The home straight.
After completing the looped front panel and the rear panel with its belt loops, it is now time to bring the two halves together. The first thing to do is to glue the front to the back, care must be taken in order to get the two pieces lined up, and avoiding getting glue where you don't want any.
Then using a pricking iron I punch through the holes in the front panel to create the holes in the back panel. We are now ready to stitch the two halves together, using my stitching pony to hold the leather firmly I prepare two needles and a length of thread. This thread must be around four times longer than the length of stitching required. Passing the first needle through the leather I centre the thread, now I start, I pass the needle in my left hand through the next hole in the leather, I cross the thread and then pass the needle in my right hand through the same hole, first stitch! I now need to carry on all the way round, ensuring a similar amount of tension is applied to each stitch to make them all look uniform.
After I have finished stitching I sand the edges smooth, if done correctly the two pieces of leather that form the front and back will have the appearance of a single piece. This affect is improved upon by slicking the edge which lays all the fibres in the same direction and with the application of some edge coat and dubbin a beautifully smooth edge can be achieved. All that is left to do is to apply a good quality leather polish that will keep the leather supple and water resistant. I recommend that at least once a year a similar product be applied to keep the leather in good condition.
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