How to Embroider on Leather ?

Don’t Let Leather Embroidery Intimidate You ! 

You might think it wouldn’t be easier to leave embroidering on leather to the professionals, but it can look great and is doable as long as you follow instructions and take it slow !

It’s true that leather is intimidating to work with, it’s unforgiving. If you make a mistake and have to pull out stitches, they’ll always show. Many embroiderers don’t think it’s worth the risk, but think about how gorgeous leather embroidery can be !

And if you run a home-based embroidery business, just imagine the unique products you can produce and the flood of income that comes with leather embroidery ? 

Especially if you’ve seen the runway trends for this season – women and menswear !

Tips on Leather Embroidery :

Choosing the Design For Your Leather Embroidery

When you’re choosing what type of leather to embroider, there are many options – suede, lambskin, cowhide, etc. Regardless of the type of leather, you also have to choose the design carefully as well. Since leather is so unforgiving and any perforations will show permanently in it, it’s best to choose designs that are light and sheer. If you have any designs that are too heavy or with satin stitch columns, the perforations from the needle could cause your design to come out of the leather!

Choosing What Needle To Use

When you’re deciding what needle is best for your leather embroidery, it’s best to choose a size 80/12 leather needle. This needle has a wedged point, reducing the size of the hole that is made in the leather.

Choosing the Embroidery Backing To Use

The best backing to use when embroidering on leather is a medium-weight cutaway stabilizer, see some featured at the bottom of this post. The cutaway stabilizer will hold the leather together during and after embroidering.

It also helps to use a temporary spray adhesive to ensure the stabilizer stays attached to the leather. Just spray the adhesive between the stabilizer and the leather for extra hold.

Hooping While Embroidering Leather

You should always hoop when you’re embroidering on leather. It keeps the design properly lined up in the right place and prevents any shifting. But before you jump for your hoop, keep in mind that it can leave permanent scuffs or other marks on the leather if you’re not careful! Before you add the top of the hoop, lay down strips of muslin on top of the leather. Then, before you begin to embroider, move the muslin out of the way.

How Fast Should I Embroider Leather?

While you’re embroidering leather you’ll notice that the leather pulls up ever so slightly with the needle each time. This is because the leather is thicker and causes more friction with the needle than most fabrics. Because of this, it’s best to embroider at a slower speed, generally around 350 stitches per minute is sufficient.

Now it’s time for you to get started !