dGinLeatherCraft Report post Posted July 3, 2017 Hi I've been hanging around in the shadows a while admiring all the fine work, now I think I could do with some advice. I'm working on a shot gun slip for a friend and I've decided to bind the edge around the zipper but I can't seem to get a nice clean edge / straight sew line when I bind and sew - any advice please. Also this will be my first big zipper - any advice on things to avoid etc. The handles took me 3 attempts to get them looking and feeling right - slow progress! All help gratefully received Cheers Harv Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted July 3, 2017 Sorry, I got nothing on zippers. But the bag is coming along nicely. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stetson912 Report post Posted July 3, 2017 Are you hand stitching? It would be easier I imagine to use a machine to stitch straight. But I don't use a machine myself so I can't comment there. If you're handstitching you want to bind the edge and use some adhesive or clips or whatever you like to keep that edge straight and tacked down. Then you can mark your stitch lines with wing dividers or use a straight edge and scratch awl. Then punch your holes with a chisel or use an appropriate awl. The secret to keeping the back looking as good as the front is consistency. Check out Nigel Armitage's YouTube videos on saddle stitching. Very helpful. Anywho, I hope you get it figured out. Looks good so far. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
motocouture Report post Posted July 4, 2017 +1 to Stetson912. I feel your pain - just hand stitched a long zipper for a bag I'm making, and it took bit of fiddling. After the leather edge is folded / bound using glue, I like using double-sided tape (narrow, used specifically for sewing so it doesn't gum up your needles) to hold the zipper in place while getting the positioning right, punch the holes, then clips to hold firmly while you wrangle it around to hand stitch... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stetson912 Report post Posted July 4, 2017 Basting tape is a good idea. I just haven't used it. I totally butchered that belt just because I was lazy. So a I'ma do it right this time. It all works out though because it ended up being too small(bad measurements from source) If you are using an awl, you should make sure it is sharp and polished as well, that makes a huge difference. A dull awl will still Pierce the leather with some effort but it distorts the stitch lines on the back. So polish it up and it'll glide real nice through the leather and you'll get better results. It's not hard to do either, again Nigel Armitage has a video on awl sharpening too ( he goes by dangerous beans on this forum) I hope you get it figured out! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dGinLeatherCraft Report post Posted July 4, 2017 Thanks everyone - yep I'm hand stitching and as the outer leather is soft, divider marks don't show up and I'm reluctant to put any sort of pen mark on to follow as it'll show up. I have tried glueing before punching but the glue hasn't held very well, I'll try some tape on the remaining side More photo's when I get a bit further Harv Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
motocouture Report post Posted July 4, 2017 Joanns fabrics have a pen that disappears after exposure to air for a while, haven't tried it on leather but that might be worth a shot. I also use tailors chalk to mark the grain side of leather, doesn't last long but usually long enough : ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stetson912 Report post Posted July 4, 2017 Lisa Sorrell sells a pen as well, it disappears with heat. You can still punch your holes if you take your time and measure from the edge. You can set dividers to the desired stitching allowance and use them as a measure for your chisels. In this case it's just setting the divider on the edge and measuring how far in they go so you can line up the end of the chisel with the divider. I hope that makes sense. Alternatively, the design looks fairly straight, you may be able to clamp or weigh down a straight edge and just punch along the edge of that. Just some ideas I had for not marking the leather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dGinLeatherCraft Report post Posted July 6, 2017 A really soft pencil to mark a punching line has helped, thanks for all of your suggestions. Harv Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dGinLeatherCraft Report post Posted July 21, 2017 Hi All Finally about finished, I'm quite pleased with the results so far just going to oil the outside. Is it just me or does it take a few days for your mind to forget the little glitches in a project and declare it mostly OK - you know the stuff that 99.9% of people who look at your work will never notice but you know is there. I don't think I've got perfection wired in for anything I do Cheers Harvey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
motocouture Report post Posted July 21, 2017 That came up really well! And yes, I do exactly the same as you with my own projects - the flaws always jump out at me lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
