The question: If I'm going to silicone bond reinforcements and then hem a tarp, both made of 1.1 oz silpoly, do I leave a seam allowance or do I bond the reinforcement pieces flush with the tarp edge before I hem? I have a tube of the thin windshield sealing silicone for the bond, which I'm testing tonight. Also, any tips for the hem? I have a hem foot that makes about a 2 mm rolled hem.
Some background and more questions: So, I've jumped into the deep end for a first tarp and hammock. I bought some 1.6 Hyper D and silpoly from Ripstop by the Roll. I sewed up the edges of the 1.6 to make a hammock, leaving small gaps at 2 and 4 feet from one end on both sides. This is to allow passing through some 3/16" shock cord to try out the knotty mod. I triple stitched channels in the ends, so I think it's ready to go. The seams look pretty bad, not straight and somewhat overlapping. I should have practiced, it's been years since I've sewn anything. I may rip them out and resew it. If so, should I cut the edges back a bit and start fresh to avoid weakening the fabric caused by the "extra" needle holes? I did practice some before starting on the tarp, and it shows. The flat felled seam looks pretty good, other than the stitch length varying a bit. I used Jellyfish's trick (thanks for all the awesome videos, they were a huge help) of putting some tissue under the material, which helped a LOT.
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