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Anyone here done any sewing?


Bud

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I just bought a walking foot, industrial sewing machine to sew various boat projects: bimini, dodger, asymmetrical spinnaker, spinnaker snuffer and awning.

 

Would like to hear from others who have used machines for any tips/tricks I should know in advance.

 

 

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Mother sewed and all six sisters sewed so you would think I wouldn't have ever had need to learn...and you'd be wrong. My projects were limited to clothing repair and some custom stuff usually related to camping or motorcycling, all done on an old Singer, not a commercial/industrial machine.

 

My only advice would be to grab up any scraps or old pieces of material you'll be working with and use that for practice. It almost always took me a few attempts to get a passable stitch going. The thread type and tension and needle selection always seemed to need attention for a good job.

 

Most of my jobs ended up being visually ugly but functionally passable.

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What eddd said. Practice on scraps - especially for complex seams and such or before starting anything with different fabric/thread.

 

I wish I had a machine like you now have but I'm limited to a basic home machine so I have to go slow and careful with multiple layers of anything thickish. Best two pieces of advice I've taken are use sharp/fresh needles especially on thick stuff, and Annette at Rose city textiles (great local and online technical fabric shop) recently turned me on to this when I was buying fabric for a sidecar top:

http://www.sailrite.com/Seamstick-1-4-Basting-Tape-for-Canvas-50-Yds

 

I've used it for several things since and it makes it so much easier to lay out long seams - especially if they have any sort of curve or what not you're trying to hold steady throughout.

 

Looking forward to pics of your projects.

josh

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I have absolutely no practical advice to offer, but this did trigger a painful memory. Shortly after we were married, my wife took a position as an instructor in costume design with the theater department of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. With a tight production schedule, and students dropping like flies from their commitment to help create costumes for an impending play, I got drafted.

 

First job: fixing a half-dozen or so sewing machines that were busted. I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow I got them all up and working again. This fact amazes me to this day, since my mechanical aptitude is stretched by the concept of an oil change.

 

Next: "Start making costumes."

 

"Huh?" I was flabbergasted. I had never operated a sewing machine in my life. But, I figured, "Everything's a tube, right?" A jacket or a shirt are comprised of three tubes: one the body of the garment that covers the torso, and a tube for each arm. More or less the same idea with a pair of pants. A skirt? One tube.

 

So, thus began (and ended) my career as a costume artist. Making a bunch of tubes and sewing those tubes together. I had to sew collars onto some of the tubes, and some of the tubes required pockets or buttons. Easy as can be. At the time I was a little terrified by the thought of doing something that I had absolutely no idea how to do--and which would be on display for the play's audiences--but the compensation came in the form of the attractive young actresses who repeatedly had to strip down to their skivvies to try on the stuff I was making.

 

The play went on. The assemblies of tubes held together. From the audience's perspective, they looked pretty good. But, I was never called to Hollywood. Never made it to Broadway . . . except as ticket holder. But, in retrospect, it was actually kind of fun to try to figure out what I was doing . . . on the fly . . . with no experience. I was, for a fleeting moment, a costuming god.

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Nope! I gotta say tho that Mike's post was hilarious.

 

For what it's worth (and it appears that you may be only sewing new materials so maybe not applicable), I received a warning from an upholstery sewer who repaired one of my boat cushions not to ever use vinyl/duct tape to temporarily patch/mend cloth or vinyl materials as it gums up the mechanics of the sewing machine leading to considerable down time to clean it up.

 

For me, as a guy who has never (successfully) sewn on a button :dopeslap: I admire your courage. Bud's Lofting Shop - has a nice ring to it!

 

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For what it's worth (and it appears that you may be only sewing new materials so maybe not applicable), I received a warning from an upholstery sewer who repaired one of my boat cushions not to ever use vinyl/duct tape to temporarily patch/mend cloth or vinyl materials as it gums up the mechanics of the sewing machine leading to considerable down time to clean it up.

 

 

 

This is a concern, to a lesser extent, with the tape mentioned above. The better brands have a better goo to stick ratio, which to me makes them worthwhile for complex stuff. Use of any tapes will mean more time cleaning, but for me it takes less time to clean a bit more than it does to have to rip out a bad seam and redo the stitching. I find it particularly worthwhile on synthetics like pack cloth or silicone coated nylon - types of stuff where holes won't close up on their own, and having a bunch of extra holes is going to be a problem in the finished product.

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You'll need a signature/monogram to ID them as your work.

 

Because once you start and people see your work you will be beseiged with requests.

 

Main reason I closed Tim's Tutu's.

:lurk:

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Get yourself some how-to books. Sewing can be quite complicated, and I never got that far with it. Sewing 4 dummies and the like. Then get a couple sail making books. You'll be fine! Everything's a tube....

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For what it's worth (and it appears that you may be only sewing new materials so maybe not applicable), I received a warning from an upholstery sewer who repaired one of my boat cushions not to ever use vinyl/duct tape to temporarily patch/mend cloth or vinyl materials as it gums up the mechanics of the sewing machine leading to considerable down time to clean it up.

 

 

 

This is a concern, to a lesser extent, with the tape mentioned above. The better brands have a better goo to stick ratio, which to me makes them worthwhile for complex stuff. Use of any tapes will mean more time cleaning, but for me it takes less time to clean a bit more than it does to have to rip out a bad seam and redo the stitching. I find it particularly worthwhile on synthetics like pack cloth or silicone coated nylon - types of stuff where holes won't close up on their own, and having a bunch of extra holes is going to be a problem in the finished product.

 

Starting with the easiest thing first,I'm going to make a silnylon tarp for my son to use on his camping trips. Tarps are mostly rectangular (though there are some with catenary edges that prevent fluttering in the wind). For those who don't know what it is: Silnylon is silicon impregnated ripstop nylon. It is extremely waterproof, extremely lightweight (1.1 oz. per yard), and extremely durable. Ultralight backpackers love it for this reason.

 

Sew panels together, reinforce corners, add loops and bind edges.

 

I've ordered a sample pack of material with which to practice.

 

If it works out, I may make a couple for motorcycle camping.

 

I will be using the tape. Sailrite is the place I will use. I bought a used Sailrite Ultra LZ-1 machine that they sell. Darn thing weighs nearly 50 LBS! All metal.

 

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You'll need a signature/monogram to ID them as your work.

 

Because once you start and people see your work you will be beseiged with requests.

 

Main reason I closed Tim's Tutu's.

:lurk:

 

I imagine the people who have a Tim's Tutu are sitting on a real investment since they are no longer available.

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Thanks for the replies.

 

I'm not afraid to try anything. Nancy calls me a "serial hobbyist" as I try one thing after another.

 

When we married she suggest sailing as a family activity. I said sure, never having sailed a day in my life. But I went and got a book and bought a little boat and here we are, 48 years latter, and still sailing.

 

I've noticed that a lot of Beemer owners also have other hobbies and interests as well.

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I've got a precursor machine I got from them in 95. I wanted a set of canvas for my sailboat and decide that for what the local loft wanted to make it, I could purchase the machine and a bunch of supplies and do it multiple times if need be. Worked great, mad the Bimini, dodger, side curtains, fender bags,anything I could think of. Bags to hold stuff on my bike. Still have it and used it last year to make some custom straps for my RT. Have fun.

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Starting with the easiest thing first,I'm going to make a silnylon tarp for my son to use on his camping trips. Tarps are mostly rectangular (though there are some with catenary edges that prevent fluttering in the wind). For those who don't know what it is: Silnylon is silicon impregnated ripstop nylon. It is extremely waterproof, extremely lightweight (1.1 oz. per yard), and extremely durable. Ultralight backpackers love it for this reason.

 

Sew panels together, reinforce corners, add loops and bind edges.

 

I've ordered a sample pack of material with which to practice.

 

If it works out, I may make a couple for motorcycle camping.

 

I will be using the tape. Sailrite is the place I will use. I bought a used Sailrite Ultra LZ-1 machine that they sell. Darn thing weighs nearly 50 LBS! All metal.

 

 

Have you worked with silnylon before? It's amazingly slippery which makes it "interesting" to hold together for straight seams (and of course, if you stick extra holes in it, well, you get to start over or have to seam seal an extra seam). The first thing I did with it was make a tarp tent - I should have been smart like you and started with some sample stuff. Actually, I guess I did start with the tent bag and ground cloth (at the very prescient direction of the instructions I was following). What I haven't ever done is use the sailmaker's tape with it - I'll be interested to hear from you how well it holds to the silnylon.

 

Hey - you should mount up a gopro on your sewing machine and upload some videos :)

 

 

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I've got a precursor machine I got from them in 95. I wanted a set of canvas for my sailboat and decide that for what the local loft wanted to make it, I could purchase the machine and a bunch of supplies and do it multiple times if need be. Worked great, mad the Bimini, dodger, side curtains, fender bags,anything I could think of. Bags to hold stuff on my bike. Still have it and used it last year to make some custom straps for my RT. Have fun.

 

I hear ya! We are going to make our current 2 bow bimini into a 3 bow to provide more shade fore and aft. The dodger will be next. From the directions on Sailrite's web site video, it is a lot of parts but each part is broken down into simple steps. I will bend the SS tubing for the dodger as well. I have 3 20'sticks of SS tubing that a sailing friend gave me.

 

I'm also anxious to see how the tape holds the slick stuff.

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Starting with the easiest thing first,I'm going to make a silnylon tarp for my son to use on his camping trips. Tarps are mostly rectangular (though there are some with catenary edges that prevent fluttering in the wind). For those who don't know what it is: Silnylon is silicon impregnated ripstop nylon. It is extremely waterproof, extremely lightweight (1.1 oz. per yard), and extremely durable. Ultralight backpackers love it for this reason.

 

Sew panels together, reinforce corners, add loops and bind edges.

 

I've ordered a sample pack of material with which to practice.

 

If it works out, I may make a couple for motorcycle camping.

 

I will be using the tape. Sailrite is the place I will use. I bought a used Sailrite Ultra LZ-1 machine that they sell. Darn thing weighs nearly 50 LBS! All metal.

 

 

Have you worked with silnylon before? It's amazingly slippery which makes it "interesting" to hold together for straight seams (and of course, if you stick extra holes in it, well, you get to start over or have to seam seal an extra seam). The first thing I did with it was make a tarp tent - I should have been smart like you and started with some sample stuff. Actually, I guess I did start with the tent bag and ground cloth (at the very prescient direction of the instructions I was following). What I haven't ever done is use the sailmaker's tape with it - I'll be interested to hear from you how well it holds to the silnylon.

 

Hey - you should mount up a gopro on your sewing machine and upload some videos :)

 

 

LOL If you send me a gopro, I will video each step. :wave:

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