Help - sewing with tough outdoor fabrics

What, only a few? ;)

hey - a chance to explore your capabilities! good move...

Might be a problem... Try it: if it struggles, stop!

I've never needed a microfibre needle for Cordura, which tends to be coarser than that... Try a 90 or 100 size needle if it's thick. Try a Sharp or Jeans needle in that size. Needles will be available at any decent sewing notions outlet. Look for Schmetz - the best! NAYYY, just experience!

For thread you might like to try a stronger nylon or poly thread meant for luggage. I don't know of a supplier off hand, but try a google search of the archives - there may be something about it in past discussions.

Welcome to both of you! I quilt, and have sewn bags... And lots of other stuff! She should have no trouble helping you set up the machine.

No more mad than I am! :)

Welcome to the on-line sewing world.

I agree with what Kate says. A good Schmetz "Jeans" needle (I'd go a bit bigger, maybe 110-120 with the thicker Jeans Stitch thread) and some thicker Jeans Stitch thread ought to hold together whatever you stuff into it. I made a large camping bag with a bunch of embroidery on it form scratch and it turned out pretty good. While you have it turned inside out, you can add some of that double-fold binding tape to clean up the edges and add another thread/seam layer (if your White machine doesn't begin smoking!).

B~

I wouldn't try it with a White 1418 unless you are willing to take the risk that it will ruin it. At least, that's what happened to us.

If you've sewn denim or canvas, it's very similar. If you want to wimp on the cordura, make a first try from some old jeans or something. This is termed in US sewing-talk as "making a muslin".

Don't know this model, but I've sewn 1000d cordura, both plain and coated, on a Viking 350. Try. If the motor sounds like it's bogging down and really working, you can hand-crank it for small projects and start looking in thrift stores for one of the old black indestructible boat-anchor machines for heavy stuff.

I'd use a size 16/100 "sharp" or "jeans" needle, and regular polyester sewing thread... Gutermann poly, Molyncke, Mettler... I take issue with the cotton covered polyester threads like Coats Dual Duty, but you can probably get away with it. Longish stitches, please... the last I sewed went together well at about 6 stitches per inch.

More questions for you:

1) how are you going to construct your gear bag? 2) is the cordura coated or uncoated? 3) do you need this to be pretty waterproof? or just rugged? 4) do you have a zigzag capability on your machine?

Going to send you to a couple of pro resources, too:

And a library resource: Kay

Wow! Thanks for the responses everyone. Where to start...?

Seems like our machine may not have the poop to do the job but I've got some sample material coming and I'll give it a shot. Hopefully that doesn't kill the whole idea right there. Maybe I have a neighbor with one of those good old fashioned boat anchors...

Anyway, here's all the new Q's and A's:

1) I envision the bag as a simple pouch probably made from one piece of material folded in half. If for some reason I turn out to be a stitching virtuoso then I may try to add a bottom piece (to make it flat). On the top would be a second fold over piece with at least a clasp, maybe a zipper. The pouch is intended to protect a case with dimensions of about 2"x12"x16".

2) The cordura I was thinking of using is coated on one side. I wanted to make the case waterproof as well as tough against rips and scratches so I figured I'd eventually make a small fully waterproof inner slip sleeve that would go around the case first, before going into the protective cordura pouch. For now I'll probably just use a plastic bag.

3) I'd like the fit to be pretty tight so if the the seams are on the inside I guess they'd need to be folded over to lay flat somehow. I don't know if my machine stands a chance there but we'll see. If that doesn't work then I probably can settle for a slightly looser fit to allow for seams. Actually, I don't know what stitch to use. I've seen 'topstitching' recommended a few times. I don't really know what that is except a stitch that appears to expose the thread to the outside world. Even having the excess material of the seams on the outside would probably be OK as long as I could dress them properly for durability.

Our machine does have a zigzag stitch option. Everyone sees to like them...what's the big advantage over a couple of rows of straight stitches? Strength? I ask because I think straight stitchs may be a little easier on the machine.

4) I had planned on using a heavy duty nylon thread...seemed logical, but now I'm wondering.

Well thanks again. If you can spare a little more time fo my folly that would be great. I'll be watching. Samples aren't due for a few days so I'm thinking this weekend maybe early next week I'll have a better idea of what I really want/can do.

Sorry to jump in here late, but exactly what is the machine you have?

I have a number of vintage Singer machines including a few that are gear driven (no belts) like the 401...that puppy will sew through anything I can fit under the foot, including leather belts....

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

--------------

I made the roll-kit for my bike tools from a coated-nylon scrap from a tent fly. This was a mistake -- any tool that isn't used for a long time sticks to the coating and is hard to get out of the pocket. The coating also makes the pocket non-skid when I'm trying to put the tool into the pocket.

I'm not a big fan of coated nylon for containers: the coating soon develops pinholes, and after that serves only to keep water from getting *out*. Worse, it keeps water

*vapor* from getting out, so anything with even a trace of humidity will mildew.

I went so far as to replace my coated-cordura panniers with wire baskets, and put everything I carry into plastic bags. If I think it will rain -- or if it's so hot that I ride through every lawn sprinkler I can -- I put books and other easily-damaged stuff in *three* plastic bags, with the outermost bag bottom-up to serve as a roof.

For waterproof, disposable beats durable.

That's all that it means: stitching that ends up where it shows. Usually means straight stitch worked on the right side by machine. If you use a fancy stitch, or sew by hand, it's more likely to be called "embroidery".

(In sewing, "right side" means the side of the fabric that will end up on the outside of the garment, or on the side that shows in objects that don't have an inside and an outside. The "wrong side" is intended to end up inside, or on the side that doesn't show. Some fabrics have a definite wrong side and right side, some you have to make a decision and stick by it, some it doesn't matter -- with fabrics that are the same on both sides, it's a good idea to put chalk arrows all over one side and thereafter regard it as the wrong side -- just in case there's a difference that you didn't notice.)

More for appearance than durability.

True, nylon is noted for raveling so easily that it seems to explode, and sometimes nylon will slip sideways and leave bare threads at the seam even when the edges are finished or sealed and it has to do it by crowding the threads in the seam allowance closer together -- BUT you are using coated nylon, and the coating glues the threads together.

One way to stop nylon from raveling -- which I haven't used myself, since I never got around to cutting the nylon I bought to make a windbreaker -- is to fuse the edges with a soldering iron or wood-burning pen or the teeny-tiny iron-on-a-stick sold to quilters. I've heard of a hot knife for cutting nylon and sealing the edges simultaneously.

The excess material put in to allow for seams is called the "seam allowance".

Sometimes zig-zag is used on stretchy fabric, because it can get longer by opening the zigs. (It can also get shorter by closing the zigs, if the fabric was sewn under tension.) Sometimes zig-zag is used to hold two edges together, and sometimes it is used to overcast an edge or to stabilize a fringe. On an inelastic fabric like Cordura? Go to a garage sale and invest twenty dollars in a fifty-year-old straight-stitch machine; it's all you'll need, and will stand the strain better than a fancy new machine.

As long as it isn't too thick for your tensioning devices.

The "tension disks" hold tension on the thread that runs through the needle; the bobbin case contains a tensioning device for the bobbin thread. This tiny tensioning device is very hard to set properly, so beginners are well advised to leave the bobbin-case tension alone and change the upper tension to match it.

I'm a big fan of sewing fabric with the same fiber it is made of, so that the fabric and the thread can be cleaned by the same methods.

Joy Beeson

There's an easy way to turn a tube into a flat-bottomed bag; take a look at a paper grocery sack. Here's the method:

Check for "free stuff", and the tote directionsthere. They were written by Nancy Restuccia, who writes very logical,thorough, easy to follow instructions (imho) -- I just can't get the site to answer at the moment. I'll also direct you to your friendly public library: ask them to get you a copy of Restuccia's book, "Hold it!". Excellent, but out of print in the original form, though still available on CD and a color printout of the CD. It sounds like you want to makeher Camp Storage Bag, pp. 8-10, or her Expandable Zippered Tote, in differentfabrics and sizes than her choices.

Good plan. Some of the coated corduras tend to stick to the sewing machine foot or the plate. If that happens, a roller foot or a teflon foot comes in handy. Or you can put strips of tissue paper over and under your fabric, sew through the whole bunch, and strip off the tissue paper.

There are waterproof or water resistant zippers made; I've not used them. One possible source is Rose City Textiles

--probably won't have them listed, but drop an email.) Rose City islocal to me, and I've gotten a lot of help there on suggestions of whatto use on a higher tech project.

Make some sample seams on scraps first before you decide. One of the favorites for heavy duty stuff is flat-felled seams -- like you see in jeans with two parallel lines of stitching. All raw edges are enclosed.

or

You've had some good answers on this already... but let me add that zigzags are also useful when you're dealing with fabric that is very closely woven (think some of the shell fabrics for jackets). When you stitch on them exactly on-grain (parallel to the threads), they tend to want to pucker on you because you're trying to stuff more thread into that fabric than the fabric can handle. By changing to a narrow zigzag stitch, you're only stuffing half as much thread along one particular fabric thread (warp or weft) -- the other stitch is being made a few threads over, so you get less puckering.

Some machines can handle it, some can't. Penny Schwyn has a nice section on thread choice in that tips section at specialtyoutdoors.com . I can tell you from personal experience that plain ol' Gutermann poly thread, the sort sold for dressmaking, and two rows of stitching (e.g., a flat felled seam) will support 50 lbs easily.

Kay

You guy's have been fantastic with your comments and suggestions. Can't thank you enough. I've got some sample material on order and will be collecting the other recommended items in the meantime.

When I actually start the work I'm sure I'll have more questions. Till then take care.