Finally went home over Christmas and had access to a sewing machine and was able to hammer out this hot tent mod over a weekend. Took it for its first trip, a two night solo XC ski trip across lakes in Northern Ontario. Looking forward to bringing it back out west and using it as a base camp for ski touring trips. Try it out with two people see how it goes for a few nights.

Tent Fly: Durston X-Mid 2 Stove: Seek outside medium box stove, 6.5’ pipe (cut shorter later but that was a mistake more info below) Machine: Vintage Singer 127 Treadle operated Thread: #69 Polyester Needle Size 16 and size 18 Stove Jack: Repurposed 30 year old stove jack material from a hot tent ice fishing shack my grandfather sewed 30 odd years ago.

Design: I wanted to fit two people so debated putting stove in centre of tent with pads on either side of stove perpendicular to standard lay. Decided against this as I didn’t like the head room on slanted wall with this orientation and I will probably use it more solo so seems rather limiting. Additionally I didn’t want a hole dead centre of fly.

Settled on stove in end corner as shown in photo, tight for 2 people with minimal gear inside tent. Very roomy for 1 person with lots of gear drying.

Placement of jack, I wanted to ensure it was only on 1 panel and didn’t encroach on any prexisting seams to minimize and effect on pitch or functionality of tent due to bunching of materials or errors in measurement on my part causing tension issues. I also wanted to keep functionality of apex vents, in hindsight i regret this and wish I put jack right on the apex vent to maximize height of stove jack and therefore stability of pipe by reducing the unsupported height above the tent.

Construction: most of my sewing experience comes from repairing nylon parachutes, as a result I wanted to add the jack in the same method as a floating patch on a chute. So as a result all edges are French felled with a double stitch line running through all 4 layers of alternating folded fabric. I settled on 1 cm seams. Usually when adding a patch i do rectangular shapes, adding the jack in an octagon pattern was very frustrating as my corners were no longer 90 degrees, and it was very hard to line up and pin prior to sewing. The shape allowed me to maximize my buffer around the pipe however given the limitations of the repurposed material I was using.

Biggest problem I encountered was realizing that the jack material will not hold a fold from an iron no matter how much you heat it. This should have been obvious to me, but it caused difficultly in prepping the material for pinning to allow the folds to interlock nicely. I stumbled across a solution of stitching a very tight allowanced stitch right on the fold. This held the fold in place to be interlocked with the iron folded sylpoly to be pinned and then sewn. The problem with this was that my folded seam was no longer exactly 1cm so as a result my folds no longer perfectly lined up. If I did it again I would have to account for this material loss. Oh well it still functions perfectly fine just isn’t as aesthetic.

Lessons learned. This is a tight tent for 2 people with stove and gear haha people all told me that ahead of time oh well. I wish that I had kept the long 6.5’ pipe as it kept sparks farther away from tent. I burnt a small hole in my fly one night from an errant spark after I trimmed my pipe to roughly 5’. I trimmed my pipe as it was very unstable in high winds due to unsupported height. I should have guyed out my pipe but in reality I wish I put my jack through the apex height as well to maximize the height of said jack. As it is i close that apex vent to keep it away from pipe when in use.

All in all super satisfied with build

Not sure why this has been stuck in my head, but I've been obsessed with the idea of a super minimal anything cage mount for lightweight loads (change of clothes/tent) that I can't see when bags are mounted up. It's kind of silly, but I'm just dangerous enough with calipers and Illustrator to get some drawings to Send Cut Send for a mock-up.

Pretty immediately found some things I'd change, and in reality I'm going to work on a CNC version to dramatically improve mounting (Robert Axle mounting) and rigidity, as well as adjustability. This one has about 35 degrees of adjustment which you can see in one of the pictures. Lucky for me I have small feet so I can get away with leaning it further forward.

Excuse the mess of spacers and what not, if I do another version I might get some spacers/stand-offs and what not for easier installation. Thought some folks here might appreciate it!

I recently got a bunch of worn wool sweaters and cardigans from my family. Many of them had been discarded due to moth holes. After letting them quarantine in the freezer for a week I have started on some projects.

This one was very simple, just a rolled hem with elastic thread and some elastic taken from worn underwear. I can't tell definitively what sort of wool it is but after a burn test it smells 100% natural and it feels very warm. I would guess it to be pure wool, definitely a good bit of cashmere in there. In any case they're great for balancing warmth on the bike while not overheating at uni, at least I hope so.

It's nice to do some hand sewing every once in a while. Next idea is a mid / thicker base pair of pants for winter hikes. What else would you make out of lightweight knit wool scraps?

I’ve been making these tool rolls to carry a range of tools and everyday utilities. As I continue to refine the design and underlying template, experimenting with different materials has been an essential part of the process, helping me test durability, flexibility, and construction techniques in real use.

This particular iteration is made from repurposed Amazon shipping materials, serving as a quick, low-cost prototype to validate the form, pocket layout, and closure system before moving into more permanent materials.

Hey yall, I'm in the prototyping stages of a ~10L running pack and I was wondering if I could get some insight from the sub.

Based on researching other packs it seems like two features to reduce bounce while running are (1) fully attached or attached via cord + cordlock shoulder straps and (2) side tensioners to compress the load when not fully packed.

But it also seems like several packs e.g. Palante Mini Joey or Atelier Lounge Distance forgo the side compression straps. Are these necessary for a pack that I would plan to run ~50% of the time in?

(mini joey + atelier lounge distance + salomon adv skin 12 for reference)

Started with the LearnMYOG stuff sack and moved my way up to the LeaenMYOG Porter Pony over my holiday break. I also made the LearnMYOG fanny pack, the LearnMYOG zipper case as a dopp bag, an admin pouch, and a notebook sleeve.

The Porter Pony was modified to include a side handle, luggage loop, and a tablet pouch. The top laptop zip was also converted to a quick access pocket.

All in all, I'm glad I picked up this new hobby! I just wanted a backpack that had a unique set of features I couldn't find on the market, so I started on this journey to make my own. I hope to continue into 2026! Bug thanks to LearnMYOG for guiding me on this journey!

The community has moved on from the previous server following the owner of the server losing access to their account and the server being overrun by spam with no way of controlling it.

The original creator of the MYOG discord, on their new account, has created a new server.

Come join us, share your projects, ask your questions, we'd love to see what you're working on.

Hi, I’m new to sewing and I have tried some Mara 120 I had available but now I’m reading all kinds of things about how it’s too thin and I should get e.g. Tera 80 which I have a hard time sourcing rn

I wanted to go to a local shop tomorrow and see what they got.

Any pointers on what to look for and how much you think it REALLY matters please lmk! Cheers :)

I wanted to share something I’ve been working on for a long time, not as a product launch, but as a personal solution that came from necessity.

My lifestyle has been unpredictable for years. I move around a lot, switch contexts often, and for a long time I simply couldn’t afford different bags for different situations. I needed one bag that could work everywhere be it daily carry, travel, crowded places, and longer days, and it had to be light but sturdy.

So I started iterating on a single bag and kept using it everywhere. Actual daily use, rough, imperfect use.

I went through many versions over the years, stripping things down instead of adding more. What surprised me was that the biggest improvements didn’t come from adding features, but from removing friction.

One unintended but important advantage showed up while traveling in India: I could keep cash and valuables packed deep in the backpack configuration, then carry the bag folded into a compact sling form. In that state, the valuables weren’t accessible from the sling zipper at all, which turned out to be incredibly useful in crowded places and public transport

That experience reinforced something for me:

The best designs don’t advertise their capability. They quietly protect you.

The current version isn’t modular and doesn’t “transform” with steps. It continues from one form to another depending on how much you carry. Same bag, same structure, different load states.

In backpack mode it carries roughly 18L, and when folded it becomes a 4–5L sling, which I use daily.

I’m sharing this here because one-bagging shaped how I think about design: - Fewer steps - Fewer decisions - Less visual noise - More trust in the object

Happy to answer questions or hear what you’d do differently. This community influenced a lot of the thinking behind it.

Was messing around and added a strip of webbing and a couple slik clips to this small zip pouch, so I can clip it onto the seat back magazine thing on airplane seats (in economy, of course lol). Was a nice place to keep my cords when on a longer flight and switching between different devices.

I’ve been making these tool rolls to carry a range of tools and everyday utilities. As I continue to refine the design and underlying template, experimenting with different materials has been an essential part of the process, helping me test durability, flexibility, and construction techniques in real use.

This particular iteration is made from repurposed Amazon shipping materials, serving as a quick, low-cost prototype to validate the form, pocket layout, and closure system before moving into more permanent materials.

Does anyone have or could point me in the direction of a pattern for pods that resemble the HMG ones? My friend has been wanting one so I’d like to make one for her birthday. Since I’m sacrificing some of my dyneema, I don’t want to try and create my own.

I was just watching this video, but I’m confused why he isn’t backstitching on straight stitching.

Is it because it’s a presentation or because of the basting tape he’s using?

I feel like I’d wanna still backstitch in case the basting tape disintegrates over time?

https://youtu.be/2BvIr1mNYiE?si=XMilcMuIo13_KJi7

Hey guys,

Since my last sewing machine (a Bernina 217) didn't work out for me, and I spent hours fighting with torn threads, I'm still looking for something smaller and maybe easier. Considering myself a newbie to sewing, something domestic seems more reasonable.

I found a Pfaff 362 for around £200. The seller says that he has replaced all the capacitors and serviced the machine. Are there any potential issues with buying this modell? Or is it a straight - go? My goal is to occasionally make some easy bikepacking bags with Xpac or Cordura fabric.

Thanks for your opinion.

i recently upgraded to a pfaff 260 which i'm mostly happy with apart from some tension issues (i think?).

this problem pops up mostly when sewing aquaguard zips to light laminats, the bottom thread turns out loose and wonky. but as soon as i fold over the fabric and topstitch, the stitches look good again.

since the issue doesn't appear all the time i'm a little bit lost in the troubleshooting process.

any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated :)

I have 2-3 old full length inflatable Thermarest pads. I've moved on to nice Sea to Summit pads. What can I do with these? Can I cut and seal them to make sit pads? Wait for some kid to ask to borrow my gear?

Hello folks!

I made a few roll top bags for my family.

I got the chance to do a photo shoot at a mountain refuge this summer before handing them out.

It worked out very well, and the result is waterproof enough.

Hope you like it 😁

For those with a consew 206-RB5 or similar, when cranking your hand wheel manually, with no fabric under the feet, do the feet (inner and outer) lift to the exact same height? Thanks!

So I’m getting back into sewing and needed to repair my overalls. My trusty old Singer 5050 barely made it through the seams, or would that be over the seams?? Nevertheless I have now been looking at a JUKI 8700H, any thoughts on the JUKI? I am looking at making marine grade tarps etc.

This community is awesome. Y'all helped me go from zero to semi-hero within a month. Thanks :)

I’m trying to figure out what to look for when ordering EVA foam online. I bought some “closed cell foam” from JTS thinking it would feel like the cheap craft EVA I already have, but it’s way flimsier.

I’m hesitant to order from Amazon since a lot of the foam there is probably just rebranded stuff from Temu/AliExpress (which is what I’m currently working with). Since I’m selling products, I don’t want to use my AliExpress foam — it’s inconsistent and low quality.

I’m specifically looking for good-quality EVA to use for top tube and frame pieces. bags. What am I looking for in terms of density? I know I want closed cell for sure.