Sewing Awning Material

[jgalt]

I need to do some sewing repair on my bimini top. I have a blue cloth top (maybe sunbrella???) which I assume is pretty standard.

What thread type/size, and needle size should I use on my sewing machine?

[Michael s/v Sannyasin]

It probably depends on what thread you use and how heavy your Sunbrella (if that's what it is) is. I would suggest you use a thread called Tenara, basically it's Gore-tex and is supposed to last forever. You might want to check out the Sailrite website at www.sailrite.com I was there yesterday and noticed a guide that had needle sizes for specific threads/weights of Sunbrella.

I think that they said for a home machine, with the Tenara thread, and 3-6 oz Sunbrella it would be a number 18 needle... a number 20 if the Sunbrella was 6-9 oz.

[Nanoose]

The Tenara thread is a considerable investment. An alternative would be an upholstery weight polyester thread (with the needle size recommended at the Sailrite site), available in a wide variety of colors at your local fabric/upholstery fabric store. It is also availalble through Sailrite - $5 for enough to probably do the job, vs. $139 for the Tenara, and more of it than you'll probably use in a lifetime!

I did my Sunbrella and upholstery work with threads other than Tenara and they are holding up well, however, should they eventually need some restitching, it is not a big job.

[Bruce Hooke]

Before mail ordering anything go to your local fabric store and get some heavy thread (e.g., "Button and Carpet Thread") and an appropriate needle and try it out on your sewing machine. I have a old Singer sewing machine that is very tough and will go through just about anything, but thicker than normal thread will not feed through it. I suspect this is true of many home sewing machines.

[Michael s/v Sannyasin]

ouch... I thought I'd seen smaller spools of the tenara for a lot cheaper... here was the page I'd gotten to:

http://www.papercatalogs.com/ec/sailrite/2006/lg_display.cfm?page_number=50

1860 yards is a lot of thread... there has got to be smaller spools out there somewhere.

[brad9798]

I have a sail repair kit with the appropriate circular needles ... I find it easier than dealing with a machine for smaller type repairs.

Just a thought ...

[George Ray]

http://iilg.org/lkb/articles/faq360.html

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Thread & Needle Size

V-30 #12 or #14 Fabrics under 1 1/2 ounces
V-46 #14 or #16 Fabrics under 3 ounces
V-69 #16 or #18 Fabrics up to 6 ounces (can use for Sunbrella)
V-92 #18 or #20 Fabrics up to 10 ounces (can use for Sunbrella)
V-138 #20 or #22 Fabrics over 10 ounces. This thread is too heavy for practical use in home sewing machines.

Thread Size Government Size Textile Size Avg. Tensile Strength Lbs.
V-30 AA 4.7
V-46 B 45 7.4
V-69 E 70 10.9
V-92 F 90 14.5
V-138 FF 135 22.6

Needle Sizes US # Needle Sizes Metric #
11 75
12 80
13 85
14 90
15 95
16 100
17 105
18 110
19 120
20 125
21 130
22 140
23 160

[Todd Bradshaw]

Tenara thread on most repair projects is probably a waste of money unless the rest of the item is in very good condition and is already sewn with it. What good are patches which stay sewn to a cover that fell apart a couple years ago? You can patch nearly anything from a spinnaker to a boat cover with a #18 needle and V-69 thread. V-92 would last longer on a cover, but a lot of home machines may have trouble with it and home machine bobbins will run out of thread quickly if you're sewing any long seams.

There is no such thing as 3-6 oz. Sunbrella. Standard Marine Sunbrella (non-coated and non-vinyl laminated) weighs 9.25 oz. per sq. yd. Their furniture fabric ( for cushions and such, not boat covers) is 8 oz. per sq. yd. Coated, FR and laminated versions weigh more. Most of the similar marine fabrics (both acrylics and polyesters will all be in the 8 oz.-10 oz. range. Odyssey II at around 6 oz. is the lightest common one.

Sunbrella needle puckers badly when sewn, so if you're doing repairs use the longest straight stitch you have to minimize puckering. It also ravels like crazy as it softens up, so be sure your stitch lines are about 1/2" away from any cut edge. If possible, hot-cut any edges to help even more. A wood-handled steak knife heated on a burner works in a pinch (wear gloves).

[jgalt]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I'll work with my local fabric store and use some scrap material at first.

I do have a set of the curved needles, and I'm sure I'l be using these as well.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Actually, I believe curved needles are built for upholstery work. Sailmakers don't use them. I bought a pack of them about 25 years ago because it seemed like a good idea to have some and in all those years of making sails and boat canvas stuff, I've never opened them. Unless you're trying to fix a cover or top while it's still on the boat (which generally isn't a formula for high quality work) you shouldn't need them. Probly good if you ever have to take out your own appendix on the high seas though..... (use V-92 thread or V-138 if you have some, Tenara if you plan to do a lot of sunbathing while recovering)....