Part 2: How to Choose a Leather Accessory?

To overcome this problem, there are flowers "corrected". The surface of the skin was lightly sanded before applying the finishing. This gives the leather a little less noble that will age less well but removes the problem of non-uniform skin. This is most commonly found in medium and high-end products.

There would still be a lot to say, especially about tanning, precious leathers, etc. but that's not the point here. First, try to detect what leather you are dealing with when you buy a product, and take the time to question the seller/ manufacturer/craftsman now that you know a little more (maybe more than the seller himself! !).

You realize that we find for example handbags coated synthetic canvas (which customers often take for leather) sold for over a thousand euros ...

At G. Lancelot, the customer chooses his leathers, but I refuse to work anything other than full grain leathers. These leathers are the best, and they come from the best tanneries like Degermann, Haas, Roux ... If you hear these names in the answer of your salesman, it is already a very good sign!

How to identify a good seam?

Another major element of a leather product is its assembly and in particular, the type of sewing used.

If there is a great variety, the two main ones are saddle stitching and saddle stitch (having themselves their own variants).

Saddle pique

Saddle stitching is a machine-made two-thread seam (below a red thread and a green thread). This can be done in less time than it takes to say it through a fully automated system.

This is the case with many low / mid-range products. This can also be done by a sewing machine mastered by an experienced craftsman, with a finishing by hand. It's already a lot rarer.

The sewing machine has a main weakness: by its structure if one of the thread breaks, the whole seam breaks. Perhaps you have already seen it on some of your products.

This problem is all the more important as the son used in the machine are often made of synthetic material, very thin, and therefore moderately resistant.

On the other hand, this effect is greatly diminished on so-called "sewn-returned" products, which are found much in luggage. The bag is turned upside down before being turned around like a sock.

The seam is therefore found inside the bag, and therefore better protected from wear. This is the only stitched machine that I propose to my clients.

In addition, the use of two sons allows for a tone-on-tone seam on each side, which aesthetically speaking is an advantage. It is very practical on a product with a contrasting lining for example.

Another undeniable advantage, its cost which remains moderate. For an experienced craftsman, the difference in price between a sewn machine and a hand-sewn can be 200% or 300% !!

In short, saddle stitching - or sewing machine as a whole - is not a "dirty word", and some types of products adapt very well.

On the other hand, exposed-seamed parts that are likely to wear out quickly (cool men wallets, card holders, belts, etc.) will always have - in addition to the aesthetic aspect - a much more limited life in machine stitching compared to a saddle stitch.

The saddle stitch

The saddle points him, uses a thread of linen or cotton sticky, much more resistant, but that one can not use in the machine. The risk of the wire breaking is therefore much lower.

The other fundamental difference comes from the very structure of the seam. If a point breaks, there remains a point in opposition that is unaffected and continues to hold the leather in place.

In addition, the wire remains under tension and caught in the leather, so it does not stand out as on the piqué saddler. This allows you to contact the manufacturer to repair the part.