Fabricating the Ultimate Galley Tent

[S. Heisley]

I'm enjoying this thread, too!

[Breytie]

Watching with eagle eyes as I too will have to build my own tent.

[Dusty Mark]

Thanks! This project is certainly challenging me since it is so three-dimensional. In hindsight, clips would have simplified the sewing process greatly, but I like the function/strength of sleeves. I purposely slowed the pace a bit to give me time to ponder each step before cutting actual material. I'm taking it to FL with me to work on at the campground whenever the weather cooperates.

I ordered 33 yards of material, but they only had 23 yards in stock. That might work in my favor since I'll have a better idea of how much I'll need in a couple of days and I can adjust the final amount while they're waiting to get it back in their inventory.

[DWT77]

Did this ever get finished?

[Dusty Mark]

Life put this project on hold for a while. My mom had a severe stroke before Christmas, so we cancelled our camping trip to Florida. She's doing much better now and can even talk again! I also got hired as an adjunct professor for a last-minute fill to teach a State and Local Government class at the local community college...loving it!

Yesterday I pulled out the roof of the tent and sewed in the second row of stitches where the panels join. I then trimmed those sections with the hot knife. The sleeves were too tight to remove the poles during disassembly with the extra stitching, so I removed the stitching above the roof line. I also eliminated the "bridge" I had sewn in for the second sleeve. One sleeve remains continuous and the other now has an 8" gap where it crossed the first pole.

Today I began to experiment with how to sew the six large windows with no-see-um netting protecting the openings.



I should have sewn down the no-see-um netting in the corner before I sewed the protective top cover. That would eliminate the extra stitching on the cover. I'm using #10 coil zippers for the windows. The coil zippers are somewhat flexible and will take a gentle curve without too much fuss.

Here's a summary of the process to sew the windows. First, the inside seam of the zipper is sewn from the back. Second, the no-see-um netting is sewn in place along the outside seam of the zipper from the back side. Third, flip the panel face up and cut between the seams with a hot knife. This exposes the zipper and gives access to sew the binding on the unfinished edges of the flaps that cover the zipper. Fourth, sew the binding on each edge of the zipper flaps. Fifth, sew a cover to hide the zipper and shield from rain.



Here the zipper is opened and you can see the no-see-um netting underneath. The stitching on the binding is sloppy as I'm practicing working in such a tight spot with my binding attachment. I will use black binding in the final product, but I only had green available for experimenting.



This view from the inside shows the netting. This is just a small practice piece. The windows will be 42" wide and 48" tall. I plan to sew each window as a separate panel and join it to the adjacent panel with a half-felled seam. This keeps the panels more manageable to fit under the sewing machine arm.

I'll likely sew my first panel tomorrow. I'll have to wait for the black binding to finish each panel, but I've got plenty to work on while I wait...

[Dusty Mark]

I'm finally working on the galley tent just before our first trip of the season.



I sewed the zippers to the back side of the panel and then I cut over the zipper with a hot knife to make zipper flaps. This approach allowed me to make the window panel from a single piece of material. I then sewed binding over the raw edges of the zipper flaps. That was a huge pain since I used my 1" binder and should have purchased a 3/4" binder for the minimal clearance the zipper allowed. The binding job isn't real pretty, but it's done.



Here's a closeup of the binding and the zipper cover sewn at the top of each zipper.



A view from the outside. Notice the velcro tabs that hold the rolled window at the top.



Here the window is rolled open. Notice the no-see-um netting. I've got some doubts about its durability, but I'm going to roll with it since it's the most durable I could find.



A more distant view of the window rolled open.



View of window from the inside. I rolled the edges of the netting over twice and held the folds with basting tape to avoid puckering from the aggressive presser foot of my industrial sewing machine. The tape also improves the water resistance of the stitches.

I'll complete the other five windows and then sew the mating adjacent panels together to make full length panels. I'll then sew a long piece across the bottom of the joined panels to make them the required height. I'll sew the panels to the roof and then to the panel on adjacent sides. Things will speed up once I complete the screens!

[Dusty Mark]

I finished sewing the six windows today and began sewing the panels together.



This is the second part of the half felled stitch that joins two 5 1/2' panels together. I've rolled up one panel in order for it to pass through the sewing machine arm. The tables keep this operation manageable.



About halfway done with the seam at this point.

Tomorrow I'll sew the 11' panel that makes these side panels full height. I'll also sew the zippers for the entrance. At that point the sides will be ready to sew to the top!

[Juneaudave]

Sweet! Thanks for sharing!

[Dusty Mark]

Thanks! Moment of truth is coming today or tomorrow when I see how much sag I get in the roof line when I attach the side panels. I'm guessing that I'll need to work out some kind of support at the midpoint on each side.

[Dusty Mark]

I put in a big day working on finishing the roof. Final fitting of the pole sleeves was a tedious task.



I sewed a dart in each pole sleeve to make the angle change from roof to leg. I also sewed guy line anchor points in the ends of the sleeves. The bottom edges of the roof are trimmed to final size and ready to have the finished sides and ends sewn to them.

I still need to sew a guy line anchor tab for the midpoint of each side. I'm thinking six guy lines should be adequate for a 9' x 11' tent that is fastened to the camper at one end. I'm hoping to start sewing the side panels to the roof tomorrow morning.

[Dusty Mark]

My substitute teaching job was cancelled so it's a nice rainy day to surge forward on the tent. Today I'm sewing the side and end panels to the roof.



The tent gets bigger with every panel I sew to it. Thankfully it rolls down tight and fits through the arm of the machine. I've been doing this work solo and the tables provide good support.



Closeup of the second stitch that holds down the semi-felled seam along the panel/roof. This is a strong and waterproof seam.



This is the guy line anchor point that is located midway down the panel/roof seam on the 11' sides. I decided to provide some reinforcement to this to hopefully make it survive strong winds.


Guy line anchor sewn into the seam. UPDATE: Sew a similar anchor point now into the wall below this about halfway down. These big walls sag a bit and would benefit from a little pull outward. You can tie the roof anchor and the wall anchor to the same stake in the ground.

I'll attach the entrance panel next. After that I'll start to fabricate the galley sleeve at the opposite end. It will look like a tent real soon!

[S. Heisley]

It looks like you're doing a good job; but, I don't envy you, working with all that material.

[Dusty Mark]

Sharon,

Thanks! This project has really "stretched" me. The size of everything slows my progress quite a bit. I've done separate modules/panels as much as possible, but it eventually comes together as a giant mass of material that has to be scooted along the tables and stuffed through the machine. I put the project aside for quite a while as I became overwhelmed with it. We need to use it this weekend, so I'm back in full-swing project completion mode. Nothing like crunch time to get you moving!

Mark

[Dusty Mark]

Tonight was a milestone as we put up the tent with the sides attached to the roofline for the first time.



This was a tricky process as there is a lot of material and very little support that it would normally have from a finished structure. After carefully erecting the tent, I tied the guy lines from each corner to some heavy dumbbells. We moved the corners around until we found a position that eliminated leans in the tent. Once we achieved that position, we marked the corner pole positions on the garage floor with a permanent marker. If the assembly slips while we’re working on it, we can quickly find the “true” position again.

Our next step is to pin the sides to each other and pin the 8 pole clips/straps that tension the tent body to the legs. We’ll take the tent down to sew the side seams and then erect it again to fit the floor. It’s finally looking like a tent!

[Dusty Mark]

Here are some photos after initial pinning of the side panels.



One of the entrance windows is 4" short...oops!



Plenty of room inside.



Closer view of the sides.

I'm debating whether to sew the seams from the inside or the outside. I kind of like the idea of sewing them from the outside. Not sure of the strength difference between the approaches.