|
Craftster isn't too bad - there is a small amount of that kind of crap, plus too much "I made a Mario quilt for my boyfriend!" for my taste, but you can get some good tips there plus an active community that can answer questions. I'd say a full-size quilt off the bat would be a little much, especially if you're planning on quilting it yourself. Crib or lap sized quilts would be what I'd go for at first. As far as learning curve, if you know how to use your machine and stitch a straight seam, it's just a matter of learning a new set of rules. edit: I got the majority of a quilt top done when we had snow earlier this month. Now I just have to piece the border: 
handbags at dawn fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Feb 18, 2011 |
#
?
Feb 18, 2011 04:24
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 00:05 |
|
|
I'm interested in making doll clothing and things on that sort of scale. Should I be looking as a specific kind of sewing machine or will a regular sized one do?
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2011 15:29
|
|
|
Anne Whateley posted:I'm thinking about getting into quilting. I understand a lot of design/garment-y stuff because I knit, but I haven't sewn since home ec, except to fix hems and buttons and tiny, tiny stuff like that. How realistic is it for me to make a full-size quilt -- what's the learning curve going to be like? Is there a quilting version of Ravelry? What percentage of quilters aren't smug women who go by MommyofKaylee2007 and spend more time talking about what their DH said to their DIL? I mean, uh, are there any good resources I should check out as a beginner? I made a pretty much full size single quilt as my first quilt. I went to the Quilter's Cache, which is a site full of block patterns (and awful auto-starting music if I remember correctly). You can search by difficulty, I started with the maple leaf block. It all depends how fiddily you want to get, but I say find a design you like and jump straight it. That's what I did. My first quilt wasn't great because I didn't press enough, so my advice to you is PRESS YOUR SEAMS LOTS. From my experience, I would say it's easier to start with blocks, then if you gently caress up, you've only ruined one block. Oh, and get a book on quilting out of the library and have a good read, don't splash out on super expensive fabric and have fun. If you get frustrated with it, take a breather, it's supposed to be fun. My first quilt. It was a bit eye raping, but the person I made it for loved it.  Click here for the full 604x595 image. Handbags, I love love LOVE that quilt. I love any quilts that mess with the eye and are sort of like an optical illusion.
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2011 21:23
|
|
|
Thanks! Pressing seams is really important. On a lot of patterns, they'll tell you which way to press the seams, which direction I mean. This is to avoid sewing two blocks together and having the seams bunched up on one side. Very seldom will you ever want to press a seam open when quilting, though - if you use batting that isn't tight it will try to come up through the seam every time you wash or handle the quilt. It's also handy to pay attention to how you're pressing because it can help you line seams up when piecing. If they go opposite directions, they'll "lock" together.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2011 06:36
|
|
|
A friend commissioned these for his girlfriend:   They're panda paws to go with a panda hat he bought for her. They're my first actual commission piece, and I am really proud of them!  quote:Quiltchat Muffy_the_Diver fucked around with this message at 10:07 on Feb 19, 2011 |
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2011 10:03
|
|
|
handbags at dawn posted:Craftster isn't too bad - there is a small amount of that kind of crap, plus too much "I made a Mario quilt for my boyfriend!" for my taste, but you can get some good tips there plus an active community that can answer questions. And yeah, I know I need to learn a lot. I guess I was under the impression it was mostly about piecing, and then you brought it somewhere to have it sewn to the backing, but it turns out oh hey, there are other steps too! What is this pressing business! madlilnerd posted:I made a pretty much full size single quilt as my first quilt. I went to the Quilter's Cache, which is a site full of block patterns (and awful auto-starting music if I remember correctly).  quote:You can search by difficulty, I started with the maple leaf block. It all depends how fiddily you want to get, but I say find a design you like and jump straight it. That's what I did. My first quilt wasn't great because I didn't press enough, so my advice to you is PRESS YOUR SEAMS LOTS. From my experience, I would say it's easier to start with blocks, then if you gently caress up, you've only ruined one block. I'm pretty sure I want to do a Flying Geese design, something like this (I would need to reorder the pieces, and I'm sure I'll wind up using totally different fabric, but the general idea is white, tone-on-tone black, lots of grays/silvers with some cobalt blue):  So the fact that you did a real quilt right away is reassuring!
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2011 11:39
|
|
i like nice words
|
I made my bags! I picked up a set of canvas curtains from goodwill for $3 for the fabric. After a few false starts I got to where I could do a seam fairly straight. I had to tweak the design a bit because even though the sewing machine could punch through 8 layers of canvas without too much trouble, it made pinning stuff in place a real pain in the rear. Click here for the full 1200x900 image. Not too bad, looks decent... maybe I could get away with them not being obviously home-made...  Click here for the full 1200x900 image. Oh. Nevermind. I made four. Here's the finished product:  Click here for the full 833x1200 image. Shifty Pony fucked around with this message at 16:32 on Feb 19, 2011 |
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2011 16:18
|
|
|
Anne, I'm not trying to talk you out of this or anything, but people who quilt a lot dread flying geese. Those flying geese aren't made of three triangles sewn together, but a long rectangle with a square laid at either corner and sewn across diagonally, trimmed and pressed. The idea is for the squares to line back up with the top of the rectangle. It's a bitch. I have a special ruler that lets me cheat by making the pieces slightly bigger and then trimming to size - and I still hate them. Here's the first quilt I did. I took a class my mother was teaching, and she was wise to know I would have a better chance of sticking with it if I did a project that was made up of mostly straight lines:  It's loud as hell but plain brown on the back so it's gotten stolen/adopted by one of the kids. If you're just dead set on trying flying geese or another block like that, why not make a table runner or placemats or something? Actually, those kind of smaller projects are great because you get to learn the whole process in a short amount of time, plus you can quilt them yourself with a minimum of effort (because of their small size). Also CaptBubba, I like your bags. My machine is great but would NEVER go through 8 layers of canvas!
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2011 19:28
|
|
|
So I recently bought yet a dress form and she is magnificent! Full body with collapsible shoulders and hips and a whole lot of fanciness. She needs a name, though. Ideas? Here she is  
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2011 06:36
|
|
|
I vote for Penny.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2011 18:30
|
|
|
CaptBubba posted:I vote for Penny. Ha! That was the name I was thinking of. She did, after all, cost a pretty penny. I lean toward the pinup-ey names. Keep the suggestions coming!
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2011 21:39
|
|
|
Can anyone recommend a good place online (or in the Bay Area) where I can get organic cotton for cheap?
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2011 11:41
|
|
|
Monster w21 Faces posted:I'm interested in making doll clothing and things on that sort of scale. Should I be looking as a specific kind of sewing machine or will a regular sized one do? There might be some special small scale machine but I make doll clothes on my regular just fine. I just do all of my finishing work by hand for better accuracy.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2011 19:28
|
|
|
I need help and advice. Not sure if this is the right thread but it seemed the best fit. Basically I want to give my boyfriend some slippers with his initials embroidered over the toe section for his birthday. Internet sleuthing seems to show that this is fairly easily done with hotel-type slippers but I wanted to give him a fairly nice pair like the Grosby type. I asked at a professional embroidery place but the lady told me she didn't think it would work because of the way the hoops work (can you tell I'm not a sewer?). Since iron-on letters don't come in the loopy type I'm after, it's looking like I may have to do this myself by hand. Is it especially difficult? Am I crazy at wanting to attempt this? As I said, I'm not much of a sewer as it's not something I've ever really tried but I'm fairly crafty and don't think I'd find it too difficult to pick it up. I have about 2 weeks, is this something that'd take waaay longer? I do have a lot of time on my hands because I'm on bed rest so that's not much of an issue. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2011 17:08
|
|
|
If the material is fabric (as opposed to leather), I can see it working but being a bit of a pain in the butt. You'll want to look up embroidery techniques - this will give you a starting point on at least the terminology; dunno how in-depth that site is, though. Once you've determined that one of those is acceptable/doable, you'll need some embroidery needles, embroidery floss (DMC is generally accepted as a decent brand), a thimble, and probably some needlenose pliers to pull the needle through the shoe material. The reason I say it'll be a pain is because shoe material is pretty thick (hence the pliers), and it'll be kind of hard to maneuver your hand inside the slipper to push the needle back out. Otherwise, though, I see no problems*. Oh, and practice on some scrap material before you start out on the shoes themselves. Good luck! * Keep in mind that I'm by no means a pro or anything at embroidery; I just dabble at it and don't really know the proper techniques and all that. Someone with more knowledge is welcome to correct me on anything! 
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2011 00:32
|
|
|
Oops, I did it again.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2011 07:40
|
|
|
CaptBubba posted:
nice totes! i spent the weekend watching my girlfriend make some tote bags and little zipper pouches. she doesn't post on SA but she's selling them on her etsy shop ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/masseya ) and if you have any other questions about making totes i'm sure you could convo her there. it seems like once you get the basic pattern down it should be fairly straightforward to make some really interesting stuff.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2011 23:43
|
|
|
So last week I found out that the local version of Project Runway was afoot and that if I wanted in, I had two days to make "A Garment" out of 4yds of white linen. I registered, picked up my linen, made a sketch and then the next day made this:  It was SO. MUCH. FUN. I'm kind of a poor bum, so almost 100% I'm designing and sewing for other "people" (ie ravers, rich hippies), so it was really cool to get to make something totally original. Oh yeah and I won crowd and judge's favorite, which means I get to go on to the next round! There's a new challenge ever week for 6 weeks, one person is eliminated each week. Winner gets $500 and a brand new Bernina machine. We filled out questionnaires during our registration, and so this week's challenge is that we must make whatever we said our least favorite trends are. $25 in supplies from the store and $10 to wherever. My least favorite trend was listed as "Harem Pants" and in spite of that I have beautiful wool  and I'm making "Arabian Leiderhossen"  artfully draped camel toe and all. They will be warm and beautiful and ridiculous. I'm going to win a million dollars.
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2011 03:53
|
|
|
What a fun competition. Great work, your design is very elegant and pretty. Can't wait to see the "harem pants" haha. Totally unrelated, but have you ever made jeans? If you have I'm just curious how challenging they are. I took a pair apart once, and they sure do have a lot of parts.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2011 00:29
|
|
|
Your dress looks gorgeous but all I could think was "gently caress LINEN". I did a bunch of studio work with linen last semester and it was a nightmare. I made a happi, like a short kimono that doesn't cross over and Japanese people wear it on festival days, out of linen. gently caress. That. poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2011 00:39
|
|
|
Shnooks posted:Your dress looks gorgeous but all I could think was "gently caress LINEN". I did a bunch of studio work with linen last semester and it was a nightmare. I made a happi, like a short kimono that doesn't cross over and Japanese people wear it on festival days, out of linen. gently caress. That. poo poo. Is linen hard to handle? I bought some vermilion linen last year to make a dress out of and now I'm worried! I got an adjustable dressform for a belated birthday present, and I don't want to seem ungrateful but it appears to be a piece of poo poo. It's a Twinfit by Dritz. Anyone have any experience with this model? http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?CATID=cat2620&PRODID=prd46356 What really gets me is it's $120 online but my boyfriend bought it for me at a local shop for freaking $250. Should we just return it (or attempt to return it - the receipt said NO RETURNS)?  I really like draping and it's impossible to pin something to center-front because the plates separate to adjust to certain measurements.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2011 00:15
|
|
|
Shnooks posted:Your dress looks gorgeous but all I could think was "gently caress LINEN". I did a bunch of studio work with linen last semester and it was a nightmare. I made a happi, like a short kimono that doesn't cross over and Japanese people wear it on festival days, out of linen. gently caress. That. poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2011 08:37
|
|
|
trickybiscuits posted:What do you dislike about linen? I've worked with it a lot and my only complaint is that it frays. Yeah, the only problem I had was keeping it white. And dealing with the thready hell of an aftermath left in my work space once all was said and done.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2011 02:17
|
|
|
This seems to be as good a place as any to ask this: I want to get a Sgt. Pepper uniform made for next Halloween. I intend to solicit the services of a local art school fashion student to do the job. I would supply all the materials, of course. Any ideas how much such a thing would cost labor-wise? How much lead time should I give?
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2011 23:39
|
|
|
I got some kind of hilarious pictures of my ridiculous piece from last week's challenge, which was "CREATE THAT WHICH YOU HATE". And I hate harem pants and couldn't take the project seriously because I think I'm funny or something and thus "Arabian Leiderhossen" were born. For the record, there is an excellent selection of free booze at these events, in case that wasn't made glaringly obvious by my stupid faces    Yeahh!! Camel toes are SEX-Y UNH  They're 100% wool This week's challenge is In With the Old and Out With the New. We were each given a piece of fabric from their vintage collection and $25 in credit at a local thrift store + $10 in notions. Here is my sketch  I got a huge orange dress which matches the print of the fabric I drew that will be turned into a pencil skirt, a bunch of old slips to make a small fauxbustle in the back and also trim the whole thing, and some nice brown-gold knit shirt to use as trim on the shirt, which will be made from the vintage fabric in question. Buttons all around.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2011 02:21
|
|
|
I've inherited this (a few years ago actually but never got round to using it) As you can imagine, no manual. And I've never done any sewing before. I've been fiddling and googling and have managed to sew a little bit, I accidentally turned some material into the shape of an umbrella cover, I managed to just about turn some ripped jeans into 3/4 length shorts, I put some fitted 'darts' into a shirt. But along the way I've threaded the machine in various ways and I'm not 100% I've got it right, so thought I'd post some pics to see if anyone can give me the low down on my machine. I've figured out the zig zag stich, thread length and the reverse button, theres a few other things that I'm stumped at though. Can the machine do button holes? This is how I've threaded the top portion (I havent figured out what that silver two part button on the top left does yet, beside ping up when you press it)  This is how I'm threading through the tensioner (the bit I'm not really sure if I've got right or not)  I dont know what this is either, my best guess is just related to changing/adjusting the belt?   I'm told (and my manly excuse is), because I'm the one with more free time, I have to learn how to use it so then I can teach my g/f how to use it. Thanking you.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2011 14:49
|
|
|
You have the machine threaded correctly, I can't see the needle, but I assume if you've been able to sew so far that that has been threaded as well? Make sure the bobbin at the bottom is done correctly as well, that can cause a lot of problems if it isn't. I also need to mention how jealous I am of that machine! It's gorgeous.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2011 00:46
|
|
|
It looks like you've got it threaded exactly right! Also, your mystery button on the top left is a pressure adjuster - it regulates the pressure on the presser foot. You can change for different thicknesses of fabric. Here's a manual for a Brother machine that has that adjuster knob: http://www.brother-usa.com/ModelDocuments/Consumer/Users%20Manual/UM_VX_807_810_EN_1068.PDF The knob and its settings are on page 16. It's not exactly the same machine as yours, but it's similar enough that you can get some tips, looks like.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2011 03:51
|
|
|
My great grandmother gave me her old sewing machine a while back. I believe it's a sears brand from around 1970. Anyways, it was working fine for awhile, but suddenly it stopped. My feed dogs aren't working. If I press on the pedal, the machine makes a grunting noise and chews up my fabric and then pukes thread and stitches all over it. I've done all I can to try to make it sew again, and it's just being a pain in the rear end. Can I fix this at home somehow or will I need to take it to a repair shop? Are repair shops expensive, what sort of price range am I looking at to fix this drat thing? If this is kinda vague, I'm sorry and can clarify once I'm at home tonight where my machine is.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2011 00:29
|
|
|
@Robin Sparkles, yeah the needle part seemed pretty obvious, and I read somewhere that you thread it through from left to right. And thanks for the compliment, I'll let her know you like her! The bobbin was already wound and threaded, and it seems to work, so I assume its right. Though I cant seem to spot a way of re-winding the bobbin when it runs out. I've seen other machines have another prong and a setting to do it, but cant see anything obvious on mine. Maybe its something to do with the smaller white wheel and clasp by the weight? I haven't figured out what that is yet. @handbags at dawn, that is helpful, thank you very much
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2011 11:47
|
|
|
Eden posted:Basically I want to give my boyfriend some slippers with his initials embroidered over the toe section for his birthday. Internet sleuthing seems to show that this is fairly easily done with hotel-type slippers but I wanted to give him a fairly nice pair like the Grosby type. I asked at a professional embroidery place but the lady told me she didn't think it would work because of the way the hoops work (can you tell I'm not a sewer?). How about redoing the top of the slippers? Grab some felt, embroider it and then handstitch or glue it onto the existing slipper top fabric.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2011 00:50
|
|
|
MeKeV posted:The bobbin was already wound and threaded, and it seems to work, so I assume its right. Though I cant seem to spot a way of re-winding the bobbin when it runs out. I've seen other machines have another prong and a setting to do it, but cant see anything obvious on mine. A lot of newer machines have a thing at the top that helps you wind it, although I can't see one on yours. I'm not sure if you have one in there somehow, because I'm not familiar with those types of machines. I hope someone else who is familiar can pipe in, because you never know, there might be one .. somewhere, haha.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2011 03:32
|
|
|
My piece for last week's challenge  Next challenge we were each assigned a roller girl and we must make sportswear.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2011 05:04
|
|
|
Hana Dammit posted:My piece for last week's challenge That looks great! Can we get a shot of the front, too? How many rounds are in this competition? Congrats on making it to the next round!
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2011 05:15
|
|
|
amishsexpot posted:That looks great! Can we get a shot of the front, too? thanks, I kind of felt like I was slacking a bit this week... the skirt was started at 11pm the night before the competition once the original fabric I had decided to be a total fail so I kind of pulled it out of my rear end. I'm really looking forward to next week. I'm not sure how many rounds there are... Probably three more? Its getting pretty intense, stress level wise for everyone, I know that much. my model this week was my best friend/radio cohost so we got all Women of Action up in thurrr    For the record, we think we're hilarious.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2011 07:18
|
|
|
I want to find a template to make adult footie pajamas but cant seem to find any.. can you all help me out? I;ve searched but all that comes up is taking pajama bottoms and attaching feet. I want to make a complete onesie
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2011 15:59
|
|
|
Lanthanum posted:I want to find a template to make adult footie pajamas but cant seem to find any.. can you all help me out? http://www.kwiksew.com/catalog/cat_detail.cfm?pid=3713 (men) http://www.kwiksew.com/catalog/cat_detail.cfm?pid=3712 (women)
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2011 16:17
|
|
|
I hear they're all the rage in Edinburgh 
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2011 17:02
|
|
|
Hana Dammit, I am anxiously waiting to see your next piece from the contest!
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2011 18:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 00:05 |
|
|
Blakles posted:Hana Dammit, I am anxiously waiting to see your next piece from the contest! I ended up using super plush and lovely velvet for the first time ever and it was both terrifying and exciting. Like cutting really expensive magic water. I made a bomb rear end green romper and a silver lamme and black spandex leotard, all layered like and stuff. My roller girl was amazing. We won crowd and judges favorite! 2/4 so far!   That romper fit her PERFECTLY. It was magic and luck. gently caress you, velvet. I win. Last week I also made a zillion pairs of gold booty shorts for a friend's burlesque troop:  Yes. Glorious. Much thanks tiny rear end'd but male roommates for trying out my test pairs while I was perfecting the pattern. This weeks PS challenge was to create something using non traditional materials, and I was inspired by Laura Palmer so tonight I made a dress out of plastic wrap, glitter, and packing tape. Think Miss Twin Peaks' dress made out of the bag Laura was found in with glitter instead of gravel. Pictures will come after Friday.
|
|
#
?
Apr 7, 2011 08:57
|
|