working with leather

I love challenging myself.  And for quite a while I have been planning some leather sewing projects but had been a little too nervous to start.

I love leather because it's durable, does not fray, and it is a natural material.  But what makes sewing leather a challenge is the irreversible nature of putting a needle through it.  Because once that needle punctures your precious pattern piece, there is no going back.

You also need to have a sewing machine, needle, and thread that can handle sewing through leather without breaking.  I will admit that I have already broken 2 needles today and my thread has broken on me a handful of times as well.

And I have been carefully adjusting my tension, even when I am switching between 3 and 4 layers of leather.  I also had to adjust my bobbin tension for this project.

And while leather might not be the easiest material to sew, beautiful stitches are the reward for all my hard work.  This little, perfectly sewn sample gave me the confidence to start a real leather sewing project.

So I am currently working on my largest leather project to date - a black leather satchel.  It is about halfway done.  I hope to have it finished by the end of the week.  And it might be my biggest challenge to date (though surely not my last).

What have you been up to?  Do you like to challenge yourself when you sew?  Are you intimidated by leather?  (I still am...)