Your wife's machine should be able to do the light weight stuff for sure! Id definitely try it out on there first.
I have only purchased fabric from Ripstop by the roll. Ive really liked
this fabric. I bought the DWR/PU3000 coating. Material is not too thin, its strong, and has a nice coating. I also used the uretek coil zippers on them. This isnt the lightest setup, but strong and water resistant.
Thread recommended by RSBTR is the
Mara70 thread. They have it basically color matched to all their fabrics. They recommend a 90/14 needle for this thread.
Im using the standard bobbin in my Singer. Nothing special for machines are needed beside a zipper foot to do pullouts.
Here is a how to on RSBTR on how to make the pullouts. And
here is the video within on how to sew on the zippers.
How I like to do the zippers i believe is how he is doing it in the video but its hard to see. I put the fabric right side up all cut to size infront of me. I take the zipper and cut to length leaving about an inch or more on each top and bottom (so if fabric is 10x10, cut zipper 12'' in length).
I mark the tops of both sides of the zipper so I know they are mating up correctly when I sew them.
I pull the zippers apart and take one side of zipper and flip it wrong side up. Then I face the teeth into the center of the fabric. Sew the zipper with cloth edge lined up with the edge of fabric. Run one line down it. Do other side the same way.
Then roll the zipper over to create the double seam and run a line down it. Then do the same for other side and install zippers. Im sure there are 1000 different ways to do it, but thats the way I like.
Here are two pics on how I do the zippers. Hope this helps the explanation!
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