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Onto the sewing

Since were working with taped lap seams I always suggest using some form of lubrication on your thread and needle. I use all-purpose sewers aid. (You can pick this up at a local sewing store for $2 or so) There are a lot of different methods for applying it to your thread, but since Im not always sewing through seam tape, I only apply it when I need it. My preferred method is to use a piece of Velcro that has been attached, in line with the thread path, to the top of my machine to oil the thread on the fly. For other techniques you can visit here and find more tips and ideas.



Also youll notice with every long seam youll get a bit of build-up on the needle. The main thing to watch for is that the eye of the needle doesnt gum up. This can cause a big problem and even break thread. To help reduce problems I try to remove the glob (looks like a rubber cement booger) of adhesive buildup after every pass. Just before a long pass of between every other short pass Ill put a drop of the sewers aid on my finger and rub the needle down. Youll have to wipe the excess off the sail after you start but it helps to reduce the risk of a build up thread blockage.


I use Shmetz #10 sharp (microtex) needles. Depending on what thread you use will determine what size needle to use. I had my repairman set the machine up with my thread and he suggested to use universal point #8s. I prefer the sharp point needles because they pierce the PC31 fibers rather than punching a hole, and they only come in 10 and up. This is mainly a preference thing so you can use whatever you like. A lot of people like the jeans needles as well. Might try to avoid any type of rounded point though because those will want to force the fabric down into the bobbin area on startups.

With lap seams you will most likely want to use a stepped zig-zag or serpentine stitch. If you dont this option you can use 2 straight stitches running parallel or even a wide standard zig-zag. Zig-zag stitches were designed to allow for stretch and are preferred over straight stitches. Also zig-zag stitches are less noticeable if they arent perfectly straight.

Always end a stitch with your thread take-up lever at the top of its stroke.

Something else I always try to make sure when Im starting and stopping a stitch it either gets locked over with another stitch from a different pass or is locked down over itself if need be. Because of this you might take a look at the sail pattern and try to plan your stitching before you actually put the needle to the fabric. Look for areas where a seam ends or Ts into another seam. You will want to start with those seams first, so that they are locked into place by the next pass.
Here you can see where the seam to the bottom right ends into a curving through-seam. I start at the T and sew away from the T until I either exit the sail or run into another T and stop.

(Note: exiting the sail refers to sewing till I run off of the sail. I will stitch till I can no longer pierce the material. Stopping short of exiting can sometimes cause you to miss locking the stitch with a LE or TE binding, which in turn can cause the seam to fail over time). If you have no option of locking a stitch with different seam pass, start your machine (about to from where you would normally start) in reverse for about 5-7 stitches. Then go forward to lock over your original stitches.
Sorry no pictures of this but I can take some if anyone needs to see what Im referring to

Next you will want to identify bends in seams so that you can continue through your sewing without having to start and stop for each individual panel.

When you are rotating for a bend always stop with your needle down inside of the next seam. Lift your presser foot rotate the fabric so that it is in line, then drop the presser foot and continue on your way.


If you find that you are stopping a lot to adjust while sewing around a curve, stop with your needle down between adjusting the material for better handling. This will prevent any sliding and starting on a different course than the original.


(optional)
This may be overkill and isnt for the squeamish. When I have started a seam in an area in the middle of a sail that wont be covered over by a bind of some sort, I will cut the thread about (5mm) long then take a lighter and catch the tip of it on fire.

The fire will run down the thread to the sail then extinguish. Right after it goes out take your finger and smash that area. This will turn the ball of molten thread and flatten it out into a micro pancake, which will be harder to pull through the stitch hole left by the needle. I dont have enough of a zoom on the camera to show you a pancake that Im referring to but you will see it if you look closely.

For seams where you have to enter the sail and exit (usually some of my last seams to sew), you will want to start as close to the edge of the sail as possible. My machine wont pull anything through till at least 3/16 in so that is where I start. Youll have to play around with this when working with your scraps to adjust tension or set a stitch.
Try to keep the area you are sewing flat but relaxed so you arent stretching the material before sewing the seam. You should end up with 2 halves of a kite that look something like this.


Now you are ready for sewing your spine seam. The way I do my spines is with a roll-hemmed seam also known as a mock french seam.

(Thanks Gary E.)
I will trace my curved line onto the back of my right wing panel along with the straight center seam line. Then I line up the edges of my sail so that both of the fronts of the panels are facing each other. (Mirrored) Ill start at the nose and sew a straight stitch right down the line making sure to keep the two halves of the sail together and lined up. Remember to follow the curve after the center T. Once I have exited the sail Ill cut my thread ends and treat them to the lighter method mentioned previously. Next I cut along the curve and straight line of the seam so that I have about of extra material past the sails center seam. Make sure you dont cut the good part of the sail. Then Ill fold the extra material up to the stitches. Open the sail up and lay it face down. Fold the material over so that the raw edge is tucked into the hem and stitch the whole thing down with a triple zig-zag.

Click because that picture small is hard to see.
If you want to get really fancy you can compensate so that your triple zig-zag is directly in the center of the finished sail. (I dont worry about this too much but have done it a few times in the past)

You are now done sewing all of the panels together and the kite is taking shape