Why Hand-Stitched Leather Goods Last: The Appeal of Saddle Stitching

When looking at leather goods,

"fully hand-stitched"
"saddle stitch"

you may come across words like these.

Hand-stitched, therefore high-end.

Of course, that isn't wrong.

But the reason I hand-stitch my bags
isn't simply that I want to put in more effort.

It's because hand-stitching has a real purpose when it comes to long use.

This time, I'd like to talk about the appeal of hand-stitching in leather goods
from the standpoint of a maker.

Hand-Stitching and Machine Sewing Have Different Structures to Begin With

For hand-stitching leather goods,
a method generally called the "saddle stitch" is used.

A needle is attached to each end of a single thread,
and the needles are passed alternately from the left and right through each hole.

Ordinary machine sewing, on the other hand,
sews by interlocking an upper thread and a lower thread.

Judging by appearance alone,
both join leather to leather in much the same way.

However,
a big difference appears when the thread breaks.

Hand-Stitching Resists Unraveling

With machine sewing,
if part of the thread breaks, the stitches can come undone one after another starting from that point.

The saddle stitch is a little different.

Because a single thread is crossed from left and right
as each hole is sewn one by one,
even if part of the thread breaks,
the structure makes it hard for everything to unravel all at once from there.

This matters a great deal for items like bags
that bear loads every day.

The handles.

The bottom of the bag.

The opening.

A bag used every day
receives force from more directions than you might imagine.

That's why I
stitch not only with appearance in mind,
but also thinking about what will happen after long use.

Because It's Done by Hand, the Thread Can Be Tightened to Suit the Leather

In hand-stitching,
the thread is tightened by hand with every stitch.

Depending on the thickness and hardness of the leather
and where it is being sewn,
the force required varies slightly.

Pulling hard isn't always the answer.

If you apply more force than necessary,
the thread digs into the leather
and puts strain on the stitch holes.

Conversely, if it's too loose,
the stitches themselves won't be stable.

While watching the condition of the leather,
I tighten only as much as needed.

I repeat this one stitch at a time.

Stitches sewn with the right tension
are less likely to put undue strain on the leather and stitch holes,
and the seams hold up more easily even after a long time.

Being able to make such fine adjustments
is another great appeal of hand-stitching.

Thinking Beyond "Ten Years of Use"

A leather bag
is not something to throw away after a few years.

Use good leather,
make it properly,
and repair it when needed.

Do that, and
it may well last ten years and beyond.

Of course,
it's not as simple as ten years for machine-sewn,
and a guaranteed twenty years for hand-stitched.

How it's used, the type of leather,
and the storage environment all change its lifespan.

Still,
when the same leather is used in a similar way,
one of the techniques that has been chosen with longer use in mind
is the saddle stitch.

When I make a bag,
I'm not only looking at the moment it's finished.

Five years later.

Ten years later.

And when it has been used even longer than that,
what will it be like?

I make it with all of that in mind.

Hand-Stitching Is Also Easier to Repair

There is one more
major advantage of hand-stitching.

It's easy to repair.

No matter how sturdily something is made,
with long use the thread can wear
and the leather can get damaged.

As long as it's a leather product,
this can't be completely avoided.

That's why what matters is

not only "not breaking"

but also

"being fixable when it does break."

That's what I think.

Sections sewn with a saddle stitch
can have the damaged thread removed
and, using the same stitch holes as needed,
be re-stitched by hand.

Rather than throwing away the bag itself,
you repair only the damaged part and keep using it.

This is
a way of thinking that suits long-lasting leather goods extremely well.

The Value of Hand-Stitching Can't Be Judged Only at the Moment It's Finished

To be honest,
hand-stitching takes time.

Even to sew just a few dozen centimeters,
I punch the holes,
hold a needle in each hand,
and pass the thread through one stitch at a time.

A section a machine could finish in a short time
can take many times longer.

Even so, the reason I keep hand-stitching
is that I believe that time has meaning.

The value of hand-stitching
may not come across fully
just from seeing a brand-new bag.

After several years of use.

The thread still holding firm.

Even if it gets damaged,
it can be re-stitched.

And
you can keep using the same bag while repairing it.

All of that together
is what I consider a "hand-stitched bag."

Leather changes its expression the more you use it.

That's exactly why
I make bags that can stand up to the time it takes for the leather to mature.

That is the reason
I sew by hand, one stitch at a time.