Meteor Bivy – need help with my first MYOG project

You will probably have to order materials online. Go to thru-hiker.com or owginc.com for good selections.

A standard sewing machine will work fine. You will want a sharp needle of the appropriate size (smallish).

You want to use synthetic thread (no cotton). I have heard of polyester or nylon – I think mine is nylon. I use clear but colors are available, especially white or black.

Practice on a few test pieces first. Getting the tension set right on the sewing machine is critical. Doesn't take much for the lightweight materials you are using.

You can replicate a pattern in a larger scale by drawing a grid over the small size pattern and another grid on large roll paper at the appropriate scale – say 8x, 10x, 12x, etc bigger than the small paper grid. Then just replicate what you see on the small paper in the big grid. Not exact, but gets you close. You calculate the right size grid – say the pattern shows the bivy 8 inches long and you want 80 inches – that's a 10x scale.