My “I’m A Guy And I Sew” Confession
As national sewing month (September) comes to a close, I figured its time to come out of the closet and proclaim my mad sewing skills…
I know it sounds girly and all, but I think that real men should know how to sew! I’m not talking about using a sewing machine and making clothing. Instead I’m referring to manually threading a thread and needle through nylon, paracord or other materials to create homemade lanyards and other materials needed; instead of spending a few bucks for someone elses hard work.
Knotts on either side using a small sewn piece of paracord enable a firm gripping spot to deploy the Spyderco Tenacious.
Believe it or not, I actually have my own sewing kit, while my wife doesn’t! If a button needs fixed, the kids know to come to me. If a pillow or stuffed animal needs sewn, I’m the guy they look to. While that doesn’t sound very manly, I’m happy to know how to do basic sewing because the knowledge helps me in doing my own projects as well.
The small lanyard on both of my flashlights is made of stripped out caracord sewn together at the top and bottom. My Fenix light originall came with a factory lanyard, but the cheap lanyard was no match for the use I put it through. Having the skills to make my own lanyards gives me confort in knowing they’ll last for years.
The next sewing project I have lined up will be creating a nylon single-point sling. I can’t wait to get the 8 feet of nylon and parts to get started. I’ll share more about that project at a later time though.
If you have an interesting sewing project you’ve worked on, please feel free to share your experience with us. We’re always open to learning what others are doing. Leave your comments below!
Comments (3)
We all do a lot of sewing here. I got some pretty mad sewing skills myself. Everything from car upholstery to rock climbing gear. I’ve been known to hem pants for my kids, and in the same evening make tactical vests out of nylon.
Who needs to spend $150 on a tactical vest when you can make one for $20. I even have patterns made for them if anyone is interested!
With some light sewing skills I made a sling for my AR, but I made it out of ‘climbers tape’ it’s a super soft tubular nylon webbing made to anchor climbing and rappeling ropes. With 15,000+ pounds of breaking strength my AR strap also doubles as a tow cable, or anything else that I need an unbreakable tie to. And to boot this wonderful nylon webbing is around $0.60 a foot, and can be purchased locally at 2 climbing stores in Springfield.
For a list of ‘manly’ sewing projects, check out http://www.diytactical.com. With some spectra, or nylon thread, and some simple webbing you wouldn’t believe what you can do with a sewing machine. Don’t buy tactical gear. -Be a man and make it yourself!
I’m looking at getting my materials from http://www.strapworks.com — Do you know of any place in the Springfield, MO area that would have similar pricing on buckles, slides, snap hooks and other materials needed? Thanks for the heads up about DIY Tactical. Their small pouch tutorial looks interesting.
Strap works is fantastic for buckles, slides and snaps. Joanns (a fabric store in springfield) had a decent select of buckles and slides. But they aren’t something I would want to hang my rifle on. Some of the heavier nylon buckles and locks at Strap works are pretty good quality. I would avoid anything plastic with a swivel. Wal-Mart even carries a line of buckles in their fabric departments, but it’s been slimming down in the last year or so.
Joanns is hover a good place to get Cordura nylon, velcro, and snaps. Strap works will likely be your best source for buckles and webbing. If you want to pick up some of that tubular webbing (its actually flat) you can get it at dynamic earth, or ozark adventures. Just tell them you want some ‘climbers tape’ it’s strong beyond belief and soft as a kleenex. Makes a great rifle strap.