Finally got my hands on some X-Pac X11, although had to order an obscene amount to get it in the UK. This is the first pack produced using it.

• Mountain Brown X11 with Coyote Brown UltraStretch front, side and bottom pockets.
• Gear loop on the bottom with corresponding bungee near the top.
• Compression straps on both sides.
• Roll top with poppers and a single strap using a G-Hook.
• Rear top pocket with key loop and YKK AquaGuard zips.
• All inside seams trimmed and bound.
• Padded S-Straps using 4mm 85kg/m3 EVA foam and 600D Nylon.
• Back is padded with same foam and 600D Nylon.
• Removable sternum strap.
• 3D printed thumbs pulls designed and printed by me.
• Webbing Keepers also designed and 3D printed by me.
• Works out at about 26L and weighs in at 720g.

Really happy with the final results!

I’m making these for my brand to apply on sweaters, bags etc.

After seeing a post on here recently of a pillowcase made from fleece, I knew exactly what to do with my least favorite sweatpants.

After cutting off the factory seam, the back panels were *just* wide enough to cut two pieces to match my pillow when uninflated. I added no seam allowance to the pieces, stretch stitched with about 1/4" allowance, and serged. It's a snug enough fit to be just slightly fiddly to get on. If I did it over, I may have cut in the corners a bit closer.

I opted for an envelope closure for simplicity and ease of washing. The overlap sits right around the valve so I can deflate the pillow without taking it off. I think the velour finish on the pillow should keep it from sliding too much, but it is yet to be road tested.

This cover brought the pillow from 72g to about 113g or about 4 oz-- probably wouldn't make sense for ultralight backpacking, but that's not my style.

Hey Folks,

I made a post a few weeks ago about making window covers and through the magic of Reddit got put in touch with Jameson at RBTR. I played off his design and his gracious feedback to work on this version for my Subaru. Shoutout to Dutchware and RBTR for carrying quality myog supplies. Pretty happy with how it turned out, but might tweak a few things for a second version. Giving it a test run at the gunks this weekend!

For school, I created an ultra-light camping chair using recycled LDPE plastic bags that I pressed and sewed together to create the fabric for the chair. Then I modeled the brackets and 3d printed them in PETG; however, my new version uses PC as it's less brittle, so I don't worry as much when I sit on it. While not the best chair, I am really proud of it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz4P39WeTV8

This video by Brother's Made was a big inspiration for using plastic bags as the fabric. So watch that if you want to learn how to graph the pieces of plastic together!

Just wanted to show it off as I'm still getting accustomed to sharing my work more, and wanted to inspire people to try to make something hard!

Let me know if there is something else you would like to see with this design, or if you have any questions about the process, as for sharing the 3d printed files. I'm a little on the fence, as there is still some stuff I want to change and continue to work on, but I'm happy to answer questions about dimensioning and such!

I’ve recently started a new clothing brand and I’m exploring the idea of designing a women’s waterproof jacket inspired by the old British & Irish donkey jacket.

I’m not interested in recreating the original jacket exactly — more the heritage, shape and story behind it.

30–40 years ago, donkey jackets were worn daily by truck drivers, dock workers, railway workers and coal workers across the UK & Ireland. I love the honesty and practicality of that era of workwear and I’d like to reinterpret it into a more feminine, modern silhouette.

The vision is:

• bright colours instead of dark industrial tones
• eco-friendly materials
• waterproof outer shell
• warm, comfortable inner lining
• minimal branding
• practical but still stylish

I want it to feel like a modern everyday jacket with roots in working-class British & Irish heritage rather than a technical outdoor jacket.

I’d really appreciate constructive feedback from anyone with experience in:

• fashion design
• outerwear manufacturing
• sustainable fabrics
• women’s fashion
• waterproof garments

Especially interested in:

• eco-friendly waterproof materials
• non-toxic insulation/fabric options
• whether the donkey jacket inspiration feels fresh or too niche
• any brands I should study for construction/fit inspiration

Open to honest criticism — still very early in the design stage.

This bag took 3 attempts. It’s not perfect but I’m damn proud of it! My husband is an avid rock climber so I wanted to make him something he would be able to use doing something he loves. I’m giving it to him on his birthday soon and I honestly don’t know if I can wait that long haha.

PATTERN:
Beyond Better Basic Chalk Bag by Kenneth Schackart

https://github.com/schackartk/sewing\_patterns/blob/main/chalk\_bag.pdf

NOTES:
I found this pattern for free somewhere on Reddit last year. I want to say it was either here or on the climbing subreddit. It’s easy to follow, however, in the beginning when making the outer shell, it says to sew wrong sides together when you need to sew right sides together. There are also no instructions for the belt portion but that’s easy to YT.

My little Janome QDC 5300 handled this bag like a champ.

Tyvek 1443R

I had posted a question here and in other sewing groups about my tension issues.

My zigzag stitch did not work at all and my straight stitch only had okay tension. If I positioned the needle to either side. It was awful in the middle position. There were many many loops underneath the fabric.

I tried to adjust the tension myself and also took it into the local shop where they did a bunch of tests including taking the burrs off my bobbin case. This didn't fix it and the minimum cost per service was $199 just to check it out.

The fix:

The burrs on my strike/needle plate were actually the culprit.

I had hit it a couple of times with a bent needle and there were burrs above and below the plate which I was able to sand off with my handy Dr Scholl's callus remover.

Smooth thread. Smooth feet.

This calls for a nice treat. Maybe some fabric! I saved hundreds! 🤣

My tool belt is constantly upgraded and things changed around. Wanted to share to things I've recently made for it.

A sheath for my Robens saw made from scratch and a thrift store find upgraded to belt satchel.

These how-to's was orignally posted on my blog Rosentjorn.

Robens Saw Sheath

Recently I had to cut a lot of wood in the forest, and several times I missed my small folding saw. That was a bit annoying, so I decided to make a quick sheath for my Robens folding saw.

I am really happy with the saw, and it has held up for a long time. In fact, I have never owned anything from Robens that has disappointed me. The saw costs around 810 Euro. The design looks like the cheap 5 euro saws from hardware store.

If it dies one day, I will buy one from Bahco or Silky. But for now it has lived for several years. The cheap ones tend to bend at the blade or break in the locking mechanism, but the Robens just works.

The sheath took a single evening on the sofa to make, so that is not too bad. Even if I switch to another saw one day that does not fit it.

Template

I traced around the saw and cut the shape out. Then I placed it on a new piece of paper that was folded. I cut out template number two and checked that it could actually wrap around the saw – which it could.

Cutting, Holes, and Edges

I transferred the sketch to the leather and cut it out. Then I punched holes on one side, folded the sheath, and marked the holes through with a pencil. After that I punched holes on the other side so they lined up.

I rarely use an awl, and I do not have a sewing machine for leather. So the hole punch works fine, and it is also easier to sew through the slightly oversized holes. Before stitching, I ran an edge beveler along the entire sheath.

Stitching

The sheath is stitched with a saddle stitch and has been sewn twice, so it is nice and strong. Before stitching it together, I slightly dampened the leather to help it take shape around the saw.

I have never tried drawing in leather before, but I drew an eagle on baking paper, dampened the leather, and traced over the sketch. That left a faint mark in the leather. I pressed the eagle shape with a knitting needle and then scratched/dotted it using an awl.

Dangler

I really like dangler sheaths. Especially on a work belt, it is nice that things can move freely. When I move around, sit down, and so on, there is no tool suddenly digging into my side or anything like that.

So I simply riveted a small strap with a D-ring onto the sheath. In the D-ring hangs a small strap. On my dagger the dangler can be unbuttoned, but I do not mind having to remove other parts of the belt to rearrange things properly.

The good thing about riveting the strap is that I will not accidentally pull the buttons open.

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Belt satchel

I always keep an eye out in thrift stores — especially for leather belts and small leather bags. Often the belts are too short or the bags too worn, but it’s a very cheap way to get leather cords (from braided belts), buckles, D-rings, and clasps — far cheaper than buying new.

This bag cost 2 EUR. It’s made from thick, dark leather of excellent quality. Inside, there are five compartments, three of them with zippers — absolutely perfect.

Upgrading the bag was simple. I cut a few small straps from an old belt, riveted them together with carabiners. The carabiners are always useful — even if the bag isn’t on the belt, something else can hang from them instead.

The straps got a quick coat of brown leather dye, which really improved the look.

EDC and More

Just for fun, I tried overloading the new pouch — it holds far more than I expected.

In one zippered pocket: tins with plasters, pills, and my car key (always nice to have that zipped in).
In another zippered pocket: fire-starting gear — tinder tin, lighter, matches, and still room to spare.
In the last zippered pocket: a Fällkniven sharpening stone and an Opinel No. 7.

In the open compartments: tins with coffee, tea, sugar, and milk; a spoon; and my Hultafors axe sharpening stone.

That’s more than enough gear. The axe stone rarely comes along (the axe is maintained at home), and the coffee setup usually lives with the small cook kit in the shoulder bag. The point is — there’s a lot of space.

I really liked the bellroy lite sling, so I made my own version with better colours. It’s a bit simpler with no front pocket. But I didn’t like the front pocket honestly, it never felt big enough for anything useful. This is a cool shape and i learned a lot making it!

Blade is bought, but handle and sheath is made by me. Brass, birch burl, horn and antler. Nipped the blade while shaping the handle and didn't grind it out completly and many other flaws. But he loves it!

I picked up this machine for $150 as a result of the owner tipping it over on a truck bed and snapping the shaft at the hand wheel location and not wanting to deal with replacing it. So I decided to take on the project considering how cheap of a sale it was.

Looking for advice getting the machine back in order. This is my first walking foot machine so sorry for my ignorance but when I turn the shaft (with a flat head in the hollowed out portion of the shaft), I meet resistance when I get to the point I’d imaging should be a full revolution and the needle comes to a dead stop.

On my other machine, I can turn the hand wheel freely through a full revolution but I cannot with the 1181n. Is this a feature of a walking foot machine?

Also, is replacing the main shaft as easy as unscrewing the set screws indicated in the pictures and putting in the new one?

Does anyone know where to source a sweatband/strap feeder for a post bed machine. It’s an Artisan 5510 which is a clone. There are other brands out there by different companies but they are the same machine.