I think I was considering how cool a goretex tent would be and thats the one that has a fire issue.
Any tips for a first time builder? I have a commercial grade sewing machine, but have never used it before.
depending on what foot you have it might be difficult with a commercial machine, I'd do some googling on your particular model and get the right foot. Lot of commercial machines are set up for one thing only, like sewing on piping. Also you'll need to adjust the feed rate way down if you have a right knee switch it can be hard to not go full blast.
I used to sew commercially doing auto interiors and canvas boat tops, seats and whatnot.