Chalk Bag kits & sewing lesson

Are any of you interested in learning to sew outdoor gear?  Do you want to use your socially distanced time to learn a new skill? Do you have access to a sewing machine?

Then I hope you’ll join me to make a Covid Home Activity Lesson & Kit to Build Action Gear, or CHALK BAG sewing project : )

Your finished bag will look something like this:

For $25.00 I’ll mail (CONUS) fabric and materials (except thread) for you to sew your own chalk bag. We’ll meet via Zoom for about 2 1/2 hours and I’ll help guide you through the steps to complete your project. Please know that the outer fabric is recycled from a tent that I retrieved from a dumpster.  The material for your bag might be solid orange, or a random combination of orange and blue, it might look "distressed" and it will likely contain random seams.  The inner fabric is also recycled.  You can see examples here.

You will need to provide your own sewing machine and thread, a device to attend a meeting on Zoom and enough familiarity with operation of your machine to sew a seam (I can send information to help you learn the basics).  This is a perfect opportunity for you to learn to sew outdoor gear with a patient and supportive instructor, so don't let lack of experience stop you.  All you need is enthusiasm and a desire to have fun.  

Even if you don't have a sewing machine, please contact me.  I think this could be a great project for hand sewing with different lesson logistics.  We'd meet briefly on Zoom a few different times to review various steps, and allow time between meetings for you to complete your homework   ; )

If you want to buy one of these chalk bags already sewn, I'll mail you one in exchange for a $25 (minimum) donation to the Scrapyard Climbing Collective in Holland, Michigan.    

Thanks,

-Bob

Patrik Larson wrote: Since I have a lot of spare time right now I would like to try sewing outdoor gear. The material, fabric and thread won’t be a problem for me to find. However I’m not sure which is the most affordable and reliable sewing machine perfect for making outdoor gear.

Any working yard sale/Craigslist model will get you started. Find the recent thread (pun?) here on good machines for when you get serious and start to sew webbing and really heavy fabrics, but IME unless you're building packs or pseudo-bartacking climbing gear, a home machine is all you need.

Patrik Larson wrote: Since I have a lot of spare time right now I would like to try sewing outdoor gear. The material, fabric and thread won’t be a problem for me to find. However I’m not sure which is the most affordable and reliable sewing machine perfect for making outdoor gear.

Get a White Jeans machine of similar.  That particular machine is a tad bit heavier than most normal home use machines (hence the jeans reference since it can sew a couple layers of denim).  It isn’t much better than most home use, but if you intend to sew anything with density it has a tiny minuscule bit more muscle.  That said, I have a few industrial machines and haven’t sewn on a home use machine in years!

Hi Arnold,

Did you get my message?  You can contact me at
Landmarkimages@aim.com 

Patrik,

I agree with the others: a vintage machine (Singer, Pfaff, Bernina, Viking/Husqvarna, Kenmore, White, Elena) with metal gears and without electronics should serve you well.  As much as I love my Singer 221, I suggest you get a machine that can sew a zigzag stitch. 

Have Fun,
Bob

Bump for a pretty creative BST idea.

Some happy participants:

More examples here.

Take care and

Have Fun,

-Bob