Need to hand sew a zipper onto heavy canvas
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Need to hand sew a zipper onto heavy canvas pcalvert 12-13-2005
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Posted by on December 13, 2005, 9:16 pm
Hi,

My car has a canvas top and the the zipper for the rear window
completely ripped out. I would like to sew it back on by hand, but I
am not very good at sewing. So I thought I'd better ask for some
advice before attempting this repair.

What kind of thread and needle should I use? Anything else that would
make this chore go more smoothly? I've already received a few
suggestions on what to use for thread. They are:

dental floss
waxed carpet thread
the kind of thread used to repair sails

Using dental floss as thread sounds kind of crazy, but I am tempted to
try it. It should be rather strong, and I have a long roll of waxed
dental floss that I'll never use (unwaxed floss works better for
cleaning between teeth). I am not sure how well it would hold up to
sunlight, though.

BTW, I wouldn't normally try to sew heavy canvas by hand-- it would be
sheer torture. Or, at the very least, not much fun. Fortunately, the
holes in the canvas from the previous stiching are clearly visible. So
I think that, with plenty of patience, it should be doable.

Phil


Posted by Veloise on December 13, 2005, 10:12 pm
Phil wrote:
> My car has a canvas top and the the zipper for the rear window
> completely ripped out. I would like to sew it back on by hand, but I
> am not very good at sewing. So I thought I'd better ask for some
> advice before attempting this repair.
>
> What kind of thread and needle should I use? Anything else that would
> make this chore go more smoothly? I've already received a few
> suggestions on what to use for thread. They are:
>
> dental floss
> waxed carpet thread
> the kind of thread used to repair sails

Years and years ago we had a rectangular trampoline and the stitching
that held the webbing straps (which held the triangular rings connected
to the springs) all ripped out. As a family project we hand-sewed it
back into place. IIRC we used a heavy cotton thread and beeswax. And
big curved needles, rubber grips to pull through the holes, and some
sort of thimble-like item. (The top of the thread spool worked pretty
well.)
...
> BTW, I wouldn't normally try to sew heavy canvas by hand-- it would be
> sheer torture. Or, at the very least, not much fun. Fortunately, the
> holes in the canvas from the previous stiching are clearly visible. So
> I think that, with plenty of patience, it should be doable.

Not like there's much choice; car won't fit through the feed dogs!

HTH

--Karen D.


Posted by w_boyce on December 13, 2005, 10:15 pm
For stuff like that I use my "Speedy Stitcher". Do a Google; they're all
over the place for about $10. They come with heavy waxed polyester thread. I
use waxed linen thread a lot too, and it stands up to the UV well.
JPBill
> Phil wrote:
>> My car has a canvas top and the the zipper for the rear window
>> completely ripped out. I would like to sew it back on by hand, but I
>> am not very good at sewing. So I thought I'd better ask for some
>> advice before attempting this repair.
>>
>> What kind of thread and needle should I use? Anything else that would
>> make this chore go more smoothly? I've already received a few
>> suggestions on what to use for thread. They are:
>>
>> dental floss
>> waxed carpet thread
>> the kind of thread used to repair sails
>
> Years and years ago we had a rectangular trampoline and the stitching
> that held the webbing straps (which held the triangular rings connected
> to the springs) all ripped out. As a family project we hand-sewed it
> back into place. IIRC we used a heavy cotton thread and beeswax. And
> big curved needles, rubber grips to pull through the holes, and some
> sort of thimble-like item. (The top of the thread spool worked pretty
> well.)
> ...
>> BTW, I wouldn't normally try to sew heavy canvas by hand-- it would be
>> sheer torture. Or, at the very least, not much fun. Fortunately, the
>> holes in the canvas from the previous stiching are clearly visible. So
>> I think that, with plenty of patience, it should be doable.
>
> Not like there's much choice; car won't fit through the feed dogs!
>
> HTH
>
> --Karen D.
>



Posted by small change on December 14, 2005, 10:13 am
w_boyce wrote:
> For stuff like that I use my "Speedy Stitcher". Do a Google; they're
> all over the place for about $10. They come with heavy waxed
> polyester thread. I use waxed linen thread a lot too, and it stands
> up to the UV well. JPBill

If you've got an REI or other good outdoors store in your town, ( not a big
5) you can find one locally.



Posted by on December 15, 2005, 1:45 pm
Thanks for all the suggestions. For this particular job, I think the
Speedy Stitcher sounds like just the right tool. The price is right,
too. So tomorrow I'll be heading off to the local REI to purchase one.
And a small spool of heavy-duty thread, too.

Phil


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