Beautiful job, on some very tough material!
If you have a Dremel, or even a regular drill, you can get a very small drill bit, and mark out your sewing spacing, and drill the holes. A whole lot easier than using a hot needle.
Not primitive, but neither is a metal rasp, or electric sander.
And if our ancestors had them, they would would have used them.
You can get some very small diameter drill bits.
That is a beautiful job. Lets see some more.
Wayne