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Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets



 
 
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  #1  
Old April 29th 09, 06:31 AM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
Square Peg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets

I would like to make several targets for practicing golf shots. These
would be circles of various sizes from from about a 1-yard radius up
to a 5-yard radius -- possibly a bit larger.

I have been using rope, which works fairly well, but it's difficult to
lay out the rope in a nice circle and keep it that way. It occurred to
me that if I could make circles out of some heavy fabric like a
canvas, it might retain the circle shape a little better.

My plan is be to get a piece of fabric, cut the fabric into arcs of
the correct radius, then sew then together into a circle.

I would appreciate comments or suggestions on:

1. What's the best fabric to get? My first thought was canvas. There
is a canvas shop near here that makes tents and awnings. I was in
there several years ago. They have lots of canvas. I plan to go ask
them what they recommend. Is there another fabric I should consider?

2. Will my wife's sewing machine handle the canvas?

3. What's the best way to connect the arcs? I was just going to
overlap them about an inch and sew along both edges, maybe using a
zig-zag stitch that goes over the edge.

4. How do I finish the edges? Do I fold the edge over and sew it down
or sew to edge tape (bias tape?)?

5. How wide whould the strips be? I was thinking 2-3" for the smaller
circles and maybe 1" wider for each yard of radius.

Anything else I should know about or think about?

Thanks
Ads
  #2  
Old April 29th 09, 08:12 AM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
BEI Design
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 197
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets



Square Peg wrote:
I would like to make several targets for practicing golf
shots. These would be circles of various sizes from from
about a 1-yard radius up to a 5-yard radius -- possibly a
bit larger.


36" radius = 72" circles. That could be cut from a single
width of "double wide" fabric, but I don't know if canvas or
ripstop nylon (or ballistric nylon) comes that wide.

5 yard radius = 360" diameter. You would first have to join
several 10 yard long lengths of fabric side-by-side, than
cut the circle. Or a whole bunch of pie-shaped pieces and
join them.

Are you planning on leaving these out in the weather or
packing them away every day?

I have been using rope, which works fairly well, but it's
difficult to lay out the rope in a nice circle and keep
it that way. It occurred to me that if I could make
circles out of some heavy fabric like a canvas, it might
retain the circle shape a little better.


It would retain its shape until a stiff wind blows... or
someone walks on it... or......

My plan is be to get a piece of fabric, cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius, then sew then together
into a circle.


I don't understand what you mean by "...cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius...", so I don't know if
yur plan would work or not. I'm not a mathmatician. :-}


I would appreciate comments or suggestions on:

1. What's the best fabric to get? My first thought was
canvas. There is a canvas shop near here that makes tents
and awnings. I was in there several years ago. They have
lots of canvas. I plan to go ask them what they
recommend. Is there another fabric I should consider?


Sunbrella, ripstop nylon, ballistic nylon... Se Penny's
site for other outdoor fabrics:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/about/whatis.asp


2. Will my wife's sewing machine handle the canvas?




3. What's the best way to connect the arcs? I was just
going to overlap them about an inch and sew along both
edges, maybe using a zig-zag stitch that goes over the
edge.

4. How do I finish the edges? Do I fold the edge over and
sew it down or sew to edge tape (bias tape?)?

5. How wide whould the strips be? I was thinking 2-3" for
the smaller circles and maybe 1" wider for each yard of
radius.

Anything else I should know about or think about?

Thanks



  #3  
Old April 29th 09, 08:18 AM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
BEI Design
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 197
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets

BEI Design wrote:

Sorry, my finger slipped. But most of what I was going to
write is included in my message, I just failed to run spell
check.

I really do recommend you peruse Penny's site:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/about/whatis.asp
she's the outdoor fabric expert.

--
Beverly E. Ickes
BEI Designs
http://ickes.us/default.aspx


  #4  
Old April 29th 09, 09:31 AM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
Kate XXXXXX Kate XXXXXX is offline
Banned
 
First recorded activity by CraftBanter: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,708
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets

BEI Design wrote:
Square Peg wrote:
I would like to make several targets for practicing golf
shots. These would be circles of various sizes from from
about a 1-yard radius up to a 5-yard radius -- possibly a
bit larger.


36" radius = 72" circles. That could be cut from a single
width of "double wide" fabric, but I don't know if canvas or
ripstop nylon (or ballistric nylon) comes that wide.


They usually come about 60" wide.

5 yard radius = 360" diameter. You would first have to join
several 10 yard long lengths of fabric side-by-side, than
cut the circle. Or a whole bunch of pie-shaped pieces and
join them.

Are you planning on leaving these out in the weather or
packing them away every day?

I have been using rope, which works fairly well, but it's
difficult to lay out the rope in a nice circle and keep
it that way. It occurred to me that if I could make
circles out of some heavy fabric like a canvas, it might
retain the circle shape a little better.


It would retain its shape until a stiff wind blows... or
someone walks on it... or......


Weight pockets would solve this. Just slip the weights in round the edge.

My plan is be to get a piece of fabric, cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius, then sew then together
into a circle.


I don't understand what you mean by "...cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius...", so I don't know if
yur plan would work or not. I'm not a mathmatician. :-}


I would appreciate comments or suggestions on:

1. What's the best fabric to get? My first thought was
canvas. There is a canvas shop near here that makes tents
and awnings. I was in there several years ago. They have
lots of canvas. I plan to go ask them what they
recommend. Is there another fabric I should consider?


Sunbrella, ripstop nylon, ballistic nylon... Se Penny's
site for other outdoor fabrics:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/about/whatis.asp

2. Will my wife's sewing machine handle the canvas?


Depends what she has, and the weight of the canvas.


3. What's the best way to connect the arcs? I was just
going to overlap them about an inch and sew along both
edges, maybe using a zig-zag stitch that goes over the
edge.


Personally I'd use a felled seam. Or turn the edge under, glue it down
with basting glue, and lap over the under fabric. Gives a neater edge.
You wouldn't need to fell coated ripstop as it doesn't fray much.

4. How do I finish the edges? Do I fold the edge over and
sew it down or sew to edge tape (bias tape?)?


Face it with 3" wide arcs of fabric, and form weight pockets (see above)
in the facing.

5. How wide whould the strips be? I was thinking 2-3" for
the smaller circles and maybe 1" wider for each yard of
radius.


Are you trying to make roundels, like on military aircraft, or archery
targets? I should go for 6" bands of colour, whatever size your
finished target, or you'll be sewing forever!

Anything else I should know about or think about?


Rip-stop nylon is slippery as hell. Canvass blunts nedles fairly
quickly (use jeans needles), and large acreages of cloth are heavy and
will need lots of support. Two tables in an L shape with you in the
corner with the machine will help to support the cloth.

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!
  #5  
Old April 29th 09, 07:14 PM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
Square Peg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:12:33 -0700, "BEI Design"
wrote:

Square Peg wrote:
I would like to make several targets for practicing golf
shots. These would be circles of various sizes from from
about a 1-yard radius up to a 5-yard radius -- possibly a
bit larger.


36" radius = 72" circles. That could be cut from a single
width of "double wide" fabric, but I don't know if canvas or
ripstop nylon (or ballistric nylon) comes that wide.

5 yard radius = 360" diameter. You would first have to join
several 10 yard long lengths of fabric side-by-side, than
cut the circle. Or a whole bunch of pie-shaped pieces and
join them.


I see that I wasn't as clear as I should have been. When I said
"circle", I should have said "ring". The targets won't be solid disks,
but circular rings. For the smaller targets, the rings would be maybe
2-3" wide. For larger targets, wider.

Are you planning on leaving these out in the weather or
packing them away every day?


I would probably pack them up most of the time, but I'd want them to
be able to tolerate a little weather.

I have been using rope, which works fairly well, but it's
difficult to lay out the rope in a nice circle and keep
it that way. It occurred to me that if I could make
circles out of some heavy fabric like a canvas, it might
retain the circle shape a little better.


It would retain its shape until a stiff wind blows... or
someone walks on it... or......

My plan is be to get a piece of fabric, cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius, then sew then together
into a circle.


I don't understand what you mean by "...cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius...", so I don't know if
yur plan would work or not. I'm not a mathmatician. :-}


Suppose I have some fabric that is 2 yards (72") wide. I can make
targets up to 1 yard in radius in a single piece (no sewing).

To make a 1-yard (radius) target, I would draw a circle with a 1-yard
(36") radius on one end of the fabric. The circle would touch both
sides and one end. When I cut it out, I'd have a solid circle with a
radius of 1 yard (diameter = 2 yards or 72").

But I don't want a solid target, I want a ring. If I want the edge of
the ring to be 3" wide, I'd draw another circle inside this circle
with a radius that is 3" shorter, or 33" in this case. When I cut out
this smaller circle, I will have a ring with a 36" radius and an edge
that is 3" wide and a small circle with a radius of 33" (which is
probably waste).

Is that any clearer?

For targets that are larger than the width of the fabric (most of my
targets), it will be necessary to cut the ring in pieces (segments)
and then sew them together to make the complete ring.

To make a target with a radius of 3 yards (diameter = 6 yards), I'd
need fabric 6 yards (216") wide. Even if this were available, I
wouldn't want it, because most of it would be waste. I don't want a
solid circle, just a ring a few inches wide.

I called a canvas store. Most canvas material comes in rolls that are
5 yards (60") wide. Here's where the mathematics comes in. ;-)

To make a target with a 5-yard radius (10 yard diameter), I'll need 6
pieces cut from a roll of fabric that is 5 yards wide. (I show the
calculations below.)

Here's the procedure to make a ring 3" wide with a radius of 5 yards.
This will work on fabric of any width.

1. Get a piece of string 5 yards long with a pin on one end and a
pencil on the other.

2. Lay the fabric on a solid surface. Pin one end of the string to the
center of the fabric 5 yards from one end.

3. Draw an arc (radius = 5 yards) on the end of the fabric. The arc
will touch the end of the fabric and go to both sides.

4. Move the pencil 3" down the string (radius = 3" less) and draw
another arc. This is one segment of the ring.

The narrower the fabric, the more segments will be needed. The number
of pieces can be calculated by first calculating the angle of the
wedge drawn in Step 3 above. The formula is:

Angle = 2 x arcsin((Fabric Width/2)/Target Radius)

For the example above,

Angle = 2 x arcsin((5/2)/5) = 60°

(I have done some conversions from radians to degrees that is now
shown.)

Now all that is needed is to calculate how many 60° segments there are
in a whole circle. Since a circle has 360°, the formula is:

Number of segments = 360 / Angle

In this case, 360 / 60 = 6. We will need 6 segments to make a target
with a radius of 5 yards out of fabric that is 5 yards wide.

Here's a table showing how many pieces are needed for targets with
radii up to 10 yards from fabric 5 yards wide:

Target Angle Angle
Radius Radians Degrees Pieces
3 yd 1.97 rad 112.89° 3.2
4 yd 1.35 rad 77.36° 4.7
5 yd 1.05 rad 60.00° 6.0
6 yd 0.86 rad 49.25° 7.3
7 yd 0.73 rad 41.85° 8.6
8 yd 0.64 rad 36.42° 9.9
9 yd 0.56 rad 32.26° 11.2
10 yd 0.51 rad 28.96° 12.4

Now I am quite sure that is way more information than you needed or
wanted. ;-)


In any case, I need a fabric that is stiff enough to hold its shape
when formed into rings of this size, can be sewn on a home sewing
machine, is more or less outdoor safe, and comes in bright colors.
  #6  
Old April 29th 09, 08:05 PM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
Square Peg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:31:32 +0100, Kate XXXXXX
wrote:

BEI Design wrote:
Square Peg wrote:
I would like to make several targets for practicing golf
shots. These would be circles of various sizes from from
about a 1-yard radius up to a 5-yard radius -- possibly a
bit larger.


36" radius = 72" circles. That could be cut from a single
width of "double wide" fabric, but I don't know if canvas or
ripstop nylon (or ballistric nylon) comes that wide.


They usually come about 60" wide.


Yep, that's what the canvas shop said.

5 yard radius = 360" diameter. You would first have to join
several 10 yard long lengths of fabric side-by-side, than
cut the circle. Or a whole bunch of pie-shaped pieces and
join them.

Are you planning on leaving these out in the weather or
packing them away every day?

I have been using rope, which works fairly well, but it's
difficult to lay out the rope in a nice circle and keep
it that way. It occurred to me that if I could make
circles out of some heavy fabric like a canvas, it might
retain the circle shape a little better.


It would retain its shape until a stiff wind blows... or
someone walks on it... or......


Weight pockets would solve this. Just slip the weights in round the edge.


Brilliant. That's just what I need. I can probably find small pieces
on metal bars or rods, cut them to the width of the ring, and sew
little pockets for them. In the meantime, I can just lay them on top
of the targets to get a sense of how many I need.

Thank you for that suggestion.

My plan is be to get a piece of fabric, cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius, then sew then together
into a circle.


I don't understand what you mean by "...cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius...", so I don't know if
yur plan would work or not. I'm not a mathmatician. :-}


I would appreciate comments or suggestions on:

1. What's the best fabric to get? My first thought was
canvas. There is a canvas shop near here that makes tents
and awnings. I was in there several years ago. They have
lots of canvas. I plan to go ask them what they
recommend. Is there another fabric I should consider?


Sunbrella, ripstop nylon, ballistic nylon... Se Penny's
site for other outdoor fabrics:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/about/whatis.asp

2. Will my wife's sewing machine handle the canvas?


Depends what she has, and the weight of the canvas.


She has a Singer 9110. I think it's 25-30 years old. The guy at the
cancas store said that many of their awning fabrics can be sewn on a
home machine.

3. What's the best way to connect the arcs? I was just
going to overlap them about an inch and sew along both
edges, maybe using a zig-zag stitch that goes over the
edge.


Personally I'd use a felled seam. Or turn the edge under, glue it down
with basting glue, and lap over the under fabric. Gives a neater edge.
You wouldn't need to fell coated ripstop as it doesn't fray much.


Like this: http://www.sewneau.com/how.to/flat.felled.seam.html?

4. How do I finish the edges? Do I fold the edge over and
sew it down or sew to edge tape (bias tape?)?


Face it with 3" wide arcs of fabric, and form weight pockets (see above)
in the facing.

5. How wide whould the strips be? I was thinking 2-3" for
the smaller circles and maybe 1" wider for each yard of
radius.


Are you trying to make roundels, like on military aircraft, or archery
targets? I should go for 6" bands of colour, whatever size your
finished target, or you'll be sewing forever!


I didn't explain myself very well. I am NOT making complete circles
(disks). I am making rings -- just the outer edge of the circle, about
3-4" wide. The center will be open.

Anything else I should know about or think about?


Rip-stop nylon is slippery as hell. Canvass blunts nedles fairly
quickly (use jeans needles), and large acreages of cloth are heavy and
will need lots of support. Two tables in an L shape with you in the
corner with the machine will help to support the cloth.


I won't have acreage of material for sewing -- just the arcs.
  #7  
Old April 30th 09, 01:21 AM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
Kate XXXXXX Kate XXXXXX is offline
Banned
 
First recorded activity by CraftBanter: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,708
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets

Square Peg wrote:
On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:31:32 +0100, Kate XXXXXX
wrote:

BEI Design wrote:
Square Peg wrote:
I would like to make several targets for practicing golf
shots. These would be circles of various sizes from from
about a 1-yard radius up to a 5-yard radius -- possibly a
bit larger.
36" radius = 72" circles. That could be cut from a single
width of "double wide" fabric, but I don't know if canvas or
ripstop nylon (or ballistric nylon) comes that wide.

They usually come about 60" wide.


Yep, that's what the canvas shop said.

5 yard radius = 360" diameter. You would first have to join
several 10 yard long lengths of fabric side-by-side, than
cut the circle. Or a whole bunch of pie-shaped pieces and
join them.

Are you planning on leaving these out in the weather or
packing them away every day?

I have been using rope, which works fairly well, but it's
difficult to lay out the rope in a nice circle and keep
it that way. It occurred to me that if I could make
circles out of some heavy fabric like a canvas, it might
retain the circle shape a little better.
It would retain its shape until a stiff wind blows... or
someone walks on it... or......

Weight pockets would solve this. Just slip the weights in round the edge.


Brilliant. That's just what I need. I can probably find small pieces
on metal bars or rods, cut them to the width of the ring, and sew
little pockets for them. In the meantime, I can just lay them on top
of the targets to get a sense of how many I need.

Thank you for that suggestion.

My plan is be to get a piece of fabric, cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius, then sew then together
into a circle.
I don't understand what you mean by "...cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius...", so I don't know if
yur plan would work or not. I'm not a mathmatician. :-}
I would appreciate comments or suggestions on:

1. What's the best fabric to get? My first thought was
canvas. There is a canvas shop near here that makes tents
and awnings. I was in there several years ago. They have
lots of canvas. I plan to go ask them what they
recommend. Is there another fabric I should consider?
Sunbrella, ripstop nylon, ballistic nylon... Se Penny's
site for other outdoor fabrics:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/about/whatis.asp

2. Will my wife's sewing machine handle the canvas?

Depends what she has, and the weight of the canvas.


She has a Singer 9110. I think it's 25-30 years old. The guy at the
cancas store said that many of their awning fabrics can be sewn on a
home machine.

3. What's the best way to connect the arcs? I was just
going to overlap them about an inch and sew along both
edges, maybe using a zig-zag stitch that goes over the
edge.

Personally I'd use a felled seam. Or turn the edge under, glue it down
with basting glue, and lap over the under fabric. Gives a neater edge.
You wouldn't need to fell coated ripstop as it doesn't fray much.


Like this: http://www.sewneau.com/how.to/flat.felled.seam.html?

4. How do I finish the edges? Do I fold the edge over and
sew it down or sew to edge tape (bias tape?)?

Face it with 3" wide arcs of fabric, and form weight pockets (see above)
in the facing.
5. How wide whould the strips be? I was thinking 2-3" for
the smaller circles and maybe 1" wider for each yard of
radius.

Are you trying to make roundels, like on military aircraft, or archery
targets? I should go for 6" bands of colour, whatever size your
finished target, or you'll be sewing forever!


I didn't explain myself very well. I am NOT making complete circles
(disks). I am making rings -- just the outer edge of the circle, about
3-4" wide. The center will be open.

Anything else I should know about or think about?

Rip-stop nylon is slippery as hell. Canvass blunts nedles fairly
quickly (use jeans needles), and large acreages of cloth are heavy and
will need lots of support. Two tables in an L shape with you in the
corner with the machine will help to support the cloth.


I won't have acreage of material for sewing -- just the arcs.


OK - Polo mints rather than carpets! I get it...

OK, just make the whole thing double: sandwich your flat weights between
the two layers and sew them in. You might need 4 for the smaller
circles and 6-8 for the larger.

Cut your arcs and join them to make two circles... Lay them right sides
together and sew the INNER circle seam. Clip the seam allowance from
the cut edge almost to the stitching line... Turn through to the right
way out. Topstitch.

Turn under and baste or glue (Elmers will do, but allow it to dry!) a
half inch hem on the outside edge of each circle, turning the hem into
the middle of the sandwich, as it were.

Decide where you want the weight pockets and draw a line from the inner
edge to the outer edge at each side of the pocket. Sew along the lines.
Slip the weights in, and then just topstitch the whole thing closed
all round the edge.
--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!
  #8  
Old April 30th 09, 01:33 AM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
Kathleen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets

Square Peg wrote:


I called a canvas store. Most canvas material comes in rolls that are
5 yards (60") wide. Here's where the mathematics comes in. ;-)


You can get scenery canvas 72" wide from Dharma Trading Co. It's
natural colored but you can dye it with supplies they sell. The extra
width might simplify some of your cutting.

http://dharmatrading.com/html/eng/36...av=fabric.html

  #9  
Old April 30th 09, 06:40 PM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
Square Peg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets

On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:21:01 +0100, Kate XXXXXX
wrote:

Square Peg wrote:
On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:31:32 +0100, Kate XXXXXX
wrote:

BEI Design wrote:
Square Peg wrote:
I would like to make several targets for practicing golf
shots. These would be circles of various sizes from from
about a 1-yard radius up to a 5-yard radius -- possibly a
bit larger.
36" radius = 72" circles. That could be cut from a single
width of "double wide" fabric, but I don't know if canvas or
ripstop nylon (or ballistric nylon) comes that wide.
They usually come about 60" wide.


Yep, that's what the canvas shop said.

5 yard radius = 360" diameter. You would first have to join
several 10 yard long lengths of fabric side-by-side, than
cut the circle. Or a whole bunch of pie-shaped pieces and
join them.

Are you planning on leaving these out in the weather or
packing them away every day?

I have been using rope, which works fairly well, but it's
difficult to lay out the rope in a nice circle and keep
it that way. It occurred to me that if I could make
circles out of some heavy fabric like a canvas, it might
retain the circle shape a little better.
It would retain its shape until a stiff wind blows... or
someone walks on it... or......
Weight pockets would solve this. Just slip the weights in round the edge.


Brilliant. That's just what I need. I can probably find small pieces
on metal bars or rods, cut them to the width of the ring, and sew
little pockets for them. In the meantime, I can just lay them on top
of the targets to get a sense of how many I need.

Thank you for that suggestion.

My plan is be to get a piece of fabric, cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius, then sew then together
into a circle.
I don't understand what you mean by "...cut the fabric
into arcs of the correct radius...", so I don't know if
yur plan would work or not. I'm not a mathmatician. :-}
I would appreciate comments or suggestions on:

1. What's the best fabric to get? My first thought was
canvas. There is a canvas shop near here that makes tents
and awnings. I was in there several years ago. They have
lots of canvas. I plan to go ask them what they
recommend. Is there another fabric I should consider?
Sunbrella, ripstop nylon, ballistic nylon... Se Penny's
site for other outdoor fabrics:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/about/whatis.asp

2. Will my wife's sewing machine handle the canvas?
Depends what she has, and the weight of the canvas.


She has a Singer 9110. I think it's 25-30 years old. The guy at the
cancas store said that many of their awning fabrics can be sewn on a
home machine.

3. What's the best way to connect the arcs? I was just
going to overlap them about an inch and sew along both
edges, maybe using a zig-zag stitch that goes over the
edge.
Personally I'd use a felled seam. Or turn the edge under, glue it down
with basting glue, and lap over the under fabric. Gives a neater edge.
You wouldn't need to fell coated ripstop as it doesn't fray much.


Like this: http://www.sewneau.com/how.to/flat.felled.seam.html?

4. How do I finish the edges? Do I fold the edge over and
sew it down or sew to edge tape (bias tape?)?
Face it with 3" wide arcs of fabric, and form weight pockets (see above)
in the facing.
5. How wide whould the strips be? I was thinking 2-3" for
the smaller circles and maybe 1" wider for each yard of
radius.
Are you trying to make roundels, like on military aircraft, or archery
targets? I should go for 6" bands of colour, whatever size your
finished target, or you'll be sewing forever!


I didn't explain myself very well. I am NOT making complete circles
(disks). I am making rings -- just the outer edge of the circle, about
3-4" wide. The center will be open.

Anything else I should know about or think about?
Rip-stop nylon is slippery as hell. Canvass blunts nedles fairly
quickly (use jeans needles), and large acreages of cloth are heavy and
will need lots of support. Two tables in an L shape with you in the
corner with the machine will help to support the cloth.


I won't have acreage of material for sewing -- just the arcs.


OK - Polo mints rather than carpets! I get it...


I see that you are in the UK. We call them Life Savers over here.

OK, just make the whole thing double: sandwich your flat weights between
the two layers and sew them in. You might need 4 for the smaller
circles and 6-8 for the larger.

Cut your arcs and join them to make two circles... Lay them right sides
together and sew the INNER circle seam. Clip the seam allowance from
the cut edge almost to the stitching line... Turn through to the right
way out. Topstitch.

Turn under and baste or glue (Elmers will do, but allow it to dry!) a
half inch hem on the outside edge of each circle, turning the hem into
the middle of the sandwich, as it were.

Decide where you want the weight pockets and draw a line from the inner
edge to the outer edge at each side of the pocket. Sew along the lines.
Slip the weights in, and then just topstitch the whole thing closed
all round the edge.


I'll have to study these instructions a bit and probably screw it up a
few times. I've done a little sewing, but have no real experience.

You have an interesting website. It looks like you are up for all
kinds of curious projects. Would this be something you might be
willing to do?

I'm going to call a couple of local shops and also talk to some tent
makers. But, if I can't find someone local, this can be done at a
distance. I'm happy to make the templates for the pieces.

Thanks for the help.
  #10  
Old April 30th 09, 06:40 PM posted to alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
Square Peg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7
Default Need fabric recommendation for lawn targets

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:33:55 -0500, Kathleen
wrote:

Square Peg wrote:


I called a canvas store. Most canvas material comes in rolls that are
5 yards (60") wide. Here's where the mathematics comes in. ;-)


You can get scenery canvas 72" wide from Dharma Trading Co. It's
natural colored but you can dye it with supplies they sell. The extra
width might simplify some of your cutting.

http://dharmatrading.com/html/eng/36...av=fabric.html


Thanks for the link. The extra 12" will help some.
 




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