Silpoly For Nothing and Your Sacks For Free (Tarp Stuff Sack Tutorial)

**kitsapcowboy** · 06-24-2018, 01:24

Waste not, want not. The less we waste, the less we lack in the future.

This well-known proverb predates the cowboys of the Old West by more than a century, and in its earlier form...

Willful waste makes woeful want.

...it goes back even further, to the 16th Century in Europe, according to some sources.

Still, resources were precious to cowboys out on the range -- food, water, ammunition, tinder, and even tobacco and alcohol -- so this adage was taken to heart in the daily practices of drovers, ranch hands, and stockmen of all stripes.

One of the things I love about my DIY Cat Tangle 12' x 10' cat-cut rectangle tarp design is that it generates very little waste from a run of eight linear yards of off-the-roll standard-width waterproof fabric. You yield a lot of tarp -- and a lot of weather protection performance -- from a modest investment in material and components. It offers an extremely efficient use of these materials, and after selvage is trimmed from the raw fabric, the run can be folded and the necessary trimming can be executed with just two curved cuts using a rotary blade.

The only byproducts leftover from this first stage of the Cat Tangle tarp's construction are the silpoly catenaries excised from the scalloped ground edges of the two panels: four 36" long by 3" deep scraps and two 72" long by 6" deep scraps.

It is the latter large scraps that are the source material for a handy cinch-top stuff sack big enough to house a 12' x 10' hammock tarp of almost any style -- hex, rectangle, or winter tarp with vestibule doors -- at virtually no additional cost.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Turn this...

...into this...

Reserve the two catenary-curved scraps of waterproof fabric the next time you are making a two-panel hammock tarp, and follow these steps to construct your bonus stuff sack. (NB: It is assumed that your two main cat-cuts have a 1:12 aspect ratio; if not, sack dimensions will vary.)

STEP-BY_STEP CONSTRUCTION

1) Trim the two (2) scraps reserved from the main cat-cuts to a size of about 5.5" tall by 30" long. (They should be just big enough.)

2) With wrong sides touching, sew the two pieces together along the long edges within a 1/4" of the raw edge of the fabric.

3) Invert the seam sewn in Step #2, finger-press it, and sew a second stitch row parallel to the first to form a standing seam on the interior (wrong) side of the joined fabric.

4) Flat-fell 2" of the seam sewn in Step #3 on each end, and fold the joined fabric in half at the midpoint of the long edges so that the short edges are stacked and the fabric is right side out. (This somewhat counter-intuitive step smooths out these seems at the top of the sack, the surface that will form the drawcord channel.)

5) Sew a row of stitches down the long edge of the folded fabric on one side, within 1/4" of the raw edge of the fabric.

6) Invert the seam sewn in Step #5, finger-press it, and sew a second stitch row parallel to the first to form a standing seam on the interior (wrong) side of the joined fabric.

7) Flat-fell 2" of the seam sewn in Step #6 (see note in Step #4), forming a rectangular envelope with the fabric that is folded on one short side and seamed on one long side with the right side of the fabric facing out.

8) Open the fabric envelope up, and form an oblique roll-hem in one of the free corners, turned toward the interior (wrong) side of the fabric, and stitch it down; repeat for the remaining free corner so that the two obliques are congruent when stacked and the envelope is folded right side out again.

9) Open the fabric envelope up again, and form a rolled drawcord channel approximately 1" wide along the top edge of the sack, perpendicular to the three seams previously sewn, using a single row of stitches along the inboard edge to tack it down. Fold the envelope flat again, right side out.

10) Sew a row of stitches down the remaining long edge of the folded fabric, within 1/4" of the raw edge of the fabric.

11) Invert the seam sewn in Step #10, finger-press it, and sew a second stitch row parallel to the first to form a standing seam on the interior (wrong) side of the joined fabric, completing the stuff sack.

12) With the sack still inside out, flatten the fabric centered on the bottom (short edge) seam and sew a row of stitches on one end perpendicular to that seam to form an isosceles triangular dart with a 2.25" height (parallel to the bottom seam) and a 4.5" base; repeat on the opposite side of the bottom seam to form another congruent isosceles triangular dart, forming a roughly square bottom when the sack is turned right side out again.

13) Finish with a drawcord and optional cord lock as you see fit.

Your FREE waterproof tarp stuff sack is now complete.

Originally Posted by Dire Straits

That ain't workin', That's the way you do it...

**MikekiM** · 06-24-2018, 07:52

Nice step-by-step

**kitsapcowboy** · 06-24-2018, 08:26

This DIY project report was submitted to this forum for ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. Use any methods, ideas, or inspirations contained herein strictly AT YOUR OWN RISK. I accept no responsibility whatsoever for any injury or harm that befalls others owing to information presented here, and I accept no responsibility for any errors the post contains.

I do not in any way advocate that others should do anything I have presented here; this thread is strictly DOCUMENTATION OF FACT. Readers beware.

There is a lot of great information on Hammock Forums available from members with much more substantial experience, better ideas, and better methods than mine. SEEK IT OUT.

Thank you for your attention.

**kitsapcowboy** · 06-24-2018, 08:27

Originally Posted by MikekiM

Nice step-by-step

Thank you

**GreatBigDave** · 06-24-2018, 11:23

Cooler (tarp) mover (and store-er).

**Equalizer** · 06-24-2018, 23:20

Kitsapcowboy,

Looking good. I've never considered it enough width to do anything with.
Looking at this and your cool tarp, I see you have an amazing talent for cutting corners
and making something good out of it.

I'll never throw away good scraps of fabric again.

**kitsapcowboy** · 06-25-2018, 02:12

Originally Posted by Equalizer

Kitsapcowboy,

Looking good. I've never considered it enough width to do anything with.
Looking at this and your cool tarp, I see you have an amazing talent for cutting corners
and making something good out of it.

I'll never throw away good scraps of fabric again.

Welcome to the forum, Equalizer, and thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you think this is a good idea and a valid philosophy. I've often been very glad I kept 6" wide strips of fabric trimmed off during various DIY projects. I roll them up and store them in a snack size plastic bag for a rainy day, even when their future use is unclear. Sometimes months later, they spring to mind when I'm in need, and such scraps have aided me in finishing some pretty cool pieces of hammock gear.

**P-Dub** · 06-27-2018, 08:43

Oh heck yeah! I have saved even 1" wide cut-offs, and found handy uses for them everywhere from the garden to the woodshop (in addition to the sewing room)!

Good work!