Anyone into Sewing?

Erroll Mwrote:

@Max R—can’t quote for some reason, but desperately need a source on the pattern or whatever pattern you drafted for that hoodie. love the cowl-style neckline of the hood when it’s not in use. lovely!

Hi! It’s a basic raglan sleeve hoody. I used the ‘hugo hoody’ pattern from freesewing.org with custom measurements. The hood however, i patterned myself, and it took many iterations to get right. I basically bought some cheap fleece, and made several protos till i liked it.

Another, likely better option is learnmyog.com He just released a simlar hoody patten.

Matt Zwrote:

Figured I'll give another bump:

35L alpine pack made for a friend. It's first trip was a successful ascent of the Moose's Tooth, so I guess it did alright. VX21 with VX42 in high wear areas; front avalanche tools pocket; ice tool pick pockets; removable padded waist belt with gear loop and ice clipper slot, and option to swap for a removable webbing waist belt or no waist belt; roll-top closure; #10 ykk waterproof full-length side zipper; removable "bivy pad" foam framesheet; all compression straps are girth hitched and removable. Total weight is about 1200g, and fully stripped down weight is about 800g.

Do you have a pattern/design for this? Awesome work!

Matt, awesome pack. I like the feel of xpac a lot, but haven't actually used anything made with it yet. I have patterns ready for three packs made of it, so I'll get to try soon.

I've been getting addicted to sewing packs with a borrowed Sailrite LSZ, but I will lose access to it soon. I have a "regular" machine, but I'm considering buying something I could use for backpacks (heavy fabrics, multiple layers of webbing, etc). Are there any machines that can do this for ~$500 msrp? I could see spending something in that range as a worthwhile investment, but anything like the Sailrite is just more than I could possibly justify for this hobby-within-a-hobby. 

Anyone else in to sewing their own screamers? :)

I’ve been playing around with making my own light belay jacket for fast moving New England ice days and was thinking of using some coreloft or whatever synthetic insulation I can get, but I was wondering- for a jacket only warn when not moving + in bad weather (I have other jackets for when it’s not dumping), is there a reason you wouldn’t wanna use a DCF laminate fabric? Seems like a good way to get waterproof ness with a low weight and pack ability -> abrasion and breath ability are not high concerns. Bonus points if anyone knows how to find a legitimately comparable product to goretex by the yard (different project) :)

Malcolm Hansellwrote:

I’ve been playing around with making my own light belay jacket for fast moving New England ice days and was thinking of using some coreloft or whatever synthetic insulation I can get, but I was wondering- for a jacket only warn when not moving + in bad weather (I have other jackets for when it’s not dumping), is there a reason you wouldn’t wanna use a DCF laminate fabric? Seems like a good way to get waterproof ness with a low weight and pack ability -> abrasion and breath ability are not high concerns. Bonus points if anyone knows how to find a legitimately comparable product to goretex by the yard (different project) :)

For technical fabrics, www.discoveryfabrics.com has probably the best stock of shell and insulation fabrics that I've seen. They've got most of the Polartec options including Neoshell, Powershield Pro, all the fleeces, Alpha Direct, etc.

Choss Wranglerwrote:

Anyone else in to sewing their own screamers? :)

Long ago I sewed my own runners before it was a regular commercial thing. I used some lighter thread at the edge of the joint that broke at a lesser force than the main joint to let me know if a fall was severe.

rock climbing wrote:

Very impressive you survived the falls on your own gear. 

Did you sewed them with a zig zag  stiches or like boxes like tricams? Thread size 92 or 138?

Kids, don't try this at home.

Used the REI directions on how to sew your own. Straight Stitches running parallel to the pull, 10 stitches per inch, 10 rows of stitching, 4" joint, B92 polyester thread, 1" tube web, 400 stitches for a 4000 lb seam. Loop strength around 35 Kn. Used 1950's era Pfaff home machine.

rock climbing wrote:

Did you try it on slinging cams? It is harder to do with a regular machine. 

 I think most cams are sewn with 5 or 6  bartack that are 42 stiches each. So sround 250 stiches in total 

Sure, just a small loop on rigid Friends. made draws, harnesses too. To make runners and gear slings, If you roll the web and sew lengthwise leaving just the joint flat, you get a nice, easily to clip surface similar to cord, but stronger. Had a nice big wall harness I used few a couple of years that looked like the Bod harness but with web to close instead of buckle. Nylon thread proved good too.Stronger for its weight.

Owned a 42 stitch bar tacker, but when testing found each tack held little more than one Kn so needed a longer, more bulky joint than straight stitches.  Modern programable tackers are cool. Make different patterns to take into account the different force vectors on harnesses etc.

Today you can buy sewn soft goods, so sewing your own makes less sense.

Choss, what got you into making screamers? Selling them? Sketchy personal aspirations?
Just curious!

Mr Rogerswrote:

Choss, what got you into making screamers? Selling them? Sketchy personal aspirations?
Just curious!

I just became curious with the idea of sewing my own climbing gear. I enjoy/appreciate the DIY roots of climbing. My mom sews and I got her to show me the basics of using a sewing machine. First, I sewed one inch webbing together using standard sewing thread (the kind you use to sew a button on to a dress shirt) and took 3-4 15-20 ft falls on it with backups in place. Sling held perfectly. Then I started thinking about sewing other things and sewing screamers peaked my interest. Started using nylon upolstery thread, tested a sling I sewed using a 3 ton car jack and once again, the sling held with no busted threads. Then began making and then testing screamers i've made. The toughest part had been finding the balance between too few stitches (doesn't reduce impact forces) and too many stitches (just a heavy quickdraw). I'm either there now or getting close. I also incorporate dyneema slings in to my screamers; Short winded answer is that they add redundancy if the screamer explodes for some crazy reason (idk, it's homemade gear!)

Store bought screamers are around $20 a pop; Realistically, I'm not going to be buying those unless i'm doing a route where I REALLY need a screamer. But with me making screamers at around $2 each, I can use them all the time on trad routes for small pieces of gear. I have no intentions on selling anything I make; It just appeases the DIY climber in me. 

Thats rad. Keep up the stoke and stay safe!

Christina Vidot wrote:

I am looking to buy a used sewing machine to make industrial harnesses and custom made slings etc. Older sewing machine are big and bulky, do you guy know if they make smaller version sewing machine, if so, who sales them used and what is a good brand and $$$. I was reading some of these reviews.

I think you might be a little confused. The machines in that review are sergers, which are ONLY for finishing edges on clothing and light fabrics.

“Industrial harnesses and slings” are made with a dedicated bartack machine, that is 100% big and bulky. Why exactly are you interested in this?

Nothing too complicated, but effective: 

Sunshade for my portaledge I got to break out for the first time today (on Zodiac).  Also helped with the intermittent spray showers of water blowing off the rock from above.  The emoji was added with sharpie to capture the response one has when looking at El Cap   

The corners are tensioned with taut line hitches, a knot I wish I'd learned a long time ago. 

This is my "snack pack". My take on multipitch storage - a cinch top stuff sack with a zippered phone pocket that slides on your chalk bag strap. Plenty of room for snacks, headlamp, tiny jacket, etc. I've packed all my food for full El Cap IAD missions into this thing! Phone pocket has an integrated Nite Itze tether for belayography. The unit easily slides around to the front on the chalkbag strap for easy access "snack mode" while at anchors. Sewn with 420D Robic. I have patterns I could digitize and share if anyone is interested. 

Fuck yea that's dope, do share.

Big Redwrote:

Fuck yea that's dope, do share.

Seconding this.

Brent Barghahnwrote:

This is my "snack pack". My take on multipitch storage - a cinch top stuff sack with a zippered phone pocket that slides on your chalk bag strap. Plenty of room for snacks, headlamp, tiny jacket, etc. I've packed all my food for full El Cap IAD missions into this thing! Phone pocket has an integrated Nite Itze tether for belayography. The unit easily slides around to the front on the chalkbag strap for easy access "snack mode" while at anchors. Sewn with 420D Robic. I have patterns I could digitize and share if anyone is interested. 

Is there an advantage to having the zippered pouch on the belt side rather than facing out?

That keeps your phone against your back / harness, instead of the chimney you are thrashing through.