How do I sew ripstop nylon?

Ripstop is a light nylon or polyester woven with a reinforcing grid, and it is slippery, prone to fraying at the cut edge, and easily marked.

Use a 70/10 or 80/12 microtex and polyester thread. Lightweight ripstop takes a 70/10; heavier coated versions want an 80/12.

Fit a straight-stitch needle plate if you have one. The small hole stops the machine pulling the fabric down into the plate at the start of a seam, which is the classic ripstop failure. Failing that, start on tissue paper.

Use clips, not pins. Holes stay, and on coated ripstop they leak.

Stitch length around 2.5 to 3 mm. Long enough not to perforate, short enough for strength.

Seal the cut edges. Passing a cut edge quickly past a flame or a hot cutter melts the nylon and stops it fraying. Practise on a scrap — too slow and it shrinks and hardens.

Use flat-felled or French seams on anything structural. They are stronger, they enclose the raw edge, and on outdoor gear they shed water better.

Fit a walking foot or reduce presser foot pressure if the layers slide against each other. A light spray of temporary adhesive on the seam allowance also holds the layers without pins.

Press on a low synthetic setting only, or not at all. Nylon melts readily and a glazed patch is permanent. Finger-press or topstitch instead.