Tool problem

One of the garden tools I bought a couple of years ago (out of guarantee, of course) but haven't used much is a Flora Best leaf vacuum. We get lots of leaves piled up in various parts of the garden and they could be turned into useful compost using the vacuum - so out it came, and I started filling up the bag. It didn't take long to notice that both my legs and the surrounding area were being sprayed with chopped up leaves... the collecting bag had split - at the most awkward place, just below its (permanent) attachment to the machine. It looked as if it had been given insufficient seam allowance, and had just pulled away from the stitching. After an unsuccessful attempt to stick it back together with duck tape, and an investigation of how expensive replacement machines are round here, I've had a go at stitching it back together using heavy duty cotton. So far so good - switching it on full power hasn't split the stitching. However, it's yet to be tested properly, as the rain has soaked the remaining leaves and I don't want to clog it up with wet leaves! Proper test on the next dry day...