hand sewing vs machine – stitch strength, down-proof(ness), etc?

Brendan,
It all depends on the quality and skill of your hand sewing. For me, it would take forever and be a disaster. I only use hand sewing for on the trail repairs and for thick materials, like cutting down a leather boot height and sewing in a new scree collar. And then I have to use pliers to get the needle through the work, and spend a lot of time on it.

I think it depends on what exactly you're making — I've made quite a few things by hand: windshirt, sleeping quilt, jackets, bivy, hammocks, tree-straps for my hammocks, backpacking stuff-pillows, stuff-sacks, even one of my tarps. I like to quilt, and do most of that by hand, so making gear by hand was a natural extension for me. Also, I like to sew while I do something else, like watch TV. I made the quilt I did by hand while I was living abroad in Germany, where I didn't have a sewing machine, so that is indeed also a benefit of hand-sewing.

I think the only time you will see a real functional difference between a hand-sewn and a machine-sewn piece of gear (assuming good skill at sewing by hand) is with pieces that are really load bearing, such as backpacks. I wouldn't do one of these by hand, simply because there are several places I'd probably want to reinforce with several lines of bar-tacking, and while this is possible to do by hand it's pretty frikkin annoying! I have made tree straps for my hammock that are perfectly servicable and safe by hand, but sewing those lines through thick webbing several times over is a pain.

I didn't notice any problems at all with down-proofness on the quilt I made by hand, but I was pretty careful to keep my stitches even and small and to do french seams to close up the baffles where I added the down. I use my hand-sewn windshirt almost every day — have had it for three years now with no issues. Stuff sacks, pillows, etc. are also all still in service — the hand-sewn tarp I have doesn't get a ton of use, but it's still kicking too! I worry about the reinforcements on the corner, but I think that's all in my head.

Good luck, I think sewing gear by hand is a blast and I hope it works out well for you.

How do you hand sew?

Front to back to front to back… along the seam?

But then it's not locking so it will pull out.

And how do you keep the end from pulling out?

thanks for you input guys – much appreciated

nancy – about how many stitches per inch do you normally use when you are hand sewing french seams in down quilts/clothing?

cheers,
Brendan

Jerry,
When I'm hand sewing something permanent, like the boots mentioned, I hand sew twice, so the stitch appears as it would with a machine. It is easier the second time around, as the holes have been made. As your post suggests, it holds much better, and of course, looks much better.

Let's see, I've just measured one of my projects and it looks like I average about 6-7 stitches per inch.

As a side note: I never really go back over a line of sewn stitches. There's really no need to go back over your stitching on non-load bearing seams.

To hopefully clarify – I don't go back over the stitching, I alternate the stitching so that the thread is continuous on both sides.

Nancy,
Even on quilts and clothing, backpacking gear can be load bearing, especially when things go wrong, to use Roger Caffin's phrase involving extreme duress to equipment created by frightful weather; or even if OK weather, going off trail in very rough terrain.

I will point out that when hand-sewing heavy materials (Cordura 500/1000D comes to mind) that it's MUCH easier with a machine than pushing a needle through it yourself. It can be done, sure, but it'll tire your fingers and hands out pretty quickly. A really long thimble with good detents is a huge win …. but not as good as a machine! :)

-mox

> But then it's not locking so it will pull out.
Yes, that's the drawback to hand sewing. The machine lockstitch is more stable and will not cause puckering either.
I hand sew repairs in the field but oversew by machine when I get home.

Cheers

I've sewn LOADS of stuff by hand.

Just to give you an idea, here are a few things I've made by hand.(And this is only a fraction of it.)
http://exploriment.blogspot.ca/2012/04/messengemups.html
http://exploriment.blogspot.ca/2010/08/escapepod.html
http://exploriment.blogspot.ca/2010/09/ouchpouch.html
http://exploriment.blogspot.ca/2009/10/mapmups.html

While it's slower than doing it with a machine, doesn't look as sharp, I'm completely convinced it's as strong, if not stronger than stuff sewn on a machine. I have stuff I made a dozen years ago, and it's still fine. I've taken apart machine bar tacking from reputable manufacturers, and it is a snap compared to undoing bar tacking I've done by hand. Seconds compared to minutes. Nothing I've ever done has come apart, torn, ripped, etc. While I would love to have a machine, I don't, so instead of whining about it, I get on with making what I want and need. Another reason I make so much stuff by hand is that I spent 4 years commuting up to 4 hours a day by train. I wanted to use that time productively and sewing was an activity that allowed me to do that. I can also sit and do it while I watch TV, etc.

"I will point out that when hand-sewing heavy materials (Cordura 500/1000D comes to mind) that it's MUCH easier with a machine than pushing a needle through it yourself. It can be done, sure, but it'll tire your fingers and hands out pretty quickly. A really long thimble with good detents is a huge win …. but not as good as a machine! :)"

tight fitting dyneema gloves with a polyurethane coating on the palm/fingers help a little bit, but yeah i agree.

Another example of what can be sewn by hand. Not necessarily "light weight" by any stringent criterion, but lighter than some things I've made.

http://exploriment.blogspot.ca/2013/07/yakbakdekpak.html