Hiding stitches on my bag.

[woodse guy]

I made a couple of bags. I have seen on some other bags that they have a banding around the edge. Anyone have a idea what the edge banding stuff is called and where I can get some.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Cotton/ linen bias tape, or linen ribbon.

 

[LRB]

Or thin leather.

 

[woodse guy]

Thanks guys that will give me a place to start.

 

[Artificer]

When you mentioned "hiding the stitches," did you mean where you sew the parts of the bag together? Most folks sew the parts inside out and then turn them right side out after the sewing so the stitches are not normally seen and exposed to external wear. Sometimes folks add a thin folded over leather spacer in the seams so only the folded edge is seen when the bag is turned inside out. And sometimes folks glue in small cord to the folded leather to get a rounded effect to the spacer that looks like piping.

Gus

 

[Artificer]

Oh, on my "Militia Cartridge Box/Pouch" I made in the 70's, it has very thick leather and I decided not to turn the sewn parts of the bag inside out. Since edge banding would still show the hand stitches, I decided to not use edge banding and just kept the stitches even and uniform. I reasoned that the average person would not have used edge banding for that kind of box/pouch, though Saddlers or other Leatherworking Tradesmen in the period may have done so - if they did not sew the parts inside out.

Gus

 

[woodse guy]

Most of the stiches are on the inside of the bag now. But the way the front flap is sewed on, the stiches can be seen and I would like to cover them up maybe. I have not totally made my mind up what I want to do.

 

[Artificer]

OK, now that you have explained it in more detail, I better understand your original question.

People do use tape or leather as a decoration in the area of the stitches when the front flap is sewn on as a separate piece from the back of the bag. Sometimes the thin leather is cut in attractive pinking shapes on the outer edge.

However, such tape or thin leather still needs to be stitched onto the flap so it will not come loose - so you are still going to see stitches. In the period, they did not have a glue that would hold tape or thin leather over the stitches without it coming loose. I'm not even sure modern "crazy glues" would hold tape or thin leather over the stitches and not come loose. Even the best period leatherworkers just kept their stitching as uniform and as neat as possible and did not worry about hiding the stitches on that part of the pouch.

Gus

 

[woodse guy]

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.

 

[Black Hand]

Sand smooth, add a little grease and burnish with something hard and smooth (a piece of antler works).

 

[Artificer]

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

 

[Twisted_1in66]

Be sure to watch the video on the page Artificer's link takes you to. It explains edging pretty nicely.

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Dan