork question

[jay]

Does anyone (that reads my LJ ...) have any advice on how to hem a pair of leather pants? I bought a pair of black leather jeans on eBay last week, but the inseam is about an inch too long. Nancy kindly does my hemming on ordinary clothes, but I don't think she's sewn leather before...

Comments

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Actually, with most leather pants you don't hem them at all. Just cut them off at the right length. They don't ravel, of course. If you want to make sure they won't start to come undone from the bottom up through the side seam (you will have cut off the part of the seam where they probably doubled back to "lock" the end), put a few stitches into the very bottom of the inside of the side seam to hold it closed.

If you want it to *look* hemmed at the bottom, then the best bet is probably to GLUE it down on the inside (no, I'm not sure what glue--try asking someplace like Leather Etc. in SF, or JoAnn Fabrics), and then pound the bottom edge flat again with a wooden or rubber mallet.

And if you really want that "hemmed jeans look" (contrast stitching, for instance), then you'll need to get a heavy duty machine, and a leather needle, to achieve that. Again, just fold it over (without glue) and pound it flat. Then sew with the machine set at very long stitches. I can sew two layers of leather on my old 50's vintage Singer, but I usually have to guide the needle up and down by hand--even THAT motor, made as it is of 100% metal parts (unusual in this day and age--they're often plastic now), isn't really up to the task of driving a needle through several layers of leather.

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

Hemming leather is a bit like hemming regular pants. They do sell a special kind of needle for leather though. I don't know where you can buy it now becuase I am not sure of any leather crafting stores in the bay area. The one I knew of in santa cruz is now gone. Depending on how thin the leather is you may get away with useing your regular sewing machine if that machine can handle denim.

Good luck!

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

The thing with leather (I am extrapolating my experience with vinyl) is that once holes are punched, they cannot be undone so it's important to get it right the first time if you choose to sew the hem. If you're not sure, I would suggest asking a dry cleaner or shoe-repair shop - the former sometimes does alterations, and the latter will know how to work with leather.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

The three leather items (pants/skirts) I have in my closet have glued seams, as dawnd describes in a comment above. Are yours already hemmed with glue? If you need that undone, having the pants professionally cleaned may loosen the hem -- many glues used by leather garment manufacturers are soluble in dry cleaning stuff.

Are yours lined? The lining is often finished with a serger or a rolled hem, and is not attached to the leather at the bottom edge. My lined pants are like that.

I don't know what kind of glue, alas. I do know that there are kinds that are less soluble in dry cleaning liquids, so you won't have to reglue.