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  1. #1
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    Sew I can't sew!

    Ok so I'm learning that sewing slippery things such as sleeping bags and the like is not as easy as I thought. I managed to turn what was once a nice sleeping bag into a frankenstein looking OQ and throw for inside the hammock.

    I'm hoping that this gets easier but at least so far what I've done will be hidden on the inside!

  2. #2
    Senior Member JohnSawyer's Avatar
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    Who cares what it looks like.. Does it WORK?

    I've had a few people comment on *SOME* of my gear, questioning that I really made it... Misshapen, functional things have character...

    Welcome to the addiction...

    John
    "Do or do not, there is no try." -- Yoda


  3. #3
    Senior Member kayak karl's Avatar
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    i barter with the fabric store. she can't hammer a nail to save her life LOL
    "Tenting is equivalent to a bum crawling into a cardboard box, hammocking is an art" KK

  4. #4
    Senior Member Lonely Raven's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnSawyer View Post
    Misshapen, functional things have character...
    So *that's* why my fiance likes me!

  5. #5
    Senior Member Rat's Avatar
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    Modding a sleeping bag isn't the easiest thing to do, slippery, thick and your working from the outside in. Try building some stuff sacks, that will get the confidence level back up!

    If you really have a thing for straight stitches try this: Remove the thread from the machine, including bobbin (just put in an empty one), then take some normal ruled tablet/writing paper and try to "sew" (remember, no thread) on the lines. You can also use stencils to make shapes and practice tough stitches before actually ruining your piece of fabric or having to rip threads. One warning, dedicate a needle to punching paper because it will get dull quickly and you don't wanna sew fabric with it after it is dull.

    Or you can be like the rest of us and learn to LOVE your CUSTOM stitching!
    "I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Mal Reynolds
    Mind of a Rat Youtube Channel

  6. #6
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    I for one have learned to love my custom stitching!

    Stick with it. With practice it quickly becomes easier. I do believe that as backpackers, and specifically hangers, we sew with some of the most demanding materials out there. Extremely slippery silnylon, stretchy netting, heavy duty tree straps just to name a few. Plus, we are usually measuring & cutting huge pieces of fabric.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rat View Post
    If you really have a thing for straight stitches try this: Remove the thread from the machine, including bobbin (just put in an empty one), then take some normal ruled tablet/writing paper and try to "sew" (remember, no thread) on the lines. You can also use stencils to make shapes and practice tough stitches before actually ruining your piece of fabric or having to rip threads. One warning, dedicate a needle to punching paper because it will get dull quickly and you don't wanna sew fabric with it after it is dull.

    Rat has a good idea there. That is exactly what my wife did as a skills test when she applied for a job in a commercial sewing factory. Be very aware of Rat's suggestion to dedicate one needle for paper. _Nothing_ dulls sewing equipment of any kind like paper.

    Under no circumstances cut any paper other than commercial pattern tissue with your good fabric shears/scissors unless you want to have to sharpen them several times a year. This is particularly important if you have spent more than $3.99 for you sewing scissors. Have a cheapo disposable pair of scissors for the kids/in-laws/spouse/burglars to use. I learned that at the tender age of preschool when I was caught using my mom's Case scissors to make newsprint paper snowflakes.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kayak Camper View Post
    Sew I can't sew!



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