Best way to sew sacking

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Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
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Wiltshire
I aqquired a quantity of sacks and plan to turn into beachcombing bags.

But how would you sew them?

My zigzag machine is being serviced, which way would you hand sew?
 

Toddy

Mod
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Jan 21, 2005
38,937
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S. Lanarkshire
Do you know what I mean by a flat felled seam ? or a French seam ?
Basically you need to secure those raw edges and the best way to do so is to cover them with a fold of the fabric and stitch right through the lot.

Failing that if you have something you can use as a tape to fold over the raw edges (like huge rubble sacks are made) then that can work. The issue with that is that the sacking fibres can still pull out under pressure.

The actual stitching can be anything from stab to whip stitch. Just something to stabilise the edge and binding / fold overs so that there's no direct free pull on any of the strands of the loosely woven fabric. Personally I flat fell and whip stitch it down, after I've back stitched the original seam.
If you don't have thread, mind that a big needle and strands pulled from the edge of the sacking will work fine.

M
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
I recall wife used to use a strip of fabric with a heat sensitive adhesive on. Washing maskine and tumble dryer poof.
Take the strip, place on one side of edge, spot tack with an iron (tip) then fold over and do the whole edge.
Then go over it with a sewing machine.

Does it still exist?

She did lots of curtains and two car interiors .
 

Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
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wunderweb? I think it does.

No idea what a french seam is.

I have plenty of tough nylon thread I wont dishonour my leatherwork with to sew with...and sacking needles.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
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Canada
I don't know if this is the right way, but I'd roll the egdes up together and use a blanket stitch to bind the roll tight ... then very possibly watch the whole thing fall apart as soon as I put anything in ... but that's where I'd start. It'll be something simple and efficient, I expect, given how sacks are/were made and in what numbers.

Hang on ... There are some coffee sacks downstairs my daughter brought back from somewhere the other day (coffee shop, I am guessing, who knows) and I am sure I still have some old French mail bags somewhere. Let me look. Maybe a photo later on.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
Just some examples of sacks

Top four are hessian coffee sacks
Hessian_Coffee_Sack_1.jpg

Hessian_Coffee_Sack_2.jpg

Hessian_Coffee_Sack_3.jpg

Hessian_Coffee_Sack_4.jpg


French Linen Mailsack
French_Linen_Mail_Sack_1_Top_1.jpg

Frencn_Linen_Mail_Sack_3_Side_1.jpg

French_Linen_Mail_Sack_1_Side_1.jpg


UK
UK_Mail_Sack_side1.jpg


Loose weave cotton
Loose_weave_cotton_cloth.jpg
 
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Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
A French seam is where you stitch the two wrong sides together then turn the piece inside out and stitch again down the line, but with both sides folded over the raw edges first.
Hides the raw edges, gives a much stronger seam. It's used on everything from fine silk lingerie to linen to mail sacks.

Blanket stitch over the folded raw edges relies on another seam line inside to be enough to hold the layers firmly together......it's much simpler on industrial machinery to do it this way.

M
 
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Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Spoke to wife. What she did was to fix the heat adhesive strip as I described, then turn the fabric edge so the strip is hidden from one side ( front of fabric) then stich with a stich meant for flexible fabrics ( program on machine).

The curtains were of a similar fabric as the sacks.

Same technique for the car interiors. Just a different fabric, one that needed stretching over panels, inner roif and seats.
The glue strip reinforced the edge.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
A French seam is where you stitch the two wrong sides together then turn the piece inside out and stitch again down the line, but with both sides folded over the raw edges first.
Hides the raw edges, gives a much stronger seam. It's used on everything from fine silk lingerie to linen to mail sacks.

Blanket stitch over the folded raw edges relies on another seam line inside to be enough to hold the layers firmly together......it's much simpler on industrial machinery to do it this way.

M

Verbatim what my daughter just said to me, :)
 

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