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For all you DIY project guys: I’m about to steal my sister’s sewing machine & start some projects. My question is what do you guys feel is the best material to use, what thread, and the best project to LEARN to sew. At this point I have ZERO experience sewing.
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I was introduced to sewing, years ago, thru a VCR series called "Sewing with Nancy." It really was good and actually a sewing/fabric store lent it to me 'cause they were so happy to have a guy be interested. There really is a lot to bobbin tension and technique, maybe it's like skiing or golf; a little instruction at the beginning goes a long way. It just might keep you from throwing the machine out the window in frustration.
I already have a knowledgeable neighbor lined up to give me a couple of lessons. I know this help will go a LONG way towards keeping my sanity.
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Just starting myself, but, I use nylon thread, "outdoor" or "upholstery" type, not polyester, because polyester and cotton break constantly. ($3+) My first projects were gear bags, and a ' practice ' parka made from an old bed sheet. Have moved on to a DIY hammock, and UQ.
It has been a journey of both patience, and common sense, (99% patience) It's certainly not rocket science. I remember much from my mothers sewing, almost 50 yr. ago, and, have the same machine now. My wife helps me take things apart which I have sewn together wrong here and there. (or inside out) I really enjoy making new equipment, and appreciate the HF people's experiences. Probably would not have gotten into it with out them.
Gutterman's thread is very popular here. It is polyester and will not rot or degrade in sunlight. Nylon thread is not the way to go for outdoor projects. The thin and slippery materials such as silnylon are difficult to sew so I would not start with them. Many projects on this site start out with 1.9 oz. ripstop which is not too hard to sew. Good luck and have fun and remember there is a learning curve so don't get frustrated.
Based on the little sewing that I've done, get some ripstop from the $1 bin at Wally World and sew lots and lots of stuff sacks. It's good practice. Also, if you know someone who can provide a lesson or 2, definitely take them up on it. It'll save you a lot of frustration and dirty words. Just take your time and remember you're trying to enjoy yourself, not run a race.
I have to second the words of gstepclassical to get quality polyester thread. It is definitely the way to go for outdoor projects. If you want to get some cheap polyester to practice with, go for it. Then save your good polyester thread for projects. Ed Speer sells a huge cone of polyester thread on his site for an excellent price.
If you get the cone of thread from Ed Speer, realize that it will have to be rewound onto something else that will fit on your machine to use. I used a second bobbin. That seems obvious, but even though I have years of sewing behind me (wayyy behind me), I picked it up and looked at it as I sat at the machine and was stumped for a minute. My friend Nancye looked around and found a plastic serving spoon with a long handle, and she held it with the cone on it while I wound the bobbins with the machine. I'll try to attach a pic of it.
Hmmmm, that one must be on Nancye's camera. I'll get a copy and post it.
Somewhere there is a pic of a DIY thread holder for cones. It is made from a CD/DVD spindle and a coat hanger bent into a guide wand. Saves a ton of grief for rewinding. In fact you can draw the thread the directly off the cone on your machine in most cases. The tension may need to be adjusted but that would be an idividual machine thing.
found the picture.
Mine does not look so tidy, but it has served me well enough.
Grizz
Here Nancye and I are hard at work...
http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...bbin_thumb.jpg
Wow. So serious.
I made one of Ed's cone spindles as well. Not too hard. I have to hold onto mine when I wind a bobbin from it, but otherwise works just fine.
Well, we were both waiting to see if her camera was going to take the picture (used the timer function) this time or not. And, I was also winding the bobbin. Yes, I was a bit serious until I got my sewing legs back under me again.
I made one half of a set of net skins. I need to make the other half. I'll post the rest of the pics when I finish the project.
I have found myself making some very funny (as in funny strange) faces when I'm concentrating on the sewing... I'm glad there are no pictures. :p
I am guilty if the tongue stuck out the side of my mouth or curled over my upper lip while sewing, according to the wife.Quote:
Originally Posted by NCPatrick
I'm guilty of the tongue over the lip thing. I've caught myself doing it several times. I'm also bad for using alot of bad language when I sew and get frustrated. I never sew when my son's around because I don't want him to hear what I'm saying or repeat it. :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by headchange4u
For my first sewing, I used some dollar bin fabric which was a good idea, but then I used this thick apholstery thread that was a bad idea. If I were to do it again, I would buy gutterman's thread and some fabric that is similar to the weight and feel of the ripstop nylon that we use to make the hammocks.
Keep in mind, anything you sew now out of the dollar bin is likely to not be there ever again, so that is why I advise you buy similar fabric but don't use your ripstop until you are making the real deal. Case in point, I used this phenominal blue waterproof material to make a nice small tarp, but I am pretty sure the sewing on it is unsatisfactory. So, I have been looking for that material to make a new one, but I'll never get it again I am sure...
I really think a few hammocks is perfect practice for making tarps and anything that requires long straight seams. It is kind of like driving at night, the trick is to not lose focus. Usually it is after thinking something like, "Well, I'm doing really good!" that's when you make mistakes. :)
Go get 'em! :)
After you get about three or four hammocks under your belt, you will likely have delt with most of the problems that are going to come about. Then, I would move on to do other projects that you are interested in.
Some links to easy projects I have done (as a beginner):
Speer style hammock: Just Jeff's Hammock Camping Page
Stuffsack: Thru-Hiker: Gear and Resources for Long Distance Hikers (I have made the stuffsack from this page, but I reference it so often I just included the entire index of projects/advice)
Wally has a spools of "outdoor polyester thread" that my wife (expert sewer) says is super strong. It is with the rest of the thread and is on a larger spool.
69 weight nylon or polyester thread is good, thats probably what ed's thread is (69 wt), i don't know. if your stuff is outside in the sun so long that you worry about the nylon thread recieving too much uv damage, then you wouldn't be able to trust the nylon fabric you used for the hammock fabric either and it wouldn't matter much what thread you used.:rolleyes:
1- As others have said: get good thread. The cheap stuff will shed lint that will booger up your sisters machine, then you may have to clean it.Quote:
Originally Posted by 6 feet over
2- I bought a cone of good thread and just stand it up behind my machine, no rewinding, no thread stand (I'm lazy) and it works for me (so far).
3- I looked at all the stitch settings on my machine and said "I haven't a clue". So I made a "cheat sheet"
I took a light colored piece of material (I have black thread), set both stitch setting knobs to the left, then sewed a line across the material. At the end of the stitch line I wrote down the knob settings right on the material .
I changed the knob settings, ran another stitch line, and wrote down the settings. Etc. Etc.Etc. Etc.Etc. Etc.
Now whenever I'm going to sew something, I pull out the "cheat sheet",
pick out what stitch I want, look at the settings written down next to the stitch and then set my machine to get that stitch. Nothing to remember, nothing to figure out.
Now if I could only learn sew a straight line.
I do that as well, that is why I have taken a long break from sewing on my bugnet. I got so frustrated when I started I had to stop or I was going to break the sewing machine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hooch
But that could only mean that you used <gasp> logic! That's something I'm fairly unfamiliar with... :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Oh-No
Here’s the plan: I can’t imagine that cheap thread is worth ANY hassle, so I’ll just use the same quality thread I’ll need for ‘real’ projects.
I have several small ‘stuff sack’ type projects I could start with, so that’s fine. The FIRST project I’ll be doing is to make the web pieces needed to change my Claytor’s suspension system to webbing from Strapworks (already purchased) to go with the cinch buckles (ordered on-line) I’m waiting for (thanks for the input Miguel).
I also figure I’ll take a crack at snake skins for my 12 X 12 camo neo tarp, for practice with longer, straight sewing on a project that doesn’t exactly need to look great. I don’t really need another hammock right now, but could use (even poorly made) snake skins.
What’s the closest material to silnylon to practice with? After I conquer sewing:rolleyes:, how hard is it to find silnylon to make quality tarps or other gear? Is it true no one makes silnylon in camo?
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I'm making my skins from stretchy netting I got from WalMart $1 bin and grosgrain ribbon. The idea of using netting for the tarp skins is that it lets the skins dry out inside after putting the wet tarp away. You would pull the wet tarp out to dry at some point (hopefully), but the inside of a silnylon tube won't dry very quickly. So, the netting, which will dry. I'm finding the netting fairly easy to work with. I'm putting pockets on the tree ends to store the rigging, and binding all edges and seams with the ribbon. I found it easier to sew the long seams first then go back and sew on the ribbon.
Just some ideas.
I don't understand this concept... :pQuote:
Originally Posted by 6 feet over
Ha! The meaning is that I have several other projects I’d like to make, and learn to sew on, before I trust my girth to a home sewn hammock! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Narwhalin
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:cool:...that's it..I'm converted, I was surf'in the pics of all the hammocks and I came across a pic of one w/a pad sleeve sewn onto the bottom of it, I think it was a commercial job, not sure, I left a comment " That's it, I'm off to my sewing room!" So I pawed in my sewing box, came out w/leftover silnylon I'd got at Walmart. It was cut up from a earlier project, so I unfolded it, sewed together the cut out, which was a V shape, flat felled the seams for strength, fiddled with it, trimmed it, sewed it, trimmed somemore and presto! It's now mated on my blue byer hammock w/my light blue sheer curtain bug net...now what can I do with that little bit of leftover material....??..hhmmm,:D
I'll try to post a pic or two in a day or so..
Welcome to HF boarstone.
Did you sew the pad sleeve to the edges of the hammock or further down near the bottom?
Looking forward to seeing pictures.
I guess you would say that I'm still new to sewing. I've been making gear for about a year and a half, but only sewing for about 8 month. However, I've been surprised at how easy some projects have been. With a little planning and common sense, I've been able to make some pretty complex stuff (i.e. a backpack). Anyway good luck, and don't worry about the learning curve everyone has to go through it (and a lot of us still are). And with the tongue out thing, I've done it plenty of times, but I do it on purpose. It makes me feel like the Michael Jordan of sewing :D!!!
I don't know whether or not I would have been able to maintain any residual sanity while working on my BlackCat tarp without a "walking foot."
Practice as noted above and consider this worthy attachment.
I guess you could say I "centered" it to the hammock. About 12" in on each side and bottom. I figurered on slack and about where I'd be laying. I trimmed the pad "to fit". I'm a short 5', so the full length wasn't needed. It came out well. I've sewn for years so it was easy for me to figure it out. (I use to make my own riding suits when I was showing Quarter horses back in the 70's.) If you folks learn flat fell seam technique in your sewing projects, it will greatly inprove on the strength of your seams. Check out your local school for the home economics teacher(if they still have'm)! Or your Jo-Ann fabric store etc. some lady there will or should be willing to show you how to do the seams, it's real easy. After you make the seam, hopefully you've allowed a 5/8 seam allowance,or a little more, start at the beginning of the seam end again, turn this allowance under, raw edge to stitching, and stitch near the folded edge. Hope this helped.Quote:
Originally Posted by slowhike
keep an eye on the fabric of the hammock it's self.
sewing into the hammock that way can be done, but it has often led to failure because of the force on the stitch line.
My pics are up on the hammock and sleeve,. It's kinda hard for me to get a decent shot where it's hang'n in my barn. The diamond pic is of the repaired/sewn-back-together material of the pad sleeve so i could use what I had left over from a previous job. I need to re-sew the netting though, the hand isn't right and I figured out why....
Found an old Singer at a local thrift store. For $35 I risked purchasing it. News paper lining the drawer was dated 1944. It runs, but not really sure if it really works since I have zero understanding of sewing and sewing machines. The owners manual and what seems to be all the parts are stored in the various drawers of the table.
Question regarding needles and thread. Can you use #69 wt that Speers sells for all hammock, tarp, stuff sac projects? I'm assuming choice of needle is dependent on weight/layers, type of material and thread used? On another thread JustJeff noted he uses orange Singer (size 11?) one of the smallest sizes for most of his sewing. Frolicking Dino noted the use of a size 12 or 14 for heavy applications. #69 wt thread ok with these size needles?
General question. Outside of thread, needles, pins, dedicated sewing scissors, scrap silnylon, ripstop what are the absolute other items needed to start practicing sewing?
General question. Outside of thread, needles, pins, dedicated sewing scissors, scrap silnylon, ripstop what are the absolute other items needed to start practicing sewing?
Patience... lots of patience....
Buy some expensive fabric from JoAnne's, some thread, and jump right into your first project having never sewn in your life. Get frustrated when it looks like crap. Decide to use the project for scraps and start over.
Oh wait... DON'T do that.
The 15-91 works! Picked up some supplies & remnant white cotton fabric. The request for silnylon brought up a blank look. One of my techs who sews suggested a different color of thread for the bobbin to allow checking the relative tension. Sewed a bunch of simple straight stitches. Sewed a mini cotton fabric sn..skin. Sewing is a bit of a time warp. Amazing how fast time passes while sitting in front of the Singer. One of the 8 foots that came with the machine is a hemming foot. Made stitching a narrow hem relatively straight forward. This practice sewing was using what I'm guessing is one of more forgiving fabrics. Next step is practicing on silnylon. Can you press silnylon with low heat? If so, at what iron setting? Any hints to make life simpler when sewing with silnylon would be appreciated.