Help sewing Cordura nylon

nightshade

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Mar 19, 2004
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I wish to make a few simple pouches for lights, knives, etc.
I've obtained a yard of 1000 denier, brown, cordura nylon. Are there any links to sewing such material?
I just want a professional looking job with neat stitching and seams. But, of course, no realistic idea of where to start. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif If I had any clue of what I was getting into, I would start very little. So, no big trade secrets please, just a nudge or two. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

greenLED

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Mar 26, 2004
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La Tiquicia
go to a fabric store and buy nylon thread. They also should have I-don't-know-what-it's-called, but it's a thin piece of fabric that you can use for sewing the edges and preventing fraying (look inside the seams of your pack to see what I'm talking about).

You can try making your pouch out of regular fabric material first.

Oh, yeah, seam sealer for a super water-tight finish.
 

flash_bang

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
720
ok, the thing for sewing edges is called seam binding tape
some people also sell cordura that is coated for water resistance
apholstery(spelling?) thread is what I've used, where I got it had a limited color palette tho, sry for the huge bump
btw, nightshade can you pm/email/aim me about how it went?
thx,
flash
 

Lefselight

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Feb 5, 2003
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Minneapolis, MN
One of the big mistakes beginners make when sewing most nylon is not using a large enough needle in their sewing machine (or in hand sewing for that matter). I think this stems from people repairing or making down clothing. They are afraid that the down will leak out of the needle holes, so they use a small needle. But nylon fabric is usually so tightly woven, and somewhat abrasive, so that the thread gets frayed instead. This, of course, leads to problems, especially in sewing machines. What you got to do is punch a big hole so that the thread slides through with little resistance. This is especially true if you use slightly thicker or heavier thread. I usually use a number 18 needle in my sewing machine. Because of the tight weave, the fabric pretty much closes back around the thread. Use a sharp new needle and change it reasonably often. A dull needle tends to break or fray the threads in the fabric. Nylon tends to dull needles fairly quickly.
 

Datasaurusrex

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 29, 2003
Messages
665
Upholstery thread and Upholstery needle.

Use a machine that can actually handle the material (something like an old Pfaff or Singer).
 

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