Finishing the End of a Stitch in Leatherworking

This week, I will show you a few ways to finish the end of a saddle stitch. While these techniques are primarily aimed at hand-sewn seams, you can also apply them to the end of a machine stitch. Sewing leather is a broad topic beyond the scope of this post. So today, I want to give you a short tutorial on ending the stitch.

Finish With a Backstitch

With saddle stitching and a machine lock stitch, it’s crucial to reinforce the end of the stitch. If you only cut off the thread ends, they will quickly work their way out of the holes, and the seam will start to come apart. To prevent this, we commonly use a backstitch. That is reversing your sewing direction at the end of the stitch and layering a second set of threads on top of the first set. The second set of thread locks down the previous stitches and prevents stress on the seam from pulling loose the ends of the threads.

You should have a minimum of two backstitches at the end of a stitch. This is sufficient for most everyday items, especially if you weld the ends, as I will describe later. I do three backstitches on a smaller stitch, like 2.7mm or 10 SPI and smaller. Sometimes, even on 3mm. I like three because an odd number feels more aesthetically pleasing on a smaller stitch.

Why not four, five, six, etc. backstitches? Besides looking excessive, more backstitches are unnecessary. Also, you can shave off a little time on a project if you’re making leather goods for sale, especially when you’re hand-sewing.

If you’re using a sewing machine, I suggest adding two backstitches and welding the thread ends or three backstitches if cutting them flush. This is in case the machine’s thread tension might be low, and a machine creates a lock stitch rather than a saddle stitch. Where the backstitch is particularly visible, I will leave some additional thread length and hand-sew the backstitch.

When finishing a backstitch, leathercrafters commonly lay the second threads next to the first. The backstitch is a visual indicator of the end of the seam and reinforcement, like in the case of the top of a pocket and similar locations.

Cutting the Thread Ends

Once you’ve finished the backstitch, you must cut the thread ends. On some production leather goods, companies will add a few backstitches and only snip the thread ends flush. This is ok, but there is a chance that the thread ends can loosen and unravel. If that happens, the seam will start to unravel. You can take an additional step to lock in the thread ends to ensure they will never back out of the stitch.

You have several options for the various types of threads. With synthetics, you can create a ball end or weld the thread; on natural thread, you can glue in the ends. Let’s take a look at some of these options.

Finishing the End of Synthetic Threads

Synthetic thread can melt with a simple lighter. If using a lighter, just pass it close to the thread—no need to shove it in there. Otherwise, you can burn the adjacent stitches and the leather in the process. Instead, move the lighter close to the thread, and the ends will melt and shorten. This creates a balled end that cannot pass back into the stitch hole, effectively locking in the ends.

A more elegant finish is to weld the thread ends to the stitch. To do this, you’ll need a welding iron for your creasing machine or a similar tool that can deliver heat with pinpoint accuracy. Below is the process and also a short video too.

1. Start this process just before the end of the seam.
2. Set your welding iron temperature. On our double creaser, that setting is between 5 and 6. A single creaser often runs a little hotter at the same number, so start at 4 and test the iron.
3. Let the iron get up to temperature. When heating the thread welder, do not let it get red hot. This excess heat will burn the surrounding thread and even the leather.
4. Finish the ends of the stitch, including the last backstitch.
5. Cut the thread once you’re at the last backstitch, leaving about half a stitch length sticking out.
6. Come back to the creasing machine. If it is dirty or coated with melted thread, use steel wool or a craft knife to clean the end of your welder iron. Steel wool will burn if the heat is too high, so I always use a knife.
7. Test the heat by cutting a scrap thread with the welder; you should be able to pass the welder through the thread and cut it easily.
8. Clean your iron and adjust the temperature if it doesn’t cut the thread easily.
9. In preparation, set your piece on the table. Do not attempt to weld the thread while holding the piece in your hands. It’s too shaky, and you’ll likely burn the stitch or the leather or both.
10. Similarly, rest your elbow on the table when holding the creaser handle. This adds more stability and eliminates another variable that could ruin your work.
11. Using the welding iron, lay down the thread end onto the last back stitch.
12. Make sure not to touch anything except the thread end. It’s a bit like the game of Operation but instead of a buzz, you’ll burn something.
13. Let the heat do the work, and continue to brush down the thread end so it welds to the stitch.

Finishing the End of Natural Thread

Natural thread, like linen, does not melt like polyester or nylon, so to lock the thread ends, use glue. The process is similar to welding synthetic thread. You leave half a stitch length of thread and then use a little glue to adhere the thread to the stitch. Our online course, Refining Your Technique, shows you how to finish linen thread ends. Here is a free excerpt from the course:

So there you have it: a few options for finishing the thread ends on a seam. These small details can seem inconsequential but, when combined, result in superior work and finer leather goods.