Thanks everyone! The perfect 3-piece gusset continues to elude me. It's tricky to get all the corners to line up perfect and also have all your stitches "jump" the gap. Another challenge was trying to keep the edge paint from bleeding down into the scales near the edges. I have also begun my search for a DSLR camera so I can stop using my iPhone 7. I've contacted a teacher to upgrade my photography skills.

I also used Texon (stiffener) in the front and back panels and the flap.

Some one could make a fortune with all the books we want translated into English.

I'm in the middle of making one of these. I made one a few years ago that had plenty of mistakes. I bet that zipper install template really helps. I'll have make one or have it made to fit my size.

This happens to me occasionally. I've noticed that when my thread catches on something when pulling it through it tends to do this. Could it also be that the hole is too small?

https://www.instagram.com/fannintexas/

Later he made me a French style and I didn't really give it a chance but now I'm going to give a go.

Pics of the clams my father made. The first is the Al Stohlman style from his book The Art of Hand Sewing Leather. I've used this for about 5 1/2 years.

Thanks, Phil. I really like the rhythm of this lady stitching for Hermes. Scroll down to find it. Hope it shows up. https://www.hermes.com/us/en/bags-and-small-leather-goods/womens-small-leather-goods/#||Category

@Daniel W. The pockets are folded all the way. So the two 2 x 8 inch pockets are each made from a piece that's 4 x 8 inches. The pockets are stitched into the lining on the bottom and sides.

Nice work. All the little details make it. The covered snap and the folded edge. I'm going to try to find places to fold more and paint less.

Thanks Phil, The Amiet locks are nice. It's brass as far as I know. I bought this one a few years ago from Buckle Guy. I don't think they carry this style anymore. My only complaint about the Waprolux is that the black tends to end up on my thread when stitching. The pockets inside are split to 0.5mm and folded to make a fully lined pocket. I've been doing this since Rocky Mountain Leather Supply started splitting. I find this makes a much sturdier pocket with less stretch and a much nicer top edge that creases really well.

I wrote and posted a basic zipper tutorial using Riri zippers over on the Reddit Leather craft site. Ellen's book helped me figure out the correct way to fold the zipper end. I've used the CS Osbourne zipper pliers to crimp the top stops. The bottom stops are a little trickier depending on when your zipper needs to be complete.