H&M Valley Ranch Store- Sewing Leather

H&M Valley Ranch Store has received questions on, "How to sew leather?" That depends on your definition of leather. Leather has a "weight" or thickness, obviously the thicker or heavier the weight the harder it is to sew with a light weight machine.

Be very careful of purchasing machines online, especially on ebay that advertise "leather" sewing machine - in reality, very few on ebay have the ability to sew leather such as cowhide, calf, or other heavy leather. If you are really serious about purchasing a true leather machine look for names that have been in the industry for years - juki, consew, artisan, tacsew, tipman, and their are a few others out.Those well known brands have a price tag, prepare your wallet. Industrial leather machines are made to last forever - so the initial cost can start from $1200. to $2600. depending on the make, model, features, and shipping. The price could go up substantially if you purchase a machine that does both straight and zig-zag....most machines only do one or the other.

When considering this investment, consider the service as well! The company that you purchase from should either service the machine or give you a card of a local representative that does. If you purchase a new machine you will still need to have it serviced, so it is very important to find out in advance where it will be going - these machines are very heavy!

Back to "how to sew leather?" Good quality leather machine, leather needles (depends on machine - we use #16-20), leather thread (#69 is what we use), masking tape, leather glue, metal ruler, leather marking pen, and your pattern. That should get you started! If you are really interested in making leather products, go to your local leather supply shop - Tandy Leather is available in many areas...do a search to find the one nearest you. Before making a very large investment in a machine, some of the local leather shops will offer classes in leather making - find out if you really like doing leather before you buy all of the supplies and machine to create leather items.

~H&M Valley Ranch Store Customer Service
*H&M gives no preferences, only suggestions of the machines and leather supplies one might purchase as stated above. Anyone who does purchase the above stated items does so knowing that the products and merchandise may be very expensive and does not hold H&M Valley Ranch Store accountable for any of the above expense.