Leather and Faux Leather: Sewing Non-Woven Materials

Leather is a natural hide with no woven structure, so it has no grain in the textile sense, though it does have directional stretch and thinner, looser areas toward the belly. Faux leather is usually a polyurethane or PVC coating on a knit or woven backing, giving it a more uniform structure but a similar surface behavior.

Because neither frays, edges can be left raw. Because both are permanently marked by needles and pins, accuracy is paramount: there is no unpicking and resewing without leaving holes. This single fact drives most of the technique that follows.

Cut leather and faux leather in a single layer, right side up, so you can place pattern pieces to avoid flaws and use the best areas of a hide. A rotary cutter or a sharp craft knife on a mat gives cleaner edges than shears on heavier material. Hold the pattern in place with weights rather than pins.

On natural hides, plan around the irregular shape, scars and the looser belly area, positioning prominent pieces on the firmest, most even parts. Trace pattern outlines on the wrong side with a pen or chalk rather than pinning.

Since pins leave permanent holes, use alternatives. Wonder clips or binder clips hold seam edges together. Double-sided basting tape, low-tack and narrow, holds seams and hems within the seam allowance and is invaluable for accurate alignment before stitching. Leather glue or rubber cement bonds seam allowances open and flat where pressing cannot.

Plan to baste with clips or tape, sew once, and accept that the first stitching is final. This is why test runs on scraps matter so much with these materials.

Fit a dedicated leather needle, which has a wedge-shaped point that slices cleanly through hide, for genuine leather. For faux leather with a fabric backing, a microtex or universal needle often works better, because a leather needle can perforate the coating and weaken the seam. Match needle size to material thickness.

Use a strong polyester thread and lengthen the stitch; closely spaced stitches perforate the material like a stamp and can tear it, while a longer stitch is both stronger and more attractive on leather. Avoid backstitching, which can perforate; instead, tie off thread ends or stitch in place briefly.

Leather and faux leather stick to a standard metal presser foot and resist moving under it. A walking foot, a roller foot, or a non-stick Teflon foot lets the material glide through evenly. Alternatively, a strip of tissue paper or tape on the foot or the bed reduces drag.

Sew slowly and steadily. The combination of a feeding aid and a measured pace prevents the skipped stitches, stalling and uneven seams that plague these materials on an unmodified machine.

• Walking, roller or Teflon foot to overcome drag
• Longer stitch length to avoid perforating and tearing
• Strong polyester thread, no backstitching
• Glue or topstitching to set seams that cannot be pressed

Conventional pressing with a hot iron can melt faux leather and mark genuine leather, so seams are usually set by finger-pressing, rolling with a bone folder, gluing open, or topstitching flat. Topstitched seams both hold the allowances down and add a clean, professional line.

Because edges do not fray, hems and edges can be left raw, glued, or topstitched rather than turned and finished. When you bring a Minerva Patterns file to life in leather, the unforgiving nature of the material rewards the precise seam lines of a well-drafted pattern, since accurate cutting and a single confident pass of stitching are exactly what these materials demand.