How to Saddle Stitch Leather by Hand: Tools, Thread and Step by Step

If you are wondering how to stitch leather by hand, the saddle stitch is the place to start. It is the classic hand stitch for leather. You use one length of thread with a needle on each end and pass both needles through every hole in turn, so the stitch looks the same on the front and the back. It is slow work, but it needs few tools. This guide covers those tools, marking and punching the holes, the stitch itself, ways to hold the work and how to finish.

Tools and materials

• A stitching chisel or pricking iron, which is a row of prongs that punches evenly spaced holes, or a single awl for making holes one at a time.
• A mallet and a cutting mat or poundo board to strike against.
• Two blunt harness needles with eyes that suit your thread.
• Waxed thread, linen or polyester. Choose a thickness that suits your stitch spacing and the leather.
• A marking tool such as a wing divider, a groover or a stitch marking wheel.
• Beeswax if the thread is not pre-waxed, scissors, and leather glue or clips to hold the pieces together.
• A burnisher, called a slicker, or a scrap of canvas for finishing the edge.

Mark the stitch line and punch the holes

Decide how far from the edge the stitches will sit. A line roughly 1/8 in (3 mm) from the edge is common on small items, and heavier work often uses more. Run your marking tool along the edge to mark or lightly groove a straight line. Fix the two pieces together with a little leather glue or clips so they cannot shift. Place the pricking iron on the line and strike it with the mallet so the prongs go all the way through both layers. Then move the iron so its first prong sits in the last hole you made, and strike again. Keeping one prong in the last hole keeps the spacing even. Around corners, switch to a single-prong iron or an awl so you can space the holes by eye.

Prepare the thread

Cut a length about four times the length of the seam, plus a little extra. That is a common rule of thumb, and it is better to start long than to run out in the middle of a seam. Draw the thread across wax to coat it, which makes it easier to pull. Put a needle on each end by pushing the thread through the eye, then pushing the needle's point through the thread itself a short way back and pulling it snug so the needle cannot slip off.

The saddle stitch step by step

1. Pass one needle through the first hole and pull until the thread is the same length on both sides of the leather.
2. Pass the right-hand needle through the next hole to the other side. Then pass the left-hand needle through the same hole in the opposite direction, taking care to go beside the first thread rather than through it.
3. Pull both threads at the same time, snug and even, so the stitch sits flat without puckering. Pulling too hard can cut into the leather, and pulling too loosely leaves gaps.
4. Repeat along the seam, putting the same needle through first each time so every stitch leans the same way. After a few holes, check that the stitches look alike on both sides.
5. At the end, backstitch by taking the thread back through the last two or three holes, then trim it close to the leather.

Holding the work: pony, clamp or vise

Hand stitching needs both hands, so the work has to be held. A stitching pony, which is a clamp on a stand, holds the leather upright between two jaws, leaving your hands free and keeping the seam at a comfortable height. A bench vise fitted with wood or leather-lined jaws does the same job if you already own one, and bare metal jaws can mark leather. A hand clamp or a pair of clips can hold a short seam, though you may have to steady the work with your knee or your lap. A small pony suits wallets, card holders, straps and similar pieces, and longer panels may need a larger clamp. With any holder, check that the stitch line sits just above the jaws and that the piece does not slip.

Finishing the seam and the edge

Trim the thread ends close to the leather. Burnishing the edge is optional but gives a smooth finish: dampen the edge slightly, then rub it briskly with a wooden burnisher or a scrap of canvas until it feels smooth and slightly glossy. Edge paint is another option. Test any finishing method on a scrap of the same leather first.

Common mistakes

• Uneven hole spacing, usually from not keeping a prong in the last hole.
• Holes that do not go all the way through both layers, which makes the second needle hard to guide.
• Thread cut too short, so you run out before the end of the seam.
• Changing which needle goes first, which makes the stitches lean in different directions.
• Pulling harder on some stitches than others, which leaves the seam wavy.

If you want to hold your work upright, the small wooden leather stitching pony is a clamp with dark wood jaw tips, a metal spring and a wing nut on a flat base about 7.68 x 5.12 in, standing about 10.75 in tall. It suits small pieces. You can find more tools for your projects in our Games & Hobby collection.