Machine Suggestion for Larger Outdoor Gear

Are you sewing for yourself, or planning on a cottage business? If you are going to do any production work, You'll want a lighter commercial, standard feed for your silnyln, but you might want a needle feed to handle insulation needs. Look for used, auctions, going out of business etc.

Also, if you are planning on doing prodution work... run do not walk to

and get this book; The Entrepeneur's guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing by Kathleen Fasanella

If you are just making silnylon gear for yourself, any home machine will do. If you use the correct thread you do not need to double stitch it... in fact double stitching is problematic as it weakens the fabric through perforation.

Lot of do it yourself silnylon sewists on the make-gear board at

You will need to logon to see/join the gear making discussion.

regards

Penny the gear making diva, lol

On 2005-05-06 snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com said: >Newsgroups: alt.sewing [snip] >I plan on sewing a sleeping bag/quilt contraption, backpacks and >rain gear. Some of the material I'm sewing will be quite long, >like perhaps 98" x 40". >The materials will be light-weight silicon-impregnated nylon (for >the most part) Are they really using silicone impregnation, or is it a water-shedding coating, like a spray? I commonly see one side urethane coated.

I did a lot of this kind of sewing 20 years ago with an old, tough, home machine, had a flying shuttle (pre-rotary). I wouldn't recommend a modern, cheap, plastic-delight (like from WalMart).

See

There is a design there for a T-shaped table for projects like yours.

Did we see a question?

Tom Willmon Mountainair, (mid) New Mexico, USA

Imagine what can be that isn't there yet!

Net-Tamer V 1.12.0 - Registered

silnylon is a relative newcomener to the outdoors fabric world. It is NOT coated, it is impregnated. It is the most slippery fabric to sew with out there, and I've done a lot. It's very tough, lightweight and very waterproof. You haven't truly fallen on your ass in your sewing room until you've been working on silnylon tarps in your socks, and take a missstep. It's being used primarily for ultralight traps, bivy sacks, etc. You can sew silnylon on a home machine no problem.

penny

The sleeping bag part might be the only thing that puts a top shelf home machine out of the running. Your best bet is to take your fabric swatches to a dealer, and try out the machines. Even if you are not experienced at sewing.. describe what you want to do, they will recomend various stitches & techniques. (This part of the process can amount to a valuable sewing lesson!!)

It should be noted that you do not get this kind of "test drive" at outlets such as Walmart. Any dealer of top shelf machines will sit down with you and help you select the right machine. I prefer happen to prefer Bernina. I have Bernina 700 Serger and an Activa 220 sewing computer. Both will sew anything that fits under the presser foot.

Do not overlook sergers. Sergers can be used very creativly as a main machine. There is no other good way to insert zippers IMHO. Size 5 is the largest that fits in the channel of my zipper foot.. but that is plenty large and beefy, even for outdoor stuff. And if you plan on sewing polar fleece.. you will appreciate the differential feed. It comes in handy for slippery stuff as well. I recently made a vinyl seat for a forklift with my serger, and am working on leather seat covers (heavy chrome tan leather about 3/16ths thick).

For waterproof seams you might include some gortex seam tape.

Goretex seam tape does not work on silnylon. (what the OP says they will be sewing) Seam tape for silnylon is not available for the retail market, period. You have to seal silnylon with "sil-net" or homemade sealer made from silicon caulk thinned with mineral spirits, I think.

Penny S

By double stitch, do you mean flat-felled or mock-felled seams? Is this specific to silnylon or all outdoor synthetics?

Mike

Commercial production aside, what part of a sleeping bag will overstress a home machine? It's just nylon, a zipper and some fill... maybe a bit of velcro as well.

Mike

I'm referring to too much stitching in one place: three-foru-five rows, backstitching or inappropriate bar tacks. There's a tendency to overdo, even among manufacturers and especially among home gear makers. . There was a whole series of rip stop packs a few years ago, that were literally falling apart at the bar tacks... too many stitches too close together literally perforated the fabric like perforated peice of paper. You just really have to match stitch length and thread weight and how much stitching you are going to do for reinforcements.

Mike you know my posting well enought to know that **I** would call a seam by it's proper name. ;-) who knows what OP was talking about...?

Penny

yes, inquiring minds would like to know, most home machines can handle insulation and layers for the most part.

penny

handle

I only said the thing about the sleeping bag part thinking about something a wee bit thicker. It probably shouldnt be too bad. Testing swatches at the machine dealer is still a good idea.

As for the Gortex seam tape not being compatable, I mentioned that becuase its a fairly commonly available product. If they wont let small timers buy the right stuff.. you have to try something else.

Yeah, but I'm the one that's terminologically challenged. I'm not always sure what folks mean by a specific stitch and they may use terms in a way I'm not familiar with. I learned sewing by watching my mom, not by talking to her about it... and then experimenting (the hard way usually).

Thanks - your help is always appreciated.

Mike

Possibly the bulk if the harp is too small... But if you can fit a quilt through there, no problem! I managed the Fat Suit OK when I was doing the Romeo & Juliet project, and that was about as bulky as a duvet

- and a LOT springier, being two or three layers of 4oz poly batting!

I sent the OP over here as I have no experience with his fabric, but it sounds like fun to work with, though probably as much of a pain to sew as the Dreaded Poly Crepe Back Satin (scream - run away!)!

For some terminology and illustrations of different seam types, take a look at the sewing glossary on my web site and the stuff on sewing and neatening seams: has the basics, and will be a shoe-in for some of the technical vocabulary.

Heh, I'm probably the only sewist here that's worked with silnylon, tho I suspect Joy will be trying it out soon. The very best place to send budding gearmakers is the bbs at

There is a "make gear" board there, I'm the moderator. I sent Joy over there for ideas on her Grand Canyon trip and she's thrilled with all the great ideas there. There is great discussion on everything related to making your own outdoors gear, especially things like sleeping bags, tarptents, silnlyon and more. You gotta love guys that build backpacking stoves out of Pepsi cans. And you won't get sillinesss like someone saying to use gore tape on silnylon.

penny s

I shall keep this in mind, and next time DH wants some esoteric hill-infested sewing done, I shall pop in and see what's what!

I need to make up both new Windbloc jackets, and DH could probably do with gators (or do I mean gaiters... Nah, the first sounds more exciting!), and as son James is getting into camping with the Cubs/Scouts, he may need kit...

Bookmarked - thanks!

Mike

I'm heading over there now! I'm applying for an outdoor pursuits leader type course and I'm going to need about £1500 of kit. Now, if I can sew some of my own less essential stuff...

Charlie.

water-shedding

Yeah, it is truly impregnated. Very thin, lightweight, and fully waterproof. It is "rip-stop" as well. Nice stuff.

I'm not interested in the plastic delight :), but not a $500.00 Pfaff either, at this point at least :)

Thanks Penny. It is more for myself at this point and not production. Great website recommendations!!!