Forums > Technical Discussion > Non stretch white material

Posted: 8th Oct 2007
Erm, at gthe risk of sounding a bit harsh.. Learn to sew... At a very basic level and in a crude written description, stitch your two edges together a bit in from the edge, then fold the edge over to meet the line of stitching, then (half?) fold again along the stitching line so that your first fold is against one of the bits of material - now stitch along the first fold to join it to the bit it's touching (have a look at the outside-of-your-leg seam on your jeans, that should give you an idea of what's going on). Now that you have completely hidden the raw edges of the material it won't frAy.

A wise man once said: "You have two ears and one mouth, therefore you should shut the up and listen" (though, to be fair, he might not've put it _quite_ like that..)

Posted: 8th Oct 2007
Or you could probably just get away with zigzaging the edges of the seams Or using some fray check on them

I {Heart} hand me downs and spinning in the snow.<br /><br />

Posted: 9th Oct 2007
thanks for the tips on folding and zig zag stitching, im hardly the sewing expert!

I know what you mean from your description of folding then stitching. The fold will just cover over the end to it wont frey.

When they have completely fallen to bits ill make some more. Until then the edges act as nice looking tassle bits!

Posted: 9th Oct 2007
Wait. Are your stitches on the outside? I was thinking that you were flipping them inside out to sew, then flipping them back around for that clean look.

Ok, moving on a tangent:
I have just borrowed my mother's old sewing machine and started sewing some rather unique poi together. (practicing before I make my flags).

My poi material is a thin cotton, similar to what you might find on a bandanna or head scarf. I have no idea if this material will hold up over time, but it is an experiment. Im also going to be trying a thin polyester lining material. Neither of these two cloths are stretchy.

But, in a similar tract as Geeza, what cloth material do you poi enthusiasts find most satisfying, when sewing together your own unique toy?

"to a man whose only tool is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail." Abraham Maslow

Posted: 10th Oct 2007
yep stitches on the outside, i just put needle through, over a bit at the top, back under, up at the same place then did the same. it looks toss but it works (for now) where they the edges are going all tatty have neally met the stitching so they will come out soon.

Then ill make a new pair. The material i got was £1 for a metre its a bit shiny one one side then not as shiny on the other

Posted: 17th Oct 2007
Some good fabrics too have a look at for socks would be

broad cloth - non strech, quite easy to sew and quite sturdy
poplyn or poly pop - non streach , not as sturdy as broad cloth but it is lighter.
lycra or jearsy knit - streachy but nice and soft, comes in lots of cool patterns and colours.
rip stop nylon - this stuff is mega cool, it is the same thing that kites are made from, but can be hard to sew, i recomend a ball point needle, on the plus side it will not fray and the colour usually glow under black light.

I {Heart} hand me downs and spinning in the snow.<br /><br />

Posted: 17th Oct 2007
Walk around the cloth shop with an ickle blacklight if that’s what you want it for. Same for checking for stretch, pick up the bolt and have a feel. When looking at flag material unroll a bit and wave it around. Many materials stretch one way and not the other. Most fabrics stretch on the bias (the diagonal) which can be useful when making clothes.

Ripstock is great for flags as well. If you have a soldering iron/hot knife you can use it to cut the ripstock if you want. Not that it frays much anyways but many kitemakers cut it with heat. The ripstock makes for a noisy kite sound on the flags. It’s unreal.
Sequined material can be a pig on machines as the glue affects the needle but handsewing is ok. Fur fabric always looks good too.
If you go for organza for your flags a candle on the edge can reduce fraying or find a friend with an overlocker that does rolled hems.

Funfur is heaps of fun to make poi from. You can make arms and ears and attach eyes. There’s some in my gallery.

Did you shape the (cone) poi?
There is a lovely article on here on making cone poi. Will find it and link it. The only thing I make differently from Doms is instead of a drawstring I make the base a semi circle and leave a gap slightly further up for the weight. Less sewing and less messing

Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?

Im in a lonely battle with the world with a fish to match the chip on my shoulder. Gnu in Binnu in a cnu

Posted: 17th Oct 2007

Non-Https Image Link


Doms funky picture

The thread is [Old link] i hope

Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?

Im in a lonely battle with the world with a fish to match the chip on my shoulder. Gnu in Binnu in a cnu

Posted: 6th Nov 2007
I've just finished sewing my own poi. I used 100% cotton (quite thick)


I managed to wrestle with the sewing machine long enough to produce something that looks like poi... To get the pattern I traced around a regular pair of cone poi I had lying around... the HoP shop LED poi white socks, I believe they were. But I also brought the edges in slightly, hopefully making wraps and such easier.

I made separate handles as well, attached with keyrings and swivels, after playing with them a bit, they handle well, but I think I'd like to put something in the handles to weigh them down a bit. I was thinking playdough or something like that.

Oh! I left the ends open and attached drawstrings so I can easily switch weights. And theys is pretty and purple.

I'll let you know how they wear, but they feel fairly solid.

Posted: 6th Nov 2007
one good thing about the cheap material i got was that its sort of shiny on one side and less on the other. This mean the oggz that I have inside them light up the whole sock instead of just having the glow in the bottom.

I actually think they look better than spinning just on cords (i modified the oggz anyway mind)