To all you sewing lot...

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  • Damn that’s cool, how far do you have to take your bike apart to get it in there?

  • Did a small wallet. another bagel bag, and a camera strap. Having some trouble getting nice stitches, might switch to a different thread from the Nylbond 60 I'm currently using as I've read domestic machines don't work as well with the continuous filament stuff.

    The bagel bag is still far from round, but it's good enough for now. I'm starting to get bored with just copying existing designs, might play around with a tote bag design after this.


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  • That’s kind of the down side I do basically have to strip the whole thing down to get it small enough to fit but the upside is that it makes getting the bag on public transport much easier. For example wen I went to japan with it I just jumped on the regular commuter rail from the airport in Tokyo whereas I don’t think you’d get away with it with a larger bag/box. It’s definitely made me choose components wisely as well, cable brakes, Center lock discs and a GXP crankset all make for quick removal.

  • More of a musette actually.


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  • Try lubricating the needle so it doesn’t stick to the rubber inner tube?

  • The inner tube stuff I've seen uses thicker thread? Maybe try a light fishing wire type thread? Else the waxed thread that goes in speedy stitchers might do the job?

  • I need to patch the elbows on a fairly loose, heavy knit jumper. What's the best thing to use for a patch? Corduroy or similar?

  • Fattest needle the machine will take, waxed thread (ideally topstitch thread) and a Teflon foot on the machine.

  • Corduroy should work, or Suede / Leather I'd guess?

    I think they sell pre cut patches in Abakhan up here, Guy Garvey motif optional.

  • There's a shop in Green Lanes (top end) that sells every spare for sewing machines imaginable. My girlfriend's machine is ancient save they had parts for it there.

  • Sets of different Bernina feet (feels strange writing that instead of ‘foots’) are v affordable online, which might make other stitches easier with the whole set,

    Alternatively, you can experiment with taping a piece of smooth plastic either to the foot, or covering part of the walking mechanism underneath. I did this with a leather I was having load of problems with, and with the right setup, worked brilliantly.

    Hope this helps!

    • and a final idea might be to test sandwiching the tubes between sheet of waxed paper while sewing. It will mean the mechanism can grip/move, and also get the thread through.

    When you’ve finished sewing, the paper should rip off, but might take a bit of work with tweezers to get everything out.

  • Similar to above technique you can use 2 strips of masking tape either side of the stitch line so you don’t need to mess around cleaning things up afterwards. Particularly useful when working with thin non-woven stuff.

  • You’ll struggle no matter what. Inner tube is notoriously difficult. It stretches, it sticks, and it flexes.

    That means that unless you use a leather-point or diamond-shaped needle built for cutting a hole (as opposed to round that generally ‘pushes’ the material out the way - ie on woven fabrics), the needle will struggle to give a good consistent stitch hole.

    Lubrication, like waxed thread, is good for trying to limit the friction between the rubber and the thread/needle that you fight against, but you may also consider Nylbond type thread that feels slippery to the touch. However beware that your thread tension is important because if the thread is tight to try limit all that flex, you’ll just bunch and pull and cut the material with the thread like a cheese wire.

    Teflon feet, tape, paper, all good suggestions to reduce friction on the presser foot to allow the material to move unmolested, but you’re fighting a losing battle. There is temptation to pull the material forward with your free hand and you’ll make it worse. Reduce presser foot tension as much as possible to limit the amount of force applied to the material... however too little and you’ll mess up the upper/lower looping of the thread.

    Even a walking foot machine suffers with at least one of these issues. Only a compound feed can do it with any degree of satisfaction.

    You want big needle, sharp bladed point, big hole, big thread but smaller than needle hole, low tension, low friction.

  • A much better idea than faffing with torn paper!

  • r.e. Lidl sewing machine on the last page that I asked about, I ended up finding a year-old Singer 4411 for £90 on Facebook instead. Did I do good? Old machines seem to be either absurdly overpriced or hen's teeth so I gave up and went for this.

    I repaired a couple of small things and then jammed the shit out of it.

    Have just bought a massive square of cheap waxed cotton (seconds) for a tool roll which seems like a good first project. Having fun.

  • If fully working and complete without issue, £90 isn’t cheap but is totally okay.


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  • I've read heaps of reviews praising it and also have a few friends who recommend it, so I think you've made a good choice

  • A used, slightly broken one sold for £155 yesterday on eBay! 🤦‍♂️

    The one I bought was just serviced so I'm happy

  • You could try sticking the needle in some soap occasionally, it might help prevent any build up forming.

  • Making the most of the extra time on my hands. First attempt at something this big, pretty pleased, looks good from far etc... I'm not sure if it's been mentioned before but bikepacking.com have some really good walkthroughs for stuff like this.

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To all you sewing lot...

Posted by Avatar for Psychobikin @Psychobikin

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