OT - flag making

Hanne, The adding maching tape sounds like a good idea! I've made flags for a high school marching band, and the flimsy nylon fabric is a little easier to cut when it's you place it on top of newspaper/ newsprint, and cut through both layers.

rusty, in extremely hot north georgia(g)

Your plan sounds just fine until we get to your question about appliquéing

12 to 15 numbers. For a fast and easy solution, maybe you can get some durable (as in flexible and strong) white vinyl. You could cut out the numbers and glue them on with perhaps some stitching for reinforcement. I don't know what sort of shopping is available to you - but I frequently find a good use for shower curtain liners. They usually cost only a dollar or two and you could cut a lot of numbers from just one. Also, see what kind of glue you can find. Aileen makes one that is flexible and waterproof. You know, it can and will rain. Count on it. Good, good luck with your project, Polly

Shower curtains (liners) sounds like a good tip!

However, would vinyl not be too stiff, more durable than the nylon/poly, =

and thus wear it out? I'm thinking of the nylon tearing along the edge=20 of the vinyl.

Hmmm, I'l have to think about that one.

I'm hoping the guys listened when we Cub Scout leaders said that colours =

were better for differentiating than numbers, since if it is not windy,=20 you won't be able to see the numbers anyway :-) They wanted numbers=20 rather than colours, since Boy Scouts might think it childish to be told =

to "proceed to purple station".

Hanne in London

Polly Esther wrote:

I don't really know, Hanne. I was only trying to think along with you. You'll have to do some experimenting to see what works before launching into a full production. However . . . I do have a shower curtain liner being used as a table cover for my cutting (and assorted other acts of violence) table. It looks nice, is soft and flexible and withstands lots of cleaning. Even though it's been nearly 2 years since the Katrina storm, shopping here is terribly limited and we just carry on with whatever we hope will do. Polly

However, would vinyl not be too stiff, more durable than the nylon/poly, and thus wear it out? I'm thinking of the nylon tearing along the edge of the vinyl.

Hmmm, I'l have to think about that one.

I'm hoping the guys listened when we Cub Scout leaders said that colours were better for differentiating than numbers, since if it is not windy, you won't be able to see the numbers anyway :-) They wanted numbers rather than colours, since Boy Scouts might think it childish to be told to "proceed to purple station".

Hanne in London

Polly Esther wrote:

I'm wondering if a hot glue gun, suitable cleaned up, can be used to=20 seal the edges? I don't have any other of this kind of equipment, and=20 budget doesn't really allow for purchase :-) But I do have a glue gun.

What did you lay the fabric on while "cutting"?

Thanks, Hanne in London

Well now, Hanne. If you have Boy Scouts, you're just bound to have a few Daddys around. Maybe you could borrow a solder iron and metal straight edge. Might could even borrow a Daddy. =) Polly

I'm wondering if a hot glue gun, suitable cleaned up, can be used to seal the edges? I don't have any other of this kind of equipment, and budget doesn't really allow for purchase :-) But I do have a glue gun.

What did you lay the fabric on while "cutting"?

Thanks, Hanne in London

I think until you get the fabric you just won't know. That might just be fine. I think we just did it over a piece of bare flat ply wood. One of the BS dads should have a solder iron but the hot glue gun might do the job fine. Taria

Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:

OK, you have a point, however: mine are town folks (read London City=20 guys!). And we are spread thin - my district serves about 800 youth,=20 between the UK, Ireland and Norway :-)

But I will keep this in mind for when I actually get me hands on the fabr= ic.

Hanne > Well now, Hanne. If you have Boy Scouts, you're just bound to have a f= ew=20

Hanne,

You can get a soldering iron for very little cost from Maplin:

for that price it would be worth it just to reduce the frustration, and it is a useful tool, honest.

and they ahve stores in Central London

Yes I am an enabler....

Lizzy

Those plastic/vinyl liners are pretty tough. I have very hard water and my shower curtain liner gets nasty deposits on it. I throw it into the washing machine with a load of towels and my regular washing detergent- the towels seem to 'scour' it while it tumbles in the front loader. The latest cheap liner is about 3.5 years old and doing fine with about every other month washing like this- still flexible and doing it's job. I hang the liner straight from the washer and hose it down with hot water to get the wrinkles out. It's still going strong.... (You can wash your bath mat in the same load and it will get nice and clean, too!)

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Anything that gets pretty hot should work. I seem to remember running the edge of some nylon stuff through a candle flame to melt it a bit and seal it so it wouldn't fray. You do have to do it carefully so you don't melt too much.

Julia > Taria wrote:

To get letters the size you want -- (up to 10 inches tall or so) you can use your word processor. Just change the font size. The list only goes up to like 72 or whatever... but you can type in numbers like 250 or 400 (72 is

1").

Then you can use those as a template. Maybe attaching them via a satin stitch? Just a thought. Maybe a little webbing around the letter before you attach to the flag to keep it from fraying.

Got an old table knife and a hot plate, gas ring, or camping stove? Heat the blade in the flame, grab the handle with a hot pad, and cut the nylon or polyester that way. Put the fabric on a piece of glass or marble or wood while cutting. A "woodburning tool" can also be used (basically a soldering iron without a decent thermostat!).

Or you can do it the old fashioned way (though it takes a bit of practice): cut with scissors and sear the edge in a candle flame -- move the fabric quickly but evenly, and practice on scraps first.

I'd prefer polyester over nylon for the project if UV-stabilized nylon is not available. Nylon will fade in sunlight over time, while poly won't.

Hi Hanne! Here is a tutorial on garden flag sewing:

I wonder: will your flags be raised so the grommets are at top or at the side? If at the top, try a casing instead of grommets.

BTW: when I had to repair a garden flag, I used some fine bridal tulle over the worn portion, and to protect some vulnerable appliqué. That was over 8 years ago, and the flag is still in use every November - December.

HTH. PAT > I volunteered myself for making flags for district events with my

.......cut.....

Depending on what the fabric is there are a couple of different ways to go with all sorts of things. Remember that a "hot knife" (aka essentially a low temp soldering iron or wood burning tool) will seal the cut edges of most of these fabrics. Especially true of nylon flag fabrics. If nylon the two most common types are ripstop and "sport" nylon. Ripstop looks like it has a "grid" that is a heavier thread that runs about every half inch in both directions. You cannot tear this stuff if you try. It is very light weight, though and often what is used to make nylon "track suit" type clothing. Sport nylon is a bit heavier and will ravel a bit more at first. Heat sealing the cut edges is a good idea for either fabric, just to make sewing the hems a bit easier. A double hem will work fine for the edges. For the grommet edge, a triple hem or just a strip of something like wide twill tape enclosed in the hem will work just fine, in most cases. Check your grommets to see how thick the fabric needs to be to hold the grommet securely. Webbing might actually make the edge too thick..... again it depends on your grommets. (Too thin of a fabric sandwich and the grommets will pull out, too thick and you can't get a good "bite" in setting the grommets and they come apart. sigh. Yes, voice of experience.)

Adding numbers..... you are right about heat.. not doable with either nylon or polyester. Color is definitely the way to go. If you do need to "applique" something on, use a good fabric glue. The best one that I know of is Beacon FabricTac. Is clear and stays flexible. You don't need much of it. and it is washable. Or use a bit of temporary glue and straight stitch around. If you have cut the whatevers out with a hot knife the edges won't fray and you don't have to satin stitch or anything, just a straight stitch close to the edge will hold. Biggest problem is that you will probably need to put one on each side, and that runs into stitching overlapping the applique on the first side.............. Which is why most of the commercially available "banners" that are sold to fly outside your house, are done as a cutaway applique, and don't have letters/numbers since the back side is a mirror image of the front side.

Pati, in Phx who has made lots of banners/flags along the way....

Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:

Normally at the side. However, it is a case of whatever tree or other=20 "flagpole" is available. I think grommets are more flexible.

Hm, good tip. Thanks, Pat.

Hanne in London

Oh, this is the argument that will make me get a soldering iron (and an underlay of some sort) if I need to do numbers!

After tonight, I'll know what the non-sewing boys have in mind :-)

Hanne in London