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Zig Zag stitch in sail making

  • 03 Nov 2014 23:51
    Quote
    Reply # 3139928 on 3138896
    Deleted user
    Commercial quality machines with a walking foot zig zag are very expensive. I have several domestic old Morse zig zag machines. Maybe I can get by using them for zig zag as long as the layers aren't that thick. I could use the walking foot commercial machine for all the heavier sewing. I am considering a Juki 1541S, and yes it is capable of large stitches. I can buy one here brand new with servo motor and table etc for around 1500 US dollars. I don't really care for the sailrite machines. I would rather put my hard earned money towards a commercial machine. Maybe I will just buy a used commercial zig zag as well if I can find a good deal on one.
  • 03 Nov 2014 20:37
    Quote
    Reply # 3139801 on 3138896
    Anonymous member

    Hi Ben,

    Don't forget that a zigzag machine can sew straight stitches as well, but a straight stitch machine cannot do zigzag. I sometimes use my Sailrite zigzag machine to sew domestic curtains and other light jobs. If you want to use it for financial gain then it would appear to be wisest to get the zigzag machine for its versatility.

    Cheers, Slieve.
  • 03 Nov 2014 02:59
    Quote
    Reply # 3139286 on 3138896
    Anonymous member
    With an industrial machine you can do nice big stitches.  Badger's first and second suit of sails were made using a hand-crank domestic sewing machine: we got 70,000 miles out of the second set, made out of stretchy acrylic.

    Zig-zag stitching is also very much favoured by sailmakers because the rows of stitching look straighter.  I was told this by a sailmaker (Patrick Selman, in Falmouth UK) who reckoned that the zig-zag didn't really make that much difference otherwise.
  • 02 Nov 2014 23:04
    Quote
    Reply # 3139192 on 3138896
    Anonymous member

    Arion's sail is straight stitched.  The vertical seams have never given trouble but I did have some issues with seams pulling apart in the batten pockets - horizontal panel seams.  I could not find anyone to zig-zag stitch the sail where I was, so I put an extra two rows of straight stitching along the edges of the batten pockets and the sail has since withstood a lot of hard sailing.  However, if I had the choice, I'd say zig-zag stitching is the only way to go.  It is particularly an issue with the light stretchy material in my sail (Odyssey 111).
  • 02 Nov 2014 05:27
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    Reply # 3138920 on 3138896
    Anonymous member

    The zigzag stitch allows you to space the stitches further apart in the cloth, for the same number of stitches per inch of sewing. Or, to put it another way, you get the best overall strength, with the stitches passing through the cloth as many times as possible, but without weakening it. If  you use straight stitch, with the stitches close together, you are perforating the cloth too much and tend to get a "tear along the dotted line" effect. A zigzag machine can do straight stitch as well, so is more versatile.

    Also, when you make a mistake, it's much easier to pass a seam ripper along a line of zigzag sewing!

    Last modified: 02 Nov 2014 05:29 | Anonymous member
  • 02 Nov 2014 03:00
    Quote
    Message # 3138896
    Deleted user

    How important is it to stitch your sails using a zig zag machine? Does the zig zag stitch have some strength advantage over a straight line stitch?

    I want to buy an industrial walking foot machine for my sails and then use it to make money while cruising afterwords. A straight stitch machine is much more useful for everything else it seems....except sails.
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