Made a minimalistic backpack from 100% recycled material. Basis for material harvest was an old windsurfing sailbag from North Sails.

Pattern made by my own inspired from an old FJÄLLRAVEN backpack, with the help of Adobe Illustrator and a laser printer.

Sewing machine is a Pfaff 7530.

Feedback and questions welcome.

Discovery Fabrics (Canada)

EDIT: Apparently the US government just delayed this to January 2027. We are in the process of confirming, so sorry for the false alarm. They have not yet updated the Customs and Border Patrol site

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Temporary Suspension of Shipments to the USA

We are once again pausing shipments to the United States.

Friday, October 16, 2026, will be the LAST DAY to place orders for U.S. delivery.

Currently we ship daily to USA, and many of the fabrics are not subject to any duty. Pretty much all Polartec fabrics, Primaloft etc) if there is any tariff, it is calculated in the shipping cart and paid upfront, and we submit it to the US government. No surprises.

However …

Beginning October 22, 2026, the U.S. government will require more detailed documentation for parcels entering the country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with its partner government agencies, will require electronic certificates for many products shipped through the postal system.

Unfortunately, the necessary documentation requirements and procedures for submitting this information are not yet available.

Until further notice, we must temporarily suspend shipments to the United States. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work towards meeting the necessary requirements to resume shipping to the USA.

Thank you for your continued support. We apologize to our loyal customers.

I have a pair of down booties (purchased) that I wear when camping, but when I'm in my hammock, the insulation just crushes under my heel and is ineffective. I've had aspirations of making my own booties, and have been thinking a lot about materials. Even if it's somewhat heavier, is there a better insulation option that won't crush so much?

Hi, as mentioned in the title, I have this issue with the suspended edge roller I received today. I bought it thinking it would be useful for sewing watch straps, but I’m a bit disappointed. The guide touches the feed dog on the right side. Is there any way to fix this?

Thanks.

My original plan was to make a "side car" for one of the vestibules, but my dog likes to sprawl out when sleeps, so I made a larger inner instead. The layout is similar to an X-Dome 1+ with the inner expanding to fill one of the vestibules. There is a velcro opening in one of the end panels for the pole to pass through and a reinforcement patch where the handle of the pole sits on the floor. I used 1.6 oz HyperD PU4000 for the floor to provide extra protection from my dog's nails and 0.67 oz noseeum for the walls. Total weight is ~475g after seam taping.

We used it for the first time on a 6 day trip a few weeks ago and it provided ample room for the two of us. For reference my dog is 65lbs and quite long. In hindsight, I could have saved some weight and gone with a lighter fabric for the floor because the Thinlight pad my dog sleeps on doubles as floor protection.

On a side note, I have one of the original Drop branded tents and it uses YKK LB-RC 15mm side release buckles to clip the inner tent to the fly at the peaks. If anyone has suggestions for where I could source them (I'm in Canada) or for a buckle that might be compatible I would appreciate it.

(Dog tax included at the end.)

I am in the market for an industrial flatbed walking foot machine. I’ve been looking at the Sailrite Fabricator, a Juki 1541s, or Juki 8700 series. Does anyone have any specific recommendations? I’m primarily making bags and other gear.

I have hit the limitations of my consumer machine in terms of materials and thickness.

I recently purchased a bit of Ultra TenX and X-Pac UX10 to play around with.

I really like the color of the TenX. It's very saturated and rich. The TenX is also easier to sew and bind compared to the UX10 because it's a bit stiffer and doesn't crumple quite as easily.

I will say that the UX10 is harder to cut. I found that I could cut the TenX with a razor in one pass. The UX10 took multiple passes... Sometimes 3 or more. The primary fabric of the UX10 cuts easily, but the x-grid just didn't want to cut sometimes.

Both crease easily and permanently.

Anyway... They're both pretty cool fabrics. I whipped up a couple of different wallets, and I'm planning to make a day pack one of these days. I like the red and white and will probably use some combination in the pack.

What other items would make sense to make with this stuff?

I decided my Janome HD9 QCP is a great machines but after 5 months I'm trading it in for this beauty.

Who here uses the Juki 1541S and what are some tips/advice that would help make my experience exceptional?

Any YouTubers I should watch for this Juki?

Accessory recommendations?

Thanks!

I decided my Janome HD9 QCP is a great machines but after 5 months I'm trading it in for this beauty. I'm making heavy leather/canvas totes, selvedge denim jeans, etc.

Who here uses the Juki 1541S and what are some tips/advice that would help make my experience exceptional?

Any YouTubers I should watch for this Juki?

Accessory recommendations?

Thanks!

Hi, I'm planning to make a frame bag as a first timer (also no sewing experience but has a basic sewing machine). I would like to ask
1- Should I go with a simple triangle or work with tiny bottom part. I can't tell how hard it would be or worth it.
2- I also taught removing the bottle holder and making a bigger frame bag but i like reaching my bottle while riding and I really think the one I'm planning has enough space.
3- I'm afraid of bags velcro or straps messing with bare shifter cables .
4- Idk how much fabric that needed.
I really appreciate any other advice thank you!

In the States, everything is available. Here, some things are more available. Tank bags, nope.

I finally made one and feel pretty good about the results. It is not perfect, but it is a wing it design based on one I had many moons ago in the States.

I will enjoy opinions and/or suggestions.

R/JG