Making garments
For skirts, trousers and vests, buy 2-3oz/60-85g leather or suede. It's easy to machine sew with a leather stitching needle and heavy-duty cotton or polyester thread.
For sturdy outdoor garments, belts and handbags, buy 4-10oz/115-275g leather and rent a professional machine to sew up the pieces. Or punch holes along the edges with an awl and then lace the pieces together with thongs, using one of the methods shown below.
Before cutting leather or suede, check the hides for scars so that you can avoid them in laying out your pattern. If you find thin spots, reinforce them with fusible tape.
Stroke suede to find the direction of the nap, mark the directions on the wrong side with a felt pen, then cut the pattern pieces so that the nap all goes one way. If you don't do this, the adjoining pieces won't match.
Instead of basting seams on a leather garment, 'pin' them with paper clips 3in/75mm apart, and then stitch them removing the paper clips as you go. After you've finished stitching, brush a little latex adhesive onto the underside of the seam allowances and onto the adjacent leather. Let the glue dry, then press the seam allowances flat with your fingers; flatten these further by tapping along the leather lightly with a wooden mallet or special leather work hammer.
Maintenance
If a leather coat gets wet, hang it on a padded hanger - not a hook - and let it dry away from direct heat. Creases will generally hang out overnight, but if they don't, press on the wrong side with a dry iron set on Low, using heavy wrapping paper as a pressing cloth.
Clean small spots on smooth, glossy leather with a damp sponge.
When restitching leather gloves or slippers, use dental floss instead of thread. It lasts longer.
To clean a combination bag, such as canvas and leather, clean the non-leather portion first. Make suds with washing-up liquid and rub them into the material with a sponge or soft cloth (use only suds - don't immerse the sponge). Work on heavily soiled spots with a soft brush, such as a nail brush. To rinse, dampen a sponge in warm water and rub the surface until the suds are gone. Use saddle soap to clean the leather portions, then apply a neutral shoe wax or a wax the same colour as the leather.
