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  1. #1
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    First "real" project with sewing machine

    I bought a yard of 1.1 silpoly to mess with and decided to do a stuff sack. I was going to get fancy with a round bottom, but given the mess I made here, I'm glad I skipped that. I think I lost about 4" in length after cutting away the multiple messes I made and restarting. But still a nice size. This stuff is so thin and slick...can't say I had fun.

    Any way to "iron out" the crease from the factory towards the top? I didn't plan for that otherwise I would have cut a different piece. Maybe it will go away after time.

    I left about 2mm for the channel...for 1.8mm cord. Close call. I'll skip close-ups of the stitching because it's a flying mess. I'll probably square off these bottoms for a cleaner look.



    About 8L size

  2. #2
    Senior Member Cabmanhang's Avatar
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    Nice work, OneClick.

    The virus has only just begun.

    Don't be overly critical of your workmanship. I promise you, once you've gotten some functionality out of your diy gear, the imperfections won't matter as much. Over time those imperfections become favored, as they tell the story of your progression.

    Watch the jellyfish videos when you run into questions. Hands down, she produced some of the most helpful sewing videos available.
    "If we lose the forests, we lose our only instructors. People must see these forests and wilderness as the greatest educational system that we have on the planet. If we lose all the universities in the world, then we would lose nothing. But If we lose the forests, we lose everything." -- Bill Mollison

  3. #3
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    I'm certain that will be your favorite stuff sack and packing it will always invoke a good memory!

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  4. #4
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Thanks! Cutting this was a disaster. I thought a metal yard stick + razor was clever...total disaster! So I got scissors and that wasn't much better. Ruined a lot of fabric. I'll look into those cutting mats/wheel.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Cabmanhang's Avatar
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    That is definitely some slippery material. You'll get a feel for how to handle it better and feed it into the machine but it is finicky.

    In regards to cutting, a super sharp pair of FABRIC ONLY scissors is the key. And don't snip snip snip. Use a push cut on a line that you mark. The wheel and mat do look extremely convenient though.
    "If we lose the forests, we lose our only instructors. People must see these forests and wilderness as the greatest educational system that we have on the planet. If we lose all the universities in the world, then we would lose nothing. But If we lose the forests, we lose everything." -- Bill Mollison

  6. #6
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    Looks good. I went down the DIY sewing rabbit hole a couple weeks ago after getting a machine and lesson from TZBrown. Bought some dyneema kits (wallet and stuff sack), webbing, plus the $10 DIY sampler from RIpstop by the Roll and have whipped out a couple things so far. Since I'm thread-injector challenged, it's been a learning curve, but I enjoy the work. My wife already had a cutting pad and I picked up one of those wheels. Total game changer. That wheel cut through the webbing like butter. Just be careful using it...wife took off the tip of her finger with one about 20 years ago.

  7. #7
    Senior Member sidneyhornblower's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cabmanhang View Post

    Don't be overly critical of your workmanship. I promise you, once you've gotten some functionality out of your diy gear, the imperfections won't matter as much. Over time those imperfections become favored, as they tell the story of your progression.

    Watch the jellyfish videos when you run into questions. Hands down, she produced some of the most helpful sewing videos available.
    +1 on all of the above.

    One thing that helped me on my hammock sewing was a teflon foot for the Singer. The difference it made in the way that slippery material fed through the machine was worth the small purchase price.
    "...the height of hammock snobbery!"

  8. #8
    Senior Member MikekiM's Avatar
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    Stick with it! You'll be fine. Good move on not doing the round bottom.. they aren't that difficult, but you need to be comfortable manipulating the travel of the fabric. Resist the temptation for a bit.

    Don't worry about the crease.. if you stuff the sack tight and leave it that way, the crease will stretch out in no time.

    As you're learning, make your seam allowances and things like the draw cord channels larger then you think they should be just so you can learn to handle the fabric. Give yourself some wiggle room.. literally. Your stitches are going to wiggle around to start.

    Same goes for the projects to choose to start with... make a pillow size stuff sack rather than a mini stuff sack. Initially you're going feel like you're working with boxing gloves on. Takes time to learn where and how to hold the fabric. And don't pull it! let the machine do the work.. just guide it along.

    Buy some Wonder clips.. a lot of them. Far easier than pinning. After a while you'll be making stuff sacks like the one you made without using any pins or clips.. you need to build muscle memory in your hands.
    Yes, my pack weighs 70lbs, but it's all light weight gear....
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  9. #9
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Much better with a square bottom!


  10. #10
    Senior Member Cabmanhang's Avatar
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    Haha. The virus progresses.

    That looks great!

    You'll be sewing up your own topquilt before long.
    "If we lose the forests, we lose our only instructors. People must see these forests and wilderness as the greatest educational system that we have on the planet. If we lose all the universities in the world, then we would lose nothing. But If we lose the forests, we lose everything." -- Bill Mollison

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