woodse guy said:
I guess hiding stitches isn't really what I wanted to do. I wanted to hide the raw edge of the two pieces of leather at the top. But I think I'm going to leave it like it is and see how I like that look first.
One thing about the grease suggestion, I would make sure you do NOT use a petroleum based grease. Such grease can/will break down the fibers of the leather and thus weaken it.
If the leather is thick enough, you can chamfer the raw edge to make it blend a little better to the leather below it by the way the top outer edge sort of angles downward. This is normally done with an "Edger" or "Edging Tool."
Burnishing can be a bit tricky if the leather is thin and can wind up making the edge look sloppy, if not done with care. If the edge is straight, you can lay the edge evenly and close to the edge of a board to get a more even burnish. The edge of the board acts like a stop to keep the burnishing more even. However, this is best done before you sew the pieces together.
In the period, Saddlers sometimes used Hide Glue on exposed raw edges and then burnished the edge with bone or antler. This could still be done today. Today we also have "Edge Coat" and other products to do the same thing. However, once again, this should really be done before the pieces of leather are stitched together in the kind of application you are using.
http://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/fiebing-s-edge-kote
Also in the period, they used heated creasing tools to smooth up raw edges and then burnished them more by hand, if necessary. Again, something that normally should be done before sewing the pieces together. IF the leather is thick enough and the creasing tool small enough, you could do this after sewing, though.
Just some ideas you may think about.
Gus