Sewing canvas

[Keith Webb]

Yes please, be interested to see the comparitive pictures of the different feet you mentioned.

[maple_leaf_eh]

When my brother was posted in Germany, and learning parachute rigging, he went around to the various Pfaff and Miele stores. As a Canadian soldier who spoke adequate German and wanted to learn the hardware, the store owners treated him well. He repeated to me what to look for, and from the postings above, most of those things have been mentioned.

His hanging-around drop zones was providential because a few years ago, out of the blue (bad joke), one of the German parachute makers invited him to test as a 'proofer' for their line. He gave them some samples of his work and copies of documentation. Now he is something like the only North American authorized inspector for other riggers' work for that line. A proofer is sort of a master master in the German craft system.

[rob love]

There is one thing I have to add if making a tarp for something like a 15cwt: Make the tarp about 4" bigger than the original. I made a couple, and despite exacting measurements, the brand new canvas mysteriously shrunk once it was sewn together. It could be stretched, but as soon as you put it away for the winter, it would shrink again. So add a little extra.

I was fortunate that I was able to do my experimenting on the mat tech's machines while I was still in the service. Many a lunch hour was spent experimenting with various canvas and seams and stitching.

[Mike K]

Well, all the information is adding up . Various ideas and suggestions aree flowing. I visited a retired upholsterer today and he told me a few things .

1. Yes, the distance from the needle to the body ( throat ?), is important for handling large jobs e.g., CMP GS tops. But, seat covers, side curtains, bags and sunshine roof tops , are not that large and a average sized machine would be OK for those jobs.

2. A reverse function is desirable but not essential.. sew in either direction.

3. He said the Singer 'K' models are excellent. I was offered a Singer K, but they wanted 2k dollars ... a horse rug person.

4. It's best to have a large spacious work area, with tables to support the canvas. In the factories , the operator often sat within an island ,or cubicle, surrounded by flat tables . This is how then managed to sew huge tents. Check out the GMH 1944 colour film for an example of this.

I did have an original DD marked Blitz seat base at one time.. it had lace up covers from memory . During WW2, GMH had a large canvas sewing regime going .. they made myriad items . If you have an old pattern or sample, then it should be a straight forward job. In some cases you can pick open the seams and use the old canvas pieces as a pattern, trace them out on paper.

Mike

[Mike K]

This is the Singer model 7-33

I've seen these on ebay .. over 4k dollars ! Apparently, they are considered to be the ' VERY HEAVY DUTY ' workhorse of the fleet.

Mike

[Mike K]

I posted the sewing query on the G503 Jeep forum:

The replies are most informative.. particularly 'BAZZA' from Sydney.

http://www.g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=120496

Mike

[Tony Smith]

We could divert this thread a little. Mention of the Juki reminds me that this Japanese company also made Machine Guns during WW2, the Juki MG being nicknamed the "Woodpecker" because of it's distinctive slow stuttering beat. Toyota and Suzuki were sewing machine makers long before they branched out into automobiles. Hiram Maxim modelled his MG (which later developed into the Vickers) on the mechanism of a sewing machine. Lithgow Small Arms factory, after the war, branched out into sewing machine manufacture making the Pinnock machine for a South Australian co, but also badge engineered these in a variety of other brand names, one (in a parallel of the Juki, or in homage to Hiram?) called the "Vickers"!

[Mike K]

I took a few snaps of the original seat bases I have.

I think the lower base maybe is from a CMP. It has springs inside it and a lace up covering. There would be a lot of work , fabricating one of these bases from scratch.

The back covering squab, not sure what it's from.

Mike

BTW I have noticed that the stitching on these old original items is rather sloppy and loose. The thread tension is very bad and uneven.. stitch length is uneven , probably typical of wartime production with inexperienced operators and large volume output. The stitching on the GMH sidecurtain I have , is beyond description , it's that bad . A little 5 year old kid would do a better job on a toy sewing machine.