Needle Choice

[docbrown]

My wife has a good bit of experience making quilts for beds, but she has not yet had occasion to sew rip-stop nylon or other materials used in hammocks, tarps, and insulation. We recently got a second hammock and one o the Costco down throws. We're planning to sew elastic on the ends of the throw and then sew the long edges to the bottom of the hammock. Based on the information in Derek Hansen's book, we're planning to get some Tera 80 thread and a needle size of around 75/11. However, there are a wide variety of needle types (jersey, ball-point, universal, jeans, etc...). What is preferable for all-purpose hammock gear sewing? Is it best to just get universal 75/11 needles?

[WV]

Universal needles. I now use 11 with Tera 80, 14 with Tera 60, and 19 with Tera 40. For a long time I used just Tera 60 and a 14 needle for all types of sewing, including hammocks and webbing, without problems. If I'm feeling lazy I use 14 for both Tera 60 and Tera 40. Threading Tera is slightly more difficult than Mara.

[P-Dub]

Be sure to check out Jellyfish's videos -- lots of good information on how to sew these slippery fabrics we use!

[OlTrailDog]

Be sure to check out Jellyfish's videos -- lots of good information on how to sew these slippery fabrics we use!

+1 on Jellyfish's YT videos. I'm in the process of sewing a couple of experimental hammocks and her videos are quite good and useful.