sewing 1.1 sil vs ripstop

[boulderv7]

sewing slippery fabrics takes a lot of practice. like everyone else said, well cleaned oiled machine, correctly threaded bobbin, light tension on the fabric while you sew and a sharp new needle. as far as keeping the top and bottom fabric lined up, I got a walking foot for my machine and it is awesome.

[VictoriaGuy]

It is a cheap Brother machine that my wife has had for about 20 years. She used it throughout High school and college making Costumes for Theater, so it has seen a fair amount of use. It seems to grab and move every other material just fine, but with sil the dogs move and the fabric just sits there.

Something is not right- either you have a piece of 'gummy' silnylon or a machine problem.

I don't know if a replacement machine is 'on your horizon' or not. My wife encouraged me to 'get my own' machine and I recently bought a Pfaff 150 Select (under $400, but still $$) which has 'top feed'.



Shortly thereafter, I had to do a repair on my wife's ("our" ) sewing machine, so I'm now back to using the Pfaff 1222E. "Gotta make sure the repair and adjustment are OK"

But, any quality machine in good adjustment should do the job for gear making. I got an Elna Super for $40 that sews silnylon perfectly.

[eviscerate3]

Well, thanks to all of you I have made a diy stuff sack out of 1.1 sil ! I know a stuff sack is no big deal but that means with your tips I was able to get a decent stitch. I switched the needle out for a 90/14 and cleaned all the parts with a alcohol pad as suggested. I did 2 inches of stitching and then would change the upper tension and do it again to figure out the correct tension. I see many projects in my future with the sil. I used my very old and very used eno tarp the other night and ended up a bit wet so I see a new tarp coming soon. Thanks again to all of you for the advice.

[VictoriaGuy]

Well, thanks to all of you I have made a diy stuff sack out of 1.1 sil ! I know a stuff sack is no big deal but that means with your tips I was able to get a decent stitch. I switched the needle out for a 90/14 and cleaned all the parts with a alcohol pad as suggested. I did 2 inches of stitching and then would change the upper tension and do it again to figure out the correct tension. I see many projects in my future with the sil. I used my very old and very used eno tarp the other night and ended up a bit wet so I see a new tarp coming soon. Thanks again to all of you for the advice.

Good!!

[pat9381]

pat9381 - How do i adjust needle tension? I am only a few months into teaching myself to sew. Unfortunately I do not have anyone local to teach me hands on. Have watched a lot of youtube videos and read a lot on here. What needle would you recommend for sil?

Every machine has it's own tension adjustment. Refer to (or download) the owner's manual will get you on the right track. There are two tensions: the needle tension and the bobbin tension. Normally, the bobbin tension is left alone between machine tune-ups. The needle tension is usually a numbered dial. One tension setting will work for a range of applications. When you change fabric, you change application. Basically, when the tension is perfect, the bobbin thread and the needle thread meet in the middle of the fabric. When you move to a thinner material, the space between the top and the bottom narrows and that is what you are fine tuning.

[Seeker]

Tiny needle, bigger stitch length, and hand-feed (since the autofeeder can't grab the slick fabric). My seamstress HATES working with silnylon, and is much happier now that I do my own work (and she can focus on my wife's clothes). I'm still not good at it, but getting better with practice. Have made a tarp, stuff sacks, a DIY hammock, and snake skins. The early stuff sucked.