hobbies that help out with RV living

[maki2]

I used to do a lot of sewing, mostly because I used to love to do it but now and again for other folks who were too lopsided or too tall for clothes off the rack. Sometimes even seamstress for the band way back when. Oh and costumes too.

But sewing skills come in very handy for my build as well. Of course things like curtains and upholstery, storage bags etc. Today I was making removable window screens for my vintage travel trailer. The original screens required removing the whole aluminum interior clamp ring if you wanted to wash the window glass. What a nuisance that would have been. The new screen is Velcro attached for easy removal. Photo was taken on the interior, I have a red tarp outside that has a heat reflective side that faces out. The tarp worked for a backdrop providing contrast so you can see how the screening is attached.

 

[BrookeD]

I do some seamstress work too. It is rather exciting to see another sewer. I'm not out on the road yet, but I am planning on taking my machines. It nice to read your thread.  

 

[maki2]

Nice to meet you BrookeD

I will have to get the majority of the sewing I need for the build done this summer, my machine is too heavy to take on the road. Sewing makes good projects for rainy days or days too hot to be working outside on the build. Good change of pace from other types of work as well.

 

[abnorm]

Well my first job was sewing luggage part-time after school...…. 

Fifty years later...……. I use my Singer Featherweight on-the-road to fashion awnings using cheap tarps



...….As well as fix my britches...…..make a storage bag...….ETC.


I love Velcro !      doug

 

[Doubleone]

Great idea and nice work on the window screen!

 

[lenny flank]

Any backpacker worth their salt will have a sewing needle and some fishing line with them. Great for repairing all sorts of things from tents to sleeping bags to backpacks.

 

[vanbrat]

I love the window screen. I am planning to take my machine too.. I am having fun making 'stuff' for my van. S0 far I have made an awning 0ver the back d00r and a few behind the fr0nt seats 0rganizers and a few st0rage pill0ws a curtain f0r the fr0nt window and a table hanging thingy f0r the kitchen table and a bathroom mirror basin holder and and and and and
If we don't hit the road soon I swear I will have sewed the van from top to bottom.....

 

[PODebbie]

Maki2. I took your advice and bought the glue for the velcro. I tried to buy VHB tape on Amazon. I used it to keep my Sterlite drawers closed. The Velcro does not stay on the drawers. Could you post a link of the VHB tape you use. I made mosquito nets for the front windows with magnets. I want to use Velcro for the back door to secure the netting. BTW, your screens look fantastic.

 

[Homeless in Canada]

I have a little sewing project in mind. I want to make a mosquito screen to enclose the back of my cargo trailer. I went into a fabric store and lo and behold they had large rolls of mosquito netting and they also had velcro that's sticky on one side and other velcro that's cloth. Had a little handheld sewing machine for only 30 bucks that's battery powered. So all in I should be able to make mosquito screens for the rear opening and side door of my trailer for under a hundred bucks which is a lot less than it would have cost to have something made from an online store

 

[maki2]

Maki2.  I took your advice and bought the glue for the velcro.  I tried to buy VHB tape on Amazon.  I used it to keep my Sterlite drawers closed.  The Velcro does not stay on the drawers.  Could you post a link of the VHB tape you use.  I made mosquito nets for the front windows with magnets.  I want to use Velcro for the back door to secure the netting.  BTW, your screens look fantastic.

The issue is not the VHB tape the issue is the type of plastic that is used to make those drawers. That type of plastic is next to impossible to get adhesive to stick to it.  Sorry to tell you that but it is just the property of some plastics that they don't bond well.

 

[maki2]

I got the screen for the window in my back door done. It is easy to pull the screen open so I can open either the top or bottom of the dual sliding window. The original way they had the screen it was on the outside and there was no way to remove it to clean the glass.

 

[Doubleone]

Sweet! Looks like a high-end factory job.

 

[maki2]

I have a little sewing project in mind. I want to make a mosquito screen to enclose the back of my cargo trailer. I went into a fabric store and lo and behold they had large rolls of mosquito netting and they also had velcro that's sticky on one side and other velcro that's cloth. Had a little handheld sewing machine for only 30 bucks that's battery powered. So all in I should be able to make mosquito screens for the rear opening and side door of my trailer for under a hundred bucks which is a lot less than it would have cost to have something made from an online store

The sticky side Velcro from fabric stores is unlikely to stay stuck for long in automotive interiors. It is temperature rated for about 100 degrees, van interiors do get hotter than that when sitting in the hot sun. You need high temp rated Velcro for reliability in hot car interiors or on hot car exteriors. Plus there is the issue of are you sticking it to plastic parts in the interior. Not all plastics are going to work with all types of VHB tape. The 3M company makes a very wide range of types of VHB tapes, some are good on plastics, others are not. Some are good for temperatures ranging up to about 180 or 200 degrees but I have never seen that kind of Velcro sold by the yard in fabric stores.

I am a label reader and I also go online and look at the specifications for the products I plan to use where I know there might be issues with the potential for issues with plastics bonding, or the temperature.  That is my habit because I have worked in manufacturing for a lot of years so I have been around many hundreds of different adhesives that are very specific for their use.

 

[Cammalu]

I didn’t know you had that featherweight hidden in there Doug! You should go to quilting with me!

 

[Cammalu]

Yes featherweights are great and I don’t have one ... sniff sniff

The quilting club in Quartzsite is full of quilters with those cute little machines. Now if I could find a pink one I might have to pull the trigger.

 

[B and C]

Get one and give John a couple of cans of pink spray paint. (Like he doesn't have enough to do already)

 

[Cammalu]

He has a never ending list of things he’s always working on. Between that and Dr appts neither of us ever get much of a break.

At least the weather will be really nice this week in Kentucky. We have the windows open and the fantastic fan on.

 

[Homeless in Canada]

The sticky side Velcro from fabric stores is unlikely to stay stuck for long in automotive interiors. It is temperature rated for about 100 degrees, van interiors do get hotter than that when sitting in the hot sun. You need high temp rated Velcro for reliability in hot car interiors or on hot car exteriors. Plus there is the issue of are you sticking it to plastic parts in the interior. Not all plastics are going to work with all types of VHB tape. The 3M company makes a very wide range of types of VHB tapes, some are good on plastics, others are not. Some are good for temperatures ranging up to about 180 or 200 degrees but I have never seen that kind of Velcro sold by the yard in fabric stores.

I am a label reader and I also go online and look at the specifications for the products I plan to use where I know there might be issues with the potential for issues with plastics bonding, or the temperature.  That is my habit because I have worked in manufacturing for a lot of years so I have been around many hundreds of different adhesives that are very specific for their use.

 thank you for the advice. The project I have in mind is to make a square panel of mosquito netting that will fasten to the aluminum beams of my trailer frame.

Maybe instead of using the adhesive Velcro I will get regular kind and glue it with to the frame with epoxy.

The other problem is how to fasten it to the plywood floor with all the foot traffic a velcro strip on the floor would get worn out and become useless rather quickly. I was thinking of perhaps lining the bottom of the panel with a long bean bag. Something heavy enough that it will lay flat on the floor

 I haven't sewn since I was forced to take home economics in Middle School. But I remember a project where we had to make a kind of snake looking bean bag that could be used to seal drafts along window seals and door jambs.

I also don't have a sewing machine but I saw some little handheld ones that were only about $30 does anyone have recommendations on which ones are better then others

 

[B and C]

They make drapery weights: https://www.amazon.com/slp/drapery-weights/rm2cayxjabj96d7

Would be easier to work with.

 

[maki2]

 thank you for the advice. The project I have in mind is to make a square panel of mosquito netting that will fasten to the aluminum beams of my trailer frame.

Maybe instead of using the adhesive Velcro I will get regular kind and glue it with to the frame with epoxy.

The other problem is how to fasten it to the plywood floor with all the foot traffic a velcro strip on the floor would get worn out and become useless rather quickly. I was thinking of perhaps lining the bottom of the panel with a long bean bag. Something heavy enough that it will lay flat on the floor

 I haven't sewn since I was forced to take home economics in Middle School. But I remember a project where we had to make a kind of snake looking bean bag that could be used to seal drafts along window seals and door jambs.

I also don't have a sewing machine but I saw some little handheld ones that were only about $30 does anyone have recommendations on which ones are better then others

Epoxy glues will not stay stuck to the nylon fabric. Velcro is nylon fabric. Instead the glue that is easy to find that does stay stuck is E6000. But it is not a fast cure glue so you will need to use masking tape to hold it for 24 hours until the glue is cured.

You can use snaps to hold the netting to the floor. Sew some fabric to the bottom edge of the mosquito netting to add strength and put the snaps into the fabric. If you have a wood floor then you can get snaps that have a screw built into the base. A very easy way to fasten curtains and such to wood is to use those screw in snaps.

don't mess with buying the hand held sewing machines, they are not suitable for big sewing projects. There are lots of sewing machines around, most likely you can borrow one. You can also rent them. Pretty much every senior center seems to have a few sewing machines around and they don't charge for using them but a donation to the center would be appropriate. You don't have to be a senior to visit a senior center, they are welcoming and friendly to people of all ages. Also almost every "Maker Space" I have seen online or visited has at least one or more sewing machines available for use. Many of those spaces charge a small hourly fee to non members so that is also a good option for a nomad out on the road who wants to do some sewing. There are also RV parks that have craft rooms with machines available so you could plan your project around a one or two night visit.