Nonstandard Thread Spool on a Standard Sewing Machine

I have a sewing pattern that instructs me to sew an 8-oz. leather on a regular sewing machine. I think this is a bit optimistic, to say the least. I had to do quite a bit of research into sewing machine needles and appropriate thread that would function on my Singer 4411 "heavy duty" sewing machine. Here are some things I discovered.

1. Not all sewing machine needles fit this machine. The Schmetz 120/19 leather needle is too large for this machine. However, the Schmetz 110/18 leather needle fits just fine.
2. Leather threads are a different size than standard sewing threads. This website has a couple of tables for what size thread to use with what size needle. For a size 18 needle, I needed size 92 thread. Turns out size 92 thread is good for jeans and leather. Therefore, I purchased some from that website as well as some on Amazon.

The next thing I needed to figure out was how to use this kind of spool on a standard sewing machine. While spool holders are available for purchase, I'm not sure how often I'll be making this item, so I wanted a method that wouldn't take up space in my already overstuffed apartment. Below is what I pieced together.

You will need:

1. A Mason or Ball jar large enough to hold your spool of thread.
2. A paper clip or something else with a loop to hold the feeding thread.
3. Tape (I used painter's tape) to tape the paper clip to the back of the machine.

Use the tape to tape the paper clip to the back of the machine. I chose to do this near the hole for the second spool stick.

For this spool, I chose a wide-mouth pint jar. I have these on hand for making shrubs.

Run your thread up from the jar through the paper clip.

Continue by threading your machine as normal. As you can see from the pictures, bobbin and needle threading went as per the machine's instructions.

And there you have size 92 thread sewn using a 110/18 leather needle on a Singer 4411. I will update this Instructables when I try it with actual leather.

PS: If you can think of a more searchable title for this Instructables, feel free to comment.

Since I was just sitting there watching "Bones" anyway, I went ahead and tried to use this setup to sew the 8-oz. piece of leather. The machine will only do one stitch before jamming. This might work for thinner leather pieces but not for my project.