Northmount

OP appears to be from the New York area according to his IP address. Tom

Moved your post to leather sewing machines. You will likely get more response there. Tom

Cut a leather gusset, cut a slot in it for the zipper and stitch the zipper into it. Cut the gusset a couple inches longer than the edge you are connecting it to. Run the ends of the gusset down into the spine, as if it were a book cover. Find the exact centre of the gusset, and exact centre of the sides of the purse and glue or temporarily stitch or staple in place. You can have the zipper unzipped while doing this. Line it all up, glue or staple in place with the gusset wrapped down inside. Don't stitch the ends of the gusset into the spine, but let it float. Sew it up, done. Tom edit If you want to keep the purse real thin, just use the zipper like you did, but get one long enough to go about an inch around the two end corners, and cut a slot for the zipper to fit into. I would still find the exact centres to match up so the zipper is not accidentally distorted and hard to zip.

You might like to let people know where in the world you happen to be. From your IP address, it would appear you are near London, UK. You will find it easier to deal with people closer to you rather than thousands of miles away. Tom

Make sure your top thread is between the tension disks, not just riding around the outside. Has to be between the disks to work. Recheck your thread path to make sure it is threaded correctly. Tom

Show us some of your new work! Tom

Nice looking bag and Oak Leaf. Tandy sells "Craftaids" with all sorts of carving/tooling patterns. Tom

As mentioned in one of the posts, observe what the needle and hook are doing so you can decide what action you need to take. I try to make turns either as the needle is entering the leather or just before it exits. Also not to lift the presser foot too high and lose the top tension. Tom

Also read this topic Tom

Located near Autin Tx according to the IP Address. Tom

From the OP's IP Address, he is likely located in Southern California. Tom

See Kevin King's tutorial making a wallet. Comments call it a rolled edge, french roll, bound edge. I think that french roll is the correct name. Here is another rolled edge. Single layer, not bound. Tom

And you are located where?

I read a post some time ago where the poster stopped the lining just before the end of the buckle flap. Couldn't find it with my searches though. This will give you the same, or nearly the same thickness for the whole belt, and reduces the bulk around the buckle and keeper. Tom

Be careful with linseed oil. Raw linseed oil never dries, stays sticky and gummy. Boiled linseed oil has driers or other chemicals added to it so it will dry. Tom

A little info here Also look at this page http://www.montanapitchblend.com/our-story.html Tom

Coat both ends with something (like tar or similar product) to stop the ends drying out before the rest dries. Moisture wicks up the grain to the ends. Stop that and it dries slower and less risk of cracking and splitting. I have a neighbor that does a lot of woodturning. He puts the logs (cut to lengths he uses) into a box full of sawdust and wood shavings. Slows down and equalizes the drying process. Needs to be stirred up every few days to get rid of some moisture and to bring some fresh air in. Tom

I pass through Claresholm every now and then. Sunday and Monday this week. There are a number of members in the Calgary area. Show us some of your work. We're always interested in photos. Tom

Where in Alberta? And welcome to the forum Tom

If you tell people where you are located, you might find some interest or help near by. Tom

FYI, Via post to my profile, he is located in Lindsay, Ontario. Tom

Welcome to the forum and addiction. Hope to see some of your work soon. What type of work are you interested in doing? What part of the world are you from? Tom

Here are some links about copyright and fair use I came across this morning. They contain good information and "lots of opinion". Helps to define fair use, derivative works, transformation, etc. After reading them, it appears we should give credit to the originator even though our work may be very transformative. For example, it we take someone's photograph, convert it to a line drawing, use that as a tracing pattern to tool a piece of leather, we should give credit to the originator, even though there is really no copyright infringement due to the transformative nature of our work. It is good etiquette. Further, the originator should be asked for their permission, again as good etiquette. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/infringement-or-fair-use-have-a-look/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/infringement-or-fair-use-part-ii-the-opinioning/ http://bizarrocomics.com/2013/07/21/fly-by-drawing/ Tom

Nice job. Red purses really stand out. Tom

Check the links listed in the OP. They state cost, date and location. Tom