Embroidery Tips for Leather Embroidery Project

The Embroidery Rules

Although backing isn’t needed to stabilize the leather, it shouldn’t be omitted, as it acts as a guard. A sheet of lightweight stabilizer will protect the machine by reducing the debris that can collect in the hook assembly, and it also insures smooth sewing, helping the leather glide as it sews. Tear-away works well, but embroiderers have reported using non-traditional backings of typing bond paper, brown paper grocery bags, and even wax paper, which some folks say works best for them, because it also lubricates the needle. If you embroider on stretchy suede it greatly improves the results; use a light spray of adhesive on a sheet of tear-away. The main purpose for backing on any type of leather is to catch fibers that may shred from the leather and fall into the bobbin area as the needle passes through, and it keeps the item afloat, moving smoothly as it sews.

Tear-away stabilizer can also be used to enhance the quality of particular designs when it’s used as a topping. A design containing a lot of fill-sections, with a thick density and short stitches can destroy the leather surface, so a lighter density must be used and coverage might not always be what is desired. The solution is to lay a piece of stabilizer over the top prior to sewing. The color of the topping should be similar or the same as the thread to be sewn, such as a white tear-away under yellow thread coverage or black under navy blue thread. When the embroidery is complete, you must remove the excess backing so it’s best to use a thin, lightweight stabilizer that easily tears away.

Hooping requires a bit of attention to avoid marks on various types of leather. Some leathers won’t mark at all, and others like some types of suede might result in a hoop mark, though many are generally forgiving, allowing quick removal of any marks with a soft bristle hand brush. To be safe and avoid hoop marks, there are precautionary methods you can try like wrapping the hoop rings with twill tape or athletic pre-wrap gauze, which may be most efficient when used in the production of a high-volume order. But if you are embroidering only one or a few items, the easiest method is to use a sheet of soft, lightweight tear-away or tissue paper, placed on top and hooped with the backing and garment; after it’s hooped, rip or cut away the center of the topping to make a window, exposing the leather surface where the embroidery will sew. When the garment is sandwiched between the backing and topping, there’s less chance for marks on the leather to occur.

Needle type and size depends on the type of the leather being sewn. A standard 75/11 could easily break when penetrating thick leather due to a combination of heat produced by friction and the narrow size of the needle. However, there are some lightweight leathers that handle the process with a 75/11 needle quite well when the machine is not run at a high speed. (I use a 75/11 ball point needle for all designs stitched on leather seen in this article.) For thick leather, use a needle large enough to allow thread to travel easily through without resulting in frays or breaks, but it should not be so large that it leaves an unsightly hole with each stitch penetration; test with a 75/14. In general, soft leathers do best with a sharp-point needle, but a ball point should be used for thicker or harder leathers; if a sharp point needle is used on thick leather, by the time the needle has come back up, the leather may seal itself, hugging against the needle tip just enough to shred the thread. Needles, such as the wedge point, specifically designed for extremely thick, hard leathers are great for general sewing, but this type should not be used for embroidery, because the wedge point will also slice through any existing stitches where the embroidery might overlap.

Thread types are another consideration. In general, a 40 WT thread is suitable for most leathers. Keep in mind that a 30 WT may be best in some situations, because it offers more coverage to a light density design, but it may also require a larger needle to help the thread through the leather without shredding. Oak-tanned products may deteriorate natural threads like cotton, so it’s best to use synthetic threads, such as polyester or acrylic. A spun polyester bobbin is reported to offer the best results. No matter the weight or type of thread used, slow down the machine speed to about 500-600 SPM (stitches per minute) or slower, in order to reduce friction that could melt and break threads.