The 2018 collection

[John Fenna]

I just finished the trousers before going to work today.

Now I am cutting out a Ventile version of my Smock....

 

[spandit]

Wow. As someone who has just started in the sewing world I have some appreciation of how difficult it can be. What machines do you use?

 

[John Fenna]

At the moment I am mainly using a machine I got from Aldi, though I also use a Toyota Super Jeans and a Frister Rosman Cub 3 and a good old hand cranked Singer.

 

[spandit]

Great to see someone producing fantastic functional items on domestic machines. So many of the tutorials on YouTube are using industrial machines. I bought another machine yesterday - it's a Pinnock Sewqueen. Cost all of £10 at local auction (£12.04 after commission) and it does zigzag sewing which my Singer 210K doesn't. Had a lot of issues with top tension which doesn't seem to get high enough but on the zigzag setting the stitches look OK (and I can dial the stitch length down low enough to sew webbing bars for MOLLE panels). Whether or not it will cope with my thicker thread, I don't know.

I now have 5 sewing machine, although one of them (a Toyota RS2000) has lost timing and the other (industrial blindstitcher) isn't needed and I've used the table and motor for my Singer

 

[John Fenna]

That sounds good - at a good price!

 

[spandit]

It's a sweet little machine - when you turn the dial to set stitch length, it shows you some actual stitches in a little window. The reverse is a push button, unlike the Singer where you can leave it in reverse (thus leaving your hands free) but the feed dogs can be disengaged by turning a knob on the bed, whereas on the Singer I have to move a lever underneath. Top tension was still insufficient but after dismantling the mechanism I worked out there's a c.2mm metal rod that is forced into the machine when you turn the dial. I made up a slightly longer rod so now I have super tension. I've loaded it with my thick Nylon thread (40S/V79) and with a new needle it works really well. The maximum number of stitches per inch on the dial is 40 but you can turn past this (there's a 0 setting for embroidery) to give tiny stitch length, which when set with a zigzag, gives the ability to stitch bar tacks - ideal for the MOLLE stuff. All in all I'm pretty pleased and although it's maybe not quite as nice to use as the Singer, it's still a rugged thing which, had I bought it first, would mean I didn't need the 210K at all.

http://creffield.com/pics/bushcraft/sewqueen.jpg

 

[John Fenna]

Nice!
Remember - a true bar tack is zig-zags over a thread core at 90 degrees to rhe direction of the run of zig-zags - not just the zig-zags ... acore of strength to the bar tack....

 

[spandit]

That I didn't know. I reckon the thread I'd bought is so strong anyway that the webbing would give first but would make it easier to straight stitch into place before going over with the zigzag

 

[John Fenna]

When sewing on patch pockets I often finish the seams buy straight stitching the pockets down and then running over the straight stitching with tight zig-zags and reinforce the ends of the openings for bag pockets with tight zig-zags over the straight stitching of the stress points... you can just about make this out on the trousers at the point where the bag pocket opening meets the side seam.

 

[spandit]

My zig zag machine is a bit fussy but then I am using thick thread. The Singer generally goes through anything and if it jams it's far easier to clean.

 

[John Fenna]

And the smock is finished!
Pictured here worn over some of my recent wool blanket clothing - and cheapo combats!
The pockets are full as I am just off up to the woods and on to work...

 

[spandit]

Handsome devil. Is the pattern freely available or is this a one off bespoke item?

 

[John Fenna]

I am afraid this pattern is cut purely to my somewhat weird shape....
Lots of interesting patterns in my DIY books though
https://bushcraftuk.com/community/i...ties-clothing-facsimile-edition.117324/page-2
https://bushcraftuk.com/community/i...-fibre-clothing-book-facimile-edition.118767/
https://bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?threads/diy-bushcrafting-gear-book.34704/

 

[Steve27752]

Very well done on your weight loss John, your body will thank you.

 

[John Fenna]

Very well done on your weight loss John, your body will thank you.

It already is - I turned down knee replacement surgery in July as I am no longer in chronic pain with it - thanks to the weight loss and physio - my Blood Pressure meds have been cut in half and my IBS has not flared up in months... which adds up to a big "Thank you" already

 

[Nomad]

John, what thread and needle size do you use for the Ventile, and is it the L24?

 

[Samon]

How long does it take you to make a pocket vest or one of those wool blanket shirts?

They look superb!

 

[John Fenna]

It is L24 and I use a Jeans needle (90?) and standard Drima thread - it works OK and I have yet to have issues.
The recommended Ball point needles tended to bend or break on the thicker seams...
Be aware that Ventile is VERY needle resistant and thick seams - and some of my pocket tops, with pleats combining with edges and hems, plus hemmed inner reinforcing, run to 16 layers of fabric - are brutal ... some machines will not cope with this. Even my Toyota Jeans struggles and tensions need watching to avoid skipped stitches and thread breaks. I found cotton thread or even core spun poly cotton struggled to survive well - pure polyester was the only survivor and it was with extra strong poly cotton that needles tended to die...

 

[John Fenna]

Making one of my garments takes a couple of weeks of my spare time say 4 days of full time work from cutting the fabric to checking for stray threads..
It has been suggested that I go commercial - but I am too slow a worker to make it pay!
That does not include the time spent designing and cutting the pattern - say another 4 days...

 

[Mike313]

Brilliantly practical designs and amazing workmanship - a truly winning combination. Well done to you! It would be a natural step to go 'commercial' . . . .