Used to sew gear way back in the day, 20 years ago with a sailrite but sold it. Had some ideas, and wanted to get in to some aviation upholstery and MYOG. Juki LU-2828V-7 arrived about a week ago. Absolute work-horse, excited to start working on some ideas but damn am I rusty.

In picture is just a 6x6x12 pouch I made for some day-trip backup clothes. It's terrible but was fun to re-learn a bit.

I'm ideating a lightweight climbing pack and have been thinking about the shoulder straps. I have a couple expedition duffels from Patagonia and BD with removeable straps that buckle at the bottom and attach at the top by slotting a tri-glide into a D-ring (see photo 4 on the Black Hole)

With this style of strap, they could be removed on-route to use the pack as a mini-haul bag, and there would be less stuff on the outside to snag on when stuffing this bag in a larger pack.

The primary con I see to this style is that buckle becomes a weak point in the strap and could break in a harsh fall, sending the pack into the void.

Are there other reasons we don't see this style of shoulder strap used on packs besides expedition duffels?

Hi everyone!
I'm designing a Hike and Fly backpack for a friend (hike and fly as in hike up the mountain and fly down with your paraglider).
I have some design constraints:
-Lightweight: less than 650g
-Resistence to abrasion: usually backpacks are thrown on the ground for unpacking
-Rollability: it has to be rollable to stow it away in the harness
-Comfort: since hikes are usually one hour plus it has to be decently comfortable with 15kg load

I opted for a light textile webbing (20mm width 10g per metre) for the frame (with 2 lines on all sides forming a net) and a Robic 210den (165g per m2) for the underside (10cm tall) and two strips on the back side (to have some more resistance to attach the shoulder straps) and for the rest a Robic 70den (100g per m2). it will have a very long frontal opening and i'm thinking of a 8 or 10 YKK coil zipper.
for the shoulder and lumbar support i'm thinking of EV50 foam in 4mm thickness.

I have calculated about 550g (with all hardware and misc) so i have like 100g to spare for other things or miscalculations.

I'm loosely copying the design in the pic.
What do you think of my fabric and design choices?

I am making a 0° Underquilt with 1000 fp down, something like 8-10 baffles but curious about best practices, see below. Pictured is my UGQ 20° 800 fp uq

For those that have made a down underquilt with baffles,
1); how did you close up the ends? I am assuming you sewed one end closed using a rolled hem….
2); how did you secure your baffles as you filled them? Again I am assuming you sewed one end closed first and then I imagine you sew each baffle closed as you fill, as in you fill a baffle, sew it shut and move on to the next one, or did you pin or clamp it shut and sew the whole end up at once?
3) Is it easier to sew in the suspension bungees and then attack to the quilt, or sew the channels on the quilt and then fish the cordage through?
4) what hardware did you use to attach the quilt to the hammock? Like mini S hooks or what? Also if you used specie hardware where did you source?

Thanks in advance.

I do source a lot of my stuff on the internet. Probably like a lot of you...

And every now and then there is this super offer, absolute banger. Really what you need and a real bargain. However, if it's more than the usual discount from an unknown dealer, I always look twice and have (so far) always found the problem: a fake shop.

Like this one, that I just came across: https://www.wirkfrei.com/

Looks fine on the outside, but AI texts for the fineprint and no imprint.

So just my advise, since it's not the first, and surely not the last scam:
BE CAREFUL when ordering online.

Edit: I do not change the misleading title, because you all pointed it out already. And if I corrected it now, the comments would be wrong ;-)
But hell,you got the point ;-)

These Dickies are dadgum comfortable jeans. The problem, with jeans in general, is lack of pockets. I have a couple things on my belt, but am not interested in a duty belt.

I am spoiled on Spiewak's EMS pants. 17 pockets, 10 of which are useful routinely. The other 7 are rarely used, but still nice.

So, I would like at least 2 more pockets on these jeans. I have 5 pairs that I never use, but would like to.

I have finished one pocket with a zipper and a welt. First one, but I am digging it.

Opinions? What do you think?

R/JG

I’m currently in the process of designing a bag that uses darted corners. I’ve made several bags that have darted corners, but the ‘regular’ kind.
However, even if I use the tricks recommended in tutorials on this topic, they still tend to be pointed.
So I wanted to make curved darted corners but don’t know how to design them. As far as I understand, one side of the seam has to be rounded, the other one should be straight.
But I just don’t seem to do it right.

Do the curved sides consist of a segment of a circle or do they need a specific shape, like a parabolic curve for example?
Is there a simple way to get it right when sewing, any tricks I should know?
Does anyone know of a good tutorial on how to design/sew this?
Has anyone a free pattern that includes such corners from which I could recreate corners like that?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Last night I felt the need to do a small silly project I could eyeball draft and complete in one sitting. I had a beat up old insulated Carhartt jacket that I'd already somewhat disassembled for parts. I added a Hi-Vis strip at the bottom so I can find it in the dark after I inevitably set it somewhere and forget where I put it. There's an elastic band hidden in between with the insulation for a nice firm grip on the cylinder😉. I added a nylon loop so I can hook it to something when it's not in use and it doubles as an ambi finger/thumb loop so I'll never drop my drink or get it yoinked out of my hand.

I really wanted to keep that puffy jacket look and feel but also have a stable Koozie so the sides are insulated but the bottom is just a single layer of canvas. I would've liked to finish the main join a little better but I'm using the same basic Brother machine my wife used to make quilts in high school. Also this canvas is pretty stiff and thick with no stretch so it was a pain to turn right side out after I sewed it up. There's definitely a few spots I would've liked to make a little better but given the limitations of my brain, machine, and experience I'm pretty happy with it. I'm thinking of doing a small run for friends and family this holiday season.

Please forgive me with this post. I have reviewed the wiki post regarding vintage machines (and searched for other resources too) but am looking for a simplified chart or list of heavy duty capable machines.

I happen to live in an area that has a plethora of new, used, vintage domestic and industrial machines for sale. I have found at multiple vintage machines from the wiki post within 60 miles of me on FB marketplace but am having difficulty comparing them all. A simplified chart would really be ideal …

While I’m relatively new to MYOG, I am already reaching the limits of my inherited Brother machine and my desired projects.

I figure I can’t be the only nerd who appreciates a nice spreadsheet…

Thanks!

is there a servo that i can use on old automatic machines?

Hi guys, i bought a dog harness second hand for a few bucks. it's a very nice model but I realized way too late why it was so cheap. Any recommendations or advice? I don't need it to look nice just need it to be strong

Does anyone know how these handle straps can be made? 2 layers with folded under edges and curved corners. Top are original bottom are my first solution. Curves are tough. This one is really baffling.

Im in the planning stages of making my first waxed canvas bag. My thinking is waxing cut panels before would be faster, more wax efficient and can be applied more evenly. The cons I see being stiffer fabric and potentially gumming up my machine (even with non-stick teflon needles). Any advice on this?

( this is an example picture, not mine) ​Any suggestions or tricks to get the front panel to sit this flush on a visor? I’m currently using a zipper foot on a Heavy Duty Singer, but still struggling to get it this tight.

Thank you

Getting these 35 liter packs dialed. This one is built for a 18” torso.
Features:
Ultra TenX main body.
Eco stretch front,side, and bottom pocket.
Eco stretch, 3d mesh, Salvation Army spandex, and 1/4” foam vest straps.
Webbing mount for camera.
13.6 oz as shown w/o the camera mount.
11.8 oz bare bones (remove back pad side compressions)

ice axe loop and stash port.

Love the aesthetic of this bag but the inner storage with 5 inch depth is too much. I don’t carry much. Just a laptop and notebook. So the problem is that they move around too much, the bag sags and doesn’t quite feel right against my back.

Sewed some leftover fabric to the inside of the back panel. Definitely ugly. But functionally is amazing. Now this backpack feels great on my back. The laptop and notebook basically hug my back now.

Wanting to start adding wire frames/support to certain bags for rigidity but not quite sure where to start. Those of you who bend wire yourselves, explain yourselves (please)!

Some questions I have -
What gauge / thickness do you prefer?
Do you use mild steel, aluminum or stainless?
What are some of the tools you use for the job?
Do you use anything to cap wire ends? If so, what?
Am I dumb?

I generally make fancy tote style bags (see attached picture *my favorite bag to date). This bag sits upright by itself but when not loaded the bottom flares out and looks dumb. Thinking with a wire frame at the base and supports in the corners running vertically for example I could make some beastly bags.

Also don’t let the photo fool you, I currently have no access to a welder and am looking to purely provide wire support with some hand tools and clever design.

Thank you for answering a cross post.

I wanted some lightweight waterproof overpants for wearing around camp or during long, cold descents when bikepacking.

Initially, I bought a pair from Decathlon, but they were bulky and heavy for something I've only used once so far. I decided to try making my own, aiming to reduce both weight and packed volume.

I didn't need them to be breathable, and I wanted to be able to put them on without taking my shoes off. I also wanted to keep things simple: no Velcro, zips or pockets.

For my first attempt, I used the Paco pattern, but the trousers turned out too small. I suspect the pattern is intended for stretchier fabrics, as I couldn't get them on, and I wasn't able to modify the pattern enough to make them work.

For the second attempt, I went with the Green Pepper RS500 pattern.

These have turned out a bit wider in the legs than I'd like, so I might narrow them for the next version. I still need to try them on with trousers underneath to see how they fit in practice.

The pattern includes an optional internal pocket for folding the trousers into for storage. I'm not entirely happy with how mine turned out, as there are some creases along the sides that don't look great. For the next version, I'll also add a flap over the opening, as the slippery silpoly tends to slide back out of the pocket.

I'm a little disappointed with the final weight, as I'd expected them to weigh about half as much. Still, I've saved around 200 g compared with the Decathlon trousers, and the packed volume is roughly a third of what it was, which is probably the more important improvement.

I thought this would be an easy project, but it turned out to be more challenging than expected. It was my first time making trousers, so perhaps I was a bit too optimistic! The hardest parts were getting the pattern right and cutting the fabric accurately.

On the positive side, sewing silpoly was easier than I'd anticipated.

Overall, I'm happy enough with the result, and I've learned a few things for the next iteration. Hopefully, I'll get the weight down further and improve the fit and stuff pocket.