What should I make with a heavy sewing machine?

FoxholeAtheist

FoxholeAtheist

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Apr 7, 2003
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Hiya guys.

So, I just bought a heavy duty sewing machine, with the eventual goal of making sails for my (as yet hypothetical) sailboat. In the meantime, I have a heavy sewing machine that will do straight and zig-zag stitches. (It's a Sailrite LSZ-1, if you wanna look it up.)

The question is... what kind of outdoorsy stuff should I try to make with this thing? I have some unbleached canvas already, but no cordura or anything...

Any suggestions? Anything someone thinks would be neat to see?

Thanks!
 
I like a good canvas shoulder bag for day hikes. Quiet, stays put on my shoulder, and just plain rugged.
 
Wow! Wonder if you can sew leather with that thing?

A tepee might be a bit big for a first project, but I'd have it on my list.

Have fun and productive times! Very cool.
 
Does the name, 'FApedition' give you any ideas? :D

Good score, I've wanted one for a long time, and I would definitely make my own packs, bags, etc.

Doc
 
ah man.. that is a great score... i have wanted one of those for a long time now..:thumbup: i would be making all sorts of gear and leather goods...
 
Make a bunch of calfskin slips for folders and send them to all your budz on the forum...free of charge....I'll send you my address later:thumbup:
 
Old fashioned "Lean-to" canvasses out of sail cloth might be good practice for you to gain skills for sail making, and might get you a few bucks on the side as well. Look up various patterns online.
 
If I had a machine like that I'd definitely make some shoulder bags, panniers for my bicycle, a nice canvas tarp with grommets and loops for a base-camp type shelter and the idea of mukluks is a great idea.

I've always wanted a set of buckskins and with the amount of deer hit by cars on my commute to work, I'm sure I could have the materials with very little looking. That might be a cool project.
 
i would probably make a sturdy canvas and leather rucksack for a third of the price of a Duluth bag!

cool sounding machine, would definitely be fun to play around with.
 
Okay, some neat ideas. As I have zero (0) prior sewing experience, I think I'll start out with something pretty easy. The idea of canvas tarp tents and lean-tos sounds a heck of a lot easier than a backpack, so I'm thinking I might do one of those. Turns out that the local "Fabricland" store has a 50% off sale going on, and I can get 72" wide natural canvas for $7 a meter.

On the other hand, why start big? Here's what I think I might do... I have some canvas already, and found this neat pattern:

http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/huntersleanto/index.html

What I'm thinking is that I might cut down that pattern by 50% and make a dog shelter as a test run. Fabric won't be that costly, and I already have some heavy duty polyester thread that would be sun resistant. And if the seams aren't all that straight, I doubt the dog would care. :D

If it turns out all right, I could then go snag some material from Fabricland and try a big one. Material cost should be reasonable, as it's pretty basic canvas.

Thanks!

PS Yes, it will sew softer leathers, with the right needles. (Normal needles have a round profile to push woven fabric threads aside. Leather needles have actual little cutting edges in order to cut through the leather.)
 
If you want to start super simple, make a couple drop loops for your fixed blade sheaths. Just take a length of inch or inch and half cordura, fold the ends up so you have a "U", stitch the ends so they stay, and toss some belt loops on both sides. Great for dropping your sheaths down 6 inches or so. They sell for like $15 or more online, and it's probably a dollar's worth of material.
 
akennedy73 said:
whelen tent out of egyptian cotton

http://www.tentsmiths.com/egyptian-cotton-whelen.html
Click to expand...


What he said. :)

straight seams, no rigorous quality control inspectors around. Might try with coated nylon if not too expensive.

Ditty bag...I use them as game bags, possibles bags, ramble bags...over the shoulder and across the chest.

Check the manual or with mfr, but if it can sew sailcloth, it should easily sew light leather for sheathes, just get the right needles.

Try layering cloth to prepare yourself for the sails' sewing.

Neat ambition.

Good luck.
 
Oh, I got something you could make that I bet a couple guys on this forum would buy off ya. That's assuming you can work with silnylon :)

It's called a "Black Biship Bag". It's essentially a stuff sack for us Hammock users. Basically, it's a silnylon bag with a hole in one end that a draw cord goes through. You run the other end of the draw cord to the far end of your hammock. So when the hammock is up, it just hangs at the toe end. Then when you want to put the hammock away, you grab the end that's sticking through the hole and start pulling. It very quickly cinches the whole thing down into the bag.

Actually, there's all kinds of DIY hammock stuff you could make. Under quilts, top quilts, snakeskins, etc...

Dunno about the heavy duty machine and silnylon. Silnylon may be too delicate of a material.
 
Great snag! I've been looking for one like that and a serger also. I would try some butt packs, backpacks, and sheaths.
 
To really get some confidence rolling before taking on a complicated tent design, supposing you go that route sometime, it would be a good idea to do a mock up from old bed sheets. That would be easy to take back to your pattern and make any adjustments you want. When you're done with it you could always dye it some mad colours and give it to children for a garden thing.
 
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