One of the more unusual pieces of equipment in the Dark Forest workshop is my Landis No. 3 sewing machine. This old machine was not traditionally made for sewing leather wallets. The Landis No. 3 was designed for heavy leather work, and I’ve adapted mine to work with the construction of my wallets.
The reason I like using the Landis No. 3 is simple: thread. It allows me to sew with a much heavier thread than you typically find on modern wallet sewing machines. That heavy thread gives the finished wallet a look and feel that fits with the traditional style of leather goods I’m trying to make at Dark Forest. There is something about a thick, substantial stitch in a piece of leather that just looks right.
Getting the machine to stitch correctly, however, was a completely different story. There is definitely a learning curve to working with an old machine like this. Finding the right combination of thread, tension, needle, presser foot, stitch length, and machine setup took a lot of trial and error. Small adjustments can make a big difference, and getting a clean, consistent stitch through multiple layers of vegetable-tanned leather takes some patience.