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[Etbrown4]

My heavy household machine take a max 18 needle and #69 thread.

Is a leather needle needed for 1.8 thickness. From the looks, the 18 universal needle looks sharper and more tapered than the leather needle. What am I missing?

Hope to use a heavy duty household machine 1950s Singer model 15-91. Reported to have enough power for med-light leather work. Anyone tried one?

[JimmieJoe]

I have tried to run V69 thread in a newer Singer Heavy Duty and it kept jamming in the bobbin case. Make sure you can really run V69. I happen to have a Neechi BU Nova domestic that can run V92 thread without issue, but it does not have the punching power to run slow in upholstery grade materials. You may run into the same issue with a domestic on leather unless it is clothing weight, and not upholstery weight.

Leather needles usually punch triangular shaped hole to make room for the thread since there is no weave to push out of the way like there is on other materials.

[Etbrown4]

Tonight i actually went ahead and tried sewing the 1.2 leather with a regular 14 needle and some common small gauge thread.

The Singer 15 sewed like a champ!

I gather that this is an instance of if it works it's good, but pretty sure that thread is too light for upholstery. Soon I'll try the 69 thread with the same 14 needle or an 18, in 1.2 leather and see if that works.

Previously I've run 1000 yards of 69 thread thru a so called modern Singer heavy duty 4452 with an 18 needle and that worked ok too. Perhaps beginners luck. I was very afraid the thick material might break a plastic gear etc on that very light weight machine.

[Etbrown4]

Is there a lighter thread than #69 which is suitable for 1.2 upholstery leather?

[Rhonda]

There is a #44. # 33. But these are not rated to sew with leather. Is there a reason you need to go lighter on the thread ?

[JimmieJoe]

Are you running Polyester or Nylon thread?
You need to look at the break strength of a smaller thread and will need to make a prefect stitch to get that strength.

Is the seam very well support, or is it flexible and stretchy? Smaller thread may not survive a flexing seam, but might survive a well support ridged seam.

[Etbrown4]

When i first tried the 69 thread with the Singer 15, and a #18 universal needle in 1.2 leather it broke my thread repeatedly, despite tension adjustments.
So to experiment, i tried some ordinary polyesyer household thread and it sewed nicely, like butter.
My thought was that maybe i could try something under 69 thread as a compromise.
I'm working on a pretty firm seat cushion from a modern scandanavian recliner. Not squishy.
Probably not the ideal job for a newbie, but going surprisingly well.

[JimmieJoe]

Could any of several things:

Sounds like a tension issue or maybe a hook spacing timing issue. What size needle do you normally run on the machine?
You can only go up or down 1 needle size before you have to adjust the machine for the new needle size.

How old is the V69 thread? Was it stored is direct sunlight?

Your needle maybe too small, and not making enough room for the V69 thread in the leather so you are exceeding the thread strength trying to pull it back through the leather.

[Etbrown4]

This very clean, smooth as silk 15-91 is new to me. I've made no needle or bobbin hook adjustments. My 69 thread is new.
Previously In a so called singer "heavy duty"i have switched from 14 to 18 needles with no problem and it liked the 69 thread.

Sometimes going with what works may be a good plan. When I sew the 1.2 leather with regular household sewing thread and a long stitch, 8 per inch, it works well, and Hercules could not pull the seam apart!

[LLeeT]

I had an issue a couple of years ago of thread cutting. Turns out that I had the needle turned 180 degrees. Simple mistake that I fought for about an hour.

[JimmieJoe]

I have broken even larger thread, T270 with a nominal needle, while sewing into leather because I had the tension so high trying to pull the stitch into balance.

Did you change the needle with the smaller thread or are you using the 18 needle with a smaller thread in the leather?

[Etbrown4]

I tried the 69 with the 18 needle unsucessfully and then went to the 14 needle and light thread.
Ive read that others have used the model 15 with 90 something thread, so I know it's possible.

[JimmieJoe]

Not saying it is not possible, just that you may not have the right needle, thread, material combination for this specific application.

You probably need a bigger needle to make a bigger hole to provide more clearance for the thread in the leather.

Not sure what your needle, thread combination was for household thread in the leather.

I suspect that the 14 needle is oversized for the household thread so there was more room for the thread in the leather.

[Etbrown4]

I tried the 69 with an 18 needle. Didn't work in 1.2 leather with my machine as adjusted. As mentioned it worked swimmingly with the 14 and light thread, and I know it is not reccomended.

I understand the light thread has a low breaking strength, however this 210 lb man can't tear the sewn pieces apart because he tried!

And that why in life it sometimes pays to go with what works, because the alternatives for me weren't appealing, like buying a new machine, etc.

[JimmieJoe]

The 18 needle may be too small for 69 thread in the leather you are using. A 20 or 21 may work better to provide clearance in the leather.

It is also still possible that the machine is tuned for a 14 needle and the 18 is too far from 14.

But if you are happy with the light weight thread that is fine. Your initial question about a leather needle and other challenges have been answered.