Anyone sewing canvas?

[JA03]

I’ve been kicking around the idea of getting into sewing and more specifically putting together a canvas tent set up. I have a pretty good mentor if I do decide to pull the trigger however I think that person has made more traditional sewing items(bags, pillows ect). Anyhow I was looking for some input if anyone has taken on a canvas tent project? What material, thread ect?

Thanks

 

[nodakian]

I assume you already know this, but a home sewing machine won't do the job on canvas. You'll need a Juki, Sailrite, or similar industrial machine for power and to handle larger thread. The pro canvas folks may even use upholstery machines, although I'm guessing there. As with trucks, snowmobiles, and chainsaws, you probably won't wish for less power.

Also, you will want a flat bed. The larger the project, the larger the bed. The little one on standard machines with a few inches front, back, and left of the arm is very annoying for large projects with stiff material.

Someone else will need to guide you on materials.

 

[JA03]

Awesome. Thank you

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Do any Amish live around you ? You could possibly learn a few tricks for them or have them do ya up some canvas products.

Unsure of investment to get started yourself, but that way, you’d find out if you really want to get into it

My .02


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hackleback]

For a sewing machine, a Pfaff 140 is the “ Gold Standard” for heavy duty home machines.

 

[JA03]

Tons of Amish around. Great idea.

 

[Kleos]

I think if you only want to sew this one project and you're not interested in anything else than I would recommend using your buddy's equipment or buying a product out right.

You would need stronger machine than just a 200$ home machine. You could buy used and get an older still very capable machine but your going to want to put time into learning exactly what machine you would need what to look for and what you can do to fix the machine if there are any issues.

If you think you would like to get into this hobby then dive straight in! It is doable, but not as easy as it looks and I am speaking from learning this myself!

Needles your looking at needing a 18 - 22 guage.
Thread your going to want at minimum 69/ tex 70.

Juki's are great machines to look into. Don't fool yourself into thinking there is a do it all machine. There are close but you still might need another machine.

A Juki 2000QI I have has been very capable. It can sew through some stuff. But it struggles with multiple layers of 1000D Cordura and webbing. I ended up getting another machine, a Juki 1541S and that thing is a beast. But it struggles with only one or two layers of just cordura because its simply not thick enough.

When starting your project draw it out. Try to see every angle and if possible build it first out of paper or boxes. This will save you from getting half way done and realizing you should have done something different or ruining the materials you had.

Once your done with these two steps and you have finalized your process write down the steps so you don't forget what needs done first. When you begin the project work slow so you can minimize mistakes.

I fooled myself at the beginning thinking it would be easy making a lot of this stuff. It has a huge learning curve. I am still figuring out very basic things and some mistakes have cost me in a sense. But I am very happy I started as I really enjoy sewing and it allows me to put ideas to actual projects.

Other machines to consider would be Juki 8700H. A little more than the Juki 2000QI but its going to be stronger. It's close to the most all around machine there is. All you have to do is change out the feed dogs and presser foot to make it a regular 8700 which is more than capable for light / medium fabrics.

Sewing Machines, Cutting and Sewing Supplies | GoldStar Tool

Sewing machine and sewing supplies are available on GoldStar Tool, your #1 stop for all things sewing including grommets, Singer sewing machines and more!

www.goldstartool.com

and

Sewing Machines - Sewing Gold

SewingGold.com - Your Premier Destination for Industrial Sewing Machines and Parts. Discover a wide selection of high-quality Juki and Consew sewing machines,

sewinggold.com

Are great places to buy your machine if you want to go with a new one. The customer service has been great with both.

Tex 70 Amann Strongbond Nylon Bonded Thread | WAWAK

Shop for Amann Strongbond Nylon Bonded Thread. Tex 70. Great for heavy-duty seams. Ideal for handbags, leather goods, and shoes. Free shipping on orders of $99+, order from WAWAK today!

www.wawak.com

and

The Thread Exchange

The thread exchange specializes in the kinds of thread and needles not found in stores and other sites. We have huge selections of nylon, polyester, kevlar, and robison=anton threads

www.thethreadexchange.com

Are great places for needles, threads and other sewing materials.

Here are some charts that go over different sewing needles/threads you can use. The last one is a fabric reference guide.

Schmetz Serv 7 Needles 135x17 Serv 7, DPx17 Serv 7 10/Pack | WAWAK

Shop for Schmetz Serv Industrial Machine Needles. Specialized design with unique features - hump scarf to create large thread loop and reinforced cutting blade. Great for thick materials. Huge selection and lowest prices on over 24,000 Products. Free shipping on orders of $99+

www.wawak.com

https://www.wawak.com/globalassets/documents/waw_pim/gmnr/gmnr881/needle-tip-chart/

https://www.wawak.com/globalassets/documents/waw_pim/gmnr/gmnr881/needle-tip-and-fabric-chart/

Your going to want a cutting board, rotary cutter, good fabric scissors, chalk, fabric tape, fabric glue, and something to hold your materials together. I use a mixture of Drift and regular binder clips. Ruler, Tape measurer.

This is all I can think of right now. Its a big investment up front but its more productive than a lot of other things. It also is a great skill to have and while some of the things I have made are not that great, I have been able to mess around and edit some of my hunting gear or help repair stuff for friends.

I say go for it, but only you know yourself and interests and what you MAY save in money will still cost you more in time. Id say if this is your first project triple the amount of time you think it will take. I am always running into something that takes way longer to figure out. Then there is trouble shooting why your stitches are loose, why this is working, why your machine is doing this. This may be more streamlined for you due to having a mentor. I have spent a lot of time browsing threads, youtube videos, forums to teach myself.

There are a lot of resources to learn sewing. Plenty of free places to teach you how to make a tent. You can take those in helping you craft your design.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask me here or DM me I am more than happy to help in any way as long as your patient with my atrocious writing style.

 

[Kleos]

I forgot to add places to get materials.

Fabrics and Materials to Make Your Own Gear or Grow Your Business.

As DIYers, we were tired of settling for generic fabrics while big companies had access to all the good stuff. So we launched Ripstop by the Roll - an online community for makers to find the world's best materials - plus the knowledge on how to use them - to successfully make their own gear or...

ripstopbytheroll.com

Welcome to the store

www.rockywoods.com

Sailrite: Fabric and Sewing Supply Store

Your fabric and sewing supply store. Shop top-quality fabric, leather, sewing machines and more. We provide everything you need for your projects.

www.sailrite.com

Jontay

Jontay is a leading distributor of webbing and hardware. Our product lineup includes nylon, polypropylene, cotton, and woven polyester elastic webbing.

jontay.com

Outdoor & Recreational Fabrics | Marine Fabrics & Vinyl | Industrial Fabrics - Seattle Fabrics

We specialize in outdoor, recreational, marine, & industrial fabrics, as well as all the hardware & tools you need for any project. Shop Seattle Fabrics today!

www.seattlefabrics.com

Your One-stop-shop for all of your Camo Fabric needs

From Apparel to Waterproof hunting fabrics, We provide the industry's best camouflage fabrics available. Shop Now and purchase fabric by the yard!

camofabricdepot.com

Those are just a few of the ones I have used.

 

[WoodBow]

The good thing about a canvas tent is it is primarily nothing but long straight seams. All you really need to know seam wise is a rolled hem and a tri-feld/french seam.

You will really want an industiral walking foot/needle machine. New these are $1k and up. With some diligent searching they can be found for much less used. I personally have run singer, consew, and juki. All good machines. I have been given 2 industrial machines for free. Funny story with one of them. It came in a sewing table with a single drawer. That drawer contained the usual odds and ends, buttons and such. When I went to dump it in the trash, something caught my eye. It was a gold tooth. I dug around and found 3 total. I mailed them to an online dental scrap company and they sent me $60. So basically i got paid $60 to take the sewing machine.

The reason why you want a walking foot machine is to help feed all that heavy fabric and keep it lined up on long seams.

Personally I would recommend you find an older home machine for cheap or free and try some basic projects like game bags, stuff sacks, pull outs, etc. If you like it, go from there. It is really easy to envision great results but in my experience it does take a while to get there for most people. Eventually i spent more on a machine than the gear i was trying to make. But i have more than made my money back on value of gear produced and the machine will keep cranking out whatever I need for decades.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

A singer 15-91 with its direct drive will handle canvas. "Home machines" prior to about 1960 were designed to do much more work with thicker/heavier materials. "home" then and "home" now arent even in the same stratosphere. Todays home use plastic machines are a bit of a joke in comparison. Even the manuals talk about going up to 21 gauge needles on the 15-91. Ive use 18s with bonded nylon thread to go through 4 layers of 1000D cordura, 2 layers of grosgrain ribbon and 2 layers of webbing material with no issue. Didnt even slow it down.

Id cut your teeth on one on those before spending the $ on an industrial walking foot, or 1Kish on a sailrite walking foot.

Youd be suprised how much power a 15-91 has. I have a 15-91, 66 and 99k (both belt driven and pretty powerful on their own - just not on the 15-91 level), and the 15-91 is its own beast in comparison. Look on craigslist and you might find a really good deal on 1 of those 3. Id look for 15-91s primariy, you can get them for next to nothing on craiglsit and maybe have to do some resto work or about 250-300 you can get one off ebay fully serviced. Ive bought a few from ebay user miha970 - both in like new condition and definitely overpackaged.

 

[JA03]

You guys are awesome! I’m going to get to researching and building some mock up. Thank you for all of the advice.

 

[elkliver]

Kleos, Great List of Links!!!!

 

[HeavyAssault]

Learn some basic sewing and sewing machine use, study different stitches, learn what they are used for, and get out your best scissors. I had to learn a bit about the fabric/industrial sewing industry for Quality Assurance. REALLY opened my eyes to how many steps there are as well as the overall process. Not to mention fabric selection, threads per inch, sewing machines, etc etc etc.

 

[valtteri]

I would second the Singer 15-91. This thing will punch a hole on pretty much anything that fits under the presser foot. I also simply like tinkering with these old and simple machines. They are also pretty elegant object visually.