Making a Mercer Briefcase Part 5.

The Big Stitch

Making a Mercer Part 5.

So far we’ve cut. We’ve dyed. We’ve shaped. Now it is time to put the whole thing together.

This is done with a special stitch called a saddle stitch. One long thread, with a needle on each end, is passed back and forth through the slanted holes that will make up the seam. Since both the front and back of the seam are stitched at the same time this technique creates a unique situation in which each stitch is held in place by the stitch before and after it. This is a much stronger and more durable stitch that anything that can done on a sewing machine. It can only be done by hand.

It is a slow and steady process. To give you an idea, a three foot long seam done on a machine might take 20-30 seconds. The same seam done by hand can easily take 2-3 hours depending on the complexity of the seam. When you look at the bigger picture however, 2-3 hours on a seam that might last a few decades doesn’t seem like that much time.

If you were to ever wonder why handmade leather goods are so damn expensive this is why.