tarp ridgeline sewing tips ??

[bmantheman]

hey guys,

my plan is to do a flat felled seam, but Im still at step one .. joining the ridgeline ...

I ve been trying to sow the ridgeline of my hammock tarp , but the fabric keeps on slipping... which is giving me a headache!

any tips an tricks on how to setup the fabric ... or the foot ? do you guys use a lot of pressure on the foot or less ?

let me know ... at this pace ... ill be done only in 2 days! haha


cheers!

[sqidmark]

Two things that help me a lot. WonderClips and a walking foot.

[Caminante]

Best thing I found was frequent perpendicular pins and the setting my presser foot pressure to '1' (with '0' being no pressure at all), i.e., very light.

Without pins, one fabric tends to feed slightly faster than the other, especially with slippery lightweight tarp materials. The pins keep them locked together. I can do it with my hand on shorter hems by just putting a 90 degree bend in the fabric at my hand to keep them aligned, but for a long tarp run I prefer to just pin and forget about it. Make sure the pins stay in the seam allowance. After the first run, you probably won't need pins to just lay down the seam and fell it.

The instructions for my Singer indicate less pressure for thin materials, more pressure for heavier materials, not sure about other makes.

[Brewguy]

Do you guys think this is something that masking tape would handle? 1" tape folded over the seam would give a nice line to sew as well. Then peel the tape?

Mine slips a little as well, the 12 foot tarp was off about an inch, I called it close enough and just trimmed it.

[sqidmark]

Assuming a sil material, tape won't stick. Ditto for fabri-tac. Maybe small dots of silicone caulk (would take too long to cure though), but I haven't tried it. Play with thread tension on some test pieces, I had to go pretty light to prevent pucker. You may have to bump it up as you go through more layers. The only way to know is to test on your machine.

[captaincoupal]

Right on what others are saying - pin it up. Also don't be afraid to have a larger seam when you get started and cut off the excess after. Also - use some of your scrap to practice on so that you get the hang of it.

[bmantheman]

Thanks for all the replies! .. I thought about pinning it but won't that affect the water proofness? Or it just won't matter since I'll be seam sealing it . I have practiced with scrap pieces. It's just such a large piece behaves differently... I ll try to lose the foot

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[captaincoupal]

Thanks for all the replies! .. I thought about pinning it but won't that affect the water proofness? Or it just won't matter since I'll be seam sealing it . I have practiced with scrap pieces. It's just such a large piece behaves differently... I ll try to lose the foot

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

It would absolutely affect waterproofness, but as you said, you're gonna seal it anyhow. I seam sealed top and bottom, no issues here at this point with mine. Obviously another thing you can do is get a helper if possible to hold a lot of the scrap up in place on the table as you're guiding the material through your machine - gravity's what's killing you.

[Caminante]

If you put the pins in the seam allowance, the pin pricks will be wrapped up in the felled seam. I'd be more concerned about the holes the needle makes sewing the seams, even if they have thread in them. When you tension the ridge line, they can open up, which is why it's suggested to seam seal with the ridge line tensioned (easier, anyway). And, you're seam sealing anyway. I pin, and neither of my tarps leak.

[Overland]

http://www.joann.com/fabri-tac-perma...esive&start=18
I've used this very successfully on gen 2 Silpoly from rip stop by the roll. Apply, press together, let dry for a few minutes, pin, then sew. Works good for holding the first fold of a rolled hems also.