Bible/Journal Covers with ZIPPER

Newly completed custom order: Bible/Journal Cover with Zipper, in Amy Butler's Clematis (Natural) fabric.
I've been taking on all the Bible/Journal Cover orders for the past 1-2 years, together with a few other designs that I've learnt along the way, such as the Cash Budgeting Purses & Paw Me Pouches.

Recently, more & more customers have been asking for the zippered version for their Bible Covers. In the past, I'd turn down such requests, as I've never made one before, & wasnt sure that I had the time to "explore" & "experiment" with a new design in the midst of my tight schedule.
However, I've finally decided to give this a try, with the help of my mom :) (Yes, the trusted skilled craftswoman that she is). And, she did it successfully (almost), albeit... the size fall short of my customer's request.

For "damage-control", I explained the situation to my customer, & offered a full refund whilst we make her a new piece. But, another long turnaround time is a problem.

She finally decides that she can do away with the zipper, & so I took over her order. She's happy with the final piece, & so am I :)
Last month, I had my 2nd request for a zippered cover. And I boldly took up the challenge (for myself). Call me adventurous, or over-confident...

When the time came for me to start working on her order, a series of (unforeseen circumstances) events, simply took the wind out of my sail, & I was laid flat & stretched.

With my deadline for the custom order approaching, (& eventually passed), the anxiety grew in my heart as I tried (unsuccessfully) to do this new project, which had seem to "do-able" at the beginning.

Finally, I concede defeat, & decided that it's best for me to let go of this order altogether, as it's beyond my present skill level, & lacked the luxury to "trial-an error" a few more times at this point. I felt really lousy & apologetic towards my customer, who had been really gracious to me during our past conversations.

I communicated with her & fully refunded the amount, letting her know that I'll give this a try again once I'm up to it. If it's successfully done, I'll send her the completed piece. Otherwise, I'll ask my mom's help to make a piece for her, & I'll send it over as a form of compensation & goodwill gesture towards her, for I value her as my customer.

For the record, the pictures above showed the 3rd Bible Cover custom order with zipper. And, this piece was taken care of by my mom :)

I reminded her, to give more extra allowance, as we learnt from our 1st lesson. She did, & this piece turned out beautifully, & perfectly according to the measurements given to me.

Now, it's definitely my goal to really learn this from my mom, the next time she comes to Singapore. And, presently, I'll just have to rely on her help again for these zippered Bible Cover custom orders.