Clutch Purse Zipper Help

[Yeldarb]

My wife asked me to make her a zipper clutch pouch which seems pretty straight forward. Although when I got into the zipper work, it has quickly become pretty frustrating. I have looked around the forum for some zipper guidance and did not find what I was looking for. Would appreciate any helping with learning how to work with zippers and leather. For context, I am hand stitching.   The leather I working with is about 2/3oz. 

The biggest pain point are the ends as you can see. 

This is an example of the style I am trying to replicate.  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/380554237235643499/?from_navigate=true

 

[TomG]

Google "how to install a zipper" for more info than you can handle.
Did you sew it in last?  You usually want to sew the zipper in first and then sew the leather together with grain sides facing.  Than turn it right-side out.
That light leather should be sewable with a home machine and size 18 needles if you go slow.

[Yeldarb]

Tom, thank for the post. I sewed the zipper first with the method you mentioned turning it right-side out etc.   What I am running into with the google videos is people seem to ignore the details around the ends of the zipper to get them a finished look or I am just missing the mark. I do have a basic sewing machine I can give it a go on. Would still like to be able to turn it out by hand though. 

 

 

[Northmount]

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.

[Bob Blea]

Thanks, this helps with a project I have sitting on the back burner.  I appreciate the info here.

Bob

[Matreazza]

I had just a single bag with a zipper, but this is what I could find and maybe it could help you:

- Skip the zipper with the first two stitches. This will allow the zipper ends to naturally fold inside the purse after turning it with the right side out. If you want to close the ends after, just double the skipped stitches after everything is done. Not the easiest thing to do as one hand will be inside the pouch, but could make a difference.

- For the second picture case, I would personally do a transition, to have the last few stitches as basball stitch or any other type of butted stitch. Bending a face to face stitch line in that way doesn't seem right. Applying the point above will also allow the zipper to naturally fold inside.

- Another thing, since you have a metal zipper, I would remove any teeth that are unused and move the stoppers right before the zipper bends. In this way you prevent extra tension from the zipper's teeth pressing against eachother. You can see in the link attached that the examples' zippers also have teeth only on the straight segment and not on the bends.