The above illustration is by the pioneer in leathercraft, Al Stohlman. It explains very simply the difference between hand stitch (Saddle stitch) and lock stitch (machine stitch). I have been asked many times by the participants from my workshops on this and I'd like to share and explain very briefly why leather artisans prefer to use this method instead of using sewing machine even though the later would save plenty of time.
In a lock stitch, when a thread breaks, the seam will come apart and will continue to do so until the entire seam is repaired by sewing the whole stretch again. The Saddle Stitch is a method using 2 needles at each end and every stitch is done by hand. If one side of the thread breaks, the piece is still held on together by the other thread. It can then be repaired with a single needle and thread.
To leather artisans, time isn't so much the main issue. It's the quality of both the leather as well as the quality of the workmanship that matters. Machine stitching no doubt cuts back on time but as explained in the illustration, when it comes to durability, saddle stitch (hand stitch) is definitely more superior.
Join my workshops and you will learn this wonderful way of hand stitching your leather creations unlike any other.
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