There is nothing wrong with using a sewing machine......after all, it is a "Machine" and men, use machines!
Just don't put any lace, or other foo foos, on any of your projects, and keep to the manly color theme, then you will be fine.
As for stitching by hand, I am like you, I can't afford anything for any heavy weight stuff, even canvas. I used to do a lot of leather stuff when I was in high school, when my brother bought some stuff from Tandy, and then lost interest in it, after a year or so. I still have his knife, and it is held by the thumb, and second finger, with the index on a little bow shaped piece on top. Can't think of the name of it, and I have a three pronged lacing hole cutter, and even some of the stamps, for making designs in the leather. You can make all these things your self. Somewhere I have a couple of lacing needles. I used to have a marking wheel, for marking the sewing holes, to keep them even without having to eyeball it, but I normally use the three pronger without going all the way through, just enough to mark it. Though I do alright without it. I bought a medical wheel, quite similar, but longer spikes, and quite sharp. It is used to test for sensitivity. Thought it might make a good marking wheel. When I sew something, especially something long, like a quiver, or such, I have two pieces of trim mold, that has a round bevel on the top, and flat on the backside. The kind used against the wall and floor. Base boards, actually. They are about a foot and a half long. After I have marked the sewing holes, and used an awl on the leather, I then line up the pieces, and clamp them in the boards, with just the stitch site above the rounded edge, of the board clamps, and depending on what I am sewing, I will either just hold it in my hands, or clamp it in a vice, and sew. I get the clamps to hold the boards together at the "Mans store" Harbor F.
Makes the sewing much faster. I just use the sewing awl with a lock stitch. I have and occasionally still use needles, and hand. With the board clamping the pieces together, it's also is easier to control the piece you are sewing, and not get the thread all tangled up with the piece you are sewing.
If you are familiar with sewing, then I don't need to tell you about turning it inside out first, then turning it right side out.
You can use shorter pieces of trim mold, for smaller size projects. This size just works well for me. I saw an Eskimo, or Inuit rain coat made from a couple of walrus bladders. It was very light, and somewhat transparent. It was in a Museum in Daytona, Florida, and the card said it was hand sewn. It looked like a machine had done it.
But I guess when you have been doing this sort of thing since you were a small child, you tend to get pretty good at it. It basically looked like VERY thin rawhide, but it was very flexible looking. Pretty neat !
Wayne
