HELP! Twisted pocket?

[nick]

Okay...I admit it. I need help. (Do nottell my wife) Here is the deal. I am making a small leather shoulder bag, kinda like a map case. It has one larger main pocket, and thena smaller front pocket. I cut out my pieces using a wooden pattern that I made and then cut the gussetts to size. I started with the small front pocket and sewed on the gussett...all was well, or so I thought. I then proceeded to sew the pocket with gusset to the main front part of the bag. Once again, all was well, or so I thought. When I had finished, I stepped back to look at my work, and much to my dissappointment, my small front pcket was crooked. Not just slightly tilted either, but CROOKED. I was very careful, or so I thought, to line everything up using a stitching wheel as my guide along with a metal T-square so that the lines were straight. What did I do wrong, and how can I remedy this without wasting this leather? Is it possible that I twisted or contorted the gussett? Perhaps I pulled too hard on the needles while sewing? I need some help. Here are a few pics so that you can see what I am taling about. Sorry if I seem frustrated, I guess I am. Thanks in advance.

[Luke Hatley]

Oh well........live and learn. it looks to me like your sewing holes were not as straight

as you thought they were. the bottom corners are not the same on both sides.

so lets try to straighten the pocket . re wet the gussett and twist it to where you think it should be.

that will probably work on this one.

[nick]

Yeah, I am still a beginner, so everything is a learning process. Is there a trick to gussets? Maybe some sage advice or technique that works for you? If I were to cut the stitching and remove the front panel and attempt to reattatch it, would that work? I am willing to try wetting the gusset as you suggested. Do I need to hold it in the straight position until dry, or just forcefully twist it? The way I laid out te stitching holes, which was obviously wrong, was to line one end of the gusset up with the top of one side of the pocket and then use the wheel stitch guide down the gusset, then down the pocket. I then punched th holes with my hole punch. So, what's the correct way? (LOL) I appreciate your suggestion.

[nick]

Okay... I tried wetting the gusset, and twisting/stretching it back into alignment. No luck. So, I decided to "de-construct" the whole thing and try to start over. I took some pictures so that you could get a fresh perspective on the "parts" and my poor alignment of the holes. I also took a picture of the larger main pocket that I had begun to stitch before I got any further. I also took a photo of where I used the stitching wheel before I have punched any more holes. So, I am all ears. Teach me, Master Yoda.

[Echo4V]

First let me say I'm also a novice leather worker so take my opinion with that in mind...

It looks to me like you suffer from the same afliction I do. Not knowing when to stop for the day. My projects start out great but if I don't tell myself "I'm only working on this for one hour" (or something like that) then I'll work on it till I lose my attention to details and I'll get poor results.

If you notice on the right hand side (as you're looking at the first picture) your stitch line is very straight with a nice sharp corner to it. Then as you follow the bottom stitch line to the left the distance from the bottom of the backing to the stitch line increases ( the stitch line is not level across the bottom) which is causing your pocket to "twist" towards the right. The left corner is nowhere near as sharp as the right corner was. You'll also notice going up the left hand stitch line that the distance between the edge and the stitch line decreases making the mouth of the pocket wider than the bottom and increasing the look of "twist" in the pocket because it makes the gullet stick out on that side.

Something that has worked for me for marking stitchlines out perfectly is to lay the leather down on a work surface ( peice of scrap board works for me) then I use a string tied to nails on the board as a guide to mark of the lines. This lets me look at where the lines will be before they are actually on the leather and I know they are straight and the corners are in the right place. I think that if you go back and mark a new stitch line on this one (start on the left side then do the bottom, you shouldn't have to redo the right side) you will be able to reuse a lot of the holes and fix the pocket.

It's times like these that I get creative...I would have just set a small flap to match the angle of the pocket and said it was designed for carry on the left hip. lol

David

[nick]

David,

You are so very right...on all accounts. I guess I was excited after cutting out the pieces and wanted to see the finished product before really taking the time to lay things out properly. Thanks for you comments and observations, it allows me to step back, take a deep breath, and look at things from a fresh perspective. After looking at the stitching holes, you are 100% spot on...they are crooked and I see it plain as day now. I will try the string method as you have suggested...great idea by the way. I got a laugh out of your "getting creative" idea and saying it was meant to carry on the left hip...I thought about that very same thing! On a side note, I am not crazy about punching holes in the leather for my stitching holes because the holes are so much bigger than the thread and it doesn't look that great. I have tried wheeling it and then punching holes with an awl, but I guess I am just not doing that correctly as it didn't turn out so great on a test piece either. I have a stitching pony but man was it hard to force the needles through the leather without stretching the holes out...so I figured I might as well just punch them out. Am I just being impatient? Too much coffee?

[AndyL1]

If I may add a little bit of advice, you guys need to invest in an adjustable stitch groover. Here is one from Tandy, and there are better ones out there for sure. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/store/p...ts/8069-00.aspx

This helps get your holes a perfect distance from the edge of the leather and consistent all the way around. I use it all the time for my stuff. Plus I can do double rows at perfectly even, parallel spacing.

Cheers,

Andy

Edited May 7, 2009 by AndyL1

[strapt]

Gotta agree with AndyL1 on this one. a stitch groover will help considerably.

As for knocking the holes in the piece, I've done this a couple different ways: from using one of those sewing awls, to punching them in with a home-made tool. (a nail glued into a piece of dowel. Flat on the top so I can bang on it with my hammer)

Then I had a conversation with my local tandy mgr, who was very helpful btw.

She recommended this thing:http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/image.aspx%2fmedia%2fimages%2fproduct%2f3008-00-L.JPG-105x105

you have to buy the set to get the smallest size bit. They don't sell the smallest one individually. I used it on my latest project, a cartridge case for some rev war guys, and it worked like a charm. The holes line up great b/c the chisel has 3 prongs, so you just overlap one of the holes and always get perfect spacing. They were also small enough to make the thread look decent. I don't think I'll do it any other way from here on out. This was a great solution and cut hours off stitching it with my old method.

My only gripe was not having an overstitch wheel with proper spacing to make those stitches all lay down nice and uniform. But they still looked pretty good. (maybe someday I'll get the camera and post some pics of the thing)

Hope this helps. Best of luck with your project.

[kevinhopkins]

Another thing you might want to consider is really good glue. If you have things glued in place well, you won't have the twist issue.

Your typical barge and masters will do well if you use them correctly.

Kevin Hopkins

[bruce johnson]

When I make up a pocket or anything with a gusset, I make registration marks first. I match the front and back and make little hash marks on both especially at the corners. I then will test fit the gusset to one or the other and hold it in place with binder clips. Transfer the hash marks to the edge of the gusset. Remove the gusset, fold the gusset at each hash mark and transfer to the opposite side. Apply the glue and when tacked up, align everything using the hash marks. It sounds more complicated than it is.

I have twisted my fair share of pockets and zippered planners and it is because the front and back aren't lined up and the gusset is longer on the face vs. the back. Prepunching holes before fitting makes it harder to my mind. I'd line it all up, glue it and then punch or just go to sewing with an awl.