Easy sewing machine projects - suggestions please

[Robson Valley]

My favorite cold weather coat is what we call a "ranch coat" or a "chore coat."
Carhartt, heavy canvas fabric, blanket lining. It's old and worn, it's also grimy, to say the least.

It is rare to find a simple fabric shell to wear over top of that. I'm not certain that they would
need to be sized very carefully. Loose but clean-looking. A couple of baggy pockets for gloves, etc.
I have one with a hood which hangs down to my nose if I put it up!

 

[Kerne]

Wow that rucksack is fantastic. Beyond my scope right now but inspirational

I thought about a tarp but wouldn't the material be as expensive as buying one? What would you use and where to get it?

Not too expensive - I bought some camo waterproof nylon of Ebay for about £4 a metre. Meant that I could make one to a size I wanted. Though I ended up giving it to a mate.

 

[smojo]

Been researching a few ideas myself. Thought I'd share some in case anyone else looking for ideas.

This is a really nice tidy job. Thought I might make something similar to hold my Android tablet, stylus and charger for when I go away on my jollies.

http://www.skillsforwildlives.com/2013/09/outdoor-notebook-phone-pouch/

These are nice too. Made something similar to hold my billy can to keep the soot off my other gear but out of thinner material. Might step up the skill level and try something more substantial like these.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/214425117/handmade-waxed-canvas-tan-ditty-bag-set?ref=market

Maybe a small tool roll to keep in the car. I have a maxpedition pouch full of small bits and bobs but don't carry much in the way of tools these days but a few basics like adjustable spanner, a couple of screwdrivers, allen keys etc would come in handy now and then. Something simple like this maybe

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195402321/small-canvas-tool-roll-bag-85x9-great?ref=market

 

[smojo]

Had some scrap leather from old handbags. Been wanting to see if my restored Singer 201k could handle soft leather as I guessed it could. Even with an ordinary needle, with a bit of tweaking of the tension, it managed to sew these easy enough. A proper leather needle will be even better. It was my first attempt at leather pouches. I did the black one first which took about an hour. Then once I knew what I was doing, ran the red one off in about 15 minutes start to end. Pretty pleased with them, though my stitching control still leaves something to be desired. Practice I guess. Nice thing with leather pouches is you don't need to faff about with hems.

 

[vestlenning]

How's the sewing coming along? If you haven't tried it yet, make some pouches - not to hard, very satisfying.

 

[TinkyPete]

My first project was a couple of haversacks three years later they are still going strong although I did have to repair one a while back, I used a couple of different materials.

So a big +1 on the haversacks from me.

Have have done a couple more things but unfortunately I am not back at my family home much which has 7 sewing machines much and depends on what my mum and sister will let me use as well (they do a lot of sewing and embroidery, so the machines are expensive and do lots of wierd stiches and stuff). Big tip is make sure you practice a solid stiching and run it over a couple of times to make sure it will stay together.

 

[vestlenning]

How about a bag for your mess kit? Here's one I made for my Swedish army mess kit: