Mennonite Sausage , in cloth from Canada ?

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 01:11

There is a seam method called french seaming. The first stitching is done on the right side with a very narrow seam allowance. Then the piece is turned and a new seam is sewn enclosing the raw edges of the first stitching, It produces a strong seam with no raw edges. It hs been largely replaced with serged seams to save labour.

Baconologist · Post by **Baconologist** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 01:22

A French seam would certainly work, but as you said, it requires extra labor and I just don't have the time.
We use 250-300 cloth bags per season, sometimes more.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 01:28

That is enough to justify the purchase of a used commercial machine.

Big Guy · Post by **Big Guy** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 14:06

I sew up my bags then turn them inside out so the seams are smooth on the exterior

oops these weren't turned inside out. LOL

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 14:23

Sewing bags is the easist thing to learn and to teach a child. I learned to sew on mother's treadle singer because i wanted bags for the treasures that I collected as a kid. Mother showed us how to make the first one complete with drawstring and after that we were on our own. The backs of old work shirts have a lot of usable fabric in them.

nuynai · Post by **nuynai** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 15:26

Went to Food.com and here's the recipe they had. Seems too simple but it's a start.

24 lbs ground pork
7 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons pepper
1 tablespoon nitrate

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/mennonite-fa ... c=linkback

Baconologist · Post by **Baconologist** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 16:03

Lookin' good, Big Guy!

toolhawk1 · Post by **toolhawk1** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 18:21

Muslin was $1.20 per yard ,I made 6 , but you would get approx. 11 per yard ,

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 19:49

How wide was the fabric 45 in or 54 inch? 10 cents per bag is worth the labor.

Devo · Post by **Devo** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 20:43

A lot of people use this as it allows plenty of smoke to penetrate.

King Arthur; Cheese Cloth

Baconologist · Post by **Baconologist** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 00:44

I looked at the unbleached muslin in stock locally and it's not as tight woven or as heavy as the fabric we're used to, I'm afraid the good stuff will be much more expensive.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 01:06

You need a plain weave cotton and the best bet is to go to a fabric shop and look.

Baconologist · Post by **Baconologist** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 01:43

I went to Jo-Ann's; I'll check a couple other places.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 01:49

Good engineering strikes a balance between strong enough and cost. I believe that any cotton fabric will be stronger that a piece of gut.

Baconologist · Post by **Baconologist** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 01:54

It's more an issue of the meat sticking to the fabric, that can be a HUGE headache if the fabric isn't the correct type.

Mennonite Sausage , in cloth from Canada ?

cost per bag