How to stitch webbing?

**Trugracie** · 02-08-2010, 00:53

I recently upgraded my suspension to whoopie slings.
I cut my harbor freight straps in half giving me 2- 6' sections.
My question is, how should I stitch the loops on my webbing?
So far, all I did was make a box, and then run an x stitch pattern.
How do you guys stitch yours?

**Hawk-eye** · 02-08-2010, 00:57

Same thing I do ... have been doing double boxes though lately

**eflat7** · 02-08-2010, 00:57

I do an x in a bar and then several bar tacks.

**Darby** · 02-08-2010, 03:13

I use four triple stitched (Fwd, Rev, Fwd) bar tacks. 1" apart from each other.

Cheers, Dale

**Ramblinrev** · 02-08-2010, 05:40

I don't think it matters a whole lot what technique you use as long as two criteria are met. The thread is of good quality and not old stock. Thread can dry rot on a spool if natural fiber or degrade like any synthetic exposed to light over time. Second - the stitches are of average or better tension and length. Stitches that are too short can almost perforate the material making a "tear on the dotted line" so to speak. In webbing this can result to split fibers and broken weaves. But you need to get pretty darn short for that to be a major problem. If the tension s too loose the bar tack or box can shift sheering the threads. Too tight and the thread can break under stress. Neither one of those scenarios is a serious risk if the simple basics of making gear are followed. I've seen both bar tacks and box/double box used commercially.

**MedicineMan** · 02-08-2010, 06:36

'Neither one of those scenarios is a serious risk if the simple basics of making gear are followed'...
can you delineate these please.

**Ramblinrev** · 02-08-2010, 06:38

"We Don't Sew... We Make Gear" vid series

**MacEntyre** · 02-08-2010, 08:48

I examined a safety harness and copied how it was done. It's an X-box with lots of longitudinal stitches on top of that.

I use a 6" overlap, bar tack it in the middle to define the loop and hold it in place, then I sew a series of longitudinal stiches the length of the 3" overlapped tail... lots of them, fill it up! It is the longitudinal stitches that hold so well.

**Dutch** · 02-08-2010, 09:02

My wife was the quality manager for Graco Children's products and they did destructive tests on different stitching of the webbing used on high chairs. The X with a box around it was the strongest. Now they make them in China so they used lead thread a webbing made from human wastes.

**Frawg** · 02-08-2010, 09:10

Backpackinglight.com also did some testing on webbing stitched to lightweight fabric, with the X box coming out the strongest. Interesting article, though you have to be a site member to see it.