I'm (re)learning to use my mom's sewing machine.
It's sometimes convenient to know how to sew a hem to pants.

And I'm also tempted to make a few pouches/pockets for backpacking.
So I'm currently looking at fabric, web, thread etc... suppliers.
Fabric will be cordura, 1000D or 420D, according to usage.
And for those fabrics, the recommended thread seems to be #69. And to use #69 thread, I should use a size 22 needle on my sewing machine.

Now comes THE question :
what's a size 22 needle in the french (and european ??) 130/705 system, used here to define our needles on household sewing machines ???

Anybody gets an idea ??

These may help, but they doesn't list a size 22:

http://fixitcarl.com/Schaffer3a.htm

http://www.singerco.com/resources/needles.html

Ah, this has it:

http://www.industrialsewmachine.com/webdoc3/needles/needlesize.htm

Singer 22 = Metric 140

Hey, thanks !

Looks like this :
US size + 1,
metric size + 5
Nice to know.

AFAIK, metric 140 is the max size my machine should be able to handle.

So as soon as I find a french supplier for size 140 needles, I will order nylon thread and fabrics from a US supplier.

Thanks a lot, Ken !!
You are a wizz for Internet searching !!!


if anybody is interested, one web page which enticed me into sewing :
http://www.neidermeier-skp.com/BCo/manuf1.htm

If you like that site I think you'll find this one interesting:
http://www.diytactical.com/forums/

I lurk there from time to time until I get frustrated over not having the time to try making my own gear. Check out "Show and Tell"

Also some good tutorials here:
http://www.diytactical.com/main/index.ph...&Itemid=128

One caution - The site is run by, oddly enough, the DIY Tactical Store, so the forum policy forbids posting names and links of other material suppliers (you can still post a query as long as you get your answers by PM).

My concern is that most household sewing machines don't handle the heavy fabric/leather sewing functions too well. The torque points when driving the needle through the material or when the foot claw feeds the material forward are not smooth and even, and you may find that even the big needles will break often. At least that's been my experience.

Sergers or motorized leather stitching machines seem better suited for this type of work.

I sewed a LOT of outdoor stuff when I was a teenager - I don't know if anyone remembers Frostline kits. I sewed a tent, down sleeping bag, foam pad (cover), daypack, backpack (for frame), several down vests, several down coats, .... . My mom was a home economics teacher and taught all of her kids how to sew.

Though some multiple seam areas could get kind of tough - especially when it involved the bottom/top of a zipper, I never really had any problems with sewing cordura with a sewing machine. I just went slow so as not to damage any equipment.

Thanks, Thseng !

This site goes immediatly into my favorite links directory.

A wealth of info...

Now, I don't want to turn professional gear maker... I just want to be able to make a pouch, now and then, for a specific usage.

Benjamin :
My first attempts will be internal pockets, so I will not use 1000D Cordura, but lighter fabric (420D ?), which will be easier on my machine.


Thanks, guys...

I sewed myself a lot of gear years ago, using materiel that I purchased at a local sewing shop. When I wanted heavy stuff sewn, I went to a local upholstery shop and sweet talked the gal running the place into doing whatever it was I wanted done. From time to time I would bring a 12 pack of her favorite brew in lieu of payment...

Go SLOW. You might have to handcrank the machine.

I asked my mother to make a modification to one of my PackRats. She did it, and told me she wouldn't do it again.

Yes, handcranking might be in order for some sewing (multi layers, webbing, ...)

According to what I have read up to now, a #69 thread seems the favorite thread for Cordura.
But finding a size 22 needle seems a PITA... French notions stores mainly offer size 18 needles...
+ I'm yet not sure my sewing machine will be able to use a size 22 IF I ever find one....

OTOH, for my limited purposes, maybe a smaller thread would be OK.

I still have some research to do ....

Go with the smaller needle and hand-crank. You'll be fine.

I never changed the needle out when I did all the sewing as a teenager. I broke one once in a while, but they sewed just fine.

Ken

Also, test-sew some swatches with the same layers/thickness as your actual product ... you may need to adjust the thread tension.

Only 2C I can offer is that I ALWAYS heat seal the edges of all the nylon I've sewn. Haven't had any unravel yet....I also no only fold the edge over once....I'll fold it a second time to be certain that the cut edge is deep inside the 'hem' or 'edge'. It provides for a stiffer edge though.....but if you are making a holster for a knife or gun....well maybe that's a good thing.
Hope this helps.
CJ

I have used a sewing awl with wax impregnated string. It generally looks like crud, but so far no failures. It is as strong as it gets and if it can penetrate leather, it can certainly sew cordura. I do a lot with webbing and I am getting pretty good at it after some practice. I bought extra spools and wound them on the bobin winder-thingy on the wife's sewing machine. I keep it in the BOB and if I ever have a failure I will be able to fix it and carry on. It is a good skill(?) to know. I tried to sew an interior pocket into my BOB with my wife's sewing maching and after a package of needles and a barage of "if you break my sewing machine..." I went back to my trusty awl. Just a thought.

I suggest you have a look at Ray Jardine's website (www.rayjardine.com). He sells kits for the ultralight backpacking crowd; but he has some good tips on sewing and machine setup. He's also a very interesting guy who has pretty much done it all (backpackpacking, through-hiking, climbing, treking, ski touring, kayaking - the list is impressive!!!). I sewed one of his backpack kits and had no problems but I did have to hand crank as another poster suggested above. Unlike many things, you can always do-over by carefully ripping the stitches out (get a seam ripper).

There's a vast amount of information on the web on sewing nylon (Cordura)... you might want to google kite-making.

Good luck and be patient and like many tasks in life sewing can be a mental exercise... if you think the machine will beat you it probably will!!!