How to repair straps from harness, sails, bags....

A little long but can save $$$.
A friend of mine replaced sail panels with this sewing awl (pardon the pronunciation!)
I wonder if their #4 needle is too big for sail material though?

I find sewing machine needles are quite satisfactory in the sewing awl, and even the really heavy-duty needles for sewing denim, etc, are much finer than the needles that came with the awl. Paired with a Dyneema fishing braid of suitable size, makes a very strong repair that should withstand the elements.

Misread the previous post badly!
That's awesome that we can use smaller needles.

My idea was to make sails so I had purchased a roll of V-92 uv resistant polyester thread in black which I believe is best at absorbing UVs. That's what I used.

The link is on my website (windsurfing.lepicture.com/tips-and-tricks/) at least in the US. For France for instance I couldn't find the exact same product or equivalent. Where are you located?

Forgot to mention that, although possible, stitching black on black is harder to see where we are and where were going!

You can use standard sewing machine needles and standard heavy duty threads in the Speedy Stitcher.

You can wind the standard thread around the spool over the top of the waxed thread, or just remove the waxed thread and hand roll the thread.

I have used a rubber band around the handle to provide some extra tension so the thread doesn't spool out too fast. It does't really matter if the tension off the spool is too loose as long as you pull the stitch snug it will be fine. You can wind excess thread back onto the spool, or just use it up in a few stitches before continuing. Just keep things neat.

A few tricks I learned for hand sewing (not using the speedy stitcher)

- Pass the thread through the eye of your needle ands just take a short length through. The put the point of the needle through the middle of the thread and pull the thread back down over the needle. That locks the thread onto the needle so it won't accidentally fall off and you don't have a long loose piece hanging around. It's much easier with a sharp needle and pulling the thread tight on a hard surface.

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- Put needles on both ends of your thread. You can do variations of passing each needle through the same hole, or a nearby hole. You can do single or double knots or whatever to lock each stitch if you want.

- Mark your stitch length using tape or a contrasting pencil, anything that helps you make regular stitches. The end result looks better and gathers and tensions all line up to make a really neat job.

kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=107&t=2412130

- The other thing is good light and infinite patience. You look at a hand sewing job and think it will take forever. But if you slowly and patiently stitch then the end result can be very satisfying.

PS Blind hand stitching wetsuits is very easy and the end result is excellent. Cut out the damaged section. Cut a new piece to fit from an old wettie. Glue the patch in with neoprene cement (not urethane!!!!!!). Blind stitch by hand.

I scrounged the end of a spool of thread from a sailmaker 20-odd years ago. I still use that thread for sewing splices and small repairs. I bought a couple of 1000m spools of Dabond bonded polyester thread that will last for a lifetime of home projects.