Silnylon anorak – seam finishing?

[Sumi Wada]

I have a piece of silnylon left over and would like to make a simple lightweight anorak. But I don't know how to finish (seal) the seams. Do I tape them, or…?

[Jerry Adams]

Permatex® Flowable Silicone Windshield and Glass Sealer from the hardware store

or silicone caulk thinned with minearal spirits (1:4)

I'de apply it inside where you won't see it

[Sumi Wada]

So, basically seal it just like I sealed my tarp. Guess I'll have to try to be a little neater about it though…

Thanks.

[John Donewar]

Sumi,

On silnylon seams use Permatex Flowable windshield sealer purchased at your local auto parts store. There is no mixing with thinner or mineral spirits with this method.

First set up your shelter with a nice tight pitch to put the seams under tension.

Apply it as it comes out of the tube with a small disposable 1" to 1 1/2" foam rubber brush to the exterior of the seams.

Brush it into the thread of any of the seams and the "open" edge of any of the flat felled seams.

Be sure to seal the box stitching or bar tacks at all of your tie out points.

Party On,

Newton

[Jerry Adams]

"So, basically seal it just like I sealed my tarp. Guess I'll have to try to be a little neater about it though…"

You could maybe use masking tape or some other tape, put it on each side of seam, sealer in between, nice neat lines, remove tape.

It might stick better with rough edges.

[Sumi Wada]

Thought I'd update with the finished product. Color was a given as I had a 2-yard leftover piece to use. Zipper is 11" long. Elastic at wrists and at hem with a cordlock. Total weight (in its stuff sack) is 2.4oz.

[tyler marlow]

I want one!

[Royal Magnell]

I like it! Sweet job! Did you use a pattern? I've wanted something like this for a while, but anorak patterns seem to be rare. With a pattern maybe I could get a sister to make one for me :P

[Jerry Adams]

If you're thinking about making an anorak out of silnylon

if you have a full zipper on the front, sometimes you can unzip it for better ventilation to reduce sweating inside

[Sumi Wada]

I used a McCall's pattern — M6252. I found it at my local JoAnn fabrics. I modified the hood/neck area slightly so that the zipper extends up to my chin. Also put elastic at the cuffs and hem.

There was another pattern, also a McCall's I believe, that was very similar but with raglan sleeves, which may be easier to sew if you're using silnylon. Setting sleeves with the silnylon was tricky.

Btw, my intent wasn't to sew an all-purpose hiking rain jacket. Silnylon, I agree, isn't an ideal material for that. This is meant for my Southwest canyon hikes where I rarely see rain and maybe want a light windshirt at camp. That said, it was raining here yesterday, so I got to try it out and found it more versatile than I expected. On me, this is a "half-zip" (as opposed to a quarter-zip) and putting in pitzips would be very easy and would only add another ounce.

[John West]

Wow, I really want to make one of these now after seeing how good yours turned out. How well does it breath? I was going to make a silnylon jacket before, but decided otherwise because of the lack of breath-ability. I also use my jackets for cycling alot, so it has to be pretty breathable. I think your idea of pit zips as well on those would make a pretty good difference.

[Nancy Twilley]

That looks great! Congrats! I'm a sucker for a good anorak … looks like a good way to use up all those silnylon scraps I have hanging about …

[Sumi Wada]

>> How well does it breathe?

All I've had a chance to do is walk the dog but I'm pretty sure that it won't breathe well at all. But that's something I knew and expected.

That said, I think it would be really easy to build in more venting options, like pitzips. I made the jacket in one evening and didn't have extra zippers but, if I had, I probably would have put them in. It's right along a seam, so not a difficult option.

I also over-sized it a bit to allow for layers and I think the looseness helps in circulating the air around inside. But I don't think you'd want extra fabric flapping around for cycling. If I wanted a more trim fit, I think I might consider sewing in breathable side panels, maybe out of a stretchy fabric.

In the end, my priority was for lightest weight and waterproofness. For the type of hiking it's intended for, I'm not expecting to wear it all day.

>> looks like a good way to use up all those silnylon scraps I have hanging about …

Yes, in fact, what I had was 2 yards of a seconds piece that had defective spots in it that I had to cut around. Without those spots, I probably could have cut it from a 1-1/3 yard piece.

[Steve Small]

This looks great! For anyone interested in this, JoAnn's currently has the McCall's patterns on sale for $0.99. I picked one up yesterday. I don't know how long they will be on sale.

[Bradford Childs]

I bought the M6252 pattern and tried my hand using some cheap nylon last week. This is my first time sewing and the sleeves were very difficult for me. The sleeve piece seemed too wide where it connects to the body. I've read online about basting/easing for sleeves. Did you have to do this? Any other tips for the sleeves?

[Jerry Adams]

I agree, sleeves are very difficult, easier after you do it a few times.

I make a small mark at the shoulder, and at the arm pit, for both sleeve and body, to get them aligned.

I start at the shoulder and sew most of the way to the arm pit. Then go back and do the other side. Maybe you have to make a little fold right at the armpit to get the sleeve and body to match. Since it's at the armpit you don't see it.

The best times are when I screw up and maybe sew the front to the back or have something inside out or whatever – good for a laugh.

A French seam works pretty good. First sew together the sleeve and body with the raw edges outside. Then turn it inside out and sew another row of stitches, enclosing the raw edges. For this second row of stitches, the sleeve and body are aligned so it's easier to get a good seam that looks good and won't rip out.

Maybe do another row of stitches to minimize chance of seam ripping out.

I never use a pattern so maybe there's some better way to do it with a pattern. Actually, I use a pattern, but it's one I made.

A professional sewer probably has a better way to do this, although I do vaguely remember watching my mom sew stuff.

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