zuzmara

Resources

Places to learn the craft, ask questions and buy materials. None of these links are sponsored or affiliate links; they open in a new tab.

Learn

• LearnMYOG: Free beginner patterns with step-by-step video lessons, from a first zip pouch up to a backpack.
• Stitchback articles: Written tutorials on tools and techniques — cutting slippery fabric, setting grommets — alongside whole projects.
• Ripstop by the Roll — Learn: A fabric glossary, data sheets and how-to videos that explain what each technical fabric is good for.

Community

• r/myog wiki: The community-kept starting point: first projects, machine advice, and where people buy materials.
• r/myog: Finished projects, questions and honest feedback from people who sew their own gear.
• Backpacking Light — Make Your Own Gear: A long-running forum with deep threads on ultralight builds, materials and construction details.

Suppliers: United States

• Ripstop by the Roll: Technical fabrics by the yard — silnylon, laminates, mesh, insulation — plus hardware and kits.
• Dutchware Gear: Hammock maker with a large raw-materials section: fabrics, small hardware, cord and custom-printed fabric.
• Quest Outfitters: Outdoor fabrics, zippers, webbing and buckles sold in small quantities for home sewers.
• Rockywoods: A wide range of outdoor and pack fabrics, with webbing, zippers and hardware to match.
• Seattle Fabrics: Outdoor, marine and recreational fabrics with the notions and hardware that go with them.
• Sailrite: Marine and canvas supplies, heavy-duty sewing machines, thread and tools for thick materials.
• Wawak: General sewing supplier: thread, zippers by the yard or the piece, needles and cutting tools.

Suppliers: Europe

• Extremtextil: German shop with one of the widest ranges of technical fabrics, zippers, webbing and buckles in Europe.
• AdventurExpert: Lightweight fabrics, zippers, webbing, cord and hardware for outdoor projects, priced in euros.
• Ripstop.pl: Polish shop for outdoor fabrics, insulation and sewing accessories, with fabric printing to order.
• Shelby Outdoor: Finnish shop for technical fabrics, zippers, webbing, cord and hook-and-loop.

Suppliers: Canada

• Mozet Supplies: Canadian source for pack fabrics, buckles, zippers, webbing and cord, based in British Columbia.

Tools

• PDFStitcher: Free, open-source program that joins the pages of a tiled PDF pattern into one large sheet for copy-shop or projector use.
• FreeSewing: Open-source made-to-measure garment patterns, drafted from your own measurements.

About & privacy

• zuzmara is free to use. To learn which patterns people actually use, it counts a few things anonymously: page visits (through Cloudflare Web Analytics), which bag types, styles and presets are picked, pattern downloads by kind and paper size, and the kind of an error the app did not catch, never its message.
• Never counted: no cookies, no ids that follow you, no names or measurements you type, and no IP address stored by us. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control are honoured: with either on, nothing is counted.
• Support zuzmara on Ko-fi: there are no ads and no paywall

All 33 patterns

• Zip pouch
  • Boxy zip pouch: A boxy zippered pouch: front and back panels (straight or tapered) and a gusset loop.
  • One-piece zip pouch: The classic single-piece pouch: one panel wraps the whole box.
  • Packing cube: A two-panel packing cube.
  • Boxed zip pouch: The easiest pouch to cut: one rectangle.
  • Rounded zip pouch: A rounded gusset pouch.
  • Clamshell pouch: A pouch that opens flat like a book.
• Hip pack
  • One-piece hip pack: The simplest hip pack: one panel wraps the whole body.
  • Boxy hip pack: A boxy hip pack: front and back panels and a gusset loop.
  • Hip pack — rounded bottom: A hip pack with square top corners and rounded bottom corners.
  • Hip pack: A fully rounded hip pack.
• Stuff sack
  • Stuff sack: A sack with a round, oval, boxed or flat bottom.
  • Roll-top sack: A sack with a round, oval, boxed or flat bottom, sewn from two body panels with a side seam at each end of the roll.
  • Drawstring backpack: A flat sack worn on the back.
• Sleeve
  • Sleeve: A flat zip sleeve or wallet.
  • Strap pocket: A slim zipped pocket for a backpack shoulder strap, cut as one rectangle.
• Holder
  • Bottle holster: An open cylinder for a bottle on a pack strap.
  • Stem bag: A feed bag for the handlebar.
  • Chalk bag: A climbing chalk bag.
  • Chalk bucket: A wide, low chalk bucket that stands open on the ground.
  • Bellows bottle pouch: A bottle or phone pocket for a pack strap or hip belt.
• Tote
  • Tote: An open tote bag with two handles.
  • Convertible tote-pack: A tote that converts to a simple backpack.
  • Musette: A flat, light shoulder bag with one long strap, worn across the body.
• Tray
  • Darted tray / box base: A one-piece tray: a rounded-corner base whose walls fold up, with darts at each corner that close the excess fabric so the walls stand vertical.
• Wallet
  • Folded card wallet: A bifold card wallet from one strip of a fabric that does not fray (laminate or coated cloth).
  • Coin purse: A small zippered coin purse in three shapes.
  • Tool roll: A flat roll of pockets for tools.
• Bike
  • Frame bag: A bag for the frame's main triangle, drafted from your own frame.
  • Handlebar bag: A roll that mounts across the handlebar.
  • Top-tube bag: A small zippered bag on top of the top tube, behind the stem.
  • Saddle bag: A small zippered wedge that hangs under the saddle, for a spare tube, tyre levers, a multi-tool and a small pump.
• Duffel
  • Folded duffel: A light duffel folded from one rectangle of cloth.
  • Barrel duffel: A barrel bag for the gym or a weekend away.