Just finished my passport cover based on Philip’s instructional video. Overall, it was a great experience, had some tantrums yet really enjoyed the process. Here are some of my personal struggles/thoughts as I tackled this project:
1) skiving thin & soft leather was challenging. My English skiving was just not working for me. However, I was way more comfortable with a Japanese skiving knife and a French beveler
2) I couldn’t get the corners rounded perfectly. I used the dental pick to pull the edge in but was afraid to hammer too much and expand the edge.
3) Something is off where the flap edge meets lining (see picture). Was the flap edge supposed to be flush against the lining marked edge? Did I not do enough skiving there?
4) I thought I got the stitching down but I was wrong. The exterior side looks ok (it’s the side marked by pricking irons and I used cast on method). The inside stitch is all over the place. I had used an awl to puncture through from exterior to the inside and no cast on the inside part. How can I get a uniform zig zag appearance on both sides when an awl is used?
Any other tips or suggestions for version 2? This cover is perfect for a passport of Yugoslavia!
Thanks,
Nica
@Veronica (Nica) Great work! For your first time trying this, I think you've done very well.
Yes, I little more skiving especially where the lining meets the corners of each flap. That way it will taper off cleanly.
Bravo!
Pretty solid effort I think, turned edges are not that easy to finish well. Look forward to the next one.
This looks awesome for your first one, the little details that frustrates you probably took Philip so many tries to perfect. Your stitching looked great. Did you go with a 3.0 mm?