Some questions about the sewing

[Hilikus]

Hey guys!

 

I am making a Biker Scout, and I have a couple of questions. Any and all help are greatly apprechiated

 

First and foremost; I do not own a sewing machine. I've come to understand that is a disadvantage. At the time I don't really know anyone nearby who can help me out with this. I do understand that (theoretically at least) everything can be made using needle and thread, but that seems a bit excessive considering the time some of the parts would probably take.

 

So, my questions are as follows

• Which of the soft parts can be made using needle and thread, without using 80-90 hours?
  
• Does anyone have experience with the cost of using a seamstress? I live in Norway, so if any fellow norwegians have gotten any of their parts made in this fashion, I'd love some feedback on this
  

 

Also, any tips you can give me along the way are greatly apprechiated. And TBH sorely needed I'm guessing quite a few of you guys has learnt some nifty tricks of the trade along your way More questions will come sometime in the future.

 

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me!

 

Cheers

 

-Morten

[BikerScout007]

Sewing by hand would probably work on flight suit alterations, but I imagine with the bund and vest it would get a bit more complicated.

 

Connect with your future Garrison and you may make some contacts that can help you locally

 

https://nordicgarrison.net/

[Chef]

Hi Morten,

 

Getting yourself a cheap sewing machine will pay dividends in the long run.

 

The money you spend on having your things made for you, will probably be very similar to what you would spend if you got a cheap machine and made them yourself.

 

I would doubt there is anything that can 'easily' be done by hand. Sewing the riding patch on will probably be about the only process that can be done simply.

 

Taking up any 'slack' in the suit is a relatively big task.

 

Have a look on eBay for an oldish Singer sewing machine. They're bomb proof and relatively cheap. (don't get one of the newer ones).

Something like a 457 or a 427 or similar will be ideal.

Even one of the older hand crank 99K machines will reduce your work time by a massive chunk. (these hand crank ones are also great for sewing thick leather too!).

 

They'll take a bit of getting used to, but it's easy once you get into the swing of it.

 

If you see any, just throw up a link here and I can take a peek.

[Mr.Mike]

I agree with Chef. I have one of the new style singer classics that I picked up 100 bucks. It works but it's not nearly as good as mom's old machine. I have yet to sew suede with it, it should be an adventure. A sewing machine is an appliance every grownup should own and know how to use, at least basically imho.

[M.J]

HI ya Morten,

 

Chef hit the nail on the head, you'll save money owning a sewing machine, cheap new one will be all you need, even looking up second hand ones in your area.

It will take the stress out of how your going to do fix it.

 

Also interesting is the "World wide web" (channeling transformers) use it.....youtube is good, if your not sure what to use or how to use it, google it! There are so many how to do or step by step sewing tutorials.

 

Your Garrison members will be able to help and you have us!

[Retrofire]

I second this. Once I got up the courage to do my own sewing I found it was so much better to do it yourself. I remade my cod and shortened the sleeves on my vest. My machine was a small investment but it made a big difference. Folks like MJ and Chef are great tutors and give you the confidence that you can do it yourself.

[Hilikus]

Thank you for all feedback guys. As you mentioned Retrofire, at the moment I too lack the courage lol. Well, off to googling sewing machines.

 

Can any machine sew leather by the way? Is it for the main part the needle and/or thread that depends, or does the machine itself matter for this task?

 

Edit:

Also, I see quite a posts about the RedKap coverall. Does anyone have experience with Dickies coverall? From the pictures on amazon, the Dickies one looks more close fitting, so I was just wondering if anyone had any input on that

[BikerScout007]

Thank you for all feedback guys. As you mentioned Retrofire, at the moment I too lack the courage lol. Well, off to googling sewing machines.

 

Can any machine sew leather by the way? Is it for the main part the needle and/or thread that depends, or does the machine itself matter for this task?

 

Edit:

Also, I see quite a posts about the RedKap coverall. Does anyone have experience with Dickies coverall? From the pictures on amazon, the Dickies one looks more close fitting, so I was just wondering if anyone had any input on that

 

If by leather you mean the pig suede that we use for the riding patches, then yes, absolutely. Just get the thinnest suede you can and use a heavy duty needle, like for denim (or leather!) My machine handled it just fine.

 

I ordered the Dickies coverall one time just to try it out. From what I remember more work needed to be done to it to get it up to standards so I ended up returning it.

[Hilikus]

If by leather you mean the pig suede that we use for the riding patches, then yes, absolutely. Just get the thinnest suede you can and use a heavy duty needle, like for denim (or leather!) My machine handled it just fine.

 

I ordered the Dickies coverall one time just to try it out. From what I remember more work needed to be done to it to get it up to standards so I ended up returning it.

 

I will try that then, thank you!

 

Could you do me the favor of just looking over this coverall to see if it's usable? I'll have to remove the pockets and so on, The store that sells this is within walking distance from where I live, so then I could get started within a couple of days, rather than wait for an order from amazon

 

http://www.biltema.no/no/Bygg/Arbeidsklar-og-verneutstyr/Arbeidsklar/Industri-service-og-transport/Kjeledress-2000038292/

[BikerScout007]

Looks good to me! but there appears to be a hip pocket that will have to go, obviously. And if there are any pockets on the butt they need to go too.

 

Chest pockets are usually fine because they get covered by the vest, bund and chest armor.

[Hilikus]

Looks good to me! but there appears to be a hip pocket that will have to go, obviously. And if there are any pockets on the butt they need to go too.

 

Chest pockets are usually fine because they get covered by the vest, bund and chest armor.

 

Yes, the hip pocket I've noticed, and it should be able to remove it with a seam ripper. But what about the normal front pockets? Do you usually just let them be, or are there any requirements as for hiding/removing those as well?

[Chef]

You can get special leather/suede needles for most of the domestic type machines.

 

The shape of the point is different and stops the potential for dropped stitches that you get with a standard needle.

It's how the material reacts with the needle. On a standard cotton, the needle pushes apart the warp and weft of the material allowing the needle to loop the thread. On suede/leather, the skin simply isn't moved aside sufficiently by the point of the needle (unless it's blunt) causing the upper thread to be under tension and therefore miss the lower one when it loops.

 

A leather needle has a 'chisel' shaped point to punch a hole in the leather rather than simply piercing it.

 

It's difficult to say whether your material/machine combination will be OK with a standard needle because it all depends on what you have.

But if you get problems, that is the second port of call to look at after the timing of the machine.

 

 

They might seems blindingly complicated, but rest assured, they are fairly simple things just with some pretty fine tolerances.

 

 

 

(just don't consider getting an industrial coverstitch machine... That's proper bad voodoo going on right there!)

[Hilikus]

It's amazing to get these kind of pointers from you guys, thank you so much Chef! Now I at least have some semblence of an idea about what to look for.

 

About the coverall itself, and right now I'm wondering about the main zipper in the front. Does it need to be covered up with a flap, like the RedKap is, or does it matter if it is visible?

[BikerScout007]

It's amazing to get these kind of pointers from you guys, thank you so much Chef! Now I at least have some semblence of an idea about what to look for.

 

About the coverall itself, and right now I'm wondering about the main zipper in the front. Does it need to be covered up with a flap, like the RedKap is, or does it matter if it is visible?

 

The zipper will have to be covered to the extent that it shows. You may need to make a small flap for the area between the neck and the chest armor. But that's what the pockets you remove are for! Extra fabric.

[Hilikus]

Ok, that's good to know. Extra fabric indeed!

 

As for the mudflap, I got the idea an hour ago or so, that maybe I could use a pillowcase or something similar and modify a bit. Or do I overthink how to make that?

 

Yes, I am all over the place with my questions lol

[BikerScout007]

Ok, that's good to know. Extra fabric indeed!

 

As for the mudflap, I got the idea an hour ago or so, that maybe I could use a pillowcase or something similar and modify a bit. Or do I overthink how to make that?

 

Yes, I am all over the place with my questions lol

 

Mudflap, or butt flap as its sometimes known, is just the same pig suede you use to make the riding patches.

[Hilikus]

Mudflap, or butt flap as its sometimes known, is just the same pig suede you use to make the riding patches.

 

Maybe that's an easier approach. Do you have an approximation as to how much of the pig suede I should get? I understand that depends entirely on body type etc,, but a somewhat close to how much would be great to know

[BikerScout007]

Many of us in the States get our pig suede from Tandy Leather, where they sell Pig Suede splits in about 6 sq. ft sizes. That was more than enough

 

https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/glazed-pig-lining

[Chunk]

A cheap sewing machine(under $100) from Walmart will work fine. I think they are called Brother Basic. Dont buy something that has lots of electronics. 1 or 2 knobs that has a selection of stitchs is what you want. As long as you switch out the needle to a denim 16g (10 for $3) you can sew any item for the Scout Trooper. My sewing machine is about 8yrs old & cost $90. I've made over 100 riding suits, several vest & cumberbunds & even vinyl for the boots & shipped all over the world. You don't need some antique sewing machine. Start off by sewing bare foot. They opperate by a pedal & just like a gas pedal on a car the harder you push, the faster it goes. I say bare foot cuz you can use your big toe to push the pedal. This is how i learned to sew.

[Hilikus]

Thank you BikerScout007, I will check out the link you provided when I get off from work

 

That's great Chunk, thanks! Every bit of infrmation helps me narrow down the search

[Hilikus]

Anyone got any experience with a Singer start 1306 sewing machine? Found one barely used for about 75 $.

[Chunk]

Anyone got any experience with a Singer start 1306 sewing machine? Found one barely used for about 75 $.

That looks fine, plane & simple. Im on my cell phone & can't see where your from. My question to you is why buy used for $75 when you can buy NEW from Amazon & Walmart for $85.

[Hilikus]

That looks fine, plane & simple. Im on my cell phone & can't see where your from. My question to you is why buy used for $75 when you can buy NEW from Amazon & Walmart for $85.

 

I'm from Norway. Cheapest new sewing machine I've found till now in the city I live in is 150 $. Don't exactly have Walmart here, and guessing the cost of sending a machine from wherever I can buy it from off of Amazon will cost me quite a bit. So, then I'll rather buy a used one for 75 $.

 

Edit

Just checked a sewing machine that was about 80 $ on Amazon. Shipping ans import fees are 98.40 $. So yeah, but nooooo... lol

[Chef]

I would class that as one of the 'new' versions and whilst probably perfectly serviceable, might not be as bullet proof as one of the older variants.

 

Just as an example, my old 457 is older than me (my mum bought it new in 1967) and still works as well now as it did 50 years ago.

I can still get all the right parts for it should anything go wrong (which is hasn't in a long long time).

 

They don't build them like they used to is a very apt adage when it comes to sewing machines.

[Hilikus]

That's quite something Chef. Maybe I'll have to rethink buying that one then. I apprechiate the input!