Saman's Creations: Sewing Fish Leather
From a young age I was exposed to the language of textiles as expressed through clothes and home interiors. This is a cherished tradition passed down through generations within my South Asian culture. For this reason, my mother is a tailor and since her teen years she has designed her own Pakistani clothes and accessories. She also always taught me the importance of being independent and supporting oneself and others through innovative skills. So, when I came across the internship position at 7 Leagues, I was intrigued with fish leather as a textile. Though I am working here as a communications intern, I knew I would also want to test and make something of my own.
I’ve been in the Eager Beaver position for just over a month and I already have a corner of my room dedicated to 7 Leagues. Currently, I have an overflowing bag of fish leather samples and a very heavy box of leather crafting tools. I decided I would make coasters with the first samples (image 1) I collected. Looking back, this was ambitious considering I did not have upholstery thread, a press, or a wider needle for my sewing machine.
Nonetheless, I was so excited that I began randomly sewing scrap pieces together because I wanted to get a feel for the material. I came to the realization that each sample would have to be treated differently. The samples varied in thickness, smoothness, and flexibility depending on the leather making process and use of tannins (image 2). I would need to adapt the skills I used for each piece in order to succeed at sewing fish leather. During the process my mother often looked over my shoulder to make cheeky comments about how I was finally being patient with my sewing.
After becoming familiar with the fish leather pieces, I identified that the coho and sockeye salmon leather samples were the easiest to sew. They were relatively thin, flexible, and looked great! (image 3) The smoked sockeye and halibut were a little tougher to sew, as they are thicker, although I am sure that with a thicker needle, upholstery thread, and finishing tools it could be done.
From the sewn scrap pieces, I cut out the dimensions to make 2 coasters and sewed 2 layers together (image 4). The coasters are definitely not professional looking as they were not smoothed around the edges or the thread and needle did not pierce the material perfectly.
The coasters may not be the best presentation of my sewing skills, but I do feel accomplished considering this was my first experience working with leather. I am grateful I get the opportunity to work with my hands and imagine an outcome different from the ordinary workday. As my corner full of 7 League’s supplies grow, I am hopeful to create something great within the upcoming days or weeks.
I’ll be sure to share my journey with you. Take a moment to follow 7 Leagues on social media if you want to come along with me as I experiment.
