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JustAurora
Apr 17, 2007

Nature vs. Nurture, man!
I just saw that scented fabric on Massdrop this morning. Imagine making a quilt for your bed out of it... like having sex on fruit salad.

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coyo7e
Aug 23, 2007

by zen death robot

Arsenic Lupin posted:

You don't want window-screen mesh, you want pet-screen mesh. http://so-sew-easy.com/sew-michelle/ shows one way to use it.
Well I haven't come back to update (or even read responses before I immediately went through with my idea) however, I had 20 feet of window mesh laying around without a purpose and I don't actually need to worry about any stress on the fabric for this particular purpose as it's not a mesh grocery bag or something (although I have one of those and I want to get some heavier gauge, PVC coated mesh to make tote bags for the holidays with scrap materials for color), so I went ahead and used it (cut at a bias to prevent ripping along seams with the grain of the mesh). I am very pleased with the results, and since I'd mis-measured and then cut the green piece already, I found an old pair of ruined cargo shorts (I have a big bag of blown-out jeans as well, my old roommate really was good at splitting the crotch of his pants and I've got like 6 pairs of old jeans for little flask bags or what have you. ;) ) made of rip-stop and cut off a leg, and then it turned out I had so much extra room that I could literally pack all of my flyrod gear and my backpacking rod in one sock! :) The loops are some scraps of flannel I had from making PJs for Xmas presents.



edit: also, sometimes it makes me sad to be a guy because most guy clothes are so lame http://so-sew-easy.com/perfect-for-work-dress-pattern/

coyo7e fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Aug 20, 2015

Amykinz
May 6, 2007

Goldaline posted:

linking people to the tumblr where I post all sorts of dumb things.

I followd your tumblr and I noticed you do knitting too. You know we have a knitting thread?

Dominoes
Sep 20, 2007

Hey, hoping y'all can help! I'm looking for a black dye that's non-toxic, and completely water-fast. I'll probably use it on jute, or some other type of natural cloth. It needs to withstand high temperatures (up to 70C) under constant submersion without bleeding. Any ideas?

Goldaline
Dec 21, 2006

my dear

Amykinz posted:

I followd your tumblr and I noticed you do knitting too. You know we have a knitting thread?

Wooo, what's your username? I have the knitting thread bookmarked, and I do read it, I don't know why I never post. I don't knit very interesting things I suppose.

Marius Pontmercy
Apr 2, 2007

Liberte
Egalite
Beyonce


IKEA lamp with an ugly paper lampshade (I abhor paper shades). I did a majorly stupid thing and ripped the lampshade off before I sewed on the fabric and ended up doing three different iterations before I finally got it the right way, not crooked and the correct height. Now I just need to do the other one of the set :suicide: <-- That is an appropriate amount of blood. I keep sticking my fingers.

Amykinz
May 6, 2007

Goldaline posted:

Wooo, what's your username? I have the knitting thread bookmarked, and I do read it, I don't know why I never post. I don't knit very interesting things I suppose.

I'm on tumblr as Whoregasboard, I mainly just repost feminist propaganda and memes with birds :-)

Arsenic Lupin
Apr 12, 2012

This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.


Eponine posted:



IKEA lamp with an ugly paper lampshade (I abhor paper shades). I did a majorly stupid thing and ripped the lampshade off before I sewed on the fabric and ended up doing three different iterations before I finally got it the right way, not crooked and the correct height. Now I just need to do the other one of the set :suicide: <-- That is an appropriate amount of blood. I keep sticking my fingers.

Nice work! I love the result.

Dominoes posted:

Hey, hoping y'all can help! I'm looking for a black dye that's non-toxic, and completely water-fast. I'll probably use it on jute, or some other type of natural cloth. It needs to withstand high temperatures (up to 70C) under constant submersion without bleeding. Any ideas?

You want to call or write Dharma Trading, http://www.dharmatrading.com phone 800-542-5227 "anywhere in the U.S. or Canada M-F 8am to 5pm PST". They started out as a hippy-dippy business in Berkeley, and while still being that are the most knowledgeable retail dye suppliers in the U.S. Tell them your requirements, and they'll know what fits the bill. I will say that dye mordants (the things that keep dye from running) are generally toxic to one degree or another; do you mean that the fabric's non-toxic after it's through, or that you can raise fish in the cooled water?

Goldaline
Dec 21, 2006

my dear
Black is also notoriously hard to dye on plant fibers. You usually end up with weird green/gray/purple colors. The general rule is to start with a dark fabric/fiber and over dye. But yeah, most fabric dyes are toxic to some degree during use, after its bonded to the fibers not so much, as long as you rinse well.

Buying black jute isn't an option?

Also, Amykinz, I should have known with a great name like that you were a goon friend. Most of my recent followers are strange tumblr 16 year old cosplay/bjd fans and they make me feel old.

Dominoes
Sep 20, 2007

Arsenic Lupin posted:

Nice work! I love the result.


You want to call or write Dharma Trading, http://www.dharmatrading.com phone 800-542-5227 "anywhere in the U.S. or Canada M-F 8am to 5pm PST". They started out as a hippy-dippy business in Berkeley, and while still being that are the most knowledgeable retail dye suppliers in the U.S. Tell them your requirements, and they'll know what fits the bill. I will say that dye mordants (the things that keep dye from running) are generally toxic to one degree or another; do you mean that the fabric's non-toxic after it's through, or that you can raise fish in the cooled water?
Thanks; will send them an email.

I'm using this as a wick for a solar still, so needs to be and stay black, and not contaminate the brine with black dye, which will be continuously recycled via a pump. I'm currently using pre-dyed burlap that bleeds all over.

Amykinz
May 6, 2007
Maybe naturally black wool would work for this?

Dominoes posted:

Thanks; will send them an email.

I'm using this as a wick for a solar still, so needs to be and stay black, and not contaminate the brine with black dye, which will be continuously recycled via a pump. I'm currently using pre-dyed burlap that bleeds all over.

Arsenic Lupin
Apr 12, 2012

This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.


Wool and heat (depending on whether the wick is in contact with hot water or not) are very unmixy things. Before you know it, you've got a piece of wool a quarter of the length you started with.

Amykinz
May 6, 2007

Arsenic Lupin posted:

Wool and heat (depending on whether the wick is in contact with hot water or not) are very unmixy things. Before you know it, you've got a piece of wool a quarter of the length you started with.

If the wool was felted to begin with, it could work quite well and the color certainly won't bleed.

Funhilde
Jun 1, 2011

Cats Love Me.
I make stuff for people going to Burning Man and I just finished my last project for this year. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Goldaline
Dec 21, 2006

my dear
I watch too much pro wrestling, I immediately thought of Tyler Breeze:



I'm stepping away from the spandex (because I need to not drop $100 on stretchy fabrics right now) and working on a quilted sweatshirt for myself. Usually I'm not really into 'nerdy' clothing, but I didn't want to use a real magical circle or make one up. And I always thought the Clow Reed circle was pretty.



Hand quilting it through tracing paper, about 3/4 through now.

Funhilde
Jun 1, 2011

Cats Love Me.

Goldaline posted:

I watch too much pro wrestling, I immediately thought of Tyler Breeze:



I'm stepping away from the spandex (because I need to not drop $100 on stretchy fabrics right now) and working on a quilted sweatshirt for myself. Usually I'm not really into 'nerdy' clothing, but I didn't want to use a real magical circle or make one up. And I always thought the Clow Reed circle was pretty.



Hand quilting it through tracing paper, about 3/4 through now.

I've made a coat out of that fur too. :)

Goldaline
Dec 21, 2006

my dear
I feel like I post too much, but I finished up my Magical Circle sweatshirt!









As always, lots of words about it on my tumblr if you want to check it out! I'm super pleased with it, it's comfortable, warm, and within my comfort zone so I'll actually wear it. I love making strange things (clearly) but I'm a pretty simple dresser in day to day life, sometimes it's hard to figure out the compromise there.

I'm not promising anything, but I am in the research kind of phase about maybe selling some of my spandex stuff. As far as I can tell, there's plenty of people selling plain (usually in really shiny wild fabric) leggings/shorts/bras/whatever, but very few doing applique, and most of those are cosplay oriented. I'm starting to tackle pattern grading, and thinking about simplified designs that might actually be affordable

So we'll see!

Would love to see what everyone's working on at the moment--if only so I don't bogart the thread...

Arsenic Lupin
Apr 12, 2012

This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.


That is GORGEOUS, Goldaline. Wow.

McCall's Patterns is having a sale with all of their patterns -- including the $20.00 cosplay ones -- for $3.99, ending September 12th.

Marius Pontmercy
Apr 2, 2007

Liberte
Egalite
Beyonce
It's starting to get cold out, so I thought I would do a little stash-buster project since I have been hoarding scraps random projects for about two years now.

I gathered together all my scraps, squared them off and started cutting them into 3.5"x5" rectangles.

3 1/2 hours later, I have 268 rectangles. I think I just accidentally signed myself up for a queen-sized quilt. But what I should really post is fighting off 2 dogs who really wanted to be down on the floor with me. Also, my body hurts so bad. Oh my god.

babyturnsblue
Jun 14, 2007

i used to dance before the discos came
I bought a simple Singer sewing machine to alter some band shirts I have that are men's small and look ginormous on me. I've wanted to get into sewing for awhile, so I hope this project is just the start for me. I'm not nervous about altering the sides to be more fitted, but I'm freaking out about the sleeves. I'm going to practice on other shirts, so I hope I can do it :ohdear:

babyturnsblue fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Sep 22, 2015

BonerGhost
Mar 9, 2007

Tee shirts are surprisingly difficult to sew and are really not a beginner project. Don't be discouraged from sewing if it seems ridiculously hard.

babyturnsblue
Jun 14, 2007

i used to dance before the discos came

NancyPants posted:

Tee shirts are surprisingly difficult to sew and are really not a beginner project. Don't be discouraged from sewing if it seems ridiculously hard.

Thanks, I'll try not to get too discouraged. Videos make it look so easy sometimes.

the littlest prince
Sep 23, 2006


I've been doing that with dress shirts and it's not too hard. The main problem I've run into is that some shirts will look weird afterward if they're cut down too much. The sleeves aren't any harder than the rest of the shirt, though you do have to be a little conservative around the armpits.

flutterbyblue
Oct 29, 2007

I'm a little cat in a pretty hat!

Goldaline posted:

I feel like I post too much, but I finished up my Magical Circle sweatshirt!




This is awesome! Sometime this winter I will get around to making my white tree of Gondor and some sort of Game of Thrones house heraldry aprons. But this month is not that month, nor the month after. So for now I will be content to lurk the thread and admire the cool things you and the others are making. And this thread is not super active. Post away! It is one of my favorite threads.

absolem
May 21, 2014

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 [is] immoral
insofar as it is coercive towards someone, yes

I am retarded and compassion is overrated.

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the littlest prince posted:

I've been doing that with dress shirts and it's not too hard. The main problem I've run into is that some shirts will look weird afterward if they're cut down too much. The sleeves aren't any harder than the rest of the shirt, though you do have to be a little conservative around the armpits.

I've been cutting down pants recently, and wanted to move on to shirts. Is the only way to make the armholes smaller to put a horizontal seam across the back, thereby removing the middle part of the armhole?

sketch:

the littlest prince
Sep 23, 2006


That's more advanced than anything I've been doing. I just sew it closer in the armpits.

Ashcans
Jan 2, 2006

Let's do the space-time warp again!

absolem posted:

I've been cutting down pants recently, and wanted to move on to shirts. Is the only way to make the armholes smaller to put a horizontal seam across the back, thereby removing the middle part of the armhole?

sketch:


Are you trying to shrink the armholes without otherwise altering the fit? If you are generally resizing the shirt and bringing in the sides, I am pretty sure it will naturally shrink the armhole as a result - if you want to bring in the sides and keep the same size arms, you actually have to make an effort.

If you're just resizing the armholes, it's going to be tricky because you are basically trying to make up for fabric that was removed. I don't think that the back seam you are suggesting is the best way to do it, because if I am following your plan you are going to be cutting vertical height out of the back of the shirt, which will change the fit. Also, depending on the shirt, armholes are sometimes very precisely shaped and you can't just sort of hike up one side and have it all fit. I think it's almost always easier to try and work with the side seam of the shirt - partly because it's less noticeable than when you meddle with the back or front. You could also alter it from the top, but then you would have to probably redo the collar, which can be tricky.

I hate messing with arms though, maybe there is a good way to do it.

absolem
May 21, 2014

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 [is] immoral
insofar as it is coercive towards someone, yes

I am retarded and compassion is overrated.

AUSTRIANECONOMICS
AUSTRIANECONOMICS
AUSTRIANECONOMICS
AUSTRIANECONOMICS
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Ashcans posted:

Are you trying to shrink the armholes without otherwise altering the fit? If you are generally resizing the shirt and bringing in the sides, I am pretty sure it will naturally shrink the armhole as a result - if you want to bring in the sides and keep the same size arms, you actually have to make an effort.

If you're just resizing the armholes, it's going to be tricky because you are basically trying to make up for fabric that was removed. I don't think that the back seam you are suggesting is the best way to do it, because if I am following your plan you are going to be cutting vertical height out of the back of the shirt, which will change the fit. Also, depending on the shirt, armholes are sometimes very precisely shaped and you can't just sort of hike up one side and have it all fit. I think it's almost always easier to try and work with the side seam of the shirt - partly because it's less noticeable than when you meddle with the back or front. You could also alter it from the top, but then you would have to probably redo the collar, which can be tricky.

I hate messing with arms though, maybe there is a good way to do it.

thanks, I am going to alter the whole fit and think that working from the side seams alone wouldn't produce enough change, but I'll definitely start there

babyturnsblue
Jun 14, 2007

i used to dance before the discos came

absolem posted:

thanks, I am going to alter the whole fit and think that working from the side seams alone wouldn't produce enough change, but I'll definitely start there

Do that first, because I thought I would have to remove the sleeves too, and I actually decided against it.

So quick report of my first sewing project: sewing machines are fickle. I had 3 practice shirts to mess up, and I needed all of them. My bobbin kept jamming (I think that's the correct term, where the thread gets tangled in the bobbin casing and then everything gets stuck). I did major surgery on the third shirt where I took in the sides and completely removed the sleeves, cut them, and sewed them back on. It wasn't 100% solid craftsmanship, but it was totally wearable, so I felt confident.

When it was actually time to do the "real" shirt, I decided to start by taking in the sides, and then just taking in the sleeves to make them slimmer before I made any drastic alterations. The seams of the sleeves rested off of my shoulders, so I figured I would have to, but actually after I took everything in I decided it looked totally fine. I opted not to mess with the sleeves anymore, and just trimmed the excess fabric. So that one is perfect! The second one was larger, so I figured it would be more challenging. By doing the same thing, I totally nailed one side, but ended up sewing the sleeve too slim on the other side. The fabric was stretchier, so my measurements were off I guess. Anyhow, I figure I could just pick up a seam ripper and try again. I'm happy with how well this is going :)

taiyoko
Jan 10, 2008


babyturnsblue posted:

Do that first, because I thought I would have to remove the sleeves too, and I actually decided against it.

So quick report of my first sewing project: sewing machines are fickle. I had 3 practice shirts to mess up, and I needed all of them. My bobbin kept jamming (I think that's the correct term, where the thread gets tangled in the bobbin casing and then everything gets stuck).

A jamming bobbin is usually a sign that something is wrong with tension. Try pulling out the bobbin, case and all and giving it a little jolt from the thread like you're trying to yo-yo it. It should release about an inch or two of thread. You'll need a screwdriver to adjust if it's too tight/loose, just a tiny bit at a time. If that isn't the issue, try adjusting the top tension, your manual should have instructions if it's not got an obvious dial somewhere. Also if you do a different project using much heavier/lighter fabric, then you'll probably want to test some scraps to make sure you don't need to change tension settings for them.

coyo7e
Aug 23, 2007

by zen death robot
Bobbins were my bane for quite a while, partially because I had no manual to go by and once I removed the bobbin housing I was unable to put it all back together - even with my mother's help, and she's been sewing on singers for 40+ years. Finally I stopped fighting with it, threw out all the spare bobbins I had, and ordered a dozen blank bobbins off amazon or ebay for the model of machine I had. Cleared things up nicely - that and not disassembling the entire housing every time I ran out of thread like a dork. :downsrim:

I guess it explains why there's a big chip out of part of the plastic arm on the bobbin housing assembly though - the woman I bought the machine from's mother had obviously experience a couple rough times figuring that poo poo out as well and chipped a chunk out of one of the arms that hold it all down, trying to slip it in backward just like I did. :D

BonerGhost
Mar 9, 2007

I have such a hard time with tension. It's like witchcraft; the tiniest nudge on either top or bobbin throws everything off for miles, twisting the drat thing all the way around does nothing. I can't correlate the results with the action here, it's like that loving knob is set to random. All I can think of is that I don't have it threaded right, but the manual has piece of poo poo drawings. It probably makes sense for everyone else except me because I have a ~*special brain*~

E: brother LS-2125i. The biggest thing that makes me think I'm doing something wrong is how tension/stitch length change on the same piece of scrap fabric. Like, in the same line.

BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Sep 27, 2015

taiyoko
Jan 10, 2008


What kind of machine do you have?

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh
To be honest it's probably the machine being somewhat basic and not very powerful. It is possible that the feed dogs and lack of power have something to do with the problem, could be fluff stuck in the mechanism or you might actually have a broken tension dial right out of the box. Only thing you can really do is unthread everything, switch to a premium thread, clean every part of the machine, and then re-thread.

Sewing machine sellers are very good at lying to you about what your machine will be able to do, yours will struggle with jeans for example and quilting will be incredibly difficult. If you have the option of returning and swapping for the much much better Singer 4432 then I would as it's currently very heavily discounted on Amazon. :)

BonerGhost
Mar 9, 2007

Oh, I bought this thing used years ago when I started sewing, didn't want to spend a ton of money on a machine when I had no idea how to buy one or what to look for, but this crap has plagued me since the beginning.

I have an old Adler in storage that needs service. I think I might just sell my x box and buy a Singer.

E: drat you weren't playing about that discount. Bought it!

I've never had a new machine before. I'm excited!

BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 16:01 on Sep 27, 2015

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh
Nice! It's all metal under the covers and built like a tank so should easily last you 20 years. Really not fun fact: owing to the UK's overpricing on all machines that same one costs £279/$423 over here.

Arsenic Lupin
Apr 12, 2012

This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.


Eponine posted:

It's starting to get cold out, so I thought I would do a little stash-buster project since I have been hoarding scraps random projects for about two years now.

I gathered together all my scraps, squared them off and started cutting them into 3.5"x5" rectangles.

3 1/2 hours later, I have 268 rectangles. I think I just accidentally signed myself up for a queen-sized quilt. But what I should really post is fighting off 2 dogs who really wanted to be down on the floor with me. Also, my body hurts so bad. Oh my god.
High-five cutting-it-out-on-the-floor sister. My aching back salutes yours.
Re tension problems: It is *amazing* how often the problem is not with the tension but with a blunt needle. Seriously. If you're skipping stitches or having tension problems, always switch needles before trying to tune everything else. Black magic.

I have just realized that all the dark/light red pairs I bought for a Swedish quilt that has to be converted metric-English would work perfectly well for a simple half-square triangle block layout. Huzzah! I like half-square triangles because you can do the whole making-them-from-strips thing.

babyturnsblue
Jun 14, 2007

i used to dance before the discos came
Thanks for the tips about the tension and needles. Glad I'm not the only one with the issue, because it was insanely frustrating at times. I'm definitely going to mess around with all the tension settings before my next project.

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh
U.K. Goons. Pfaff hobbylock overlocker is on sale at £529 (US goons take your prices and double them for our prices) on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009A6C576?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_5&smid=A2H2YTM5CIILIH it has auto tension and is the daddy.

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Arsenic Lupin
Apr 12, 2012

This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.


babyturnsblue posted:

Thanks for the tips about the tension and needles. Glad I'm not the only one with the issue, because it was insanely frustrating at times. I'm definitely going to mess around with all the tension settings before my next project.
You can save yourself a lot of pain by taking one of the leftover scraps from cutting out and running it through the machine on your desired stitch and needle. The "right tension" varies depending on the weight of the fabric and how stretchy it is.

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