Subula: Thread & Needle

SmallPaper

About this app

Four ways to name the same thread, and none of them agree.

If you sew leather on a machine you already know the problem. The same spool is
#138 to one supplier, T135 to another, Ticket 20 to a third and FF to the
government — and Ticket runs backwards, so a smaller number means a thicker
thread. Then you still have to match a needle to it, and decide how close to put
the stitches. The answer lives on a supplier's web page that people copy into
forum posts because they are afraid the page will disappear.

Subula is that page, off the wall and into your pocket, working offline.

START FROM YOUR LEATHER
Set the total thickness you are stitching through — every layer added together,
in ounces, millimetres or inches. Subula gives you the thread size, the needle,
the needle point, where to start on stitches per inch, the breaking strength and
the thread diameter, on one screen.

ALL FOUR NOTATIONS, SIDE BY SIDE
Every thread shows its V number, its Tex, its Ticket and its US government size
together, with a standing reminder that Ticket runs the other way. The full chart
is one tap away — ten threads from #33 to #554, with minimum needle size,
breaking strength, diameter and yards per pound.

THE PART THAT IS NOT A CONVERSION
Thin or soft leather needs a round point; a leather point would cut it apart, and
Subula says so before you reach for the wrong needle. Heavy thread needs stitches
kept apart — crowd them and the leather between the holes ends up weaker than the
thread going through it, and the thread cuts it. Holsters, duty belts and
lifting belts each break the plain thickness table, so they get their own rules.

TELL IT WHAT YOUR MACHINE WILL DO
Heavy stitchers have a practical floor — below it they will not form a reliable
stitch, however fine the thread. Set yours and Subula flags any recommendation
that falls under it.

WHERE SOURCES DISAGREE, YOU SEE BOTH
#92 thread is listed at 14.5 lb on supplier charts and around 16 lb by
experienced stitchers. Subula shows both rather than quietly picking a winner.
That is the whole point of a reference you can trust.

MADE FOR THE BENCH
One screen. No account, no sign-up, no tracking, no internet needed.

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A STARTING POINT, NOT A SPECIFICATION — PLEASE READ

Subula is a reference aid. The thread chart follows conversion charts published
by industrial sewing machine suppliers; the thickness bands, project exceptions
and stitch spacing limits are long-standing community rules of thumb from
leatherworking forums. Experienced people run about one step apart from each
other by preference, and suppliers label the same thread differently. Treat every
figure here as where to begin, then test on scrap cut from the same stack you are
about to sew. This app is not an engineering authority and not a safety rating.
Where a piece carries load or matters for safety, follow the requirements that
apply to that work.
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Made by SmallPaper. Built for the people at the machine.

What’s new

Welcome to Subula 1.0.

A thread, needle and stitch reference for machine-sewn leather:
• Set your leather thickness — get thread, needle, point and stitches per inch
• All four notations: V, Tex, Ticket and US government size
• The full ten-thread chart with needle sizes, strength and diameter
• Round point on thin leather; how close is too close
• Holster, duty belt and lifting belt rules
• Your machine's floor respected
• Fully offline — no account, no tracking

Hand stitching is next.