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It seems a lot of us are sewing these days, but there's no place for us to post our creations or ask questions or get advice without clogging up the Girls Shopping thread. So I've started this as a starting point for any kind of sewing or DIY clothing questions. I'm sure I've missed out on large swatches of information and questions, so I'll add to this list as the thread goes on. I've been sewing for about 5 years now - I got given my sister-in-law's old machine and taught myself with a few basic patterns and asked the internet for help. This year I was featured in the New York Times during fashion week, and I had my first catwalk show in September. And this is just my hobby! I'd say a good 50% of my wardrobe was made by myself, which means I can get a better fit in the exact style I want, and it's infinitely more satisfying that going shopping. And this way it frees up more cash to blow on shoes. RESOURCES
EQUIPMENT
PATTERNS
FABRIC 90% of the fabrics at your local JoAnn's and Hancock's are cheap, synthetic crap. Buy for you muslins if you want, but low quality fabric will make your garment look cheap, no matter how good your techniques. Listed below are some stores stocking high quality fabrics (note: some of these also sell cheap crap in addition to the nice stuff). The names of fabrics can be confusing at first so compare names against a list of fabric descriptions to help you out. HAND SEWING
TECHNIQUES
TUTORIALS / FREEBIES
KNITTING See Google Embryo's post further down! squirrellypoo fucked around with this message at 11:28 on Dec 5, 2007 |
# ¿ Dec 3, 2007 12:20 |
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# ¿ Mar 28, 2024 10:45 |
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dopaMEAN posted:What is the best way to get a tailored look in clothes? I love the way well fitting clothes work, but I have football player shoulders, so button down shirts tend to drape and make me look huge. Do you just increase the dart around the waist? For the former, if you want to make something more fitting, like say, a big XL teeshirt into a girls skinny fit one, the easiest way is to get a similar shirt that fits you rather well, and turn that inside out and lay it on top of the fatass shirt (also inside out) and trace around the little one with pins and sew it up. Depending on the hugeness of your starting shirt, you may also want to cut off the sleeves at the shoulders and make those narrower and/or shorter to match. If you're trying to make a button-down shirt be more fitted at the waist, you could try increasing the darts (ie: make the width of the dart triangle wider at the base) but that might give you a weird shape so I'd definitely say to pin or baste these before you sew them up just to be sure. And when doing alterations like this, always make sure you're taking away an equal amount for all the darts or sideseams so you don't go all lopsided. If you want to create your own tailored clothes from scratch, look for patterns that mimic your RTW (ready to wear) clothes that already flatter you - do they have princess seams? Peplums? Waist seams? Dropped hem? Collars? Start trying on your clothes in front of a mirror and see if there's any running theme with what looks best on you - everybody's different! For example I know tons of women look great in princess seams, but they look pretty awful on me 80% of the time so I generally stay away from them.
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# ¿ Dec 3, 2007 17:30 |
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ElanoreMcMantis posted:Another thing it is very, very important to do when sewing -- USE THE IRON. Some people refuse to use an iron and that can make a really nice shirt/dress look cheap and thrown together. Make sure you properly trim and press corners. Finish your seams, and in areas where the stitching is visible go slow to make sure your stitches are even. If you teach yourself from the beginning that every part must be perfect, visible or not, your stuff will have great quality and it will last. Also, I added some fabric shops to the first post to give alternatives to JoAnns and Hancocks. *shudder* Hit me with your favourites if I've left them out.
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# ¿ Dec 3, 2007 17:55 |
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RedFish posted:Is it better to walk into my local craftstore and pick up the stuff I need, or is it cheaper to buy it online? Most of my local stores are very out of the way to get to by bus and horribly overpriced. And I mean overpriced in that giant-chain-store sort of way. RedFish posted:I think my first step is to try and make a duct tape dress form of me as I don't have a ready assistant to help me with fittings.
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# ¿ Dec 3, 2007 18:00 |
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RichBomb posted:Are there any more guy oriented pattern shops? quote:All the denim at these places is 10oz stretchy garbage Do you know of any places to source high end denim from? Thanks squirrellypoo fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Dec 3, 2007 |
# ¿ Dec 3, 2007 18:48 |
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DonkeyChips posted:I'd like to see a Goon sew up a nice pair of selvage denim jeans. But I did make jeans last year. RedFish posted:I guess what I'm trying to say is that getting to my local store will be a giant pain in the rear end, and is there anywhere cheap online that I can scrounge for the pieces of my toolkit? Gonktastic posted:My dad has big shoulders, a broad chest and a small waist. 30 years in the Navy does you good! So, I think the pattern was very hard to scale down. Gonktastic posted:What does all the symbols mean?!?! My reverse button has broken in half, and I don't know what the two knobs on either side of stich width do. Last night our power went off again so seeing as how my entertainment options were limited, I traced off the pattern pieces for Burda WOF 11/07 #105 for my Christmas party dress (4 pieces, but I'm making a facing instead of a lining, so it'll be more like 6). And then this morning before work I cut out the fabric, and I'm rather chuffed because I had just barely enough gold duchesse satin leftover from my boyfriend's velvet pirate coat lining to make this dress. I still have to cut out the facings from the scraps, though, but I think I'll have enough with only tiny pieces to spare, which is the way I like it. It annoys me when I'm left with something like .75 metres, which seems too big to throw away, but too small to actually do anything with.
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# ¿ Dec 4, 2007 11:58 |
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Google Embryo posted:Can we talk about knitting and crocheting too? It's still DIY and you can make all kinds of crap with yarn and I love both even though I'm too lazy to make anything bigger than lace scarves or hats.
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# ¿ Dec 4, 2007 19:03 |
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Gonktastic posted:There's the zoomed in image. Not only are those symbols alien to me, I can't figure out how you would choose one anyway. While I'm asking, the top left switch doesn't seem to make a difference, am I missing something important? The weird symbols to me look like it's a key/legend for decorative stitches, but I don't see a way to choose them, either - is there any compartment on the top of the machine (or anywhere else) that might take a rounded cartridge or disc? That's the only thing I can think of, as I remember seeing my friend's vintage Toyota machine that changed stitches by placing various plastic discs into a compartment (she got a full set off eBay). It was the weirdest machine I ever saw, but it's the only thing I can think of. #20 is a nice invisible hem stitch though. I don't know if you've figured this out, but it looks like you have to use a few levers in tandem to get zigzag - have that upper left dial at the far left position, and then increase the stitch width to get progressively wider zigzags. Or if you shift that lever to the far right with stitch width zero, you'll get a triple stretch stitch, with a weird zigzaggy version of it if you increase the stitch width. Without any markings, I'm afraid I can't tell you what the two little mystery knobs on either side of the stitch width selector do... Though I'm not seeing a stitch length selector anywhere (which there definitely should be)? Really, just get some scrap fabric and start pressing dials and see what they do. And if you can find a make and model # anywhere on it, definitely google it and see if you can get a manual somewhere. And Google Embryo - aww, shucks. thanks!
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# ¿ Dec 5, 2007 11:27 |
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ElanoreMcMantis posted:Now I realize these are pretty oddball, but if anyone wants to know how I do/did it, I will bring another lamp up here when I do the left shoe and take photos as I work. Shoes and hats kinda baffle me, but I'm going to start off simple with a little fascinator to match that yellow dress I'm working on I think. I need to buy some cheap hair things from the pound shop to cannibalise the clips out of first, though.
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# ¿ Dec 6, 2007 11:28 |
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FYI, BurdaStyle's latest free pattern is a pair of skinny jeans. The pattern I use for all my jeans and trousers is from an old issue of Burda WOF magazine and these look really similar in the crotch curve. If you're just starting to seew, you really don't want to attempt these, though, as you'll probably end up hating sewing, your machine, your denim, and life in general. Save these until after you've had a few projects under your belt.
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# ¿ Dec 6, 2007 17:45 |
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I've posted a tutorial on How to Make A Fascinator up on BurdaStyle. It actually doesn't require any sewing as you can do it all with a glue gun, and you get a nice bit of fluff to wear on your head in the end... I'm still waiting on the invisible zipper I ordered online to appear before I can finish my yellow satin dress, so I'm making christmas crap instead today. Right now: a tree skirt out of some ivory curtain remnants and some red bias binding that's older than I am.
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# ¿ Dec 8, 2007 19:03 |
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Molly Bloom posted:Anyone have a good source for cutting bias strips? I used to know how... I finished my yellow satin dress this morning before work. I just need to press the hem before I slip it on on Friday night. Edit: VVV there will be many pics after I wear it tomorrow night. I was on my own this morning and I've got my office christmas party tonight so I won't be home until stupid late. squirrellypoo fucked around with this message at 17:10 on Dec 13, 2007 |
# ¿ Dec 13, 2007 11:47 |
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Fino Martini posted:I have a white shawl collar pullover that I'd like to dye a different color. Captain Schlork posted:Knit fabrics require at the very least a good overlock/merrow/whateveryoucallit machine and a sewing machine with a neat stretch stitch option. Preferably a coverstitch machine as well and these guys cost a poo poo ton of money. You'll just gently caress up your shirt if you sew it up with ordinary stitches. Home sewing machines can handle knits perfectly fine if you:
There is absolutely no need for a beginning sewer to have to buy an expensive overlocker just to make a loving teeshirt, and that kind of attitude is just going to turn them off sewing altogether rather than get into the joys of making clothing that fits and looks good. Hell, one of my first projects was resizing a teeshirt, and god knows if I'd read your post I'd probably not even tried. And for the requests to see my yellow dress, here it is from friday night's party. I'll get up more photos on my site tomorrow. I'm too cold to do anything more now.
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# ¿ Dec 16, 2007 17:04 |
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ElanoreMcMantis posted:Also, I really like the yellow dress too, but I agree that the hem needs work. Did you machine or hand sew it? I'm not saying this to be bitchy at all, so I hope it doesn't offend, but it doesn't look pressed enough. On the side seams did you sew in the ditch when you did them? It probably isn't pressed enough - I used a press cloth but I think it probably should've been a bit thicker to cushion the 3 layers of fabric in the hem vs the one layer in the rest of the dress. I did the hem by hand and the stitching is faultless there (for once! God I hate hems, like a finaly, annoying hurdle between the real sewing and me wearing it!) - there's zero thread showing through on the right side, I only took up the tiniest amount from the back of the fabric. Because it was such a short hem, I actually took care with this one. I didn't stitch in the ditch at the side seams (I always do that for facings, but I never though to do it with hems, thanks!), but I did knot off my hem stitches whenever I got to a seam allowance, which was quite often on this one since it's the front panel, two side panels, and two back panels. ElanoreMcMantis posted:I tend to use my overlock to do the bottom edge, then iron that inward and up, and hand-sew the hem. Gonktastic posted:How difficult would a lined vest be to make? I tried on this gorgeous bartendery type vest at Bebe and can't ever imagine paying $100 for something like that. Gonktastic posted:Now it costs as much, if not more, than plenty of things you can get in the store. It's a fun hobby for me, but when I want a gorgeous pencil skirt, I'll pick one up and pay for it. Gonktastic posted:Now for the burning questions: Why doesn't the collar for my dad's shirt sit right? everything seemed smooth and well fitting when i pinned it, but after sewing the collar on completely, it's bunched in one or two places. Tommy Bahama I am not! Or if that's not what you're talking about, could you post a photo of the affected area please? Fino Martini posted:Alright the materials of the pullover are 78% cotton, 22% polyester (exclusive of trim?)
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# ¿ Dec 17, 2007 12:48 |
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RichBomb posted:Can anybody recommend fabric shops in NYC? Google Embryo posted:
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# ¿ Dec 18, 2007 17:58 |
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ooh I am so excited! I got an early christmas gift in the post today - my brother bought me a Lilypad circuit board, light sensor, and power supply! These are little sewable Arduino components that you can program to do lots of fun stuff based on the inputs. I already bought some conductive thread this summer but haven't got around to doing anything with it yet, so I'm rather excited to get a bunch of LEDs and start experimenting...
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# ¿ Dec 19, 2007 13:17 |
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Nerobro posted:My mind just weird places with that, bad-touch-o-meter? Or a "that's the spot" register? I just have the light sensor to play with, really, but it says it takes anywhere from 0-5v input (daylight is 5v, darkness is 0v and indoor light is 1-2v) so I could have a variety of LEDs come on depending on the level of input. Shame I won't get to play until after christmas as having LEDs as an accent instead of sequins might be cool and not *too* tacky. Hopefully. Maybe.
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# ¿ Dec 19, 2007 13:31 |
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Strelnikov posted:It's not knitted -- my school has a printer that will print your designs on fabric! I designed the repeat print, printed it out onto lightweight china silk, and just did a serged roll hem on the edge. Once classes start up again, I plan to have some more fabric printed up and maybe make a suit with some squids on it or something. I think Bountee must use something similar for their teeshirt designs - they're not transfers and they're not screenprints and they say they use a printer there, too... Beebubbles posted:I have a pair of Gingher scissors that are dying and I'd like to replace them.
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# ¿ Dec 21, 2007 11:41 |
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For anyone who's in the market for a sewing machine, Dress A Day wrote up a fantastic guide for choosing a machine today.
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# ¿ Jan 3, 2008 16:06 |
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Cherry Hammer posted:1) Knot the thread on the reverse side, pulling the needle through to the outside. 6 1/2) Wrap your needle thread around the thread in the space between the button and your fabric to create a "stem" for the button
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# ¿ Jan 4, 2008 12:25 |
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Reformed Tomboy posted:I was hoping somebody here may have some suggestions for me... I need to find a very specific patterned fabric and am having a hard time finding anything. I've looked online, and a few local shops, but have had no luck.
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# ¿ Jan 5, 2008 11:49 |
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Vodafone UK are doing some great billboards right now. This one's my favourite, it always makes me giggle... On the sewing front, I spent all weekend on my trouser suit: first I traced out all the pattern pieces for the jacket and trousers, then cut out all the pieces from the vintage Pendleton wool my grandmother gave me (she bought it from the mill in the 60s and then never did anything with it), and then yesterday I did allllll the interfacing. I want the under-lapels to be in navy satin so I have to wait for that to arrive before I can go much further, though. I've got an interview with another big London newspaper this afternoon, who are actually getting me in a studio for a photo shoot tomorrow morning (with a hair and makeup person even! omg!), so I spent a good part of the weekend pressing all the clothes they want me to bring along. And then I had another girl come round on Saturday afternoon who wants to use our boat for a location for a fashion shoot next weekend. My god, it's been busy.
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# ¿ Jan 7, 2008 11:37 |
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Goldaline posted:Anyway. Some stuff from this semester: And I just now realised we have a DIY subform. thank you mods!
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# ¿ Jan 8, 2008 12:42 |
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Uff, I just blew £50 on bra and swimsuit making supplies at elingeria.de. I've never made either before, but I've been reading more and more about other sewers who make their own and I'm itching to give it a shot, especially since my temporary sewing room will be demolished and I'll only have very limited space for projects in the summer. I got: chocolate/turquiose bra kit (it has all the bits you need to make one bra and two pants, minus the underwires, which you buy separately) Elan 350 bra pattern (since it's reviewed highly in a Threads article and it's similar to Victoria Secret bra I used to like) Some swimsuit fabric that was black with a stripe and butterfly but must've sold out now because it's not listed anymore. And various bits of elastic, lining, clasps, etc. I'm quite excited since the January issue of Knipmode magazine features patterns for one bra, two pants, and a camisole so even if I don't like the Elan pattern I've still got one to fall back on. Anyone here ever attempt lingerie or swimwear before? Any tips?
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# ¿ Jan 9, 2008 16:02 |
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DeliciousDarkness posted:If you are doing a mockup/muslin, make it in the same fabric as your final garment quote:If you don't have a serger (preferred), use a medium-size zigzag with a ballpoint or spandex needle. Stretch the fabric a bit when you sew, not too much though. Let the machine pull it while you hold it a little taut. quote:If I were you I'd do the bottoms first before I get into an underwire bra. When cutting, don't cut double - just cut one piece at a time - it's very easy for the spandex to get out of whack. Thread trace the grainline, or cut next to the selvedge and line up the pattern piece with a c-thru ruler. Lay the pattern piece down and trace carefully with tailor's chalk, making very sure not to stretch it, then cut out, for more accuracy. Actually, try making a triangle top beforehand too. Edit: boscokitty - I just noticed your username. We have a 6 month old cat. His name is Bosco. squirrellypoo fucked around with this message at 11:38 on Jan 10, 2008 |
# ¿ Jan 10, 2008 11:36 |
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All this cross stitch talk made me remember my one and only project. I made this this summer, mostly in the back of cars, using stuff from my mom's 30 year old stash of materials, floss, and pattern books. Now I just need to take it to the store to get a mat and frame. (we live on a boat) And in other news, the collar of my suit jacket is pissing me off. Or rather, the under collar. I pinned it a couple ways but it's not laying quite right so I've let it sit overnight to think about what it's done. In the meantime I'm dismantling some £2 Ikea pillowcases to turn into placemats and a remote control caddy. Exciting stuff.
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# ¿ Jan 13, 2008 23:14 |
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weeeee I'm a centrefold star today!! Full text here And I'm in the Metro tomorrow, though I don't know if that's with photo, or just the interview. The Daily Express one was fun, though, because it was a studio shoot with full hair and makeup people (I lost my false eyelashes virginity). They even taught me the stereotypical "Daily Mail" pose so I can emulate the page 3 models, hahah
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# ¿ Jan 21, 2008 14:32 |
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Ozma posted:I'd love to learn more about repurposing clothes. I've got a small stash of weird clothes I'd never wear but bought because I thought I might do something with them but never HAVE done something with them... Also, I'm in this morning's Metro newspaper, too. I think the media are coordinating efforts, even I'm getting a bit sick of seeing me...
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# ¿ Jan 22, 2008 12:26 |
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seriouslywtf posted:Thanks! I even put in a zipper on the bottom, which I'm pretty proud of. The pillow looks great, and it sounds like they got you super excited to go out and try other things, which is exactly what you need starting out. I'd suggest picking up a simple A-linke skirt pattern (something like this maybe?) for your next project if you fancy it (and since you're such a whizz with ye olde zippers!).
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# ¿ Jan 24, 2008 17:14 |
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dear god, I finally finished the tuxedo-inspired jacket I've been working on for the better part of January. I made it using vintage Pendleton wool suiting my grandmother bought from the mill in the 1960s, but it was the bitchingly complicated pattern with next-to-zero instructions that was the real challenge. I absolutely love Burda WOF, but I'd forgotten how crap their instructions are when you actually need to refer to them. Thank god the matching trousers should pretty straightforward - I bought some sew-in boning at the weekend to stabilise the big waistband/belt thing, though. I love high waisted trousers and skirts, but I hate the way they wrinkle the first time you sit down!
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# ¿ Jan 28, 2008 14:56 |
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For any aspiring sewing newbies out there, A Dress A Day has got a great Guide to Learning To Sew up today, with lots of good advice and tips on how to begin.
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# ¿ Feb 6, 2008 16:14 |
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papermastermind posted:I was wondering if anyone could recommend some sewing books, more specifically on tailoring/fitting clothes. I posted a while back about having nightmare/back shoulders (10 inch chest/waist difference) that cause nothing to fit from mid-back and below. I'll probably run to my local library and just see what they have, but if anyone's got some specific recommendatons I wouldn't mind dropping a few dollars into learning vas0line posted:Basically, the idea is to take a pair of pants and hem them about calf length, like capris, but slightly higher. Is this a fairly easy task for a novice like myself to undertake, or should I take them to the tailoring shop down the street? How much would a tailoring shop typically charge for such a menial task?
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# ¿ Feb 8, 2008 12:15 |
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Immortal So Far, I looooove that first skirt and the evening gown in particular! I can just imagine how the back pleats on that skirt would move as you walk.... mmm. I've been busy tracing out TONS of patterns from some borrowed Patrones magazines but in amoungst all that I managed to complete my tuxedo-inspired suit I was making from my grandmother's vintage Pendleton wool. And now that I've finished that, I've started on a fantastic Jean Paul Gaultier pencil skirt from the latest Patrones that I'm doing up in black wool crepe with two scooped panels in black satin. Oh, and I made a cape for a little kid this weekend, but I won't get to give it to him until next week. I'm glad I remembered about a little thing called choking hazards before I did the fastener and went with a velcro tab in the end!
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# ¿ Feb 11, 2008 13:48 |
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Hey, I'd actually wear the last jacket! Goldaline posted:One semester down, one to go! I'm making twelve t-shirts out of shower curtains and old t-shirts right now.
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# ¿ Feb 12, 2008 11:53 |
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boscokitty, that quilt top is amazing! I haven't got anywhere near enough patience for that kind of thing - I can barely stand to hand stitch a hem before I get bored... [url=http://www.fehrtrade.com/gallery/90/mutton-dressed-up-glam[/url]I made two quick and easy tops over the weekend, and photographed them coincidentally as my work outfits for the past two days[/url]. I wore the purple and grey one yesterday, and I'm wearing the brown top and my red cords today. Oh, and boscokitty, at the bottom of that page you can see my Bosco kitty, since he was getting in the way of the photoshoot. He's a big black furball.
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# ¿ Feb 19, 2008 18:00 |
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Buddleia posted:My first silk project will be Vogue 8392:http://www.voguepatterns.com/item/V8392.htm?tab=very_easy_vogue_sportswear&page=2 Dupioni ("raw silk") is really easy to work with. The edges fray a bit more, but otherwise it's not terribly different from working with plain cotton - it presses well, isn't slippery, and generally handles well. Just don't expect it to drape! You don't have to do all the special silk things with it, but if you want to use it as practice for the charmeuse, go right ahead. quote:If that goes well, I have another project in mind, and that's where it gets a bit scarier. I have some beautiful charmeuse with butterflies all over it. After looking at what feels like every pattern available, I settled on one I had back from when I worked at the fabric store, so mid-1990s. But it's very simple, no collars, no gathers, no zippers or buttons. It's not tailored, either. So that's a good start, I guess. quote:What about bias tape? This top has no facings; the neck edge is supposed to be finished with bias tape. I wouldn't think your standard broadcloth bias would work so well with silk charmeuse. But there doesn't seem to be a source out there for silk bias tape. Please tell me I don't have to make my own. What do I use? But it hasn't turned me off it, not at all. I just bought some GORGEOUS printed charmeuse when I was on holiday, even better as it was 10 euros a metre (marked down from 42!) and I got the very last of it, which was exactly as much as I needed for a blouse I had in mind. Edit: well-timed, SewStylish just posted a bunch of tips for sewing with silk and I learned a few in there, too! squirrellypoo fucked around with this message at 14:01 on Feb 28, 2008 |
# ¿ Feb 28, 2008 11:58 |
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I hacked two Ikea pillowcases into four placemats (with cutlery pockets) and coasters last weekend. I've been meaning to do it for ages but hadn't quite gotten around to it. Otherwise, I'm currently midway through making BurdaStyle's JJ blouse, but the instructions for it are so loving bad, I'm willing to bet money that they were never proofread before being uploaded. Simple stuff, like saying to sew Ruffle II like this and then do Ruffle II in the same way. Or saying "left side" when you meant to say "wrong side" because you've confused right/left with right/wrong. It's so bad I actually got out a pencil and started correcting it, teacher-style until I got fed up and just threw them aside. It's weird, I've done a bunch of their patterns before and found the directions to be quite good, so I don't know what happened on this one...
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# ¿ Mar 7, 2008 12:20 |
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Buddleia, this "Fear Not The Fabric" post was written just for you! I just finished up two shirts and made a 30 second muslin of the next blouse I'm going to make in some silk charmeuse. Want to do a sew along on our respective patterns?
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# ¿ Mar 11, 2008 17:09 |
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Janelle posted:What's the point of the 2 parallel rows? Are you pulling on both rows to make the gather, or just one?
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# ¿ Mar 13, 2008 11:33 |
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# ¿ Mar 28, 2024 10:45 |
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seriouslywtf, I love it! And who cares about raw edges if that's the look you're going for? Especially here, when you'd get a chunk of the print missing if you did that. I applaud your ability to cut right in and go. Today's my birthday and for the last few years I've been making myself something nice to wear on the day. Since I had a four day weekend right before it, I made myself jeans and a fun little bolero. I'm wearing them right now, but with better shoes.
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# ¿ Mar 25, 2008 14:07 |