parachute sewing question

[capt.dunc]

i got a chute for a large shelter this xmas, happy days. it has 4 mesh (window) sections evenly spread around it, which isn't great for a load of folks sitting around a central fire. thinking of screening a couple of them off with some ripstop, but how many and which? 2 opposite ones, 2 neighbouring ones, 3 or all 4. going to leave the mesh in for strength, but patch over on the inside or outside, i'm thinking inside since then i can get away without hemming all of the edges

pros and cons please

ps happy new year everyone

 

[John Fenna]

I would do all of them and simply overlock all the edges (does your machine have that stitch - if not a tightish zig-zag would do) and sew onto the outside which is not seen when you are under the shelter...
Make your chute unique by buying cheap flags and using them to cover the mesh instead of plain parasilk They come ready hemmed too!

 

[Toddy]

+1 to what John said.

I had to repair mine, lots of little snags, etc., so I just cut out leaf shapes and stitched those on over the bits needing patched.
I just used the biggest, widest zigzag stitch I could, maybe 5mm in from the cut edge of the ripstop and kind of stitched veins through the layers to stabilise everything.

M

 

[bilmo-p5]

+1 to covering all the mesh panels.
If you're using ripstop to cover them I'd put it it on the outside and go round a couple of times with the zigzag stitch; that should be enough. The grid which stops it ripping also stops it fraying to a large extent.
The main thing to watch with sewing big things like that is making sure you don't catch a fold of material under that which you're sewing.

 

[John Fenna]

+1 to what John said.

I had to repair mine, lots of little snags, etc., so I just cut out leaf shapes and stitched those on over the bits needing patched.
I just used the biggest, widest zigzag stitch I could, maybe 5mm in from the cut edge of the ripstop and kind of stitched veins through the layers to stabilise everything.

M

That sounds beautiful!

 

[ged]

Are the mesh panels near the centre or near the outside edges?

If they're near the centre I'd be tempted to do nothing to them, they'll let the smoke out.

 

[Toddy]

That sounds beautiful!

It's unique

Tell you what I did do that was a very good idea though. I used a permanent marker and I marked the bottom corner of each panel with a number. When the chute is up I can spot anything needing repaired, and since I know the number of the panel it's not a nightmare trying to find it again when I'm trying to fix it Surprisingly useful that one.

M

 

[ged]

... I used a permanent marker and I marked the bottom corner of each panel with a number. ...

My French surplus 'chutes came already marked that way.

 

[capt.dunc]

thanks for the feedback.

ged, leaving them's a no go, if you sat 8 guys in a circle round a fire then the vents are dead overhead of 4 guys.

John Fenna, i've got a couple of cheap nylon flags so i'll measure them up and see, nice idea.

Toddy, great advice, the first thing i did was put a bright red guy line on. that's position one for counting, i'll reference the rest from it with coordinates.

 

[capt.dunc]

the flags i've got are about an inch too narrow to screen them off, so i've bought some ripstop. got bright orange, so now my chute will match my vango tent