Homemade Gear/Sewing/Thread-Injecting Thread

[draco_1967]

I know there are some seamsters here, so lets share the gear that you've made and the equipment you use to make it!

I have been thread-injecting for a couple of years now, and I still suck. Here is some of the recent gear I've made. I started with an old White domestic machine, then bought a Janome HD3000 last year. I really want to get a walking-foot machine, so I'm hunting for a good buy.

Dirt Ninja crash bar bags

Hand muffs

Hydration Pack

Seat covers

Misc. pouches

Some of the MYOG YouTube channels I have learned tons from:
thejasonofalltrades
Adventure Gear Projects
BagBuff
Jellyfish
Alexander Dyer

Most of my materials have come from Ripstop by the Roll (tons of fabrics, hardware, etc.), Sailrite (upholstery vinyl), and Amazon (small hardware and things)

Show us what you've made!

 

[phreakingeek]

Well done!

I've done a little fabric/thread mangling over the years and like all the stuff you made. My skills are pretty rudimentary and found that I was way under powered with my home machine trying to sew a couple layers of cordura and webbing straps. Looked for a walking foot and gave up after the sticker shock. Still want to return to it one day, but still like watching how-to videos so I'll be ready when I get back to it.

 

[woods]

My wife does a lot of this stuff. she's got entire rooms dedicated to it along with a 12' long arm machine.

As for myself, I peak out at tying my boots.

 

[EGR]

Great looking work.
I came up in a time and place where every house had a machine. Lived by them.

About 25 years ago I bought an Ultrafeed from Sailrite. It has been way more useful than I expected and has only needed clean and lube. Normally Only does heavy stuff but with correct needle will do light just fine.

Recents. Storage bag for my 3 pound bike stand-up jack. (79yo. Too many screws in vertebra already😎

Repurposed spotting scope case. Thigh bag with drop straps for right leg.

 

[MVI]

Some really cool gear here, well done.

Found this vid on the design process

 

[skibum69]

I bought this Singer 2nd hand. I was surprised it will even sew leather.

My water bag was a pain in the ass to carry no the bike, doable but not pretty. So I decided to make a bag for it.

Matches my KTM's

The daisy chains were spaced to put the gas bag on top.

Works pretty well now.

I sew patches on things

Other than that most of my sewing has been curtains.

 

[FLrider]

Some crafty people here! I'm ok with needle and thread for putting buttons back but that is about it for me....We used to have a hand cranked Singer but that was eons ago.
That Sailrite is one of the most coveted items in the sailing community.... Great machine by all accounts .

 

[Alan F.]

I've got an order placed with my girlfriend for a CE armored & zipper vented jacket that looks like (but isn't a functional) straight jacket. Wouldn't that look great riding down the highway? White canvas with brown leather accents, brass zippers & buckles, straps flailing in the wind? I dig messing with people. Maybe I'll get it this decade....

 

[skibum69]

I need to sew buttons on a couple of ball caps today for wearing a mask. Monday is going to be a very long day on planes and in airports.

 

[Punkinhead]

My wife taught me to use her sewing machine yesterday because I wanted to modify some sheets and blankets to better fit the oddball size of our RV beds. I have a full woodworking shop and a metalworking shop with mill, lathe, etc, and her sewing machine is more complicated and takes more skill than any tool I have. The stuff I did came out OK, but is there a trick or fence for sewing a long straight line or is it just a skill you have to develop over time?

 

[ZoomerP]

My wife taught me to use her sewing machine yesterday because I wanted to modify some sheets and blankets to better fit the oddball size of our RV beds. I have a full woodworking shop and a metalworking shop with mill, lathe, etc, and her sewing machine is more complicated and takes more skill than any tool I have. The stuff I did came out OK, but is there a trick or fence for sewing a long straight line or is it just a skill you have to develop over time?

Did you mark the seams with chalk?

 

[gpounce]

Made a couple of these with old 60's Singer and a serger- this was 1st to get the hang of the serger, the 2nd one made better- fabric sample packs from Joanne fabrics (a chain around here) make for interesting patterns but are of a convenient size. Super handy to keep the long allen keys from going haywire in the toolbox- even on rails they tend to get all into everything else. Otherwise I've used the sewing machie to repair a few garments, replaced velcro on my textile pants.

 

[Punkinhead]

Did you mark the seams with chalk?

No. I was trying to do the cut edge so I first did a zigzag stitch then went over the "points" of the zigzag with a straight stitch. In the woodworking and metalworking worlds there's very little freehand - there's always some kind of fence or guide and the material is rigid. The sewing machine has no guide and the material is floppy with piles of excess material adding drag. I guess it's one of the hand/eye coordination things I need to develop.

We're heading out to camp tomorrow but when we get back I'm going to try tackling a sofa cushion cover with a long zipper.

 

[EuroMoto]

On occasion I need to repair some leather stuff and have done it by hand stitching. I haven't bought one of these because it will likely just get covered in dust. They seem to be popular though.

 

[ZoomerP]

No. I was trying to do the cut edge so I first did a zigzag stitch then went over the "points" of the zigzag with a straight stitch. In the woodworking and metalworking worlds there's very little freehand - there's always some kind of fence or guide and the material is rigid. The sewing machine has no guide and the material is floppy with piles of excess material adding drag. I guess it's one of the hand/eye coordination things I need to develop.

We're heading out to camp tomorrow but when we get back I'm going to try tackling a sofa cushion cover with a long zipper.

I'm not aware of a fence or similar guide for sewing. For seams, lay it out with chalk & a straight edge, and run the machine slow, like snapping a line and cutting sheet goods with a circular saw. I guess you could do the same if you think it'd help keep you on track with a zipper.

I'm not a tailor. There's probably a few good YouTube series on getting started with a machine.

 

[matty]

We have three sewing machines here an Electric heavy duty ALPHA ( my mothers old machine) and Two Jones machines, A black hand cranked CS and a electric i was given minus the motor converted for hand crank that had been used by an ald guy years like that doing clothing alterations standing on a market stall in Edinburgh in the 70s.
I made a Tank top bag from Ford escort seat belt webbing and Lorry cargo canvas waterproofed with barbour wax, i had it years took that tank bag to New Zealand when i moved there in the 80s.
I only use the Sewing machines now to do repairs on clothes and jackets etc, i used the old hand cranked black jones to replace the zip on my rivers west eider waterfowling coat, the stock zips are not that durable can and do fail mine failed , i replaced it with an old KKK brass toothed one i unpicked off a work coat years ago was exactly the right length for the rivers west.
Should do more Bag work get my mothers old Alpha sparked up again , would be good and something i have not done in years but enjoyed.

 

[draco_1967]

I finally found a good walking foot machine. Probably overkill for what I need, but the price was excellent, and the machine was like new. Nakajima DBU-180L-2.

I plan on getting a servo motor for it, as it's tough starting off slow on the clutch motor. I have a couple more seats I want to do, as well as some heavier duty bag repairs that the Janome HD3000 can't quite handle.

It is amazing the weight difference between one of these kind of machines and a little Sailrite or similar portable walking foot!

 

[draco_1967]

I've also been making a lot of gear over the last few months.

12' hammock (Dutchware Halfwit clone) in HyperD 1.6

12' hammock in Dutchware Cloud 1.0

Roll-top bags in Ultra 400

Tank bag in Ultra 200

Heat barrier from 100D Cordura with silicone/fiberglass liner

 

[Punkinhead]

I made an epoxy table for our RV and sewed a fitted cover to protect it while not in use.

After sanding to 3000 grit then polishing with a buffer and liquid polish:

I rummaged through my wife's stash of fabric and found some dark blue fleece: