Meteor Bivy – need help with my first MYOG project

[Dave .]

Hi all,

I'm looking to try my hand at making a Meteor Bivy. It'll be my first MYOG project, I don't have a lot of sewing experience, and I'm uncertain of how to begin. In short, I'm not sure how crafy I am when it comes to this sort of thing, so I may be a tough case to take on. I'm not even sure what specific questions to ask for advice!

I wonder if those of you who have made this bvy already or those of you with a lot of MYOG experience could offer some pointers or advice for a beginner?

Where can I buy the materials needed?

Can I use a stnadard sewing maching for this project?

What're the best ways to go about drawing up full size plans? I'm not sure how to adapt the patterns online to the dimensions neeeded.

[Jason Brinkman]

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.

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