[Continued from Part I]
(https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...l-parachute-build-part-i.164478/#post-2099836)
Fold the bottom edge of the fabric up to where it meets the line, and spread it flat, holding your hand in the middle of the fold. With the tip of the iron, press it flat. Do the same with the rest of the fold, being careful to keep the edge of the fabric right at the ink line.
Then fold it over again until the ink line is at the bottom of the fold and press it flat.
Now the folded hem is ready to sew.
6. Sewing the hem.
As mentioned above, don't try and backstitch ripstop. When turning your fabric, always have the needle down, meaning the tip is through the fabric and inside the foot plate.
Here's the fabric placed—right side up—under the foot, ready to sew, with the hem underneath the fabric:
The reason I have the hem underneath is because I want the top stitch on the right side of the fabric. The stitch will run two-thirds of the width from the right, which places it at the rolled side of the hem.
(Again, you don't need to backstitch the hem.)
I'm sewing 8 stitches per inch on all seams (hem and flat-felled). Find this distance during your practice stitching, using the machine's stitch length dial. Stitch width is 0.
Start your stitch by 'walking the needle' (turning the machine's handwheel) for one or two stiches to keep the fabric from bunching under the foot. Then run the machine, keeping the stitch as straight as possible. (I do this by lining up some part of the fabric—in this case, the right edge—with some part of the foot (the small step just inside the right side of the foot), then focusing on that while the fabric moves through.)
Here's the finished hem, top stitch on the left, bottom stitch on the right:
Now repeat the process with the top end of the gore.
Whether you hem all the gores, then move to the next step, or hem two gores, then join them with a flat-felled seam, is up to you. I did it one gore pair at a time. That way, if I made a mistake in technique, I discovered it before I made the mistake on all the gores. But it's up to you.
On my build, I did the white gore next, following the same steps as above. Then I moved to joining two gores with flat-felled seams.
7. Joining gores with a flat-felled seam.
Before I describe this process, watch this video, paying close attention when she trims the top stitch piece of fabric (beginning at 1:25).
The reason I point that out is that I decided to avoid trimming the fabric by simply placing the edge of my top stitch piece 3/8" from the edge of the bottom stitch piece. Easy peasy, right? It is, but it also adds that 3/8" (times 12 gores) to the overall circumference of the parachute. So, my 31.5" diameter parachute became 33.5" diameter.
I was fine with the increase. But if exact size is critical to you, either place your two edges even (as she does in the video) and trim the top piece, or, if you want to offset the two pieces, make your gore pattern 3/8" narrower.
The following technique offsets the top and bottom pieces of fabric.
Place the two gores with right sides (dull side) facing each other. Whichever side you want as your top stitch side should be on top and offset 3/8". (The strip of paper in the photo is my spacing reference.) Then pin the two pieces together.
The two gores pinned (right sides together), ready for sewing:
Place the pieces under the foot, positioned so the needle will enter the fabric 3/8" from the raw edge of the top piece. Sew 1", then turn the fabric and sew back to the start. Turn the fabric again and finish the length of the stitch, locking it at the end by turning the fabric again.
Here's the piece ready for folding:
At this point, refer to the video linked above. She explains the folding, pressing and pinning (beginning at 3:25) better than I can. (And it's easier to understand in a video than it would be looking at pictures.)
Here's the piece under the foot of the machine, ready to stitch:
[Continued in Part III]
(https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/31-5-semi-ellipsoidal-parachute-build-part-iii.164480/)
(https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...l-parachute-build-part-i.164478/#post-2099836)
Fold the bottom edge of the fabric up to where it meets the line, and spread it flat, holding your hand in the middle of the fold. With the tip of the iron, press it flat. Do the same with the rest of the fold, being careful to keep the edge of the fabric right at the ink line.
Then fold it over again until the ink line is at the bottom of the fold and press it flat.
Now the folded hem is ready to sew.
6. Sewing the hem.
As mentioned above, don't try and backstitch ripstop. When turning your fabric, always have the needle down, meaning the tip is through the fabric and inside the foot plate.
Here's the fabric placed—right side up—under the foot, ready to sew, with the hem underneath the fabric:
The reason I have the hem underneath is because I want the top stitch on the right side of the fabric. The stitch will run two-thirds of the width from the right, which places it at the rolled side of the hem.
(Again, you don't need to backstitch the hem.)
I'm sewing 8 stitches per inch on all seams (hem and flat-felled). Find this distance during your practice stitching, using the machine's stitch length dial. Stitch width is 0.
Start your stitch by 'walking the needle' (turning the machine's handwheel) for one or two stiches to keep the fabric from bunching under the foot. Then run the machine, keeping the stitch as straight as possible. (I do this by lining up some part of the fabric—in this case, the right edge—with some part of the foot (the small step just inside the right side of the foot), then focusing on that while the fabric moves through.)
Here's the finished hem, top stitch on the left, bottom stitch on the right:
Now repeat the process with the top end of the gore.
Whether you hem all the gores, then move to the next step, or hem two gores, then join them with a flat-felled seam, is up to you. I did it one gore pair at a time. That way, if I made a mistake in technique, I discovered it before I made the mistake on all the gores. But it's up to you.
On my build, I did the white gore next, following the same steps as above. Then I moved to joining two gores with flat-felled seams.
7. Joining gores with a flat-felled seam.
Before I describe this process, watch this video, paying close attention when she trims the top stitch piece of fabric (beginning at 1:25).
The reason I point that out is that I decided to avoid trimming the fabric by simply placing the edge of my top stitch piece 3/8" from the edge of the bottom stitch piece. Easy peasy, right? It is, but it also adds that 3/8" (times 12 gores) to the overall circumference of the parachute. So, my 31.5" diameter parachute became 33.5" diameter.
I was fine with the increase. But if exact size is critical to you, either place your two edges even (as she does in the video) and trim the top piece, or, if you want to offset the two pieces, make your gore pattern 3/8" narrower.
The following technique offsets the top and bottom pieces of fabric.
Place the two gores with right sides (dull side) facing each other. Whichever side you want as your top stitch side should be on top and offset 3/8". (The strip of paper in the photo is my spacing reference.) Then pin the two pieces together.
The two gores pinned (right sides together), ready for sewing:
Place the pieces under the foot, positioned so the needle will enter the fabric 3/8" from the raw edge of the top piece. Sew 1", then turn the fabric and sew back to the start. Turn the fabric again and finish the length of the stitch, locking it at the end by turning the fabric again.
Here's the piece ready for folding:
At this point, refer to the video linked above. She explains the folding, pressing and pinning (beginning at 3:25) better than I can. (And it's easier to understand in a video than it would be looking at pictures.)
Here's the piece under the foot of the machine, ready to stitch:
[Continued in Part III]
(https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/31-5-semi-ellipsoidal-parachute-build-part-iii.164480/)
Last edited:
