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You might want to check around Etsy, I've seen a lot of people sell vintage patterns on there.
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Jun 5, 2010 07:49
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I'm trying to make what I guess is called a fleece applique quilt. I'm working of a pattern from a book, but the book is a little lacking in description. The pattern has solid lines for cut and dotted lines where you just sew details. I'm confused about the edges for the different colors. For example I'm working on a yellow Care Bear. The body is yellow which is I guess is the bottom layer. There is a cut line for the white belly. Does that mean cut the white and yellow so the pieces sit side by side (but slightly off because I suck at tracing and cutting) or do I place the white on top of the yellow? Side by side seems easier but it doesn't seem like it would match up very well. Any ideas?
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Jul 17, 2010 05:50
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You also might ask over in the womens fashion thread in Watch and Weight. I think I remember there being fashion design goonettes in there.
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Dec 22, 2010 17:37
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Have a look at this http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/4302/understanding-thread-tension and see if it helps you out. It explains about tension, and explains how to adjust bobbin tension which I never knew about. You also might want to see if it's making stitches of even length. If the stitches aren't of even length I think that might be more where pressure foot tension/feed dog adjustment would come in
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Feb 3, 2011 08:17
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My 70s era Singer doesn't seem to have much of a fine control in the foot pedal. There is a bit of control but its a very fine line.
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Feb 4, 2011 10:36
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onecircles posted:Aha, clever. It may just work. I'll try it. I'd never heard of birds-nesting before but by googling: sewing birds nest that seemed to be a good thing to look at. They had some other tension related suggestions but it sounded like you knew more about it than I did.
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Feb 5, 2011 23:08
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nolen posted:I was sick of seeing no accurate Bubble Bobble plushes (seriously, google one. They are all terrible) so I made my own. What kind of fabric is that or where do you get your fabric? It seems like I can never find the exact shades and colors I want in a similar enough fabric.
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Feb 8, 2011 02:02
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The Orange Mage posted:So as part of my New Year's Resolution to "Try New poo poo!" I've decided to take up sewing. I like designing crap, I can think in three dimensions well, and I am freakin' tiny and straight-bodied which makes me want to tailor half the poo poo I own to fit me properly. It's hard to say for sure because you didn't specify if he was giving it away or selling it (or a price if he is). So I think it would depend on what you think. You might want to look at Goodwill or another local thrift store to see if they have any machines in to get an idea of what a similar machine might go for. If he is selling you the machine you should also think about any potential other costs you might need to figure into the budget. You might want to look to see if you can find a manual on line, expect to buy new needles and bobbins, etc...
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Feb 18, 2011 02:15
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amishsexpot posted:
I've never done this kind of thing before so I'm of no help to you. They sell bias tape in stores but you may not be able to find some that matches the garment in color or texture, or anything else important when washing.
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Feb 18, 2011 02:17
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I knew my hours spent trolling Etsy for licensed patterns would come in handy to somebody!! I'd say buy this and work on sizing it up for an adult. Hopefully his mom or somebody can help you with that. http://www.etsy.com/listing/7253590...e=all&ga_facet=
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May 10, 2011 06:27
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quadpus posted:I just got this for free: Jealous. Do you plan on sewing much, or did you just come in here to gloat? 
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Jun 10, 2011 03:34
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I'm a little confused by that too. A broken needle should be something you take care of yourself unless the bit that broke off goes somewhere where you can't get to it. My manual had instructions for oiling and whatnot. The one time I've had my machine in for repair/service I watched the guy do it. Then kind of felt ripped off; the whole thing took him maybe 3 minutes and part of that was unscrewing the casing. I was waffling about fixing it vs. getting a new one and asked him to look it over first. What he did was mostly blow stuff out with an air compressor, oil the parts I knew to oil, grease one other thing that wasn't mentioned in the manual and replace a little plastic washer that had fallen apart with age. 3 minutes of his time and less than $1 in materials and he charged me $60 before he even gave me any options. That said you didn't list a model number so I can't really help you with your search so I'll go with the obvious option and ask if you've checked ebay?
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Aug 12, 2011 02:14
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Cross_ posted:^-- Just as with many other professions, you don't pay for material, you pay for experience. Did you know which little washer thing needed replacing? That's what the $60 was about. Yes, but If I ask for an estimate and he tells me $30-70; I tell him I'm on the fence about having him do it so I'd like to get a more exact estimate, he says "lets have a look", does everything without another word then tells me I owe him $60 I think I'm allowed to be pissed.
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Aug 12, 2011 02:24
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I got my friend a possibly 70s era Kenmore machine for her birthday and I'm trying to get working as best I can before giving it to her. It seems to be sewing fine with one exception. When I reverse at the start of a seam the top thread seems to bunch up on the underside of the fabric unless I hold on to the threads and keep them from pulling back in. I read the threading instructions in the manual and it seems to sew fine forwards and reverse fine at the end of the seam. The manual for her machine says I may need to hold on to those threads when starting a seam, but I never need to on my 70s era Singer. Is that just how hers is going to work or is that something I can fix/change?
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Sep 17, 2011 08:22
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Try them both and see what you like. I normally use a singer but spent some time last week messing with a similar era kenmore. You should be able to find a PDF manual from sears so that should help with threading. The kenmore I was playing with still seemed pretty solid and maybe almost worked better than my singer but I hated dealing with the bobbin on it.
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Sep 20, 2011 17:15
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Iron Crowned posted:The Singer: 603 This should be a link for your Kenmore manual: http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/owner_manuals/2247/KENMORE-Mechanical-Sewing-L0909123?brand_name_search=158-16250
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Sep 21, 2011 06:05
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madlilnerd posted:Hooray for better explanations than I could have come up with. But what I really wanted to say is that I love this drawing.
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Sep 30, 2011 05:31
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Short version: I want some water resistant fabric or a way to make some fabric water resistant (like fleece.) Ideally brown colors, or other colors or sedate patterns suitable for a monkey. I'm hoping I can accomplish this cheaply. Longer version:I want to make my neighborhood hobo a monkey hat, because he's awesome and winter is coming. The pattern I have in mind suggests fleece, and has an outside and a lining. Given that the dude spends hours at a time out in the rain and doesn't exactly have a warm house to dry his hat in at the end of the day it might be better to use something else on the outside. I'm hoping for suggestions. I don't know if there is a way to make the fleece more water repellent? Would it be better to try to use another fabric like outdoor canvas or something along those lines? What kind of waterproofing options do I have. I've thought about laminated fabrics; but I haven't seen anything in a color/pattern that would work well. Plus most of it seems to be slightly more expensive, and I've never worked with that fabric type before.
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Oct 27, 2011 03:25
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You should be able to find both ends of a toggle in the notions aisle of a fabric store. Most of them are some kind of cord loop. You might also consider heavy duty thread and a needle with a curve to it. Curved needles might make it easier to go through the top level.
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Oct 27, 2011 04:55
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Just about any Fabric store should have some, especially Joann and Hancock Fabrics. I see some on the Joann website labeled as "Frog" which is a term I've never heard of. http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?CATID=cat3260&PRODID=prd34733 Honestly unless you don't live close it's probably easier to go to a store and look for them. A lot of times they won't be with the buttons, but with the notions (pins, snaps, eyelets, etc)
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Oct 28, 2011 03:40
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I wound up at the fabric store asking an employee. Her suggestion: The brown costume pleather/vinyl that was on sale. The employee that cut it for me asked if I was making a rain slicker.
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Oct 29, 2011 01:16
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I wouldn't worry too much about trying to find a specific model. My suggestion is to swing by your local thrift stores, I've noticed that certain chains are better for finding sewing machines around here it seems to be Goodwill. My first machine was $1.29, but other than the fact it was dirty and looked like it chain smoked for well over a decade, it was pretty good. Its from the mid 70s and It does all the things you mentioned and worked well and i made it almost 2 years with it before it needed to be taken in for service. A few months ago I did the same thing with a machine for a friend. That one was nicer, came with more accessories, and in a better condition and not on sale so it was $30, that was a kenmore from the 80s. I nearly bought another machine that was almost the exact same thing as my machine but came with the sewing table. That one wasn't on sale but was only $15. You'll want to look the machine over and make sure it has every necessary part, find an outlet and give it a quick test to make sure everything seems to work ok. The problem Ive been noticing at my local goodwill is that the accessories seem to go missing a lot, like the bobbin casings. A lot of the machines I see are missing the power cord and foot pedal. I've seen machines with them at one point but when I came back later the pedal and cord were gone but the machine was still there. Which pisses me off because the replacement pedals are typically more than the machine.
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Nov 21, 2011 05:58
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amishsexpot posted:Where do you folks buy dress forms? I've been looking at a few on ebay (like this one but I really have no clue what the quality is like. I haven't had much luck finding them at brick-and-mortar stores like Joanne's (don't think there are any around me). Craigslist is such a headache, dealing with people who can't send a proper email. Anyone have any suggestions? Do you want one you can adjust for multiple sizes or is it just for yourself? Because if it's just for yourself there are a bunch of DIY tutorials for making your own. As for pattern paper I sometimes use the large pads of tracing paper, but I think my favorite might be plastic coated freezer paper. It's thin enough I can trace through it, easy to cut, sturdy enough to get a few reuses. I really it like it for tiny pieces and applique work; you can trace your pattern on to it, iron it on to the fabric, cut the fabric and peel the paper back off. I've only tried it with fleece and felt though.
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Dec 15, 2011 03:35
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Mine's a combonation of those two.
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Jan 6, 2012 03:06
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I think they're both similarly manly, but outside the sewing threads people think I'm a dude. But maybe it's a wonderful cross-promotional opportunity; there could be a bunch of people looking for ballistic vests for stuffed animals.
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Feb 1, 2012 07:19
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Bed canopy?
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Feb 21, 2012 08:14
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My local library has a pretty decent selection of sewing books. Yours probably would as well, that's my best idea for more indepth information than the manual for the price of free. Though some of those old manuals are pretty in depth. Also online tutorials of anything you don't understand.
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Apr 14, 2012 18:28
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I wouldn't stop using your reverse stitch, it can be pretty important. I think with machines that don't reverse the lock stitch method is to start backwards, sew a few stitches then turn it around the proper direction, do the same thing at the end. You can probably benefit from practicing with the foot control a bit, but part of why it seems terrifying is just because it's new to you. Winding bobbins is a good way to practice foot control.
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Apr 18, 2012 15:24
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I'm helping clean out my grandmas house after her death. I'm thinking about trying to sell a bunch of sewing stuff from the 70s. Anyone interested?
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Apr 23, 2012 23:50
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Stultus Maximus posted:Whaddya got? A fuckton of polyester ranging from remnants to several yards. A bunch of corduroy that I'm not allowed to have yet. About 5-7 lbs of buttons still on their cards (many duplicates) and a bunch of patterns from the 70s that work out to small current sizes. So nothing too great.
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Apr 24, 2012 02:21
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Smeef posted:Any way to do this with a front-loading machine? The only way I could think to do it on my machine would be to run a wash cycle let it finish then run a rinse only cycle.
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Apr 24, 2012 14:03
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I dont know where you're looking but I've had pretty good luck with thrift stores, particularly Goodwill. I got my machine for $1.29, one for a friend for $35, and earlier this week a serger for $40. I've seen a machine with a table for $10. Speaking of which I'm looking for serger learning resources.
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May 10, 2012 05:30
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My biggest complaint so far with my computerized machine is that everytime I turn it on it switches to the default stitch settings which sucks if you forget that it does that or forget what your settings were.
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May 10, 2012 15:28
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:When I was a kid, my mom bought this stuff--it was like a roll of metallic paper, but it was heat-transferable (iron-on). So we could cut shapes out of it and make cool t-shirts. I'll skip the part where the link might get horribly borked but if you search for metallic tshirt transfer on amazon a bunch of stuff that looks right comes up. See also: tshirt transfer foil Comrade Quack fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Aug 18, 2012 |
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Aug 18, 2012 18:53
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Not the best solution but have you thought about smooshing your boobs down a bit?
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Oct 11, 2012 14:37
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madlilnerd posted:My guess is cream netting over dark red fabric with scrunching for larger seams of fat. They are really cool looking and I have no idea how you'd hold the scrunches in while sewing them though. My guess is starching the netting with some folds. Then maybe wash them before stuffing?
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Oct 19, 2012 15:25
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Pile of Kittens posted:Edit: guys, I'm too depressed to sew. What's a good cheer-up get-back-on-the-horse project? appliqué blanket? http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6482-products-15252.php?page_id=2807 It seems like it would be fairly easy with limited frustration. You could come up with some design that tickled your fancy.
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Nov 2, 2012 01:54
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Mizufusion posted:Fuzzy pajama pants? That's what I want right now. When you're finished could you dye them to look less like jorts?
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Nov 2, 2012 15:46
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Arsenic Lupin posted:I didn't know there were two! What the sewing community really needs is the equivalent of Ravelry, but that would be enormously difficult to create. I think the second one Nolen is talking about is the one for plush (aka stuffed) creatures http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3299745
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Feb 14, 2013 01:46
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Unoriginal posted:I have a Brother XR7700 from Costco - a little electronic machine I got for around $175. I have been supremely pleased with its performance for the last 4 years with very few complaints. It does what I need it to do with all the little extras that make life easier. The problem I have is that the needle threader has gotten bent so now the hook goes around the needle instead of through the eye. It's not the end of the world, I can still thread it manually, but I really liked the automation. I called around and servicing this machine is going to cost me nearly what I paid for it so what should I do? I don't intend to throw it out and get a vintage mechanical workhorse because that just doesn't suit my needs. Can I replace the needle threader myself? And how should I be servicing this thing? I have no problems with its performance and I keep it dusted out as best I can, but the manual says not to oil it or anything. Am I even supposed to be doing anything? Would I be better off upgrading to a better/more expensive model than loving with this one? Oh god help. So I have almost the same problem with the same machine. I bumped mine while sewing and now the needle threader isn't working right. It looked like it was hitting to the side but actually mine is hitting above the eye and getting forced to the side. The needle threader is easy to remove and replace yourself, just firmly grab the black part and pull down while pushing/prying (I forget which) on a little clip. I found the part in a few places most were around $13-20 before shipping. Here's one http://www.kenssewingcenter.com/brother-needle-threader-xa1854001-p-29932.html I'm still trying to decide if I should order it or if my machine is messed up someplace else. Let me know if you try it out.
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Aug 20, 2013 19:42
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