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Fart Jesus LOL posted:bag bag bag bag How did you do the bottom? My mom and I have been experimenting with grocery bags lately trying to make them lie flatter but hold more and I think squaring the bottom has worked the best. I LOVE the lining. I love the whole bag, really.
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Mar 2, 2010 21:22
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Goldaline, will you marry me? I'll handquilt whatever you want.
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Mar 9, 2010 21:17
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Not an Anthem posted:Wow, meche, beautiful! Yeahn, a special denim needle and the machines at a jeans factory itself are made with metal gears, whereas a lot of machines now are made with plastic gearing. Be careful, because those gears can't take a lot of torque and you might end up frying your machine. Make a friend who has an old-school Husqvarna or industrial/commercial machine.
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Sep 23, 2010 23:43
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With old machines, I would advise old, but not too old. A lot of them are going to eventually need parts and if you can't find something to either use for parts or a place to buy them, all you have is a conversation piece. If you had to choose between the two, I would say the first, although I'm not a fan of built-in machines, simply for the portability of a stand-alone.
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Jan 31, 2011 00:25
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weakness posted:I'm looking for some advice on what is probably a very simple question. I've recently lost about 50lbs and all of my dress shirts look massive on me. I can't afford a new wardrobe but luckily my wife has a sewing machine! Unluckily, she is as clueless as I am about how to use it. I've been attempting to take in the sides and massively puffy sleeves on a few of these shirts and the sides are very straight-forward. However, when I take in the sleeve I'm getting a bizarre puckering at the armpits. I haven't found any DIYs on this so I'm going off my gut, but my technique has been to sew up the sides first to about an inch above the armhole, where I speculate my arm stitch will be. Then I'll stop, rotate the shirt, and starting at the cuff begin taking in the sleeve until I get to the point where the arm stitch meets the side stitch. Again, this is producing pucker pit. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are doing/asking here, but are you clipping the fabric around the turn like this:  I got the picture from here which might have some tips: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/08/sewing-tips-clipping-corners-and-curves.html
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Sep 20, 2011 02:58
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Jyrraeth posted:While the recipient of my gift is a goon, he isn't likely to check this thread. So GO AWAY if you are him, if you are not him then carry on. You should be washing your fabric before you do applique, so it won't warp/shrink etc. Use fusible interfacing and just regular cotton woven fabric. There are lots of online tutorials for appliqueing. I'd say if you aren't super handy with a machine, an appliqueing project might not be the best for you, especially if it's not just straight lines. So if you can screen something onto a square and then applique it on, I'd do it like that.
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Nov 22, 2011 03:28
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It seems almost terrible to cut it apart. Do you quilt? You could make a kind of muted front out of just strips even (greige, anyone?) and handquilt the pattern. It would be kind of a cool reversal of quilting, where the pieced part is the less fun part and it could also be a stealthily fun throw
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Feb 21, 2012 05:24
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deadlysweet posted:Not sure if this is the appropriate thread for my projects as I usually post in the Plush section. Adorable work! I've done very little needlework, but I hand-quilt a while bunch. My hand-quilting hoop has this tongue-and-groove thing that works so well, but I don't think you can get that in smaller sizes for embroidery hoops. Before I dropped like $20 for that hoop though, I had a cheaper wood one that I had a model-airplane rubberband wrapped around the inner hoop of, and for smaller hoops it's probably a lot more feasible.
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May 5, 2012 15:05
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NancyPants posted:Thanks Reverend Cheddar and Handbags at Dawn for chiming in on that bento box quilt. My initial problem was that for the longest blocks, I wasn't giving 1/4" seam, I was using 1/2" and didn't realize it. I've since figured it out, but I don't have my camera handy to show pictures of test blocks I made with scraps. They're pretty, though. It never occurred to me to make them as large blocks and cut them into quarters. I might do that when I get the fabric I actually want to make the quilt from. How do people approach the plain fabric on the backside? For say a full or queen-sized quilt, it doesn't seem like you can get fabric that wide. Do you just piece large pieces as necessary? King sized flat sheets. I learned this from a long-arm quilter. I think up to a queen-sized quilt, you have enough yardage to cover the back of a quilt in one glorious piece. I get mine from TJ MAXX or a department store when their bedding is on sale. You can typically buy just a top sheet for a king size without having to buy the whole bed set.
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Jun 5, 2012 00:55
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I made a thing today it is not very good: It was my first time doing gathering, and other than a lot of swearing and (somehow) breaking two needles, it turned out pretty well. The fabric isn't the best in terms of how it lays and it kind of sticks out on the sides weird, but it's way comfortable and actually a cute length. I literally have three more yards of this fabric that I need to do something with before September. It's a quilting calico that I really loved and might have bought 5 yards of. I've already backed a crib quilt with it. Any ideas?
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Jul 22, 2012 03:47
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zamiel posted:Quite jealous of those dapper gentlemen. I got myself my sewing machine and such as an early Xmas gift since it was on sale on Black Friday. Just a Singer Traditional but I love it so far, mostly. I do have a problem though and hopefully someone here can shed some light on it, or maybe I should ask one of my doctors. Is it the leaning, or the pressure required to use the rotary cutter that's causing problems. I'm on the smaller side (5'2") so I cut sitting on the floor with the mat on hardwood (I also mix batter and knead bread like this because I am a literal child) so that I can sit up straight with more physical leverage (instead of using muscles in my arms/shoulders/back) going into the rotary cutter. You could maybe sit on a cushion on the hard floor? I don't know if that helps at all.
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Jan 8, 2013 16:46
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Shifty Pony posted:I liked the bag I made so much that I decided to make a set, one more green and two blue/navy. I think I'm doing something wrong though on the straps because they are taking forever to do. They are made of a 2.5" strip of the "top" color and a 2" strip of the "bottom" color of the bag, 44" long. All long edges are folded over 1/2" and then the folded parts are placed facing each other and sewn together along the length, about 3/8" in from the edge of the larger width piece. If you're not married to the way those handles look (and they are gorgeous, don't get me wrong), you can just use heavy-duty webbing for handles. I've whipped out canvas bags in under half an hour. Plus the webbing doesn't get dirty as easily as fabric does; still washable though. For holding creases, have you tried spraying the fabric and really putting some pressure down on the iron? Your stuff should all be pre-washed before you start, so it won't make it shrink. Instead of using the seam gauge as well, you could use a chalk line to mark where you want the fold and measure once instead of four hundred times?
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Jan 30, 2013 10:54
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Funhilde posted:If there is a sewing /vacuum shop you can go to I recommend checking out what they have as well. Usually they have great service plans, refurbished machines and helpful staff. You can try the machine before you buy it as well. My serger even came with classes. THIS THIS THIS. I think the main theme of my posts in this thread can be summed up as DON'T BUY NEW. You'll get better support, a better price and a better machine by buying through a local shop with someone who can fix your problem in the store instead of having to send it out. Plus, this is cheesy, but it keeps your money in your community instead of giving it to JoAnn's national clusterfuck. I never knew someone could be so passionate about small electric motors until I went to my parent's local vaccuum shop and took my machine in. It's the best! Sometimes there's even a shop dog. Always buy things from a place with a shop dog. I'm back in a place with a machine for a bit and I'm brainstorming short projects. Any ideas?
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Apr 30, 2013 13:22
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Bertrand Hustle I really don't think you need an industrial machine for denim. As I and several people have pointed out in the thread, most machines (especially older) can handle denim seaming with the right needle and some muscle. I've never worked with leather, but I assume if you're doing only two layers at a time, you wouldn't have much of a problem. Even if you wear through three used home machines in the next five years, you'll be out $300 instead of the $1000 you might spend on an industrial machine.
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May 1, 2013 02:59
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http://www.mediatinker.com/blog/archives/008262.html This link seems to have a free pattern with measurements. I have a thai fisherman skirt that I bought years ago that I love (and I never ever wear skirts), so I think when I get my machine back I'll be making a pair of these pants.
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May 27, 2013 15:13
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So my roommates and friends are getting married late this summer. They have SO MUCH kitchen stuff, also they are lawyers, so all their lawyer friends and bosses are loaded and buying them things off their registry like $200 water pitchers from Crate and Barrel. I am not loaded. I can sew though, and I can sew quilts, so I was thinking of making them some sort of memory quilt with pictures contributed by their friends from college. Is this a tacky gift? They are not tacky people, but I thought it might be a cute thing for them to have like on a den couch or something. I know this is totally doable, and I've helped with memory quilts in the past (although this one might be more involved because I'm going to surreptitiously copy things like their diplomas and I'd really like to get like short letters from their parents to put in there.
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Jun 6, 2013 00:54
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HodjasBitch posted:I second making a regular quilt. Gathering all of the photos and stuff and transferring them will be a pain in the rear end. Then, you won't want to stitch over them, and that limits your design and the longevity of the quilt. If you're so inclined, make a mini of the wedding invite maybe? Oooooh that's a good idea. Maybe a quilt with the tag of the wedding invite on the inside? I'm thinking of a smaller wall-hanging but I'm worried quilted wall-hangings are really 80's and no one ever had the heart to tell me.
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Jun 6, 2013 04:38
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Zratha posted:You could make the quilt in the wedding colours, if they have a specific theme. Her theme is dots, which makes sense. I talked to the bride's best friend and she thinks the bride would really like the idea. They've spent a lot of time away from each other, and they're going to be in different places for a year after the wedding, too. I'm going to have a lot of time to handpiece things, so I was thinking of doing something really small around the border and then piecing the big squares. I'll do a border of dotted fabric, then 12 big squares that I can put pictures in. The wedding is September 1st. I'm going to try and piece the top first so I can at least present it at the wedding. Then I can do the handquilting on it after the wedding.
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Jun 6, 2013 16:26
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The first thing you make will be horrible-looking. I mean, maybe you will be the exception to this rule, but typically the first thing you make will look like it can only fit the Frankenstein Monster's left nutsack. I tell you this because it happens to everyone and you can't see it as a failure of your own. My "secret" (irony quotes because I'm not especially talented, but it works with me) is to match my breathing up with my cutting to slow myself down. It works well for me, since I definitely have a tendency to rush through things for no reason.
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Jun 10, 2013 13:44
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Sat down at my machine for the first time in about 14 months and cranked out four tote bags (two with handles, but I ran out of webbing) and an infinity scarf. Came to revel in my not-so-lost skills and Goldaline posts and makes me feel newbish again (just kidding. I think). For the totes, I was thinking of making a set for my girlfriend's family for Christmas. She has three adorable nephews and my mom made tote bags when I was 2 with my hand and foot prints all over them and it's kind of precious. My mother still uses hers, 23 years later! Is there a way to make an art quilt that doesn't look like it's out of the 80s? I like the thought of a wall-hanging quilt but maybe it's just not a medium that translates well now.
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Oct 23, 2013 04:42
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Rayon or polyester knit suede? It kind of looks like a faux camel-hair style coat. Thrifted?
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Oct 27, 2013 16:47
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Nicol Bolas posted:Completely insane question: They are H&M. Buy new ones. They're literally like $6.
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Dec 21, 2013 23:17
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So even though I've been sewing kind of on an off for more than ten years, I am terrified of doing garments. I sewed a formal dress for a freshman dance with a lot of help and kind of gave up on doing a lot of garment sewing. Recently someone gave me some realtalk (also I watch a lot of Project Runway) and I want to get back into doing it, so when I saw this dress form at a garage sale for $10 this morning, I bought it. This is Roberta with some expert draping going on. She's already scared the poo poo out of me twice walking through my sewing area. 
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Sep 6, 2014 18:44
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holttho posted:Definitely go to a thrift store or Goodwill. There will be a glut of cheapo sewing machines there. They may be ugly, jam-prone, and mind-boggling; but it will be heaven-sent in comparison to doing it by hand. Just make sure it has the manual. I have a 1980's White machine that my mother got at a vacuum/sewing shop for less than $100, no manual. But if you have the model number and/or serial, you can find a PDF version of the manual online for free or very cheap.
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Mar 10, 2015 02:16
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I imagine puff paint would work in a similar way, except it has a more precision tip, it probably would not bleed through as much, plus you could match the color to your project.
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Jul 5, 2015 05:44
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Can you post a picture of the outside of the jacket?
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Jul 19, 2015 18:26
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theflyingexecutive posted:It's v basic: Contrast red top stitching? Real pockets, if they aren't already. If they are real, line them with the star fabric?
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Jul 23, 2015 14:00
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For those of you who use standing cutting tables, are you able to still get enough leverage to do rotary cutting?
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Jul 31, 2015 11:46
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Can you spray baste and paper-piece satin?
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Aug 6, 2015 14:21
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 IKEA lamp with an ugly paper lampshade (I abhor paper shades). I did a majorly stupid thing and ripped the lampshade off before I sewed on the fabric and ended up doing three different iterations before I finally got it the right way, not crooked and the correct height. Now I just need to do the other one of the set  <-- That is an appropriate amount of blood. I keep sticking my fingers.
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Aug 23, 2015 02:27
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It's starting to get cold out, so I thought I would do a little stash-buster project since I have been hoarding scraps random projects for about two years now. I gathered together all my scraps, squared them off and started cutting them into 3.5"x5" rectangles. 3 1/2 hours later, I have 268 rectangles. I think I just accidentally signed myself up for a queen-sized quilt. But what I should really post is fighting off 2 dogs who really wanted to be down on the floor with me. Also, my body hurts so bad. Oh my god.
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Sep 21, 2015 04:48
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Or take the design wholesale and wrap the rest around a bolster pillow form. Put the lace around the trim.
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Dec 12, 2015 05:34
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coyo7e posted:I had an idea about making tote bags as gifts for the holidays this year and I'm not sure if it'd be best to get a bunch of blank fair-trade sourced fabric (I'm thinking duck canvas of some gauge), find a bunch of tote bags which I can verify weren't made in sweatshops and won't be cheap and crappy and which will have nice handles (then I could stencil on them, which would mostly mean making up or finding a good stencil for my word cloud idea), or maybe find some printed fabric with a sort of green/recycling type theme and incorporate it along with the canvas in totes I make. My mom did this 25 (yiiiikes) years ago for my grandparents and put my little 2 yr old handprints all over the bags in fabric paint. They both still have that bag and use it. Those were canvas with nylon webbing handles, but I'm not sure where to find a decent amount of organic cotton canvas. My mother, still a hippie, now uses plastic woven dog food and bird feed bags for her grocery bags. I have two that she gave me and they're pretty great and I actually use them as storage containers around the house rather than grocery bags because they stand up, BUT she also uses her heavy-duty 1980s Husqvarna machine to do those. Your other option if you want to make the bags are ripstop "pillowcase" style bags where the handles are part of the bag and your sewing project would be putting trim around the raw edges, which you could buy pre-cut and folded. Finally, if you want to ensure your fabric is ethically sourced, you could fuse plastic grocery bags together. There are tutorials on the internet for how to make the material, then use pre-made webbing for handles, since it does behave pretty fabric-like when fused.
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Nov 7, 2016 15:31
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A complete pain in the rear end to sew?
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Mar 19, 2018 18:39
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