MYOG Sewing Kit
The home bench for making your own gear: a machine that handles pack fabric, the cutting and measuring tools that make patterns repeatable, technical fabric and hardware stock, and the unpicking tools every real project needs.
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- Items
- 10 required · 5 optional
- Est. cost
- $250–$1400
- Est. weight
- 20–40 lb on the bench (the machine dominates)
- Skill level
- Beginner
- Budget
- Moderate
- Container
- Gear duffel
About this kit
Sew stuff sacks, pouches, and eventually packs and tarps from technical fabrics — turning MYOG from an idea into a bench you can sit down at.
A free Saturday and a LearnMYOG stuff-sack pattern. You trace it onto ripstop, cut clean panels on the mat, sew the seams with bonded nylon, melt-seal a webbing loop, thread a drawcord — and by dinner you’re holding gear you made.
Built on these assumptions
- A home bench (a sturdy table and good light) with mains power — this is the make-gear counterpart to the MYOG Field Repair Kit.
- First projects are flat-seamed smalls: stuff sacks, pouches, organizers — packs, quilts, and tarps come after the machine feels familiar.
- One maker, buying fabric and hardware per project rather than stocking a fabric room.
- Patterns come from the MYOG community; this kit doesn’t include drafting tools.
Not designed for
- On-trail repairs — that’s the MYOG Field Repair Kit, deliberately palm-sized.
- Leatherwork (see the Leatherworking Starter Kit) — leather cuts, pierces, and finishes on entirely different tools.
- Production sewing or heavy laminates from day one — see the upgrade variant before buying a walking-foot machine you don’t need yet.
Kit contents 10 required · 5 optional
Machine, needles & thread
The stitch-forming core — everything else feeds it.
- Sewing machine×1
Straight stitch + zigzag with adjustable tension; a used all-metal machine is the community’s classic budget answer.
Why: The bench exists around it — a machine that can punch webbing without stalling decides what projects are possible.
required - Sewing needles (heavy duty)×1 assortment
Machine needles in 90/14–100/16 for pack fabrics, plus hand needles for finishing.
Why: Needle size against fabric weight is the first thing that makes or breaks stitch quality.
required - Repair thread (bonded nylon/polyester)×2 spools (Tex 70)
Bonded nylon; wind bobbins before starting a seam, not during it.
Why: Gear seams live under load — bonded nylon is the community consensus for a reason.
required - Safety glasses×1
Machine needles hitting hardware shatter and fly — cheap insurance when sewing heavy layers.
optional
Measuring & cutting
Accurate panels are sewn before the machine ever starts.
- Scissors×1 pair (fabric-only)
Marked, hidden, and never loaned for paper.
Why: Sharp shears make clean panels; one cardboard cut ruins them for fabric.
required - Flexible measuring tape×1
Plus a straightedge for long panel cuts.
Why: Every pattern starts with measurement; a stretched or missing tape shows up in the finished gear.
required - Self-healing cutting mat×1 (largest that fits)
With a rotary cutter if you take to it — many MYOG makers cut everything rotary.
Why: Clean, square panel edges sew straight; ragged scissor edges wander.
required
Fabric & hardware stock
Technical fabric and the webbing/buckle hardware that make it gear.
- Ripstop nylon fabric×2–3 yd per project
Buy the pattern’s recommended weight plus half a yard for mistakes.
Why: The material of the craft — and the spare half-yard is tuition, not waste.
required - Webbing & buckle hardware×1 project stock
Standardize on 3/4" and 1" so buckles interchange across projects.
Why: Straps, loops, and closures are what turn sewn fabric into functional gear.
required - Paracord (550)×20 ft
Drawcord stock for stuff sacks and cinches (or buy lighter shock cord per project).
recommended
Finishing & fixing
Sealing, unpicking, and the honest admission that seams get redone.
- Lighter×1
Melt-seal every cut webbing and cord end immediately, with ventilation.
Why: Unsealed webbing unravels into fuzz before the project is even finished.
required - Seam ripper×2
Two, because they hide.
Why: Every maker redoes seams; fast, clean unpicking is what keeps mistakes cheap.
required - Field notebook×1
Seam allowances, needle/tension settings per fabric, and what you’d change next time.
recommended - Tweezers×1
Picking out unpicked thread and threading tight spots.
optional - First aid pouch×1
Rotary cutters and machine needles both bite.
optional
Make this kit yours — copy all 15 items into an editable kit.
Maintenance schedule
A kit you don’t maintain is a box of expired hope. Suggested cadence:
| Interval | Task |
|---|---|
| Each project | Clean lint from the bobbin area and feed dogs; start heavy projects with a fresh needle. |
| Before each session | Test stitch tension on a scrap of the project fabric before sewing real panels. |
| Yearly | Oil and service the machine (see the Sewing Machine Service Kit); replace dull rotary blades and rusty pins. |
Variations
Vintage-machine budget build
A used 1960s–70s all-metal machine plus the basics — roughly half the cost, and it punches webbing modern plastic-bodied machines stall on.
First-project minimal
One pattern, one fabric cut, one hardware set, borrowed machine — sew a stuff sack before buying a bench.
Pack-building upgrade
A walking-foot or semi-industrial machine, X-Pac and heavier laminates, bar-tack technique, and size 110 needles.
Safety notes
- Keep fingers out of the needle path and unplug the machine before changing needles — a machine needle through a fingertip is the craft’s classic injury.
- Melt-sealing webbing and hot-cutting synthetics produce fumes; do it with ventilation and away from the fabric stack.
Sources
This starter kit draws on:
- guideLearnMYOG — free patterns and skill progression
Supports the project-progression framing (smalls before packs) and pattern sourcing.
- manufacturerRipstop by the Roll — fabric and thread guides
Supports the fabric-weight, thread, and needle-pairing guidance.
- forumr/myog — machine and first-project threads
Common practice only: the used-all-metal-machine consensus and typical starter projects.
Page history & editing
Editor-reviewed2026-07-15 Last edited 2026-07-15 by human editor