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On every you tube vid I've seen they nonchalantly lift the needle and pull the work away and what's more they can then put some more work under and start sewing again. With mine if I did that without pulling more thread through (which I quite often forget to do) it would pull the thread out of the needle. Really frustrating. It's a lovely machine but I don't have the knowledge to get it right and I think I'm coming to the end of it now. I know anything else I get will only be as good but it's consistency I need. It's bad enough learning all this stuff without faffing around with the machine all the time. If there was a good mechanic near me I'd gladly pay him but the two nearest me have both had it and said they couldn't get it working which I did myself with the help of you guys. Forgot to mention, it's not the bobbin thread it's the top thread.

I mentioned this briefly some time ago. Since then I'm gradually improving the situation but I can't help feeling that there's something fundamentally wrong with the timing. When I finish sewing with needle up I can't pull the work through without jockeying around with the handwheel. It's always been like this but after installing a servo motor and needle positioner I thought things might improve but no. I can't pull the work through without turning the wheel away from me and dropping the take up arm down to about half way. I've tried changing where it stops with the ENP but it won't let me. Where the needle does stop is about 3/8ths below it's upper limit. I've tried reprogramming the upper limit to the top and turning the motor on/off but as soon as I switch on agains guys? the needle drops down 3/8ths. I should make clear that with the needle up I can obviously pull the work away a little but the thread won't budge until I turn the handwheel. It' a Jack motor. Maybe There's a knack to it? Any thoughts guys?

You need to subscribe to a guy called Cechaflo. An absolute maestro around a sewing machine and car upholstery. Come back with your thoughts.

I know this is not usually our bag but you have to admire skill right. I think this guy must be an alien. It's not just the skill level it's the nonchalance and not a jig or a template in sight not even on the sewing machine. The guy doesn't stop talking and he can't speak English. I still watched it till the end though. I found it almost mesmerising. Probably too long for some even though it's speeded up.

It's surprising what can be done with a few tools. Think ahead, take your time and I look forward to seeing the results. And remember, the man that never made a mistake never made anything. Good luck.

I know the tooling is different but I don't see the difference between that craftool press and this kind of thing from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Press-Grommet-Machine-Heavy-Eyelet/dp/B07DVC6D76/ref=sr_1_14?keywords=rivet+press&qid=1576969511&sr=8-14

Very nice work. Like it a lot.

I have to smile when I think you can make maybe 50 belts in the time I can make one.

As 480volt said, a good smack with a flat hammer with the burr on something solid will do the trick. Mind you it's the cut off shank that does the holding once it's bashed down. Just have to make sure the burr is roughly where it's meant to be.

Excellent work and a great design.I love everything about it. Well done.

You have a good eye Heather. Quality.

I think there's some smug in there somewhere Brian and why not! You're just an awesome fabricator. On a serious note I'm guessingthere's quite a gene pool of innovative thinkers over there stretching back to the day when the only way you were gonna get it was to make it yourself.

Welcome Andrew. The thing about this leather stuff is there's something in it for everyone. It's fun trying different things until you find out what your stuff is. Good luck.

Welcome Mark. That link isn't working. Think it's because I'm in the UK. Pictures on here are encouraged but have a size limit which isn't a problem if you resize. Lots of info on here about how to do that. Good luck with your projects.

If anyone is tempted to try any Dieselpunk patterns, he has announced a 50% discount on everything he sells for this coming, black Friday sale for anyone in his facebook group.

I think I've said this before, not a conditioner but normal silicone that you get in a tube can be diluted to whatever thickness you need. Can be painted on holey tarps for example. Can't vouch for food safe either.

Looks like good stuff.

Or, depending on where it is, a G clamp.

Welcome Foxen. I'm sure like a lot on here the learning will go both ways.

A lot of good advice there from Fred. I see you're using an iphone at the moment. When/if you get a DSLR you'll have much more control and there'll be settings on it that will filter any light so the pic comes out the way you want it. Take the pic with a few different settings until you get what you want. As Fred said a tripod is a must for sharp pics and keeping everything the same whilst you change things around. You'll eventually develop your own style and things will get simpler. One thing I did enjoy playing around with was slave units. No doubt they're much improved and smaller these days. They enable you to use two or three or many small flashguns instead of boxes and diffusers and such. Each one attaches to a small flashgun and when the main flash fires all the others do at the same time (well they appear to fire at the same time before some Einstein picks me up on that.). As an example of what they can do, imagine you're in a church by the altar, the light isn't great, the bride and groom are coming down the aisle with a long entourage behind them. Small flashguns hidden behind a few pews will have everything in focus right back to the church doors. Flashgun light is the same as daylight by the way.

Haven't done serious photography for a very long time but here's a few ideas. A busy background like the Navajo blanket is a no no when you want the featured item to stand out. If you have no choice regarding the background choose a setting that gives very little depth of field so the item is in focus but the background isn't. You have to be pin sharp with your focus with a narrow depth of field. A light box can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Are you talking natural light, or indoor light of which there are many types. Small items could go in a large ice cream tub with light bouncing all around from within or without. If you're thinking about a bigger, permanent set up you could use a large box with maybe a couple of moveable sides to direct the light. We've all seen the photographers assistant with the hand held reflector to direct the light. The colour of the inside of the box will affect the kind of light you end up with. As well as sharpness, look at the shadows. Do you want more or less detail in the shadows? In my day we used to say practice practice and then practice some more cos film is cheap. Digital is much much cheaper. Good luck.

It's all been said Ryan. I wouldn't have the patience. Very very well done.

Nobody has mentioned installing a larger pulley to replace the hand wheel. I replaced mine with a 170mm pulley and it made a considerable difference before buying a servo motor. Speedwise, I'm now where I want to be apart from a sudden start which I think I can alleviate with the treadle position.

Jay, there's some good advice there. I don't know if you have a budget and allergies notwithstanding I just wanted to say that it's easy to do some basic stuff with hardly any tools whilst you learn about what tools to buy and for what purpose. For example a sturdy fork can replace a stitch liner/groover/creaser. Any straight edged piece of metal will do for cutting against instead of strap cutters. Instead of stitching paraphernalia, use rivets. Don't even need a rivet setter for learning just a small hammer. There's no doubt that the right tools will help enormously once you understand when to buy basic or quality. One cheap tool which I would advocate from the get go is a decent size cutting mat. not only will it keep your blades sharp but the lines will enable you to keep everything straight and square. There are patterns to be had all over the place, some free and some you have to pay for. Take a look at this one. Not free but really easy to follow and there's a video showing how to. Good luck. I'm sure you're going to love your leatherwork as we all do. https://www.leather-patterns.com/s/search?q=Dog harness pattern

If you like that kind of story Shielajeanne. on BBC iplayer last week about a herd of elephant that was saved and looked after by a guy who died years later and on the day he died the herd trecked twelve miles and stood in his garden silently for two days AND they come back to the house every year on the anniversary of his death. It was episode 1 of a program called "Animals In Love"