Home made Signal Panel/ sit mat

[tombear]

Last week I received a 1m length of 60 inch wide rip stop orange synthetic cloth, I forget the exact details of weight. My intention is to make a signal panel which can be used as a sit mat/ table cloth/ and bag for collecting leaves etc (browse bag?) . I finally got started and recalled that I had saved a oblong section of tent fabric from a old Vango family tent that wore out and was recycled. It's the section that went over a air vent at the apex to keep the rain out, 27.5 by 30.5 inches. Any road I decided I would make a prototype from this , dark green on one side and signal orange on the other no bag function, so I cut out a section of the orange stuff, pinned the hems and then matched it up to the already hemmed green part and pinned them together.

I've since basted the parts together and removed the pins. Hovever heres the thing. I dont fancy hand sewing all those hems and I cant use a sewing machine.

This failing stems from me deliberately nor learning back when I was making a lot of pre 1850s costumes and it kept me honest, I had to hand sew everything. Now I just want to get it made and into use. Herself has several machines and normally I'd grovel to her but she has such a backlog of her own projects I'm loathe to pile min on her as well. So learn I shall and maybe look for a heavier weight machine to do canvas and webbing. Also, If I've got this right, you can have one colour on one side and another colour of thread on the other to match the two fabrics..

ATB

Tom

 

[TeeDee]

What a fantastic idea!!!

Love to see the finished article.

 

[TeeDee]

You may want to check this thread out. Maybe some useful ideas you could incorporate.

Good luck.

Orange Rescue Panel - with Reflective strips.

Does anyone here make ( or maybe could make ) or know of any links for Orange Rescue panels ? Something like this ?? Orange. Capable of being tied out to show distress. Reflective Strips. Multiuse.

bushcraftuk.com

 

[tombear]

Cheers, some good ideas there. We may have some hi viz vests left over from when the kids were small and the primary school took them on nature walks etc. I could rob the reflective strips from those, although that may make the panel bulkier when rolled up.

If you have access to "free" hi viz vests you could cut the back panels off two use the bottom hems for the open end of the bag so if you have the reflective sides facing each other, run a line of stitching round three sides and then turn it inside it and the jobs a good un. Easy enough to add eyelets or loops for tying on or putting tent pegs through.

Atb

Tom

 

[Nice65]

That’s a good idea, nicely versatile.

Couple of years ago after myself and the dog got soaked in the woods I was looking for something waterproof to sit on, wipe myself down, and de-mud the dog. I got an army microfleece towel and a length of waxed cotton and cut the towel in half. Had a local bloke hem it all and fit poppers so the towel attaches but can come out and go in the wash.

 

[spandit]

I cant use a sewing machine

Court order?

A vintage machine would cope with most stuff - there are normally loads on Facebook Marketplace for very little money. For really heavy duty you'll want a walking foot machine but they tend to be pretty expensive. If I were you, I'd buy a cheap vintage machine and learn on that. Happy to advise on any you might find locally. Be wary of "industrial" machines - they're often either anything but or just heavily built to allow sewing lightweight stuff for hours on end and no good for heavyweight stuff.

 

[tombear]

Well I was banned from the machines at school for breaking needles and jamming the mechanisms. We were making pencil cases but mine ended up as a ruler case I messed it up so often and each time is shrank....

Herself has a modern Singer, a big old treadleSsinger I restored the frame of and replaced the leather drive belt for , a hand cranked one, a hand cranked one converted to electric and a early all electric, shes possibly got more hidden away. Technically I have a mini Singer, dumped on me by a son who briefly was into sewing. Got it here A Singer Featherweight model 221. Its got its hand book and one for the motor. Just looked on ebay to see if you can get spares and the Featherweights seam to be collectable now.

She's also got a drawer full of feet and attachments, no idea what they do.

Atb

Tom

PS, Thanks for the offer of advice!

 

[spandit]

The feet and attachments normally have a Simanco number on them - you can look these up. The Featherweights have quite the following and should be more than capable for what you need.

 

[tombear]

Cheers! I've gone through herselfs boxes of bits and matched the product numbers in the handbook with them and a few extras that look useful and liberated them. The only thing I couldnt match up was the button hole machines, she has two but the serials are different but may fit, I'll look them up if I get that advanced!

I've found a excellent site by a featherweight collector / dealer and amongst others there's a section on cleaning them and servicing, periodic and deep. the main thing seams to be brushing, hoovering them out and oiling, All doable even by a Luddite like me!

Theres plenty of vids on You Tubebwhich is a good job since the instructions for the feet in the manual is are a bit sparse. I'm loving what the hemming and binding feet do, almost hypnotic...

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Correction we do have buttonholer that fits a minty Simanco 160506. That has a decent handbook with it.

ATB

Tom