Here are a couple of my earlier projects. The small knife was the earliest attempt for both making knives and sheaths. The first was made from some unknown leather my dad had laying around. The second sheath was made from some W&C i bought, you can still see the fingernail marks from me on the back side, as well the stamping was done years later when the sheath was dry, yea i just hit real hard, and i discovered stamping tools lol. Its about 25 years old. But in my defense i was into muzzle-loading back then so most of my stuff was made by a " lonely trapper during the winter with no tools under the flame of a candle" lol.
i think the best way to improve is to be consistent with you practice while still reading and learning the various aspects of the craft. Strive to do some projects above you skill level while still doing projects at your skill level.