Specialty Outdoors

Sewing and Repair for Outdoors Enthusiasts

 

Tips for Sewing Silnylon

So what is this silnylon stuff? "Silnylon" is silicon impregnated ripstop nylon. It is extremely waterproof, and extremely lightweight. Ultra light backpackers love it for this reason. It's a little tricky to work with, but making your own gear our of silnylon is very rewarding.

Sewing:

  • use an 80 or 90 needle
  • use "taut sewing": apply tension to the fabric with your hands, in front of and in back of the needle. The object is to tension the fabric, not pull it through.
  • use a good quality polyester thread
  • a walking foot (even feed) is a very good accessory to have

Pinning: try the following

  • glue stick
  • binder clips
  • pins in seam allowance

Cutting:

  • use SHARP shears.
  • try hot cutting with a soldering iron using a sheet of glass underneath. This will seal your cut edge so it won't ravel, and if your two edges are going to be seamed anyway it will hold them together.
  • rotary cutter with mat

    • Seam ideas:

    Plain Hem: fold 3/4" twice and edgestitch.

    Mock flat fell seam: illustrated here. To make a "mock" felled seam, use a 1"and 1/2" seam allowances, and fold the longer one around, then top stitch

    sealing silnylon: use McNett Silnet. 

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