What ACTUALLY makes a good footbag?
as a stitcher and player, i have always found the most important rule for filler is balance. its impossible for me to choose a poll option, as none by themselves are as strong as a good rationed mix of several types of filler, as most professional stitchers will tell you. general rules though, you need some lighter filler for pop and solid sets, and definitely something weighty, however using anything that corrodes the bag from the inside is inadvisable. i used to use seed beads and steel shot until i realized both broke down (steel shot rusts, seed beads break down into glass dust). i have since switched to plastic pellets and lead shot, neither of which are harsh on the bag, contributing to longer play life.
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J Trevorr Hibbs
J Trevorr Hibbs
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maverick-morley
- Shredaholic
- Posts: 143
- Joined: 08 Jul 2009 22:40
- Location: United Kingdom
apol for the poll, i did put "mix" as an option, i have no ide why it didnt add it!! i dont know if i can have it changed. i will have a look. as a sticher, i was wondering, are you able to make a bag, for a beginner with a metal filler, or would you suggest just sticking with sand for the time being?!
Mav
I've been casually stitching for several months now, made about 25 32's, and I am constantly searching for ways to improve playability.
things I've revised since my first bag
-switched to ultrasuede light (duh)
-first used BBs and poly pellets, messed with seed beads, now using tungsten and poly pellets (fill to 53 grams, add 2 grams PP for size)
-stopped sewing with thread, now use floss
-several (4-5) template revisions
-gather using a AA battery, a AAA battery, and varying amounts of electrical tape wrapped on the AAA, dependent on template
-stopped using 'all soft' colors, now mix firm (hexes) and soft (pents)
the pattern part is the trickiest to get right I feel. I'm right now making a new template set in hopes of popping the pentagons out further. really all the bags I've made are attempts to hone the size/gather/softness/appearance/density aspects to be as good as they can be.
the colors and color patterns used in the bag can also affect its playability. personally I like Maya, Flash Red, Splash Blue, Country Cream, Punch, and Petit Pois. Maya and Country Cream are softer, but since it takes me about 4-5 hours to make a bag (using dots cuz I'm kind of a perfectionist), I tend to use the other colors more often, as they are stronger.
Wow long post, the short story is, everything matters. The material, the template, the gather, and the fill. Heck, I'm pretty convinced that once I switched from upholstery thread to floss my bags felt softer. Hope this helps
things I've revised since my first bag
-switched to ultrasuede light (duh)
-first used BBs and poly pellets, messed with seed beads, now using tungsten and poly pellets (fill to 53 grams, add 2 grams PP for size)
-stopped sewing with thread, now use floss
-several (4-5) template revisions
-gather using a AA battery, a AAA battery, and varying amounts of electrical tape wrapped on the AAA, dependent on template
-stopped using 'all soft' colors, now mix firm (hexes) and soft (pents)
the pattern part is the trickiest to get right I feel. I'm right now making a new template set in hopes of popping the pentagons out further. really all the bags I've made are attempts to hone the size/gather/softness/appearance/density aspects to be as good as they can be.
the colors and color patterns used in the bag can also affect its playability. personally I like Maya, Flash Red, Splash Blue, Country Cream, Punch, and Petit Pois. Maya and Country Cream are softer, but since it takes me about 4-5 hours to make a bag (using dots cuz I'm kind of a perfectionist), I tend to use the other colors more often, as they are stronger.
Wow long post, the short story is, everything matters. The material, the template, the gather, and the fill. Heck, I'm pretty convinced that once I switched from upholstery thread to floss my bags felt softer. Hope this helps
Flash Red is my favorite color. You can apply it to any part of a footbag and it'll turn out great.
If you have ultrasuede soft colors, it's hard to decide where you should apply them to. My first thoughts would be pentagons, but if you have a supple ultrasuede soft like Neon Lime using that for the hexagons isn't a bad idea.
Some ultrasuede soft colors tend to stretch and break-in really well (but pill), whereas others just stay thick for a good long while. Experimentation and break-in is the key. But if you're a bit skeptical and a slight perfectionist, I guess using ultrasuede soft for 12 and 8 panels is an ideal decision to take.
If you have ultrasuede soft colors, it's hard to decide where you should apply them to. My first thoughts would be pentagons, but if you have a supple ultrasuede soft like Neon Lime using that for the hexagons isn't a bad idea.
Some ultrasuede soft colors tend to stretch and break-in really well (but pill), whereas others just stay thick for a good long while. Experimentation and break-in is the key. But if you're a bit skeptical and a slight perfectionist, I guess using ultrasuede soft for 12 and 8 panels is an ideal decision to take.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
Great responses guys. Matt, red and cream DOES sound tasty, I think I'll go make one of those right now! Softest bag I've made is cream hexes and maya pents, I'm guessing with red it'll be a bit less floppy.
I don't have any ultrasuede soft, never ordered any. I know a lot of stitchers have been using soft as of late with good success. If someone else can chime in on that subject that would be great.
Again thanks for all the input, hopefully others will be able to learn a few things here, too. I know I did.
I don't have any ultrasuede soft, never ordered any. I know a lot of stitchers have been using soft as of late with good success. If someone else can chime in on that subject that would be great.
Again thanks for all the input, hopefully others will be able to learn a few things here, too. I know I did.
If you plan on getting ultrasuede soft, don't buy anything other than Active Green and/or Neon Lime. Tulip as an ultrasuede soft is a maybe. What you can buy as ultrasuede light is suitable already; my suggestions are based on color preferences that are really unique.
When you're buying the pack of ultrasuede scraps from Field's, however, you're immediately dealt with a ton of ultrasuede soft already (along with some scraps of ultrasuede light). So with all of the ultrasuede soft scraps that you have there, it's a perfect opportunity for you to make some really nice 8 or 12-panels.
When you're buying the pack of ultrasuede scraps from Field's, however, you're immediately dealt with a ton of ultrasuede soft already (along with some scraps of ultrasuede light). So with all of the ultrasuede soft scraps that you have there, it's a perfect opportunity for you to make some really nice 8 or 12-panels.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87