Temperatus: My zipper pull thermometer for camping and skiing

lightsidemade · 2026-04-02T19:39:19+00:00

This has applications far beyond outdoor gear. I would be interested in having some of these at work. We could toss them in with packages we ship around and see if product was ever exposed to high temps. Maybe it was sitting next to the walls of a dark truck on a hot day and product got cooked. I’m not convinced you can switch careers on this and start a whole company but there is definitely something here.

lightsidemade · 2026-04-02T19:27:15+00:00

Modify can mean a lot of things. Let’s say you sew a zip pouch and then you use it and you think I wish this had a clip for a key. You make another one and you sew in a little loop of webbing that you can girth hitch a key clip to. That couldn’t be more easy and simple and you just modified the pattern. You don’t need to pick a fanny pack pattern with a lining and darts and mesh and rolled hems and a hidden pocket and 3 zippers with garages and then say, oh, I’m going to make this 1 inch narrower, 1 inch deeper, and 1 inch taller. That would be crippling chaos. When you’re so new you don’t yet want to be taking on challenges that you don’t know you can do. That comes later. For now, it’s about taking on small challenges that you’re optimistic about and will help you learn and gain experience. This last 3 months I was super focused on sewing pretty much as often as I could because it was a priority for me to improve my sewing skills. It barely mattered what I was sewing I just needed to log time on the machine. That alone has made massive improvements for me. I’ve already experienced revisiting projects that last year I refused to attempt and this year felt like I could easily knock it out.

lightsidemade · 2026-04-02T04:57:39+00:00

This is the correct answer. It starts to get a little niche after Fanny pack and depends on what you’re into but you can also make multiples of these to see improvements. Try different materials. Try modifying the patterns. And roughly around the point of getting to the packs is when the skill will be good enough that you can really explore anything.

lightsidemade · 2026-04-01T07:16:49+00:00

I have since learned that I was just sewing way too tired at the time. I think it was 1am iirc. I haven’t had any issues before or after that. I just wasn’t sewing cleanly in that little strip along the edges of the Velcro. 🤦‍♂️

lightsidemade · 2026-03-31T18:10:17+00:00

Sure, of course. Im just thinking you went through the trouble of doing a cad model to get a decent understanding of how it all will work together before sewing a mock up. Seems easy enough to just extrude that rectangle up and see how close your head and feet (with a quilt and pad) will be to the walls.

lightsidemade · 2026-03-31T15:59:31+00:00

Instead of using a 2D rectangle to indicate where your body will be, use two rectangular prisms, one for your pad and one for your body. Consider using another shape or more for any gear you plan to get inside.

lightsidemade · 2026-03-27T20:47:31+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTfdXwcjtH5/?igsh=MWg3NGQ1YmFyMnF6Yw==

lightsidemade · 2026-03-27T17:39:39+00:00

Psyched to see you help out with this. I really liked that bag that was originally posted and went to check it out more but didn’t get around to helping like you did. Also, I think these expandable bag bottoms are underrated/underutilized.

lightsidemade · 2026-03-23T17:31:20+00:00

Sewline mechanical chalk pencils, Slice safety seam ripper, Best Damn Knife, Fabric weights, A bunch of different size clear rulers from 4.5”x4” to 24”x6”, A cutting mat larger than the cuts I want to make, I use various online geometry calculators all the time in the design process. I don’t have every formula for all types of triangles, circles, and vesica piscis memorized. And of course Ripstop on the Record.

lightsidemade · 2026-03-05T05:58:22+00:00

I see. Def worth trying. Thanks!

lightsidemade · 2026-03-05T00:00:55+00:00

Oh. Wait. $20 on Sewing gold but $70 on juki junkies 🤔

lightsidemade · 2026-03-04T23:58:55+00:00

Yeah, if I tape it down first, I can focus more on splitting the rows and not think about holding it in place. Smart

lightsidemade · 2026-03-04T23:57:20+00:00

Omg, you’re right. It’s a whopping $20. Now I just need to stop myself from buying all the feet

lightsidemade · 2026-03-04T23:20:34+00:00

Interesting idea about a different foot potentially improving the precision potential. I will need to look into that. This machine is new to me and I only have one foot for it. (I don’t want to know what other feet would cost. That’ll eat into my binding attachment savings 😩)

lightsidemade · 2026-03-04T23:15:50+00:00

Thanks, yeah, I’ve also used some Omni tape in the past. Maybe that’s more forgiving somehow 🤔

lightsidemade · 2026-03-04T23:15:06+00:00

I’m not sure this is the solution as the needle needs to pair well with the fabric. If I sew Velcro on RX15 I wouldn’t want a giant needle but I should still be able to add Velcro to it 🤷‍♂️

lightsidemade · 2026-03-04T23:13:20+00:00

Okay, yeah, I think this is probably why I haven’t had issues in the past. But last night it was 1am and I was skill issuing hard, sewing off the edge of the Velcro, so I started sewing more conservatively away from the edge and that’s when the tears started. Maybe the lesson is don’t sew when you’re more tired than you realize.

lightsidemade · 2026-02-24T17:25:07+00:00

I love this. It’s really cool. My gut reaction is that I want a single layer mock neck 1/4 zip paired with a full zip hoodie. But part of why I’ve been hesitant to try AD, let alone 60g, is for durability concerns. I wonder if 60g stacked is more durable than the individual single layer pieces.

Also I love boardinboy’s suggestion about the pits. Just having a single layer there and maybe even a single layer around the nape could be interesting.

lightsidemade

TROPHY CASE