The old machine works amazingly well under "normal" circumstances, but for this use case with the nice thick thread and the four layers of leather + 2 layers of canvas, I think I bit off more than I could chew. After a few tries with a normal jeans needle, I had to resort to a thick 130/#22 needle with an eye big enough for the thick thread. Sewing the pockets was a challenge, and I had to hand-crank the machine most of the way and take care not to lose stitches on the thick rolled hem.