This article may help you too.
This article may help you too.
I just run the cut edge over a candle flame to take care of the little threads.
Trust nobody!
You're going to want a very sharp pair of scissors - I recommend splurging and spending the $5-$8 at Walmart or your local fabric store and getting a pair of Yellow Friskars dedicated to cutting only fabric, and nothing else. Especially for sil, it makes a huge difference in keeping that edge clean and fray free.
Also, as some have pointed, any non-sil fabric, I would definately take a candle to. Non coated fabrics fray like whoa.
Brian
OES
Far be it for me to beg to differ with a professional tarp maker, but if I am going splurg on scissors I am going to get a pair of Ginghers. Scissors come in basically two varieties. Disposable and resharpenable. If the blades are riveted, they will not resharpen well. They also will not likely hold an edge very well. I have used the fiskars and I don't like them. I find them very light and not particularly easy to use. I find scissors need some heft to them to help cut the fabric, especially heavy weight stuff. They need a good sharp edge for lightweight fabrics and that needs some metal to the edge. Light scissors are not easy to use. I have a pair of Gingher fabric shears and a pair of gingher 6" scissors and the difference between them and the Fiskars is night and day. If you are just going to play around, then the fiskars are probably ok. If you want to really do some work... I vote for something better. Of course the Ginghers will set you back a fair chunk of change as well. But IMO worth every cent.
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
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Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
I guess you can sharpen the Ginghers yourself?Originally Posted by Ramblinrev
I've been using a roller cutter, which are wonderful when the blade is sharp everywhere, but get just one nick and with every full roll you're leaving something not quite cut through. That the blades are circles and that the circular shape seems to matter to the cutting power puts me off trying to sharpen them. And they cost $7 a pop. So I'd be up for investing in a pair of shears I could sharpen, I think.
Grizz
Some good info here. I've got some nice Fiskar shears that I used for fiberglass cloth. I'll have to dig them out and see how they work on the nylon.
Ginghers can be honed at home. I suppose if you were skilled in sharpening you could do it. I'm not so we send them out when they need it.
My guess is the fiberglass did a number on them. They might be fine but cutting glass fibers is hard on equipment.
If you have a choice between riveted scissors and screwed buy the ones with the srcew. They are adjustable for cutting tension. You need a different level of force cutting nylon than real silk. Rivet scissors won't adjust. Further as they wear they will loosen up and need to be tightened as part of the sharpining process. Rivet shears won't do that.
There is a difference between "offset shears" and scissors and you really need both IMO. Offset shears are bigger and the handles are up "on top". You can cut on a flat surface easier. Scissors usually refer to a set with the handles in line with the blade. The tend to be smaller and lighter. Shears are used for large cutting tasks where you want to rest the fabric on a table. Scissors are more for things you can hold in your hand. (YMMV)
It is also nice to have a pair of thread snips. They used for exactly that. They kind of look like small sheep clippers. You can cut single threads or you can snip away at a forest of threads without worrying about snipping the bafric. I also recommend an awl as opposed to the usual seam ripper. They are somewhat harder to find but much safer in terms of not damaging the fabric and they are used to lift the threads rather than cut. A taper tailors awl is a very excellent piece of equipment.
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
My bad.... I just looked at my shears and they are not Ginghers. Those are my wife's. I have Case shears. They are also excellent top quality manufacturers of shears and scissors. Above all, if you are going to buy good quality shears and scissors NO paper except pattern tissue. Fabric only. Period. End of discussion. When I was growing up it was worth my backside to leave Mom's sewing shears and scissors alone. More than once I got whacked down below cause I used one of her good scissors for cutting construction paper.
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
sewing sil is not that hard
the first thing you have to do is release the foot tension (I know it sounds as if you should do the opposite, but trust me, less tension = less resistance for the fabric to move)
my first sil project was the bilgy tarp-tent for someone, played with the tension and voila, perfect stiches
as for avoiding pins, do what I did as a cobbler, get a sharpie pen and mark each layer every foot or so and use them to align the material, just keep it taught and you should'nt have any problem
hope it helps
FRED
Have a feeling pins and I will become friends. Greybeard's article was a helpful link. The masking tape aid may be very useful. Using a marker to help align everything if I ever develop a competent level of skill will help. Ripstop lines for cutting, pinning & sewing. A straight forward, practical and useful tip. Minimum necessary presser foot pressure actually makes more sense than more pressure than needed.
Bottom line is patients and practice. Like most things need to develop an understanding & a feel for sewing. A bit more patients now that the Singer 15-91 has developed a problem.
Thanks for all the feedback
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