ordering material for patches

[lorren68]

I read about people getting their patch material online, my question is how do you know the thickness of what you are getting?

 

[Birddog6]

You don't. You order it & hope it will be close to what they say it will be. More accurate to buy the material yourself at a fabric store after measuring it & KNOW what it really is.

Keith Lisle

 

[ncmtmike]

Just go to your local Wally-world :stir: It's where I get the .018 pillow ticking. :wink:

 

[Scorpmann3518]

I would just do that as well if ours even had a fabric section. Remember when they all did.

 

[Bear Rider]

Considering that you can get at least a thousand patches out of a square yard of cloth, why bother ordering unknown material?

 

[buford87]

I have bought patch material from JO ANN'S and from HANCOCK FABRIC. Take a micrometer in and measure it before you buy it.................watch yer top knot...............

 

[lorren68]

We dont have those stores around here. I currently buy my ticking from Walmart, I carry my calipers with me and measure before I buy. the only problem is that my local walmart is hit and miss on having suitable material in stock.

 

[Rifleman1776]

the only problem is that my local walmart is hit and miss on having suitable material in stock.

That and consistent thickness is a problem. Material from the same factory can vary, probably from different looms. That is why it is a good idea to buy a lot at one time.

 

[jamesthomas]

Thats what I would do. When you find a good patch material buy a lot. The last time I was at Jo-anns I bought 2 yards of patch material still have a bunch left. It is .24 mattress ticking.

 

Like several have mentioned retail stores, Walmart, K-Mart, Target.

Better than those go to your local fabric store (Yellow Pages). Take with you a small Micrometer 0-1" to check the cotton fabrics, ("Sail Cloth" and "Canvas" can be found in .014 to .019 thickness and everything in between). "Pillow Ticking" usually runs in .014 and .018 thickness. Buy just a 1/2 yard, take it home and wash it when your clothes are washed, this gets the "sizing" out so you can get an actuate measurement. :thumbsup:

 

[lorren68]

I already buy mine that way 2 yards at a time, I was just trying to figure out how people did it on line. I carry my calipers to wal mart when I go buy some, sometimes you get some strange looks when you pull out the calipers and start measuring fabric. I had some fun at one young ladys expense, when she asked why I was measuring the material, I told her I made pillows for the royal family and they had to have a specific size or the queen could not sleep. I finally fessed up to the truth after several elbows to the ribs from my wife.

 

[Zonie]

Well, at least you didn't say,

"Oh! You noticed me measuring the material?
I'm looking for something that is 100 percent pure cotton and eighteen thousandths thick.
It's for my wife's bloomers.

She doesn't look like it but you wouldn't believe what she can do when she gets a full head of steam built up.
Why! The last time she wore some store bought bloomers she totally blew them to pieces!

I once tried the fifteen thousandths thick cotton but it only held up for two weeks before it was in tatters.

It took me years to figure out that eighteen thousandths was the right thickness.

I once tried some twenty four thousandths thick stuff and she could barely walk around the field as she drove the cows back to the barn!
Nope! twenty four won't work.

Ow! Those car keys hurt and people are looking at your glare.

Now, as I was saying before the little lady got to jabbing me, eighteen thousandths is the key, but I've been thinking, maybe I also need to be looking at something without stripes.
Do you have any eighteen thousandths thick cotton with little teddy bears or smiley faces on it?
It would make a nice change in scenery when the little lady is working on the plumbing."

:grin:

 

[Ken Rummer]

Amen to what Buck said.
Pillow ticking and mattress ticking are, I believe, of different thickness
Muslin & denim are other options.
I have had good luck with denim.

 

[Billnpatti]

I think everyone has covered the subject. Buy locally and measure your fabric to be sure it is what you want. As has been said, there are several 100% cotton fabrics available and I might add to what has already been said by recommending a fabric called "pocket drill". It is a tightly woven cotton material that measures around .017 but compresses well. Wash it thoroughly with no fabric softeners, run an iron over it and it is ready to make patches. I lube mine with straight Ballistol and enjoy amazing fouling free shooting.

Let me give you a tip, run the raw edges of your fabric through the sewing machine before you wash it to keep them from raveling in the washing machine. If you don't, the raw edges will unravel and the threads will tangle and wrap around your fabric making a tangled mess when you remove it from the washing machine. You can have sox, handkerchiefs, wash cloths and all sorts of small items tanglesd in your piece of fabric when you remove it from the washer.

 

[Cohutta Ranger]

When you say you lube with straight Ballistol, is your patch wet when you use it or do you let it dry?

I know this is a beginner question but it how I learn this hobby.

Thanks,
Dan