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Damnit. Earlier this summer I had a friend from high school post a dress on facebook that she wanted for her wedding. I found a pattern that would work and sent her the link to the webpage. She asked if I could/would be willing to make it. I told her sure, ordered the pattern and we agreed on a price for my work. I got all excited, not only because I'd be making a wedding dress for someone, but if she was happy with it I could wrangle this into a business and get a little extra money for me and my husband. Well, I told my friend I was home all day, all the time, and she needed to get to me so I could measure her and start on the muslin. Silence. I didn't hear from her for a month. FINALLY I get a message that she wears a "size 14". Fine, I start on the largest size the pattern will make, and after a few more weeks she comes over and trys it on. I get started on fitting it, tell her what and how much fabric and notions to buy (she INSISTED on buying her own fabric), and we agree she'll come by the next week to try on the bodice with alterations. Haven't heard from her since. She's been on facebook, I've sent her a message, and now her wedding is a week from tomorrow. The last message I sent is "hey, haven't heard from you in a while, checking in. What's going on?" I'm kinda grumpy about the whole thing because I did buy a pattern and use up my time and fabric making the muslin. And we agreed she would pay when she dropped off the fabric. I wanted to make a dress and now I feel like people won't want to choose me to make stuff for them because I don't have any "testimonials" on how awesome I am. Has anyone else started doing small business sewing? How did you build a "portfolio"?
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Aug 22, 2012 02:50
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Rufus En Fuego posted:Are you looking to specialize in wedding dresses or would other types of sewing be good for you, too? Well, it's way to late to have the dress done properly. I could do it according to the pattern and the first set of changes I made with her fitting, but it was a Vogue pattern and I had to modify the fit quite a bit to have it not look dumpy. I'd honestly like to do costumes (period or not), fun dresses, and more offbeat style wedding dresses (especially plus sizes), I don't want to do regular wedding dresses. This was gonna be an awesome 50's style dress and I was pretty happy about it. I would LOVE to make dresses for drag queens, that would be too much fun. You can get away with so much more awesome trim and stuff. Katniss's dress, underneath the details, looks like a strapless, backless princess seamed sheath dress. Here's one from Butterick downloadable pattern only I'd use the pattern for the dress part, then just gather a ton of netting (or whatever the mermaid skirt part is, it's hard to see in the pictures) in cartridge pleats and make the skirt, and the top looks like just a swag of the same fabric with a poofy flower. I wish I could see a bigger picture.
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Aug 22, 2012 20:24
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I live about an hour's drive out of San Francisco. You figure I'd be crawling with queens, but we have a range of hills between here and there and it's like a whole other region of the state here. It kinda sucks. I've done Renn fairs, and I love to make my own stuff, but there is too much drama involved by using my current connections to "get into" the costume making there. I'll just keep making stuff for friends for that. If you can get him to get a commercial dress that fits that would be the way to go. Then you could really work that skirt.
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Aug 22, 2012 21:25
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You could do both those things. A seamstress or tailor should be able to fit the dress to your size, as long as there's not a huge difference in measurements. With the pants, they should be able to make them and find fabric, but it might not be cost effective, depending on where you are.
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Aug 24, 2012 22:43
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Rubber Slug posted:Do any of you have an idea how hard it would be to create a puffer-vest lookalike using cordura nylon? Is it feasible? (I've never made a piece of clothing before). Cordura nylon is kinda stiff and almost scratchy. You might want a thinner nylon fabric. Cordura is the stuff backpacks and bullet proof vests are covered in. It's stiff, almost kinda rough, and frays like crazy unless you finish the edges well. If I am remembering right, it also doesn't crease or fold for poo poo, so your seams won't look nice and finished either. If you want the puffy "colorado" vest, it's made out of something that felt like old sleeping bags, right? You probably want something like these? http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=2ff76b4a-2418-41bd-9f71-848c2d0a24eb http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=77d6766d-260e-4a70-96f4-2b480b531bb8
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Sep 4, 2012 05:17
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Rubber Slug posted:Hmm, that's good to know. Maybe I should have posted it in the cosplay thread, but they probably don't know quite as much about materials and clothing fabrication. I'm trying to replicate this vest. Ok, that's like a LBV or a bullet-proof vest type thing, so Cordura is right on what you'd want to use, but it might be difficult if you've never made anything before. I thought there was a goon in this thread who made protection vests and belts for local PD? Either that or s/he had a thread somewhere in here and that person might be able to give you more info. I've never sewn the stuff with a machine, but I've "repaired" my own military gear and had some issues with it. The cosplay thread would be the best place though, because they'll be able to tell you other things that people have used for similar items.
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Sep 4, 2012 20:07
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Brigg posted:
Ah, my bad then. I must be remembering some other type of 'durable' fabric type stuff. The stuff I remember was just like the fabric in that vest, but once heavy use tore the binding off the bias edge of the armhole, it was IMPOSSIBLE to re-bind it. The weave just kept unraveling. This was like 10 years ago though, so who knows.
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Sep 7, 2012 18:53
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Calvervtutrp posted:Does anyone know of a good pattern for a women's button-up shirt that isn't, well, hella soccer mom-ish? Ideally something fairly easy to tailor around a large chest/small waist? Are you against wearing the shirts half unbuttoned with a tank or camisole under them? That might be one of the easiest ways to get a really good fit, so you don't have excess darts or princess seams. This one might be a start: http://www.sewingpatterns.com/sub_i...tops&return=yes
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Sep 13, 2012 02:51
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BIG CITY LAWYER posted:It was the only dress and is final sale to boot. If I'm out $15 I won't be too sad about it, and I *can* wear it, its just not super comfy! I'll take it to the tailor and see what they say. I'm fine with the back not perfectly matching (if they use say a plain solid color fabric) as that part of my back will be covered anyway. Will that make it easier for them? I really don't care what it looks like as long as it fits a bit better. The main problem with what you want to do is you want to put the extra fabric to provide the room for your bust in the wrong place. The space needs to go over your boobs, and you want to put it in the back. If pull the dress on with the back unzipped, with the front pulled up over your boobs, the rest of the dress fits like poo poo. There are big ripples over your sides, the front gapes funny, the top line of the bodice is all messed up, and the skirt might even hang weird. The dress is not meant to hang this way, it's meant to hang the way it was made, with the zipper done up. This is what you want the tailor to do to the dress with extra fabric. Like others have said, there is really no way to make that dress fit PROPERLY and have it cost less than a FEW hundred dollars. Any tailor that can make proper adjustments like that is gonna charge a lot because they are practically creating a new dress. Maybe you can find a corset style top somewhere and have someone make the skirt of the dress into an actual skirt? That would mimic the look of the dress without having to completely re-do the bodice.
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Oct 11, 2012 16:05
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That's a little less bad then it sounded. Maybe if you got some "structured shapewear" AKA a cincher or something it would compress your squishy zones enough so that you don't worry about a wardrobe malfunction? ALSO: I'm going to be sewing a new ren faire bodice and skirt for me and a dress for my kid, should I post it here or make a new thread?
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Oct 11, 2012 16:53
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It really depends on the type of things you like. You could make a pair of PJ pants, or a skirt, or a purse, or a pillow, or an apron. A lot of pattern books have an "EZ" section. Go to your friendly local fabric store, find out the patterns that are on sale that day, and look at the books to see something you like.
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Oct 15, 2012 02:39
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God damnit, I want drag queen friends to sew crazy stuff for. 
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Nov 15, 2012 21:00
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That is super cute and were I still in the military, I would have bought a zillion.
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Dec 18, 2012 01:28
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saint gerald posted:My wife asked me to buy her a dress form for her birthday. She wants one about a size 16. I'm not totally sewing illiterate, but I could use some general pointers. Dress form makers are assholes. My mother has an older version of the "adjustable plus sized dress form" and the drat thing won't go to my measurements at a size 12/14. It's off on my bust by 8 inches. Have her take her actual measurements and make sure the dress form will match them. Do not just try to buy one because it says it fits certain sizes.
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Jul 8, 2013 23:20
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Ho Chi Mint posted:Hi, not sure if this is the right thread to ask in, so please re-direct me if it isn't. Stultus Maximus posted:I need to know how these stripes were sewn onto this uniform. (click for bigger) Maybe a bit more information from both of you would be more helpful? Ho Chi Mint - You're looking for someone to quilt the fabric for you so you can have the jacket re-lined? Do you know about how much fabric you're going to need? What is the original fabric made out of? Is it natural or synthetic fabric? (PS, you can buy quilted fabrics at fabric stores and online, even in Wal-mart. it might be cheaper than paying someone to buy fabric and batting and then paying them to quilt and ship it) Sultus Maximus-Are you trying to remove the stripes? put more on? replace them with other stripes? If you're trying to remove them, CAREFULLY lift the edge of the stripe up with a seam ripper and start looking for threads that have sewn the stripes down. If you want to remove the stripes so the jacket can be used stripe free, you may be out of luck. The stitches usually used to hold that sort of thing down are sometimes very close together so you'll have a line of little holes all the way around the sleeve. The fabric could also be darker underneath the stripes. Also, a lot of military patches have that iron-on poo poo on the back, so you can iron them in place and then sew them down. So you may be left with some gluey residue that won't come off.
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Jul 17, 2013 21:24
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skoolmunkee posted:Hey I know it's been a little while since anyone posted in this thread but I have a question I hope someone can answer! I'm not entirely sure about clothing patterns, but if it's a pattern off a blog or you bought from a person rather than a Simplicity pattern or whatever, just ask them if you can use the pattern to sell, and you'll provide a link to the pattern or something. I'm more versed in knitting patterns where selling something you made from someone else's pattern, while not technically illegal, is considered A Dick Move.
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Aug 12, 2013 00:35
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hollylolly posted:This is a fabric question - I'm intending to create the red dress Alice wears in the first Resident Evil movie but I can't figure out the fabric her dress is made out of. You can buy costumes online but they all appear to be made out of a satiny fabric that doesn't quite look or float quite right. It could be a crepe, but the way the dress fits her it could also be a heavy knit, like a jersey fabric too. Jersey Fabric
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Aug 20, 2013 01:33
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coyo7e posted:I'm interested in finding/making a mannequin, and most of the stuff I've found online seems to be about covering a person in tape, Ignore the 'dog mannequin' instructions you posted. That would result in a flat, nearly 2 dimensional representation of a dog. Like the Nagas they used to give out with bean bag chairs. You pretty much want to modify the people mannequin instructions for your dog. Put her in a t-shirt or two to cover up her fur, and wrap her firmly but not too tight in duct or paper packing tape. You don't have to be AS exact as you would with a person because she is a dog, but you want a bit more than just the general shape of the dog. I would go up her neck a bit, partially down each front leg, and down past the ribcage. Mark a line on the tape up her spine, add a few alignment marks so it lines back up when you take it off, and CAREFULLY cut the tape/shirts off your dog. close up the back seam with more tape, fit it over a wood or pvc frame so it stands up easier if you like, close up the neck, leg and waist holes and then stuff her firmly full of stuffing, straw, whatever you want that will hold a shape. Then you have a Devo 2 to make coats on. (Devo is super cute, btw)
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Oct 23, 2013 04:54
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BANME.sh posted:Thanks. Do you happen to know what the angled slit in the middle foot is used for? Pulling the thread to the underside of the foot so it can pass underneath with the fabric and not get all tangled up everywhere. The thread has to go underneath or you're basically sewing the presser foot to the fabric. When you thread the needle to use the machine, you pass the tail from the needle through that little slot and pull it out underneath and behind the foot to get it out of the way. Without the slot you'd have to pass the thread through the hole in the middle of the foot and the slot just makes it easier. If the slot was straight bits of fabric or fluff could get rammed into the foot by the movement of the machine and jam up your needle or something like that.
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Dec 13, 2013 20:37
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FISHMANPET posted:So I don't quite sew, I'm working with latex sheeting, which is an interesting little journey. But this is the closest I can find, until I make my own latex thread. You might be able to do it with a small 2 part eyelets. You would have to find hooks/eyes where the attachment holes were big enough for the smallest eyelet you could find. I'd put something underneath the latex to act as support for the eyelets though. Any tension could cause the latex to stretch and the eyelets would just pop right out of the hole.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:21
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NancyPants posted:Why can't I cut fabric straight when I fold it? Every loving time I think I have everything at right angles, I double check it, and then cut it and it's all hosed up. Is it just a practice thing or am I doing something wrong and stupid? Your fabric may be thwarting your efforts. Before you fold/cut, make sure the weft threads (perpendicular to the selvedges) are indeed perpendicular to the selvedges. You may need to pull one corner of your fabric piece to get everything square. Do NOT use the cut edge from the store as "square". If you want to make REALLY sure everything is squared up, find the first weft thread that goes all the way across the cut edge (doesn't get cut off by the store cut or whatever) and gently pull that all the way out. Now you'll have a line all the way across the fabric to use to square up the fabric. I can try and find/take pictures to make more sense if you need it.
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Mar 28, 2014 22:59
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The "knit software" looks BASIC. In the simple way, and the "Girl, you basic" way. Like, it just has boxes for the height of the length, neck width, sleeve length/width, stuff like that. No visible options for shaping, types of shoulders, you can't even adjust the neck depth (scoop vs. boat neck for example), you can't adjust things like the armscye depth without adjusting the sleeve width. It doesn't even look like you can adjust the taper for the sleeves. I even paused the video and there doesn't appear to be any other options for customizing things. There are many many 'sweater software' programs that established designers use to size their patterns and I'm confused why he didn't just work off of one of those. There is so much more to clothing design than "neck width, body width, length, arm width". Also, SO EDGY putting your unblocked items on mannikins in people's stores. (I'm downloading the software now, I'll report back)
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Apr 10, 2014 20:07
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That was quick. Yeah, no options for neck type, shoulder type, shaping, nothing. So enjoy your knitted tubes with no shaping. This guy clearly isn't a clothing or knitwear designer, or even a knitter, really.
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Apr 10, 2014 20:15
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It's not your thread tension that's the issue, it's that the wad of seams there is too thick for your machine's feed dogs to move easily past the presser foot. This is a good situation for a walking foot, if you can get/afford one for your machine. See if you can possibly 'help' the machine move the fabric past the needle and presser foot, maybe?
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Jun 30, 2014 20:53
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taiyoko posted:That's probably the reason I'm so nervous...I don't have the fabric to make a muslin. This is straight up 'draw it out onto paper, tada, pattern'. Thankfully it's meant to be rather loose-fitting, so as long as I haven't done the math too badly it should be fine. Do you live near a thrift store? Go there and buy a couple of sheets and use those for making a muslin. It might not be the same fabric or color as your finished object (it might be goddamn hideous), but you at least be able to make sure the shape and drape are correct before you cut into your garment fabric.
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Oct 31, 2014 02:46
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Staryberry posted:Any advise on getting a dress form? Should I get an adjustable form or should I get something non-adjustable and pad it to match my dimensions? Is there anything in particular I should be looking for? I wear a size 16 in American sizes, and I'm pear shaped, if that makes any difference. If you are adult, only plan on making stuff for yourself, and don't expect to be changing sizes anytime soon, it would probably be best to either buy a quality "one size" form and pad it to your shape, or just look up one of the million "make your own dress form" tutorials and make one that will fit you properly from the start. If you make things for more people, the adjustable forms are nice enough, but they never are perfect for any person, and are honestly pretty flimsy for their price.
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Mar 8, 2015 18:53
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Goldaline posted:If you remember last time I post I was sort of falling down a rabbit hole of serging and stretch fabric. Well, I think I've finally got my applique technique nailed down (stick and wash-away interfacing is the key!), so I tackled a biggish project. I really want something like this for running. Not a full singlet, but some leggings or something. That is fantastic
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May 9, 2015 20:49
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ReelBigLizard posted:Anyone got a good waistcoat pattern or resource where I might find a selection? I've come into some nice herringbone wool... Do you mean waistcoat like a fancy man-jacket? or waistcoat like a lady's vest?
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Jun 5, 2015 23:51
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Invisible Ted posted:So next week I'm hoping to make an apron for work following this pattern: http://www.purlbee.com/2011/08/11/mollys-sketchbook-adjustable-unisex-apron/ Make sure you make the apron to YOUR measurements, not the pattern width. I am both broad-shouldered and large-boobed so most aprons only fit from nipple to nipple on me and are therefore useless.
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Jul 8, 2015 05:50
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Jul 25, 2015 01:55
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Goldaline posted:linking people to the tumblr where I post all sorts of dumb things. I followd your tumblr and I noticed you do knitting too. You know we have a knitting thread?
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Aug 22, 2015 21:06
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Goldaline posted:Wooo, what's your username? I have the knitting thread bookmarked, and I do read it, I don't know why I never post. I don't knit very interesting things I suppose. I'm on tumblr as Whoregasboard, I mainly just repost feminist propaganda and memes with birds :-)
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Aug 23, 2015 03:37
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Maybe naturally black wool would work for this?Dominoes posted:Thanks; will send them an email.
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Aug 25, 2015 21:47
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Arsenic Lupin posted:Wool and heat (depending on whether the wick is in contact with hot water or not) are very unmixy things. Before you know it, you've got a piece of wool a quarter of the length you started with. If the wool was felted to begin with, it could work quite well and the color certainly won't bleed.
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Aug 27, 2015 03:23
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