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Member since 7/16/09
Posts: 13
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Posted on: 8/5/09 4:41 PM ET
OK, I'm still sewing my canvas tote bags.

I was doing ok with my heavy duty thread -but then I bought some beautiful orange/chocolate canvas which is fairly heavy (16-17 oz?) and they did not have heavy duty thread that matched that. So, I got some Dual Duty XP (coats and clark) - do you think there is that much difference between the two threads?
  
Member since 5/16/08
Posts: 977
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Posted on: 8/6/09 3:14 PM ET
Someone suggested I use a triple stitch (two stitches forward, one back) when sewing on heavy canvas with regular thread like DD-XP. It effectively doubles the amount of thread in each stitch -- but it's a bit of a pain to rip.

Just a thought.
  
Member since 12/13/07
Posts: 826
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Posted on: 8/6/09 3:58 PM ET
In reply to Sewandwrite
Just don't make a mistake.
  
Member since 7/16/09
Posts: 13
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Posted on: 8/8/09 10:31 PM ET
that sounds really hard!

I finally got someone to say they never had any trouble with all purpose on canvas totes - so, here's hoping!

anyway, with a lining, you'd think that would relieve any stress put on the seams.
  
Member since 12/3/05
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Posted on: 8/9/09 8:52 AM ET
Why don't you just sew your seams first with regular thread? Then when you're satisfied the bag is sewn correctly go over the seams one or more times to reinforce the bag. A lot depends on how heavy a load you're planning to carry with your totes. For a fashion totebag, I sew regular seams with regular thread and only reinforce the area where the strap joins the body of the bag.
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Member since 2/9/04
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Posted on: 8/9/09 2:10 PM ET
What Nancy2001 said.
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Member since 1/12/05
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Posted on: 8/10/09 10:21 AM ET
This won't help you any (sorry) but I have a confession to make. I'm so paranoid about seam failure related to strap attachment, I avoid it at all costs. This was a big reason -frankly- I was most enamored with the design of the ubiquitous plastic bag with the handles built in.

Fwiw, (if anyone wants to know) I use whatever thread weight is appropriate to the machine I'm using. The first two bags I sewed on the industrial machine and so, used industrial thread. The last bag (pig suede) I made on a home machine and used home thread.
-- Edited on 8/10/09 10:21 AM --
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Member since 3/16/07
Posts: 888
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Posted on: 8/10/09 12:08 PM ET
In reply to Pattern2Pattern4U
I think that you're fine for strength as long as you do a few things.

The thread should be about as strong as the thread in your fabric. So long as the thread is too strong for you to break with your hands, you should be ok with cotton canvas. If you really want to, you can probably double it in a large needle for high-stress areas.

If the thread is strong enough, you need a long enough line of stitching. For the handles on a tote, I would stitch each handle with a rectangle at least an inch on a side. If you consider that there are four such attachment points, you can see that the force on any individual one isn't that high. Just be sure to secure all the thread ends so they won't work loose.

You also need to include enough handle or tote fabric in each seam. Flat fell seams or stitched down french seams should make that happen around the edges. A couple of long lines of stitching on the handles makes that happen at the handles. The wider the fell seam, the better, up to a point. If you stitch the SAs down at about 3/8in., that should be good. Pay especial attention to the corners, sewing a gusset or reinforcing patch at this high-stress area.

I don't see how your lining is going to reduce the stress on the outer fabric much. Are you lining with self fabric? If the lining is lighter weight than the tote, and the lining is a little bigger than the tote (as is common), then the outer cloth is going to carry the load.
  
Member since 7/16/09
Posts: 13
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Posted on: 8/10/09 4:46 PM ET
thanks everybody for your help and opinions!

I suppose my first totes are not going to be serious load carriers - more just decorative handbags with that sort of shape. I pretty much just followed the millions of tutorials found online for tote sewing - which mostly just have you sew the handles into the top seam with the outer fabric & lining - then turn it all right side out and top stitch it all together. So, the handles are stitched in twice - however they do not have the rectangular "x" box stitch one finds on heavier utility totes (I think this is what Tom is talking about in his instructions?)

I do want to make more heavy-duty totes in the future and will be using the french seams and the box stitch thing for the handles. It's just taking me awhile to find canvas that is heavy enough for "utility" and yet not so heavy that my machine can not sew through it! The machine itself may limit how heavy I can get.

Tom, I thought the lining - which is about the same weight as the outside and the same size exactly (supposedly if all is equal in cutting and seam sewing!) - would basically "share" the load. Surely there is more stress if there is only one layer of fabric. That would be my not-so-scientific guess anyway.
  
Member since 1/22/08
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Posted on: 8/12/09 8:16 AM ET
I made a couple of totes from this fabric at fabric.com...Fabric.com, premier prints

The description says it is 7oz cotton which I thought would be lightweight enough for dresses or skirts - nope, it's better for totes, aprons, etc. I wonder if they are actually heavier than 7oz.

Anyway, I just used my regular gutterman thread, I made the X on the straps and at the bottom, I folded the bottom so it was a box then folded the corners that were created to the bottom and stitched them down.

They're not lined. I just wanted simple bags that could be thrown in the wash.

I made them about 15 x 19 inches and so far they've held up to full loads of groceries. I need to make more.
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2018 50 yard dash - 13.85 yds sewn
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