Tried sewing a jacket with old coffee sacks from a diner in Flagstaff.

Found a stack of them at a salvage place for $5 each. Figured the burlap texture would look cool. My machine jammed up bad on the first seam, thread kept snapping. Turns out that rough material needs a heavy-duty needle, something I learned after three tries. Anyone else work with weird fabrics and have tips for the right tools?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_sam2mo ago

Yeah, the heavy-duty needle thing is real. I used a denim needle on some canvas last year and it was a total game changer. Sounds like what @ivan_murphy80's friend figured out too.

pat7811mo ago

Oh totally, nothing like ruining three needles before realizing "oh wait, there's a tool for that." Reminds me of trying to cut through a steel cable with regular scissors (spoiler: it didn't work). It's almost like these things are designed for specific materials or something. Genius, really.

ivan_murphy802mo ago

My buddy in Tucson tried making a bag from old feed sacks. He said a leather needle and heavy thread was the only way to get through that stuff without breaking everything.

jana8812mo ago

Oh man, that's such a good example of how the right tool changes everything. I see it all the time with people trying to fix stuff around the house with whatever's in the drawer. Makes a tough job simple if you just start with the proper gear.