sew in fashion

[Gailainne]

I salvaged a sewing machine from a house clearance with lots of good intentions but I've hardly used it much. Now the nights are drawing in I might get cracking with a project of some kind.


What's the idea of the bridge hammock Stephen ? Not knocking your work in anyway but it doesn't look that comfy, maybe I need to do some reading.

Its very comfy actually, way more so than a standard hammock, reading up I would suggest hammockforums as a place to start, basically its the flattest lie hammock out there, very comfortable whether you are a side, back or stomach sleeper.

The other big plus is, it doesn't use a lot of material to make, in other words its light and packs small.

The photo I posted is a first trial, to check the dimensions and load points, also to check that my sewing is up to the task the catenary cuts (curved) on the sides keep it very taut, so the material and your sewing needs to be up to the task. I lay in it off and on, on Sunday, very comfortable, the head bar is too short at 33" it should be 36" but it was all I had available, even then I didn't feel any squeeze on my shoulders (the only flaw on bridges) if you don't design it right.

The final version will have the ends filled in to create a bath shape, looking at the final shape, midge nets, (simple rectangle over the top), underblankets (simple rectangle) should be easy to make, and light, ie small pack size.

Plus to be frank its a lot of fun, I'm a mechanical designer/engineer to trade, nowadays I macromanage £0.5 M plus projects, its good to just enjoy designing and then building this stuff and at the end of the day I hope to be using a hammock/underblanket I designed (with a lot of help) rather than store bought.
Rich hopefully you will see it in person soon enough, I'm ordering the material for it this week.

PS Wait till you see what I have in store for the MD Reflection, think "balanced lug sail", and I don't even have that yet !

Stephen

 

[scrogger]

Looks good Stephen is it as comfy as the others you have. Oh and now you have finsihed it you had best get on with some weeding!!! lol

 

[scrogger]

Hows the spoon?

 

[Gailainne]

.........you had best get on with some weeding!!! lol

I knew someone would mention that... to be fair that's where the car is parked normally, goodness knows how it survives far less prospers. I started a couple of bird seed feeders this year, as I lost my cat and they can now come into the garden without fear of being eaten, some interesting things have started appearing, presumably from the seeds the birds tossed aside.

My wayward fruit trees you can see to the side had a bountiful harvest this year of, 2 pears and 1 plum the report card will read "Must do better".

"Spoon", there is no spoon, didn't you know ?

Cheers

Stephen

 

[Toddy]

I have wondered at times about the gathered ended hammocks, so many of the people who traditonally use hammocks use flat ones

.........I started a couple of bird seed feeders this year, as I lost my cat and they can now come into the garden without fear of being eaten, some interesting things have started appearing, presumably from the seeds the birds tossed aside..................Cheers, Stephen

My thrawn old Grandpa was very, very mellow one year (he was in his eighties by then) and no one could quite understand why, until my youngest Uncle took a walk in the garden and came back in and asked, "Why are we growing cannabis Mother ?"
"Are we dear ?", was the surprised reply.
Grandpa's pipe used to smell like a burning compost heap, he tried everything he could from the hedgerows, it seems he'd found where Granny composted the cleanings from the budgie's cage
I'm told carp fishermen sometimes have the same weeding problems

Not suggesting in any way that you might have this problem Stephen, after all, what we feed the birds feeds people elsewhere...........your weeds might simply be dinner

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Gailainne]

Toddy

If I had cannabis plants growing in my garden I would recognise them, I assure you, and if I didn't the nice police officer that lives in the flat above me would

Unfortunately all I have had is some grasses, the non smoking kind , looking forward to the cannabis plants appearing tho .

Back to the sewing machine;

I recently bought leather sewing needles for my machine, so I'll be giving that a go soon, obviously the thicker leather will still have to be done the old fashioned way,with awl and needle, but the 1mm stuff should be sewable on the machine.

Stephen

 

[Toddy]

I got a beautiful crop of oats and barley from the bird seed this year

You can buy a special foot for sewing leather by machine. It allows the leather to travel between the foot and the feed dogs but doen't mark it with little caterpillar tracks.
Somewhere I have one Stephen, I'll see if I can find it if you want a shot.

cheers,
M

 

[Shewie]

Rich hopefully you will see it in person soon enough, I'm ordering the material for it this week.

PS Wait till you see what I have in store for the MD Reflection, think "balanced lug sail", and I don't even have that yet !

Stephen

Looking forward to having a butchers at it.

Have you got a date for the boat yet ? I'm racking up some good brownie points at the moment

 

[QDanT]

Have a look on car boots, most people are getting rid of the old manual sewing machines, I see them all the time on car boots, dunno if they are antique or not. Normally going for about a tenner, good working order, if you turn the handle and the needle goes up and down, it works

Make sure the presser foots up before you do this otherwise you can blunt the feed dogs (the pointy teeth that pull the material through ) It's worth checking these are sharp as the machine may have been used as a play toy or indeed every one who's passed has turned the handle ! ------------------ just my 2p's worth cheers all Danny