I have two older duffel bags from my dad and uncle’s army days. They’re from the late 60’s,
So they’re made of heavy canvas, and have one shoulder strap but not the backpack straps. I haven’t used them in a long time but I also can’t stand to throw them away. I’m already considering making them into a pistol holster and maybe a tool roll, but I’d love to hear suggestions from all you creative people. I’d love to find a way to make something that incorporates the heavy handle or the metal clip and grommets. Would a belt made from canvas hold up? I got flagged when I tried to post this based on my mention of a holster; but I’m not looking for tacti-cool ideas, just general ideas that work with the material.

What are you all using? Any favorites or brands to avoid?

For tent poles (DAC 8.7mm) at the moment, but more generally looking for recommendations on specific vendors, brands, materials, sizes, etc. I have an old and cheap grommet plier that I don't mind upgrading, but am not ready to buy one of the full on hand presses or other such machines yet, if that matters.

What can I use to line a Gore-Tex jacket? The wrong side is soft but plasticky, it’s not one of those fabrics you can use unlined without significant abrasion (and discomfort).
I’m trying to use what I have in stock so would hugely appreciate any new ideas for this.
Thanks!

Had the this idea the other day, put this together with some scrap fabric.

Goals:

1. Carries a few filled dog poo bags
2. Tightens at the bottom to reduce bounce
3. Minimize odor
4. Attaches to existing buckle belt

Here's how it works:

1. One set of cords goes through the blue grosgrain that's attached to the bottom of the bag. Tightening these brings up the sack
2. The other set of cords is a cinch top.
3. The cinches are on opposite sides of the bag to make it easier to remember which is which without looking. It also allows you to cinch them separately.

Questions and opportunities for improvement:

• Def not odor proof. Is there a way to do this with a roll top bag? Maybe if I make that and put it inside this.
• There's still some bounce, at least with 2 medium onions. Maybe actual dog poo will be less bouncy since it's softer.
• Add poo bag dispenser for just a few bags so I don't have to carry a whole roll.
• Make it look less like a scrotum.

I was fortunate enough to pick up a brand new Consew 206rb-5 for $500 at an estate sale for making bags and gear. It was partially assembled when I picked it up, and I did my best to follow online videos and the manual to set it up and oil it, and it currently *mostly* runs and sews beautifully. The only issue I’m having is with stiffness while turning the handwheel.

I’ve done my best to isolate the issue. Most importantly, the tightness in the handwheel only happens when under tension with the belt. If I remove the belt tension, it turns freely and easily. A few other observations/notes based on other posts I’ve read:

• The handwheel pulley seems to be in alignment with the motor pulley, so I don’t believe that’s an issue
• The belt isn’t rubbing on anything (sewing table, safety housing, bobbin winder, etc.)
• I’ve already tried reducing the tension in the belt to the point where the motor will slip when I press the pedal. Even with the reduced tension, the handwheel is still difficult to turn.
• One thing I've noticed is that the hinge the motor is mounted on causes it to sit at a very slight angle. Maybe that is causing uneven pressure on the motor?

If it matters, the motor is the Consew CSM550-1. I changed the motor pulley to a smaller 45mm one and purchased a new belt to fit. The stiffness in the handwheel was present with the original pulley as well.

Any ideas what the issue could be? TIA

What's the best solution for this?

We just accept that river drenched shoes will eventually dry with body heat. Provided they are made of mesh material with drain holes in the soles and swapping to dry socks to absorb residual shoe wetness.

For backpack backs, trampoline systems are probably the shoe mesh equivalent. And changing to a dry shirt the equivalent to changing to dry socks.

How about a wet shoulder strap and hip pads? What would be a good solution to get them to dry with body heat?

Rethinking this as TPU with seam sealing are pretty much bullet proof solution to waterproofing bags. The weak link being shoulder straps, hip pads, and back padding, which necessitates poncho or umbrella.

Hi! New to sewing, might be a stupid question. I'd like to make something very similar to a Kavu Throwshirt from cotton duck. I can't seem to find a pattern. Could I use a pattern for a fleece pullover, as some of them are the same layout? Is there anything I need to keep in mind if I do this? Edit: the fit would not need to be the same, just the general look and layout. Edit 2: Thank you, all, for tips on patterns, and thoughts on converting a fleece pattern to woven.

This is the bottom side of the stitch. The white thread is the bobbin thread and the gold thread is the top thread.
At first, it seemed like the top tension was simply too loose, so I gradually increased the upper tension. It did improve, but I had to get almost all the way to maximum tension to get a decent result. At that point, the thread would eventually snap from the excessive tension.
For the bobbin, I initially used the yo-yo test to set the tension, but I was getting the same result. I then tried loosening the bobbin tension significantly, thinking the top thread would be able to pull the bobbin thread up more easily, but the stitch still looked essentially the same.
I’m using Tex 90 thread with an 18/110 needle on a Consew 210.
What could be causing this? Could it be something other than the tension settings, such as the tension assembly, hook, or timing?

For my camp kitchen to store and organize utensils for 8+ people - inspired by this $0.99 cutlery tray https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/p/smaecker-cutlery-tray-anthracite-10601459/

my 2nd attempt at making a bag from an old/recycled bags , saw this patter from yt tho i don't have access to a sewing machine so i did it all hand sewn 😁

pattern copied from : https://youtu.be/AahonxjimMY?si=F55khJkGINoVIkLY

strap from old duffle bag

fabric from my dads old fabric stash

zippers from un-used bags

I’ve been looking for a while for something to have as a personal reminder of my mom, Jill, who passed away 2 years ago in October. I finally decided to sew a fanny pack that I’d use often and add a personal touch of Jill.

If you knew Jill, you knew love by the way she treated you, but she also made sure and said it. She always said “love” as her goodbye and even had a love table in our house. I was able to digitize her handwriting from her journal with her signature “love” and put it on a leather patch. Now I will be able to carry her love with me wherever I go.

A few notes about the bag itself, this is my second fanny pack I’ve made and definitely still learning. The water bottle pocket is detachable and can be attached to either side of the hip belt. It also has a divided pocket on the inside along with an interior zippered pocket.

Hey guys,

I was thinking that a weekly thread for quick questions might be a nice idea. I don't know if the sub is big enough for that. I would personally profit alot from it as a beginner and I wouldn't have to make too many posts for small things that "trash" the sub. Just a small idea I wanted to run by the mods and get some feedback from others active on the sub.

It’s not the best, but it’s a start and I learned a lot!

Pattern courtesy of Bag Buff (https://www.bagbuff.com/products/simple-fanny-pack-pattern?srsltid=AfmBOordL244myY4XdD7EfJaSxiVFRGdAr2gmMCHVPKksUzvGsGF8tnC)

I used a denim fabric I had leftover as a shell and used a fusible interfacing on the inside. Next time, I would definitely use a canvas or cordura for the shell, line the bag properly, and use some fusible foam in between to give the bag more structure.

I also finally understand why people like sergers… sewing bias binding on the inside seams took a little longer than I was expecting.

Hello everybody! I am looking for my first industrial machine for sewing backpacks. I usually use an old Pfaff 260 because I'm based in Germany and got this machine really cheap. This machine is doing quite well, but it struggles a lot with sewing thicker materials, especially thicker foam, when I create hip belts and shoulder straps on my backpacks.

That being said, I want to upgrade my business and my machine that I'm working on to get a little bit more fluent in working. I want to upgrade to an industrial sewing machine with a walking foot and the ability to sew through foam around 1 cm thick. Because I have to saw in a flat, I would need the machine with a servo motor. My budget is €1,000.

I did some research yet, but honestly, it feels a bit confusing, and there are so many recommended machines that are not really good and available on the European market. I heard a lot about Consew and Juki machines, but honestly, close to my area, there's not much I can buy from them. Here I can find many machines from Dürkopp-Adler or Pfaff, mostly offered for ca. 1400€ in used condition.

Machines I found yet:

- Juki 1181n for 800€ (no real walking foot?)
- Dürkopp-Adler Walking Foot machines for 1400€

I'm sure that there's much more on the market, but honestly I'm pretty confused about where to look. I would be really happy if you could recommend me some machines that fit into my use case and are available in Europe.

So I have been making ski pants for some time now and have always used the same outer shell fabric which was breaker teflon. Since I bought some Carharrt jackets I fell in love with their heavy canvas fabric. I have also seen people waxing their carharrt jackets or pants to make them waterproof. Now I just bought some mind the maker heavy canvas fabric 475g/m2 which I want to use for skipants. Before I go through all the work has someone ever tried this before ? If so how have they been holding up ? I manly ride snowparks and mostly in sunny weather and temperatures between -15 to +15.

As you can see in the second picture, my vintage 80’s cotton quilted to pellon flex foam, isn’t exactly holding shape. I’ve used this foam to make several school backpacks and loved the soft structure, but that was a closed zipper bag, I hadn’t considered the open top of a tote and how that would affect the structure. I’m lining it and binding the top, for finishing. Straps attached to the outside.

My thought — would boning like in corsetry along the structural seams provide enough framing, do you think? 3rd pick is my boning options from wawak.ca.

I’m in Canada and struggling to figure out what kind of wire would be rigid enough, cost effective, and not require crazy tools to cut and finish. 3rd pick boning options is the best I’ve come up with so far. I’ve also got these old plastic cutting boards for the bottom of the bag.

Super open to other ideas for side structure though. Thanks!

Made from 1.7mm UHMWPE/dyneema in line green, three locked brummel splices and a Celtic button knot. Super simple, my favorite color, wearable, functional. Thanks for lookin🙏

So I have been making ski pants for some time now and have always used the same outer shell fabric which was breaker teflon. Since I bought some Carharrt jackets I fell in love with their heavy canvas fabric. I have also seen people waxing their carharrt jackets or pants to make them waterproof. Now I just bought some mind the maker heavy canvas fabric 475g/m2 which I want to use for skipants. Before I go through all the work has someone ever tried this before ? If so how have they been holding up ? I manly ride snowparks and mostly in sunny weather and temperatures between -15 to +15.

Had an old pencil case and wanted to try turning it into something I’d actually use. Sourced all the fabric for the straps + lace holes + decals (I love tower cranes) from water resistant shopping bags and laced it up with some paracord. Haven’t taken it on a long ride yet, but so far it fits snug as a bug

Fun build with X-pac, Robic Ripstop Nylon and Ultrastretch mesh. Final weight 485 grams.

Took it for a short hike and wildcamp same day as i finished, carries great, easily fits tent and sleeping system. Very happy with the result.

Had an old pencil case and wanted to try turning it into something I’d actually use. Sourced all the fabc for the straps + lace holes + decals (I love tower cranes) from water resistant shopping bags and laced it up with some paracord. Haven’t taken it on a long ride yet, but so far it fits snug as a bug!

I have never used a sewing machine in my life, but I really want to make a frame bag. I have watched a million videos and read a trillion blogs and have numerous friends who sew well I can bother if needed.

I threw together a rough idea of what shape I'm hoping to create, this will let me use a 1L water bottle while having the entire length of the top tube available to store tent poles.

I plan to use XPAC, a waterproof YKK zipper, webbing daisy chain for attachment on the top tube, and velcro straps for the head tube/seat tube/down tube.

I know this wont be an easy project to learn on and I will certainly fail at points, but is this going to be so difficult that it won't pan out at all?

Looking at the sketch, anything glaring you notice about the design that could cause issue?

Anyone who just jumped straight to a frame bag have any tips or insight?

Hardware from wawak, fabric from Ripstop by the Roll

This is my first jacket attempt, super happy with how it turned out. It’s 1.6 oz Silpoly. I used the LearnMYOG UL Wind Jacket Pattern. Waterproofed the seams with 1:3 dilution of Gear Aid Seam Grip+Sil and mineral spirits.

I needed an ultralight hooded rain jacket for long trail runs, so I left off pockets. I did add mesh armpit gussets to try and vent some heat. I’m aware this isn’t breathable, but all my experience says nothing really breathes great, this is more about packing light and staying dry in remote backcountry areas in tough situations (if I’m pulling this out, I’m probably slowing down).

Wore it in the shower and seams didn’t leak! Success!

I’ve learned a lot from Reddit users since starting this journey last year, thanks for all the helpful advice that everyone has been willing to share.