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Best Leather Stitching Pony for Leather Working

Stitching leather can be tricky, trying to hold the material firmly, pulling the thread smoothly, and ensuring all seams are tight. A leather stitching pony can help tremendously by holding the leather material, freeing up the hands for stitch work. Some recommendations include paid links to products that I trust.

There is a a very nice walnut and oak stitching pony that can work well for most projects, click here to see it on Amazon. It includes a metal ball joint clamp for 360-degree positioning, and available in two sizes (~8″ (20cm) and ~12.5″ (32cm)). An alternative is this model constructed of beech wood, with aluminum fixtures, and leather padding on the arms. It’s about 14″ tall with a 13″ base, making it a comfortable size for most crafters – click here to see it on Amazon.

There are several different types of holders for sewing work, let’s explore them and which can be most helpful in the shop.

Types of Leather Stitching Ponies

There is actually a lot of variation to options of what are usually referred to as “stitching ponies”. While that’s a common name , let’s look at the different types, and their more specific names. It will be helpful when identifying which will be most helpful to use. Some are smaller, larger, to be used seated, standing, and have different arm movement and sizes.

Leather Stitching Pony

A stitching stitching pony is a wooden tool with two arms that are used to hold leather items securely while they are being sewn by hand. Having two hands free can make feeding a needle and pulling thread through leather material a much easier process. They are similar to stitching horses, though much smaller.

The stitching pony is generally placed on a chair, and sat on to help secure it in place with the crafters’ weight. Two vertical arms extend up and can hold the leather. They are joined in the middle with an adjustment screw, where the space between them can be widened and narrowed as needed. The leather to be sewn is placed in between the arms, and the arms are tightened, holding the leather in place for more easy stitching with having both hands free.

It is always important to ensure that any material that comes into contact with leather during the working process is soft, and won’t leave any unwanted imprints or marks behind on the leather surface. Since they are often made of smoothed wood, the stitching pony provides a gentle surface for gripping leather. Some stitching ponies have leather that covers the ends of the holding arms. This helps protect the leather and can be quite a handy feature to have.

Leather Stitching Pony - Liberty Leather Goods
Leather Stitching Pony

Leather Stitching Horse

A stitching horse is a wooden piece of leather sewing equipment that has two arms used to hold leather items securely. Having two hands free makes stitching a much easier process. These are similar to a stitching pony, though much larger.

The stitching horse generally rests on the floor, and includes a seat for a person to sit on. Two large, vertical arms extend up, and can often accommodate very large and thick leather items. They are joined in the middle with an adjustment screw, so the space between them can be widened and narrowed by the crafter as needed. The leather to be sewn is placed in between the arms, and the arms are tightened, holding the leather in place for easier working.

Leather Stitching Clamp

A leather stitching clamp is a wooden tool that has two arms used to hold leather securely while it is being hand-stitched. They’re joined in the middle with an adjustment screw that can make the space between the arms wider or narrower, ensuring a tight hold around the specific leather being worked on. These are generally just a wooden clamp, and often smaller than stitching ponies.

Leather Stitching Clam

A stitching clam is a wooden tool with two arms used to hold leather items securely for hand-stitching. They’re joined in the middle with an adjustment screw that can make the space between the arms wider or narrower by the crafter, ensuring a tight hold around the specific leather piece or item being worked on.

While similar in function to stitching ponies and stitching horses, the stitching clam is a little more simple in design and just slides under one leg for support. It’s position can be adjusted for the proper angle of stitch access or hand movement around the item. The position can als be adjusted for personal comfort.

Leather Table Stitching Clamp - Liberty Leather Goods
Leather Table Stitching Clamp

Leather Stitching Tower

A leather sewing tower helps makes hand stitching easier by providing a versatile group of holding clamps and surfaces on which to secure leather pieces for stitching. They are often made of wood.

They are generally secured to a table top or work bench and extending out (about 9”-12”) is an arm, onto which two additional arms run. Each has screws to adjust their distance to make for comfortable and functional positioning. Leather can be clamped between each of these arms and the main extension. The main extension can even be positioned higher or lower on the tower.

The flexibility of positions offered by the tool and the shape of the main extensions allow for leather to be easily positioned securely for a number of stitching needs, including right-angle stitching options. They are similar in function to stitching horses and stitching ponies, while offering much more variation in item position that can make it enjoyable to work in sitting, standing, or other positions.

Best Leather Stitching Pony

There are few excellent options available, depending on preference of size, position flexibility, and sitting or standing preference during use. Let’s take a look at some great versions of these tools.

Best Leather Stitching Pony

There is a a very nice walnut and oak stitching pony that can work well for most projects, click here to see it on Amazon. It includes a metal ball joint clamp for 360-degree positioning, and available in two sizes (~8″ (20cm) and ~12.5″ (32cm)). An alternative is this model constructed of beech wood, with aluminum fixtures, and leather padding on the arms. It’s about 14″ tall with a 13″ base, making it a comfortable size for most crafters – click here to see it on Amazon.

Best Leather Stitching Horse

Weaver makes a high-quality stitching horse for those that prefer a full-seat tool, click here to see it on Weaver Leather Supply. It incorporated an oak frame with a pine seat, with leather padded arms. There is also an integrated foot pedal that locks the arm jaws. Overall, this is a very nice tool.

Best Leather Stitching Clamp

The Zhongjiuyuan Wood Leathercraft Hand Stitching Rotatable Leather Stitching Clamp, can attach easily to most tables and benches, click here to see it on Amazon. It’s got an adjustable screw to secure to tables of varying thickness. As a smaller, effective tool, this is a great option.

Best Leather Stitching Clam

Fasttobuy offers a stitching clam that can rotate 360 degrees, click here to see it on Amazon. It is made of beech wood, with steel hardware, and can be easily used by right or left-handed crafters. for one that prefers that type of flexibility, this is worth a look.

Best Leather Stitching Tower

The Sewing Tower 302 make it easier to sew boxes, angled pieces, and provide easy access to bots sides of a seam, click here to see it on Fine Leatherworking. It provided adjustable height and is made from quality ash wood, 3″ wide tower, and 9″ long arm.

In Closing

With so many options available, there is likely one that with provide benefit to most crafter’s style of working. For those that enjoy hand sewing and are looking for a tool that can help make that faster and easier, a stitching pony, clam, or tower can be a great addition to the shop.

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