So I was in an op shop this morning and spotted this big, heavy black box. Inside was a sewing machine. Had no idea what I was looking at, but for $60 I figured it was worth a shot.

After a bit of Googling it seems I’ve accidentally scored myself a fairly serious piece of kit. It’s a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1. I’ve also just discovered this sub… so I guess this is what I’m doing now?

I’d love some opinions on whether this machine is appropriate for a complete beginner, and any general advice for getting into MYOG. I’ve already got a few project ideas floating around, but anything to help get me out of the gate and heading in the right direction would be hugely appreciated.

And if this post is off-topic or against community rules, I apologise in advance.

Cheers!

I cannot sew slowly on my sewing machine and it’s driving me bonkers.

I feel like I’m losing my mind trying to find out what sewing machine I should buy now after finally deciding I’ve had enough of mine. I’ve been doing a quite a bit of research on sewing machines from this subreddit, and what I’m coming to find is that the sewing machine I want may not exist. For context, I would largely specify myself as a beginner, with a main interest in myog ultra light bags and heavy duty bike/camera bags, but I do want to get into sewing my own jeans, jackets, and other clothing. My current machine is a Singer Tradition 2277 that I bought in college, and the main thing I hate about it is how I can’t sew slowly on it at all, as well the presser foot clearance. I even opened up the foot pedal to see if I could adjust a potentiometer but there was none to be found. The machine otherwise gets the job done, and I don’t baby it partly because of my hate for it haha.

My budget is $2000 but that is a soft limit. I started looking at the sailrite machines, but they sound finicky. I’m a mechanical engineer by day so I have no problem tuning up, upgrading, or replacing parts to get something to work. What I learned about myself though is I hate constant troubleshooting. Once I fix it, I want to be able to set it and forget it outside of normal maintenance upkeep.

Hard Requirements:
-Slow sewing while maintaining punch power
-Can sew through 1000d cordura and heavy denim and foam padding
-Can sew slippery materials like layer xpac together
-Quiet (I sew late at night sometimes)
-Straight stitch

Soft Requirements
-Portable, less than 70lbs and movable by hand. I want to be able to bring this up and down stairs
-Zig Zag stitch
-Low Maintenance

Examples of machines I have been looking at:
-Pfaff 1471, 1475, Select 4.2
-Juki 1541, TL-2010q, 1508, 5410
-Kenmore 158
-Brother PQ1500
-Sailrite LSZ-1

I have no problem buying vintage and throwing on a servo and speed controller. I live in the Seattle area, so the used market is here but things tend to go fast.

Thank you so much for any suggestions, this subreddit is fantastic!

I know that this technically breaks rule 4 of not asking for sewing machine recommendations, but I tried to make this as much of a closed ended question as I could by doing as much research as I could before hand.

I have an old 60m rope that I want to turn into a rug as a Christmas gift for my parents, but we’re a neurospicy family and I know the texture of hard rope under bare feet would be hard for some of us. I know it’s a pain to take the core out of a rope but I’ve done it before and am willing to do it again if I can figure out the rug part.

I’m wondering if weaving with flat material will mess up the corners? Should I try to weave this as one normally would, or should I sew four strands together and weave them all at once? I’m open to any suggestions anyone might have (and other rectangular-ish patterns if someone has one that would work better coreless!). Thanks!

With frame packs having fallen out of style, does anyone know if there's a tarp/bivvy thing that uses a pack frame as the hoop (or has anyone made one)?

I just "finished" my first tarp project. Its really sloppy but seems strong and Im very excited about it. I still need to add middle tie outs point for guylines on each side, and then seam seal the ridge-line.

Materials:
1.1 oz Silypoly PU4000 from RTBTR
1.5 mm dyneema guylines

Weight:
500 grams (17.63 ounces/1.1 lbs)

Dimensions:
9.5 x 10.5 feet (2.9 x 3.1 meters)

Maybe some silly questions:

• This feels massive. Is this normally what people are rocking with? The polycro sheet is what fits 2 wide sleeping pads. Maybe I mis-calculated. I kind of winged the measurements based on the 8x10.5 foot tarps I had seen. and just used the default width (58 inches) of the Silpoly fabric for each side. Im over 6ft so I wanted plenty of head and toe coverage for rain, so was thinking 10.5 would be plenty. But I didnt think it would be this big.
• I initially wanted to make a tarp for just one person, but this thing could fit 3 people, easily. It feels silly, but would it be worth modifying this tarp to make it smaller for just me, or start over from scratch? Most tarps Im seeing are 8x10 or 9x7 feet, this doesnt sound that far off.
• If I modified this tarp to fit one person, how would you go about this? I was thinking I could cut about 6 inches off each side of the long sides, then repurpose the notions and cord. I have more enforcement fabric so I cant remake those corners.

I feel limited by the overall large foot print, I think I might have trouble pitching it in some areas, so a smaller footprint would be ideal.

Can’t seem to get this edge binding down. Anyone have suggestions or a better way to do it. I even tried different diameters to see if that’s the problem but it didn’t really help. Is my binding tape to small? Please help I’m breaking my brain.

I’m using 1000d Cordura , 1" Black Nylon Binding Tape Type III Grosgrain Milspec and 5mm foam in between.

So I cut up a seatosummit xr large pad in order to make a 150cm long and wide pad and was thinking about making another small pad out of the spare piece I cut off. Has anyone done something like this?

I found two options of valves I might buy for this.

1. Similar to the old Thermarest style valve. Would be great because the whole length of the pad remains unobstructed by the valve and you can reach it easily to fine tune the amount of air during the night.

2. Round style. Not ideal because I’d like on that let’s out the air on its own once opened. If you know of something like that available in Germany let me know.

Thanks for any advice and suggestions.

For a while I was admiring these shorts (that I can’t find anywhere) and some rapha ones in the same color and was just so frustrated on not being able to find my dream bike shorts in stock.

Then I remembered I can make things.

SO looking for recommendations on 4 way stretch Lycra in this color or if anyone has experience dying Lycra?? (and any advice for someone working with the fabric for the first time)

Thanks so much in advance!!

Edit: thanks for the info! For context I’m an experienced sewer just haven’t sewn Lycra yet. It’s also a bit of a passion project so I’m fully aware it may not be pretty the first or second run but I’ll learn a lot if nothing else :) I’ll likely start by making a sports bra and a few other things before the shorts to get a hang of the fabric. Thank you!!

TL;DR: Drove 3 hours to buy a LU-563 only to have the seller cancel while I was on the way. Ended up finding this neglected LU-562 in PA for $300 instead. Tore it down, cleaned decades of grime and dried oil, restored the stand, wrapped the tabletop, installed a servo motor with a needle positioner, and brought it back to life. Still need a few presser feet and accessories, but it’s sewing beautifully now—and I’m officially hooked on industrial machines.

What a rollercoaster this machine turned out to be.

Two weeks ago I was all set to buy a Juki LU-563 in Maryland. I had already driven almost 3 hours when the seller messaged me saying he had an “emergency” and couldn’t meet. Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled.

Since I was already halfway there, I started searching Marketplace again and found this LU-562 in Pennsylvania. Considering the condition, I offered $300, and they accepted. I rushed over before anything else could happen. When I got it home… it was rough.

It looked like it had spent years sitting in a basement. It was covered in grime, dog hair, old oil, and had that unmistakable musty basement smell. Judging by the condition, I don’t think it had seen fresh oil in many years.

I decided to give it a second life.
Disassembled the stand
Removed the rust and repainted the legs
Wrapped the tabletop in vinyl
Cleaned years of oil sludge from the machine
Flushed and re-oiled every lubrication point
Cleaned the hook race and hook drive
Replaced the clutch motor with a servo
Added a needle positioner (which has been an absolute game changer!)

The machine fought me a little along the way. I spent far more time than I expected chasing what I believe is some bevel gear noise in the hook drive. After a lot of troubleshooting, cleaning, oiling, and testing, I decided to stop overthinking it. The machine sews beautifully, the noise has actually started getting quieter as everything has been cleaned, lubricated, and run in, and I’m just going to enjoy using it.

It’s not completely finished yet. I still need to:
Dial in the stitch length a little more.
Pick up a few presser feet (zipper, piping, and a standard smooth set).
Order some larger cones of bonded polyester thread and more bobbins.
Install a binder attachment.

Even so, it’s already sewing far better than I expected for a machine that had clearly been neglected for years.

Coming from vintage domestic Singers, the servo motor with a needle positioner is incredible. I honestly don’t think I could go back. Having slow-speed control and the needle automatically stopping exactly where I want it has made sewing so much easier.

Here are some before and after photos. I’m really happy with how this old LU-562 cleaned up, and considering this was my first time working on an industrial machine, I’m even happier that I didn’t mess anything up. I think it has many more decades of life left in it.

I always enjoy seeing old machines brought back instead of being scrapped, so I figured I’d share this one.

If anyone has favorite presser feet, binder setups, or other must-have accessories for the LU-562, I’d love to hear your recommendations.

Im planning on building a new bag for a Kelty aluminum frame, and I'm torn between one big roll-top tube, and two separate horizontal tube sections with the roll-tops facing sideways.

Design 1: Single Vertical Tube

• Advantages
  • Easier to make
  • Single big volume
  • Space on both sides for pouch pockets
• Disadvantages
  • Very deep, hard to access the bottom
  • Would need pack-bags inside to compartmentalize
  • Webbing load slings are untested compared to panel and cotter-pin of the original pack

Design 2: Double Horizontal Tubes

• Advantages
  • Easier access to entire volume of the pack
  • Natural organization (example: clothes in one, gear in other)
  • Large pocket space between the two bags for a mesh pocket or pouch
• Disadvantages
  • More complicated build
  • Side opening: need to put pack on its side to access roll-tops

Let me know what you think!

I have never used a sewing machine in my life, but I really want to make a frame bag. I have watched a million videos and read a trillion blogs and have numerous friends who sew well I can bother if needed.

I threw together a rough idea of what shape I'm hoping to create, this will let me use a 1L water bottle while having the entire length of the top tube available to store tent poles.

I plan to use XPAC, a waterproof YKK zipper, webbing daisy chain for attachment on the top tube, and velcro straps for the head tube/seat tube/down tube.

I know this wont be an easy project to learn on and I will certainly fail at points, but is this going to be so difficult that it won't pan out at all?

Looking at the sketch, anything glaring you notice about the design that could cause issue?

Anyone who just jumped straight to a frame bag have any tips or insight?

Hey so I’m looking for a material to make a ~ 2x3m tarp which is supposed to cover the hammock similar to the one shown in the picture. I want it to be clear so you can watch the stars/the weather from the hammock even in rain and wind. Dcf is out as it isn’t fully transparent and way too expensive and I worry that something like polycro might be unnecessarily fragile for this usecase (It’s not meant to be for backpacking). Anyone have any experience with this? Cheers

Hey gang. I could really use some help figuring out how to construct a zippered top panel for a bag that I am trying to make. I already have a style of boxy bag that I make, which is the small one in the photos. I am now trying to make a functionally and aesthetically similar one that is twice as wide. This is pretty easy to do and you can see it in the photo with a single top zipper. 

The problem is that the single top zipper doesn’t open enough to give you full access to the contents. So, I thought that some kind of double zippered flap or a u-zippered flap might be the way to go. I can’t figure out how to do it though. My u-zip attempt was awful, so I concentrated on the double zipper top with a flap that will Velcro to the end. 

You can see some of my attempts in the photos. My final one isn’t bad, but the problem is that I don’t want the panel coming all the way down the end. It really needs to only open at the top as the bag will sit inside a box and only the top will be available without removing the whole bag from the box. I need a way to shift the solid end all the way up and slightly over on the top. Or maybe learning how to do a u-zip would still be a better choice. Or maybe some third thing. If you have any thoughts or links to references I would greatly appreciate your time.

p.s. I did make one, which you can see, by extending the bottom and shrinking the top so that the flaps meet at the top instead of the middle. This was extremely awkward to assemble and still didn’t really solve the problem as the Velcro flap still went down one side somewhat.

Extra info: I do have some design criteria for these that I am trying really hard to not alter.
1. The bags are lined.
2. There are no seams around the body of the bag, only at the zipper and the ends.
3. No binding tape is used. All seam allowances are hidden between the shell and liner panels
4. The corners use a French seam which encloses the raw seam allowances, however the multi-folded and sewn French seam itself pokes out inside the bag thus creating a sort of vertical stiffener in each corner. 

Hey all! I’m wondering if anyone knows where one could get the same type of magnetic “zipper” like they use on Paraglider harnesses? It’s super light, and tight enough to form an air seal so I’d love to use it for some of my projects!

https://flyozone.com/paragliders/products/harnesses/sublite

Ive added some fabric from a tote bag on the bottom to hopefully add some grip. I tried shoe lace and it immediately slipped, tried my high school necktie but it still slipped, peobably because i only have one necktie. Eventually i used the handle from a black tote bag since it looked better than a dang necktie and a pink shoe lace🥀 (its still sliding).

Hey yall. I’ve been sewing for my job for the past 3 years on a Consew 339RB-4. It’s simpler stuff than bags, but I’ve gotten super fast at it. I’ve taken an interest in bag making and have made my first few totes and sling bags. I used to want to design my own clothing when I was a teenager, and I’ve realized I actually have the sewing skills to sort of do it now, so this is really exciting for me.

I’m in a super fortunate position right now because my work is allowing me to use their Consew and giant self-healing tables after hours whenever I want. They can also cut me acrylic pattern templates for me for free. I figure once I have 2-3 bag patterns I like, I can just make a few bags each time I sew at work.

Is this a viable way to make a nice chunk of change on the side while i’m in school? Or is it oversaturated? I would be selling at craft fairs/markets(there‘s a TON near me), but also online. I‘m thinking of a $100-300 price point for the bags that take me ~1 hour or less to make, $400 and up for bags that take longer. My goal is to sell 30-50 in my first year. I’m not sure if thats unrealistic or not.

If anyone here does this and could share their experiences, I would be very thankful.

UPDATE: Thanks again to everyone who helped identify these! Your input was incredibly helpful. I ended up listing the entire lot because I need to free up storage space for new inventory. If anyone here has a use for them or knows someone who does, here is the link to the eBay listing as I'm practically giving them away to make room in my storage unit:

https://ebay.io/m/e2cNRH

Hey everyone! I recently acquired a large lot of approximately 125 new industrial webbing rolls, and I'm in the process of sorting and identifying them.

So far I've found:

• Multiple widths (13/16", 1-1/4", and others)

•Different weave patterns • Various colors

• Many factory-wrapped rolls

• Several labeled Made in USA • Some packages marked 144 yards

I'm trying to learn more about the different materials, manufacturers, and intended applications before I start selling them.

Does anyone recognize these style numbers or know what industries commonly used this type of webbing?

I'd also appreciate any tips on identifying nylon vs. polyester vs. polypropylene by appearance.

If anyone is looking for a specific width or color for a project, feel free to send me a message. I may have exactly what you need.

Thanks in advance!

Bought my wife a light pink XXL Arc’teryx goretex jacket and it fits great up top but is tight on her hips. :( has anyone modified a jacket to accommodate a larger booty? Wouldn’t it be great if the mod looked cool and was still waterproof-ish where accommodations added?

This is moreso probably one of those "talk me in to/out of" type posts, but who knows.

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Currently sewing on a singer 4432 that's probably 10 years old now. I mostly do clothing/garments, just started my first "myog" project making some of the UL Wind shells for me and my wife.

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Using 20D ripstop (1.1oz calendared). Surprisingly not as bad working with it as I thought it would be. Finger creases nice, and a little bit slippery but not too bad.

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I've been looking into getting a new machine lately, and this fabric is making me consider a sooner than later purchase. But, I'm unsure if my problem will even be solved by what I'm considering.

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With the thin nylon, my seams "pucker" some, especially when doing flat felled or similar.

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Using mara 70, microtex needle, have gone up and down tension, yada yada. Only things I haven't tried are walking foot attachment or a straight stitch plate (I don't have a plate ATM).

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But, I've been looking at several machines that have features that may help that. Machines with the Pfaff IDF system, or auto tensioning.

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Obviously the answer is industrial, and I wish I currently had the space because I could get 2-3 used industrial and fix them up for the cost of one good home machine in my area.

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Machines I have been looking at are the Pfaff 1222, Passport 2/3, Ambition 610/620.. Juki HZL-DX5/7. For my general sewing I want/need buttonhole option, (and the 4432 kinda sucks on buttonholes), zig zag and letter embroidery would be nice (That's mostly all normal garment stuff).

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Or, the other option is go pure straight stitch machine since that's 95% of my sewing, and get a vintage Pfaff 130, Necchi BU, Kenmore 158, or more modern and go Juki TL18, TL2000/2010, Brother 1500, Janome HD9, etc...

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The auto cut and start/end tack and needle down features would be super nice, but not completely necessary.

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Thinking out loud mostly, but the IDF type system vs not having it is a big debate in my head. And the thought of "If I'm spending this much, I should replace my general purpose machine" thought is keeping me shy of straight stitch only machines...

Edit: Adding a link to a photo of a seam. https://imgur.com/a/bAdut7C

I've been reworking my designs and have made one of the new pouches today.

The one with the rounded corners is the improved version, the one with the boxed corners the old one.

I kinda like the rounded one better, but the corners are tricky to sew and don't really keep shape that well, how can I improve this? And which one would be the better option going forward?

I feel like a boxed one with laminate instead of webbing would go hard as well.

I skate and work a lot and it takes a toll on a lot of my jeans since they are usually longer than my legs I just need a very resistant material I dont necessarily care about price(ANSWERED)

I posted this to r/vintagesewing with some fun answers. I figured I should ask r/myog because vintage machines are a common recommendation for people. What vintage machines do you use for what type of project?

I hope this doesn’t fall under the “open ended machine” rule, but if it does, I’m happy to move it elsewhere. I know much has been said about the Singer HD and its capabilities and limitations. I’m trying to understand 2 things before I make a purchase. I'm eyeing the Singer HD 8832 available from Costco.

1. Does the machine have known durability issues that will require constant upkeep? I’m okay with some tinkering, and I’m not that worried about getting a “bad machine” as long as I can recognize those problems within the first 30 days (Costco return policy). I would like to avoid a sewing hobby turning into a "maintain a sewing machine" hobby.
2. Will I be severely limited by the machine's strength and capacity? I would plan to use some heavier duty nylon/cordura materials and perhaps some canvas. I plan to make organizer pouches and smaller bags, some stuff will be used for a nonprofit that is largely outdoors and sees a lot of things beat up fairly quickly.

For reference, I'm brand new to sewing anything. As I said, organizers, small bags, and weather covers are the things I'm most interested in right now. They'd need a decent amount of durability, and I'm looking at heavier duty cordura as one of my fabrics of choice, but I'm still learning.