Anyone into Sewing?

Frame bag for my brother. Excuse his choice of piss beer.

Finally bought a new machine. Sailrite LSZ-1 on the way!!! 

Sometimes you can make stuff a bit lighter, if more crude. A two wrap 1" tube swami and home sewn leg loops can be lighter than the ultralight ski/glacier harnesses.

I made a belt with climbing buckle for a friend for the Haute ski route that served as his belt and swami. Added some leg loops for climbing out of crevasses during the day, holding up his disco pants at night.

Couple before and after photos a pack my sister manage to completely explode before I did a full panel replacement on the bottom:

Some other gems I've worked on:

Frame bag for my bike:


1/2 frame bag for a friend's gravel bike:

Before and after on a friend's jacket. The jacket is beat up enough that he just wanted the major flapper sewn and zipper fixed, and didn't much care for aesthetics after that:

Large DWR Bivy with top entry for easy sitting up and entry/exit used inside a tarp/pyramid. Netting along zipper for breathability. Room for sleeping pad and gear inside.

Wow great thread!  (Pun intended).  Here I was all sassy that I made my first hammock from ripstop (from DIY gear).  It was seconds but worked well for a lightweight hammock for my hike (hopefully) through Tuolumne in July.  Working on an ultralight winter 12 kit from RSBTR.  0.93oz  Silpoly is crazy thin!

Thanks everyone for sharing.  I’m humbled by the talent here.

Fabric and stuff finally came in. I’m gonna be sewing some climbing pants- any of y’all have specific features you recommend? Already planning on having a gusseted crotch, a velcro fly, and a side zip pocket. 

Eric F wrote: Fabric and stuff finally came in. I’m gonna be sewing some climbing pants- any of y’all have specific features you recommend? Already planning on having a gusseted crotch, a velcro fly, and a side zip pocket. 

I like that my stretch zions have a vertical zipper on the side pocket. Makes it easy to get your phone out when you’re at a hanging belay with feet planted on the wall. 

Max R wrote:

I like that my stretch zions have a vertical zipper on the side pocket. Makes it easy to get your phone out when you’re at a hanging belay with feet planted on the wall. 

Ah good point; noted!

Have the zipper so that that slider is down when it's closed. I have a pair of OR pants that has a pocket "zips up", and it tends to unzip itself as I move.  One feature to avoid - any pockets with a flap (so-called "cargo pockets" often seen on "tactical" pants); those tend to snag gear.  Also - depending on the fabric, consider a double seat and knees.

Gunkiemike wrote: Have the zipper so that that slider is down when it's closed. I have a pair of OR pants that has a pocket "zips up", and it tends to unzip itself as I move.  One feature to avoid - any pockets with a flap (so-called "cargo pockets" often seen on "tactical" pants); those tend to snag gear.  Also - depending on the fabric, consider a double seat and knees.

I was thinking the same thing about the zipper because I’ve had that issue as well. Definitely wasn’t planning on “cargo pockets” lol! I agree. The fabric I’m using is a durable stretch weave. It’s all I have right now so I guess I’ll just sew another layer of it onto the butt and knees

Videos on sewing a simple tarp.  Here is part 1.

has anyone played with TPU fabric and heat welding/sealing by chance? If so, what was your experience?

thanks,
JCS

Eric F wrote: Fabric and stuff finally came in. I’m gonna be sewing some climbing pants- any of y’all have specific features you recommend? Already planning on having a gusseted crotch, a velcro fly, and a side zip pocket. 

I love my climbing pants that have a little cinch bungee at the ankles. Can use it to hold the pants up under my knee if it’s hot or cinch them up at my ankles to stop an updraft. Also helps you see your feet

edit: photo. The grommets are awesome too if your pants are soft shell. Run some bungee through those guys and negate gaiters (I didn’t make these, just love them)

It’s been 30+ years since I sat at a machine and now I remember how bad I am at keeping the stitches from wandering. Depending on what you’re sewing, the little guide lines may not be enough for your seam. I find painters tape works well

What, those packs are rad!

A little bumpy bump here.

Finally ponied up and made a proper pack. Pattern is called the mountain flyer from Bagbuff.com. Added a few mods, like the removable back/sit pad from an old thermarest. It’s around 35L.

all of this stuff is amazing, you guys have some serious talent! I wanna make a cover for my Metolius Session II pad because I'll probably have to strap it to my roof rack. What would be the best material that'd hold up to highway speeds and bad weather?

TaylorP wrote: all of this stuff is amazing, you guys have some serious talent! I wanna make a cover for my Metolius Session II pad because I'll probably have to strap it to my roof rack. What would be the best material that'd hold up to highway speeds and bad weather?

Cheapest waterproof stuff you can get your hands on. Tarp or tyvec would work fine. If you wanted to get fancier, Xpac is super durable and waterproof, but a bit pricey. 1000D cordura is a bit cheaper.

I'd go with a blue "poly tarp" and some sort of overlapping closure flap. But given the nature of that material and the requisite seams, I wouldn't expect it to be totally leakproof at 70 MPH. So I'd add a non-woven, non-sewn plastic inner cover. I'm thinking go to a mattress store and ask nicely if you could have one of the huge plastic bags that new mattresses come wrapped in.

Great, thanks for the info! I'll post a shot here once I finish it up