So just how hard is it to work with silpoly anyway?

**TreeRing** · 02-25-2018, 19:00

Howdy all,

Excited newbie here...finally got around to sewing up my kit hammock today! Hammock itself was pretty simple, but the stuff sack took three tries. Glad I didn't start with the stuff sack!

Now I'm starting to think about sewing a tarp. I still have a fantastic but heavy tarp from my BWCA days that I figure will work for cold weather use, so I am thinking of making something light for summer.

A lot of folks here have cautioned about silpoly being hard to work with. The machine I'm using has a walking foot, and the 1.6 hyper D was a breeze. Is the silpoly going to be significantly more of a pain?

Also, silpoly, silnylon, or "membrane silpoly?" I'm kind of liking the idea of a pre-cut kit from RBTR to continue building confidence, but heck with all of the videos you folks have put out, maybe cutting my own would be an option.

FirstDIYHammockSm.jpg

**AsaHanger** · 02-25-2018, 19:06

Originally Posted by TreeRing

Howdy all,

Excited newbie here...finally got around to sewing up my kit hammock today! Hammock itself was pretty simple, but the stuff sack took three tries. Glad I didn't start with the stuff sack!

Now I'm starting to think about sewing a tarp. I still have a fantastic but heavy tarp from my BWCA days that I figure will work for cold weather use, so I am thinking of making something light for summer.

A lot of folks here have cautioned about silpoly being hard to work with. The machine I'm using has a walking foot, and the 1.6 hyper D was a breeze. Is the silpoly going to be significantly more of a pain?

Also, silpoly, silnylon, or "membrane silpoly?" I'm kind of liking the idea of a pre-cut kit from RBTR to continue building confidence, but heck with all of the videos you folks have put out, maybe cutting my own would be an option.

FirstDIYHammockSm.jpg

I made the RSBTR winter 12 last summer and didnt find the silpoly to be too difficult to work with. It is slippery and youll need to keep the two sides together when running your ridgeline, (clothespins worked for me) but it wasnt as bad as i thought it was going to be.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

**HOGShop** · 02-25-2018, 19:15

It is definitely a different animal than 1.6oz HypderD. But it’s not bad or impossible to work with. It’s slippery yes so a large work surface helps to keep things under control. I have found a walking foot to help a lot. Setting up your machine is critical / thread tension for instance, I can also adjust presser foot pressure on my
machine. I also have a single hole needle plate which helps to keep the silpoly moving along. It’s definitely a very do-able DIY project so don’t let it scare you off.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**kitsapcowboy** · 02-25-2018, 19:17

Just use quilting clips every 12" or so and you will be fine, even without a walking foot; the easiest way to sabotage your tarp assembly is simply sewing too fast.

**Cruiser51** · 02-25-2018, 21:06

I made up a new tarp from 1.1 Silpoly and it isn't bad to work with or sew .. BUT ... it is slippery, masking tape for example just slides off. When it came time to roll an edge seam, it got a little tricky holding it in place, I ended up buying some two sided 1/4" basting tape and that eased the job a lot.

Something like this: https://www.sailrite.com/Notions/Dou...d-Basting-Tape

I just applied to the edge, removed the backing and folded over the edge ... the tape holds it nicely, and if you a double rolled hem, you have the base to just roll it once more and stitch away.

Brian

**jellyfish** · 02-26-2018, 08:27

The extra wide silpoly is much easier to sew for some reason.

**jgreenewv** · 02-26-2018, 15:06

I've made two 1.1 silpoly tarps now. The first was a little more difficult due to my less than refined sewing skills and trying to sew too fast. Second went much more smoothly.

**TreeRing** · 02-26-2018, 16:43

Thanks, everyone, for the input!

I'm going to try it for sure. Good advice about not sewing too fast...I do tend to have a lead foot which can be seen in my slightly crooked seams.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

**kitsapcowboy** · 02-26-2018, 16:46

Originally Posted by TreeRing

Thanks, everyone, for the input! I'm going to try it for sure. Good advice about not sewing too fast...I do tend to have a lead foot which can be seen in my slightly crooked seams.

Practice makes perfect, friend. Just make lost of tarps and post pictures and reports of your experience here when you do so everyone can learn.

**geneaut** · 02-26-2018, 16:47

I made a quick little 9'x5' asym tarp from some scrap 1.1 silpoly I got from RSBTR. Just putting a rolled hem and 4 reinforcement patches had me sweating buckets by the time I was done. I've made a few stuffsacks since then from the material and I think I'm catching on better. Clips, clips, and more clips and about 2/3rds to 1/2 the speed I normally sew plain ripstop seemed to make things easier.