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Cuddlebottom posted:Does anyone know a relatively invisible way to reinforce embroidery to make it more durable? I put a cross stitch pattern on a white apron, but I'm worried that all the little thread ends will get yanked out in a week. Should I just coat the back stitches with fray glue, or maybe iron on interfacing? I usually put interfacing on my daughter's clothes and as she's three they get a fair bit of wear. It holds up quite well but again, it's one to check on frequently as the edges can start curling up after a while. Thb I've had shop-bought embroidered clothes lose their interfacing far faster so I don't think it's what I'm using that's the problem, just that interfacing gets battered after a while.
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Jan 6, 2009 11:05
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I am so excited to find a place to share my latest project! My husband and I recently purchased our first place and we wanted to get our window coverings up as soon as possible. I created my own mock roman valances (five total) and installed them for 1/5 of the cost of having someone professionally make them. I have the ones installed in the kitchen below. There are three more of these (including one 72" shade) in my living room. 
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Jan 13, 2009 17:53
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discordiaskitten posted:I usually put interfacing on my daughter's clothes and as she's three they get a fair bit of wear. It holds up quite well but again, it's one to check on frequently as the edges can start curling up after a while. Thb I've had shop-bought embroidered clothes lose their interfacing far faster so I don't think it's what I'm using that's the problem, just that interfacing gets battered after a while.  Ended up taking both pieces of advice - so I used a bunch of anti-fray glue and put on a light piece of interfacing. It seems to be pretty solid.
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Jan 13, 2009 21:51
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So, I finally got around to setting up the serger I got for Christmas. That thing is a motherfucking bitch to thread. That is all.
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Jan 17, 2009 19:09
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seriouslywtf posted:So, I finally got around to setting up the serger I got for Christmas. That thing is a motherfucking bitch to thread. Also, if you're using wooly nylon in the loopers (which is awesome stuff), tie the ends onto a short length of regular thread at the very end and feed the regular thread through the looper eyes to pull the nylon through. At least on mine, the placement of the loopers means it's impossible to get those metal-head needle threader things to work...
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Jan 18, 2009 00:36
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So I am completely stuck on a set of instructions. I am making a pair of pants. I have successfully made two pant legs, but they conveniently forgot the accompanying photo for the HARDEST part! So here it is and can anybody translate it into English? 7.) Front Middle Seam Baste the seam allowances of the front facings, the front middle and the back middle seams, consecutively. Turn one pant leg, left side outside. Push pant legs into each other, right fabric sides and inner leg seams meet. Pin the front middle seam coming from the arrow mark until you reach the inner leg seam. Stitch. Secure seam end and beginning . Pull the pant legs apart again. It's the Nicola from BurdaStyle and i can post a link to the pdf if anybody is willing to help. Please! Also, does anybody have advice on how to stitch very stretchy jersey cotton? I have a maxi dress to alter and I'm making a mess of the job.
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Jan 18, 2009 05:53
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Gonktastic posted:So here it is and can anybody translate it into English? Facings are one of those things I need to manipulate with my hands before sewing (so I can better visualize it), but it sounds like they want you to baste in your facings. Then, you take your two lovely legs you've made, turn one inside out, and stuff it inside the other one. Then line up your middle edges (pin) and stitch the seam from the arrow to the seam on the inside of the leg (sounds like from the bottom of where the zipper will be down to the crotch). I don't know if that actually helps... What kinds of problems are you having with the jersey? Are you using a stretch needle? I've found they can make all the difference in the world. You want to also make sure you're using a stitch with some stretch to it (if nothing else, use the very narrowest zigzag possible, so the seam with give a little with the fabric). ludosti fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Jan 18, 2009 |
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Jan 18, 2009 18:01
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ludosti posted:
The narrow zig zag always warps the poo poo out of the fabric as it sews for me, and I can't lessen the tension of my presser foot. I solved this problem by using a relatively long and wide zig zag, which holds fine for me (probably because I get bored and go through clothes faster than they wear out). And even if it is less durable, I can always run it under the sewing machine again!
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Jan 18, 2009 19:22
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Does anyone have any books to recommend on starting/basic quilting?
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Jan 20, 2009 18:50
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doot doot doot made an eyeball skirt over winter break. Now I'm back to school hell and covering a barber chair in weave and such other things that don't really count as 'sewing and diy fashion' But here's an eyeball skirt, dramatically modeled by my mate Astrid~  The back, it's a total mess inside, but the placket looks okay from the outside I guess.  Hand quilted velvet hem~  And some lovely fringey eyeballs  Yep. Now I'm going to go back to making balls out of shower curtains and powdered t-shirts.
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Jan 31, 2009 04:34
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That skirt is awesome!
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Jan 31, 2009 04:54
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Oh my god, Goldaline, what the hell? That's so amazingly weird. I love it. This thread is making me jealous. I need to start sewing again. I got a serger for christmas and I've hardly used it.
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Jan 31, 2009 18:59
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The eyes are the craziest/best part of that skirt. I like it.
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Feb 2, 2009 00:50
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GOLDALINE, I AM YOUR NUMBER 1 FAN. Here's my new baby:  My "new" sewing machine just came in. I'm retiring my $70 brother machine that I've had since high school with this 1969 Pfaff machine. It sews so beautifully, I'm insanely excited about it. My Brother machine used to shake my entire table as I worked on projects. This one is so quiet. 4R7 THi3F fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Feb 2, 2009 |
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Feb 2, 2009 23:15
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Thanks to some encouragement from the ladies in IRC, here are a handful of projects I have finished recently:     (^^ that's an ottoman) I have another coat that I made that I'm really proud of, but I want to take a new picture of it before posting, because the only picture I have is pretty wrinkly.
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Feb 4, 2009 22:53
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4R7 THi3F posted:Ah, it's a thing of beauty~! I hate my machine, it's some early 90's Janome that doesn't work for poo poo past 'straight stitch' and nearly vibrates itself off the counter. Some spoiled brat in my home town sold it to me for $30 because her mom was buying her a new one. I really want either an old machine like that or one of those new computerized Bernina's. I got to use one at the studio of a seamstress I was helping out and it was amazing. PS: seriouslywtf, I love the ottoman! I'm getting really into upholstery at the moment. I'll post the Hair-Chair when it's finished!
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Feb 5, 2009 02:29
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seriouslywtf posted:Thanks to some encouragement from the ladies in IRC, here are a handful of projects I have finished recently: I love those! That Ottoman is amazing and the cat bag is so cute! I got a sewing machine for christmas, but I haven't got round to sewing anything yet due to lack of peripherals. I have fabric. I *now* have thread. Just pins to go! (sporadic shopping due to lack of foresight.
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Feb 5, 2009 13:22
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Read the whole thread last night and it made me really inspired to try and make some new things (and take pictures of my older things). I mostly make bags and dresses that I never wear. I went out and got some fabric today to try and make my first jacket/coat and I'm quite excited. Will let you know how it turns out.
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Feb 5, 2009 20:26
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Thanks guys! My cats love the ottoman too... they have pretty much decided it's theirs and spend all day on it. Here's the coat I mentioned in the last post. The fabric is a 100% wool melton and the lining is a 100% cotton print that I got on sale.  Here's the back:  Up close:  Lining:  There are a lot of imperfections about this coat that have frustrated me (for one, I still feel it hangs a little funny in the front, which you can't really see very well in my lovely first picture) and it buttons a little snugly on the bust, forcing it to pull a little around the rest of the bust area. But I am still really proud of this coat and people out in the world tend to like it a lot. And yes, I made each of those roses by hand. 
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Feb 5, 2009 22:12
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I looove the coat and the knot-front dress.
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Feb 6, 2009 00:08
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Where did you get the Vespa fabric? Do you have a link where I can buy some online?
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Feb 6, 2009 01:10
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Celluloid posted:Where did you get the Vespa fabric? Do you have a link where I can buy some online?
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Feb 6, 2009 01:52
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That Ottoman kills it. I on the other hand, haven't been able to put the waistband on a pair of jeans I started like, a month ago
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Feb 6, 2009 04:45
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seriouslywtf posted:And yes, I made each of those roses by hand. That coat is amazing, and I am super impressed with those roses. If you had posted that in the ladies fashion thread, and said it was Valentino or something, I sure would have believed you.
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Feb 6, 2009 05:23
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seriouslywtf posted:
How did you do that. Seriously. I would love to make one of my own. Amazing.
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Feb 6, 2009 05:42
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McDougirl posted:That coat is amazing, and I am super impressed with those roses. If you had posted that in the ladies fashion thread, and said it was Valentino or something, I sure would have believed you. courtney_beth posted:How did you do that. Seriously. I would love to make one of my own. Amazing.
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Feb 6, 2009 06:16
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seriouslywtf posted:I actually just took a class on upholstery (if you look on the door in that image, it says "student work") and that project we did was to make an ottoman from scratch and the upholster it. Not a ton of sewing, but lots and lots of stapling and hammering.
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Feb 6, 2009 18:50
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moana posted:I'd be very interested in a write-up of how you did this and with what material (what kind of wood/steel did you use for the frame, etc). It's so freaking cool! Voila!
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Feb 6, 2009 22:08
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Thanks. I'm going to try this out soon for my sewing loft. Help is much appreciated.
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Feb 7, 2009 06:23
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seriouslywtf posted:I bought it from a local shop, they have an online store at Etsy. Here's the color I got and here's a kind of magenta one. It's by Kokka Echino Nico so you can probably Google and try to find it elsewhere too. Awesome! They're local for me too!
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Feb 10, 2009 01:49
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Celluloid posted:Awesome! They're local for me too!
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Feb 10, 2009 06:49
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Finally took a stab at tailoring a skirt I've been meaning to finish for ages. Pics are in here: Sewing Stuff and it looks completely gay on my dressform.  It was an experiment in fabric painting, and after the disappointing results and the advice in this thread, next time I will use regular acrylics mixed with textile medium. As such, it's just cheap plain black broadcloth, which we all know is hell to work with. Hence all the weird puckers and creases in the waistband especially, it's not sitting on the dressform properly, as the dressform is hard and humans are squishy. It has a side zipper and two back darts. It's also not as high in person as it is on the dressform. I may tinker with the darts again, as they're not properly centered, before I slash and press them. When it's finished I may post an action shot, but it's more likely to just be on the dress form. Ninja edit: There are also pics of some 4-way stretch lightweight knit swatches that were sent to me in there, and I was interested in the purple but the swatch shows the teeth are much, much smaller than I was expecting and now I have no clue what I would use it for. I had planned to make a high-waisted pencil skirt out of it, but it's t-shirt weight and the print is tiny. It's super cheap, though ($3/yrd + shipping) and I'm tempted to get some anyway but I don't know what to make with it! Any suggestions?
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Feb 11, 2009 11:00
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I love lurking in this thread and seeing the amazing things that goons are capable of whipping up. I sew by hand and I've long wanted a machine, but never had the money. And today, in a pile of broken furniture on the sidewalk, I found a Singer 500A with its original sewing table. All the moving parts seem to be in order except for one piece. The small metal arm on the front of the machine that one pulls up while threading seems to be stuck. I haven't used a sewing machine in years, and I have NEVER used a vintage machine like this one, and I have no idea what this part of a machine would be called or how easy it is to replace. What is the name of this part, oh stitchy ones?
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Feb 16, 2009 00:54
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Bat Mouth posted:I love lurking in this thread and seeing the amazing things that goons are capable of whipping up. I sew by hand and I've long wanted a machine, but never had the money. http://www.tandtrepair.com/SlantOMatics.html http://www.tandtrepair.com/SlantOMatics/Threading_Parts_ID.pdf You found a Singer Slant-o-matic. My wife says she hates you.
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Feb 16, 2009 02:43
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ozmunkeh posted:It's a take-up lever. Thank you! As it turns out, my roommate's strategic application of oil got the take-up lever moving again, so I won't have to replace anything. The schematic of the parts of the machine is useful, though. My mother says she empathizes with your wife--I called to tell her the news just now and she's jealous. I tried the machine out and it appears that everything works. My roommate said that the junk on the street came out of an abandoned house across the way that's being remodeled. Pictures of the Slant-o-matic, cleaned up and in my room:   I can't wait to start sewing with it! Hopefully I can start contributing exciting things to this thread soon.
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Feb 16, 2009 06:17
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^^ That is totally badass. Nice find.
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Feb 16, 2009 18:08
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We're required to take a lingerie class at my school. I hate lingerie, but I'm pretty pleased with my chemise.  it's not pleating but bias strips handsewn on top of one another. I initially tried it with pleating, but it didn't work out.
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Feb 18, 2009 21:42
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Here is the action shots of the skirt I posted earlier. waffleimages is being a oval office about uploading the detail of the painted fish. I'll upload it later.
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Feb 19, 2009 03:47
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4R7 THi3F posted:We're required to take a lingerie class at my school. I hate lingerie, but I'm pretty pleased with my chemise. I'm not that much into lingerie either, but this looks like it came out really well. Was that fabric as much of a bitch to sew as it looks like it was?
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Feb 19, 2009 03:50
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Philo posted:I'm not that much into lingerie either, but this looks like it came out really well. It actually wasn't! I decided to cheat a bit and use a really nice polyester charmeuse instead of silk charmeuse. Silk charmeuse is the worst thing to sew in the world, but it was actually pretty easy to sew the polyester.
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Feb 19, 2009 09:02
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