Diy & what I have learned so far.

[robv60]

So far in the last few weeks I have put my sewing machine to use and made myself a set of snake skins and a fronkey bug net. What have I learned from this endeavor?

1. Sewing, easy. Measuring, cutting fabric and pretty much everything else involved with sewing- not so much.

2. No matter how many times I check and triple check my plans, my final product is going to be about 4 inches short of what I planned on. Still usable but annoying.

3. Products made by someone that knows what they are doing are worth every penny.

4. Noseeum netting is very slippery.

5. The ends of noseeum netting at the end of a line of stitching will somehow work out to be off by a half inch.

6. I may start wearing sewing machine oil as cologne.

This is, of course, all in jest. I have enjoyed the process of making the skins and net. They aren't pretty but they should work and that's all that really matters to me.

[XTrekker]

Thats great robv60. Once you take the plunge in the DIY pool, its hard to get out.. Just so much fun.. Have had a blast making all my gear.

[mrmike65]

1. Pins. Lots of pins! Pin everything before you sew.

2. Unless you're making a form-fitting body suit, always add a few inches to every dimension. I would rather have things a little baggy, than too small. Plus, you can always trim back, if you find you actually have the excess AFTER you're done sewing.

3. If you're trying something new that uses expensive materials, do a trial run with cheaper materials. Those blue plastic tarps are cheap and sewable.

[swoody126]

wow, you started w/ the slippery stuff

knot being as adventurous. i started w/ a system n began UPGRADING those parts i could. comfortably

built my own suspension. w/ lotsa help thru HF

w/ enuff fabric to build 2 hammocks n several accessories. a new belt on the treadle machine. new needles. bobbins and string. i am still hesitant to pull the trigger

guys like u r inspiring

way to go...

sw

[robv60]

Thanks for the advice and compliments everyone! Its always fun to make things yourself. I have been diy'ing all sorts of things for years just because I like making stuff. In fact, I just finished building a coffee table. This was my first time sewing anything and it was fun, Ive fallen in love with my machine. Its pretty and funtional too! Very fun to use. Ive found my biggest issue with sewing is that I can not cut fabric very well, at least not the large pieces I've been working with. Have been having a doozy of a time getting anything close to square pieces which of course mulitplies itself out into ugly seams and uneven dimensions in the final product. I'm thinking a roller cutter may be in order. Anyway, this was the first time I've made any of my hammocking gear aside from a PLUQ- which may be getting an upgrade now that the sewing machine is not so intimidating. I converted a stuff sack that came with my Chinook tarp into a double-ended stuff sack in the hopes I could fit the whole setup (hammock, PLUQ, net and straps) in one bag for quick deployment. I need a bigger bag so now thats on my project list. Got to get busy on adding extra tie outs to my tarp too. I may even make a second set of skins as the first attempt didn't give me the overlap I wanted and i made the pockets short which made the openings too small. Need some new straps so I can get rid of my ugly Harbor Freight set. Need a top quilt, a ridge line organizer, a portable hammock stand so i can ditch the one pole setup, a narrower hammock, a lot more thread apparently, more time in the day....the list grows daily, ha ha. So much to do.....

[kerryandjane]

1. Sew/plan project vigilant and sober. Preventing hours of unpicking when shite hits the fan.

2. Get a rotary cutter and don't blame the scissors for cutting crooked, the sewing machine for veering off course or the pins from drawing blood.

3. Give the wife a heads up before commandeering the lounge just in time for guests to arrive.

4. Measure twice, before measuring twice more (repeat.)

I don't know how you guys do it. I'll keep at it but man it's really rough tedious stuff. For me it's like drawing a horse everything in my head is perfect..... Putting it on paper it ends up a stick figure. (Just before I wrote this I accidentally poked a hole in my 11' DIY tarp wrestling it through the thread injector). FML.

[FLScouthanger]

Good news is that with the experience the "short material" will work itself out. It is a short learning curve. One thing I've found useful is my drywall square--it is, basically a 4' steel ruler and one end pivots to 90 (or whatever) degrees. I have also used masking tape laid out on a flat surface and just marked the measurement increments on it. Easy to make 45, 90 or whatever degree angles you need with the tape! +1 on the rotary cutters!

[G-Rat]

1. Plan carefully.

2. Repeat step 1.

3. Pins. Lots of pins. If you're doing heavier materials (packs, straps, etc) then get heavy pins. I've got lots of bent pins in my collection.

4. Repeat step 1.

5. I've been sewing for decades, but just found the joy of a rotary cutter and mat recently. If only i'd known years ago...

6. Repeat step 1.

[The Old Boot]

For those of you thinking about moving to a rotary cutter - a few words of something akin to wisdom...

- the blade is sharper than anything you have ever handled. It WILL take off your finger tip if you're not careful.
-Never roll the blade up between two fingers or your thumb and finger that are holding the fabric in place, similiarly keep all body parts out of the line of cutting!
- DO NOT, I repeat do not, use it on anything but the proper cutting mat. The blade will dull but not until after you have ruined the table/floor/whatever you were cutting on.
-Do not use the blade near anything metal like rulers. Plastic rulers are okay. You will surely nick the blade and that will end up with little teeny parts of fabric that don't get cut.

RobV60- having stuff end up too small is more likely either forgetting/neglecting to add seam allowances to every place you're stitching or adding a seam allowance of a 1/4" and then sewing a 1/2" from the edge (or some variance on that). Moving from woodworking where you cut EXACTLY the right size you want to sewing where you have to add seam allowances takes some adjusting in thinking.

Y'all might be better off trying to make something not gear related from a commercial pattern at least once to get the hang of stuff before you try designing your own gear.

[sargevining]

1. I do not have to sew on the side I put the pins on.

2. I can pin from the bottom if I need to.

3. There are times when your drawings are more wishful thinking than they are practical planning.