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Rythe posted:A managed to snag a almost brand new Serger, the lady used it once, broke a thread and couldn't re-thread it, for $80 on a Facebook buy/sell page a month ago. Lucky! I bought a Brother 1034D a couple years ago for $150 because the owner had no idea how to use it. I guess they originally bought it for someone else, but had no idea what they were getting, and the recipient had no idea how to use it. A sewing machine is a sewing machine, right? Well, it ended up being one of those things I had big plans for and never actually used, at least until today.  I set it up earlier and figured out how to thread it (I think) and scrounged up some test fabrics to play with. I think I'm going to make a fugly tshirt quilt out of all the things I don't wear anymore.
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Jul 11, 2018 09:42
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Bees on Wheat posted:Lucky! I bought a Brother 1034D a couple years ago for $150 because the owner had no idea how to use it. I guess they originally bought it for someone else, but had no idea what they were getting, and the recipient had no idea how to use it. A sewing machine is a sewing machine, right? You Tube is your friend, I have watched so many videos on this machine and everything it can do. I'm looking forward to Halloween, this thing is going to save me so much time and effort with hems and assembly.
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Jul 11, 2018 14:33
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Yeah, the manual really wasn't much help. The pictures were pretty much useless without text, and the text was pretty drat sparse. Thankfully there were some threads left from the previous owner that I could trace back through the machine for most of it. Took a few tries, but I got it up and running (and then spent forever fixing the tension). Looking it up on Youtube did cross my mind, but I guess I was just being stubborn. I went out today and bought a small cutting mat and rotary cutter because surprisingly enough I didn't have either one yet. I had no idea this poo poo was so expensive, but I had a Michaels coupon so that helped a little. Also got a quilting ruler because lord knows where mine went. Probably into the same black hole as all my other drafting and patternmaking supplies. 
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Jul 12, 2018 11:31
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I need to get a cutting mat and rotary cutter, I have some big rear end, sharp shears that I love but I'm thinking a rotary cutter and a straight edge is better. Here are a couple of projects I did for my daughter recently.   
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Jul 13, 2018 01:58
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Looking at the needles that came with my machine, I think they might be as older than I am. Do you guys have a preference on needle brands? or does nobody bother making a particularly crappy machine needle?
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Jul 13, 2018 03:32
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Get them Schmetz for cheap from Wawak. Actually buy all your thread, elastic and notions from Wawak. **not sponsored by Wawak they just rule and are far cheaper than normal sewing supply places.
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Jul 13, 2018 04:04
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Goldaline posted:Get them Schmetz for cheap from Wawak. Actually buy all your thread, elastic and notions from Wawak. Yeah. I don't know what took me so long to figure this out.
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Jul 13, 2018 05:29
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Cool. I appreciate the store rec too.
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Jul 13, 2018 13:43
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Today I sat down, and lying to myself decided today is the day I stop loving around in the sewing machine, and figure out the tension. Then I hosed around with the motor, and how did I not start a fire with this thing.   My adventures in calibrating a tension knob are now on hold until I source some less dangerous looking capacitors.
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Jul 17, 2018 01:57
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Rythe posted:I need to get a cutting mat and rotary cutter, I have some big rear end, sharp shears that I love but I'm thinking a rotary cutter and a straight edge is better. I just bought all of these things recently and I did not realize just how goddamn expensive they can get. Thank god for store coupons. 
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Jul 17, 2018 03:14
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Cowwan posted:Today I sat down, and lying to myself decided today is the day I stop loving around in the sewing machine, and figure out the tension.   A lot of times shops will do discounts on mat+ruler+rotary cutter if you get all three as sort of a start incentive. Worth looking into if there's a sewing shop around other than Joannes.
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Jul 17, 2018 05:39
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Wifey just got a sewing machine, but getting a selection of threads in different colors at the local sewing shop turns out to rival the expense of the machine. Any good online place that ships to Europe to get, say, the dozen most used threads in a decent quality?
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Jul 22, 2018 20:17
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bolind posted:Wifey just got a sewing machine, but getting a selection of threads in different colors at the local sewing shop turns out to rival the expense of the machine. Any good online place that ships to Europe to get, say, the dozen most used threads in a decent quality? I don't have any recommendations, but I can say that I find myself busting out just basic black and white most often when I'm just repairing something. Maybe a dark blue for hemming jeans if you're short. Usually you'll want to buy thread with the fabric in hand for a project so that you can make sure they're a good color match.
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Jul 24, 2018 01:13
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After three and a half weeks of messing with a sewing machine that worked when I started I have a working sewing machine. Today I got the new capacitors in the mail, so I reassembled the whole thing. My lovely attempt at getting the electronics ( all five of them) back where they were didn't start any fires. In my idiocy I managed to break off the one part of the side cover/spool holder that was still holding it on. I'll have to do more work there, or look on ebay for a less broken one. That and my brushes are arcing, but I don't know if that's so much an issue as annoying. Then I got to adjusting the tension. It was less bad than I expected once I figured out that I had an issue with the tensioner. There's a spring that was slightly out of place keeping it from disengaging when I lifted the presser foot. It was completely my fault and it was keeping the thread from getting into the tensioner. After that it was a breeze to get calibrated. I used distinctly colored thread and cloth so I could tell when it was out of balance easily. The whole thing took twenty minutes. Now I need to actually buy needles and hem my pants.
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Jul 24, 2018 01:20
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Status update: •Sewing has finally occurred •Pants have been poorly hemmed •Side cover is still broken •I underestimated how hard it is to feed a pant leg into a sewing machine straight •The machine works great but the thread seems to bind sometimes, I imagine it's a tension issue Thanks for the help getting this up and running. Now I need to move on to the "learn how to sew" stage of this endeavor.
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Aug 3, 2018 01:11
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Cowwan posted:Status update: There are guides you can use to keep the edge of the fabric in a solid line.
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Aug 3, 2018 20:08
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I noticed, I'm just bad at keeping it on the guide and probably moving too fast.
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Aug 3, 2018 20:49
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Cowwan posted:I noticed, I'm just bad at keeping it on the guide and probably moving too fast. There are magnetic guides that attach to the sole plate to keep stuff straight.
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Aug 4, 2018 00:10
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I stand corrected, I did not know about those. That sounds incredibly helpful.
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Aug 4, 2018 01:15
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You can also just use a piece of electrical tape. Magnet doesn't leave gooey black stuff on your machine though...
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Aug 4, 2018 03:33
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Does anybody know how to figure out how much fabric I will need from the following information? I need to make a sphere shape with a 32 inch waist and I want to extend the shape 6 inches from the hips and I can not figure out the math on that. Edit. I think it's roughly 70 inches of fabric. I calculated the circumference with a radius of 6 inches = 38 inches and just added the initial 32 inch waist line. Rythe fucked around with this message at 11:48 on Aug 6, 2018 |
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Aug 6, 2018 10:58
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Rythe posted:Does anybody know how to figure out how much fabric I will need from the following information? are you making a circle skirt? just trying to picture this!
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Aug 6, 2018 13:18
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No, it's a sphere for the Violet Beauregard costume. Ignore the waist measurement if you want it to go out from the hips. And you want to be thinking surface area rather than circumference. Also, you're better off laying out the actual shapes in a drawing, because A, seam allowance, and B, you don't want to be playing tangrams with fabric because you bought the exact number of square inches it requires.
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Aug 6, 2018 13:46
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i like nice words
Anne Whateley posted:No, it's a sphere for the Violet Beauregard costume. agree'd. I would make one out of paper and tape first, then use that for a pattern
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Aug 6, 2018 14:26
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princess_peach posted:agree'd. I would make one out of paper and tape first, then use that for a pattern I was thinking this might be the best route but I love math and it seemed so easy. I'll grab some paper and tape and make a few mock ups, that will also get the template part of the job done too. Now the fun part of getting my 6 year old to stand still looking enough to mock this up.
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Aug 6, 2018 14:38
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 I made these robes and sashes for a friend's art festival performance, and now somehow I'm in charge of costumes for an entire play. Send help.
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Aug 8, 2018 02:40
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:
I caught a cold from some Typhoid Mary type on an airplane last week, you want me to cough on you?
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Aug 10, 2018 02:11
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:
Send them an invoice.  E: Only sort of kidding. I had a rant about people taking advantage of anyone that can sew/knit/draw/etc. but I'm going to assume you like these people enough to actually do the work, instead of telling them to pound sand. Bees on Wheat fucked around with this message at 06:05 on Aug 10, 2018 |
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Aug 10, 2018 03:10
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:
Buy thrift and alter. Don't build anything that you don't absolutely have to. Measure everyone yourself, actors lie about their measurements. Use the plainest, most common shoes you can, having to buy footwear will suck up your entire budget in no time.
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Aug 10, 2018 06:15
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Bees on Wheat posted:Send them an invoice. Haha, right?! But in this case, I've actually been asking if I could help him with costumes for like 9 months. I just didn't expect "helping" to mean "Hey, you're the costume designer now!" I'm excited about it, but also very much "oh god wtf am I doing?" Hutla posted:Buy thrift and alter. Don't build anything that you don't absolutely have to. Thank you for this advice! If you have more, I would love it. "Shop don't sew" is my mantra right now....yet I keep making designs I'd need to sew. (Dunno if this is veering towards off topic for the sewing thread, but it's not really cosplay, so?)
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Aug 11, 2018 07:46
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You really want to start by talking to the director about time period, concept, and each of the characters' defining features. From there you can narrow down color schemes and styles. The great thing about costumes is that they give the audience so much information in absolutely no time- is this character tough and practical? Frivolous? Kind? Those are the sorts of things that a good costume instantly conveys. Buying fabric is so much more expensive than buying a premade garment, even if you pretty much destroy it and rework. I'm guessing that the scope of this production is more on the storefront theater side, so don't be afraid to ask your actors to provide basics like black pants or shoes. Everything will take way more time that you think, and definitely block out the entire night and day after the first dress rehearsal for fixing stuff because there will be costume issues no matter what you do. If people have things like hats or have to dig anything out of a pocket, pretty much any interaction with their costume beyond it being on them, they'll need that piece early to get used to working with it. Tell us more about the play and maybe we can help strategize!
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Aug 11, 2018 21:05
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It's a ribald farce, technically set in the 1950s, but 99% of the action is a "live radio play" set in Nazi-Occupied Holland. Luckily for a "My First Costuming Gig," the characters are pretty straightforward/exaggerated, and I don't need to figure out how to express "kind" in a costume. It seems like so far I'm doing everything acceptably, hooray! Storefront theatre is absolutely right (though back of a bar, in this case). I've talked to the director and traded some ideas/reference images with her, so I think we're on the same page. Discovered she does NOT think having Nazis take off their jackets to reveal 90s windbreakers is a good idea. I'm sending the "please look in your closets" lists next week, and have time set aside at rehearsals the week after to go through the results. I also have lots of spreadsheets for who is in what scene, what costume they are wearing, on-stage changes, quick changes, what I think is required for each costume so far, whether or not we have it, and how much it will cost to buy on Amazon if I can't figure out anything cheaper. I have a color scheme in my head, but I want to convey it to her w/out drawing the actual costumes yet, so I'm thinking a kind of abstract collection of color swatches? My biggest current challenges (other than budget lol) are: * 2 Nazi Uniforms and 1 US pilot uniform...All WWII uniforms look basically the same to my inexperienced eyes, and I don't think anyone has one hiding in their closet or that I'll have much luck thrifting. Please god let the guys own black boots, at least. We have a military surplus store here, and Dickies have relatively inexpensive shirts and pants that are the same color, so might be doing that. Thank god you can put an arm band on nearly anything and everyone will recognize a Nazi. You could probably make a watermelon a Nazi that way. * Need a sexy-housewife vintage-comics Dutch super-heroine, wearing the colors of the Dutch flag (i.e. Red, White, and Blue). I have a sailor-themed one sketched out, but want to present a couple concepts. I'm thinking "50s Lingerie + cape" is another option. * Need a Dutch milk maid and 50s housewife who are "thematically related," wearing red and gold (they are advertising "mascots") -- I did buy fabric for these, but it's returnable if I can figure something else out (possibly sticking gold flowers onto a red dress or something). If I sew them, it's going to be like...elastic-backed circle skirt with a belt and blouse, b/c hell no am I sewing a 50s dress from scratch. * Need to add a few items (hat and coat, I think) to "transform" above housewife into a Nazi-boss, and then all those things need to "blow" off of her during a fight. The play doesn't run until late September, so hopefully I have enough time to mess everything up once or twice and still have no huge disasters. Thank you especially for the advice about getting interactive clothes (PROPS!) to the actors early, because there are several things like that and I can prioritize them.
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Aug 12, 2018 00:52
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You 100% do not need period accurate uniforms. Slap an armband on whatever black shirt and pants are at your disposal. For the US uniform, just use all navy blue and get a US flag patch. The pants should fit baggier than normal streetwear, pull the waist up super high with a belt, that sucker should hit above the belly button. Hats are nice but not necessary. Superhero is easy, you just need tights and a long sleeved leotard. Make a circle miniskirt if your actor is shy about their crotch being out, put some sort of blinged out stretch belt at the waist. Use character heels or whatever heels your actor already owns. Here is the key for 50s women's clothing: foundational garments. If they are wearing a wiggle dress, they need to be wearing whatever Spanx equivalent you have there. If they are in circle skirts, they need petticoats or crinoline underneath for volume. Definitely go with shirt and skirt unless someone already owns a vintage style dress, it will be so much cheaper and faster. Another thing to note is that theater is held together with safety pins and duct tape, you do not need to be sewing to "a person would be unashamed to wear this in public" standards.
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Aug 15, 2018 17:33
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Another distinguishing feature of Nazi uniforms is that they all had trapezoidal collar patches. Just cutting a couple of felt trapezoids and pinning those to the collars of each shirt would go a long way to making them look more authentic. That and shoulder straps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniforms_of_the_Heer_(1935%E2%80%9345)#/media/File:Wehrmacht_uniforms_and_insignia.jpg Also the Nazis wore knee-length riding boots, which you can fake pretty easily with black rubber boots. (The Americans, with the exception of paratroopers, wore much shorter boots.)
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Aug 24, 2018 18:34
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What's a good place online to get good zippers? I'll probably be needing a black invisible zipper longer than the 22" I can get at joanns. Also I find their zipper selection lacking and kind of expensive, so wondering where people get their zippers.
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Aug 29, 2018 18:19
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FISHMANPET posted:What's a good place online to get good zippers? I'll probably be needing a black invisible zipper longer than the 22" I can get at joanns. Also I find their zipper selection lacking and kind of expensive, so wondering where people get their zippers. Wawak, the answer for notions is always wawak.
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Aug 29, 2018 19:13
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Also double posting but I'm back on my Weird Sports/Swim/Underwear bullshit. Pretty SFW even if it doesn't look like it at first glance? Thinking about the contrasts between fabric meant for ease of movement and the appearance of a restrictive garment?   
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Aug 31, 2018 03:43
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Goldaline posted:Also double posting but I'm back on my Weird Sports/Swim/Underwear bullshit. Pretty SFW even if it doesn't look like it at first glance? Thinking about the contrasts between fabric meant for ease of movement and the appearance of a restrictive garment? It's for sure an easier way of getting the strappy/harness look without having to size/buckle/whatever each strap individually! The gold "rings" are especially cute. The pink also offsets the masculine / gay fetishwear vibe. And it seems to suit you.
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Aug 31, 2018 05:18
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So more zipper questions. I'm a dude who does not wear dresses who is making a dress for myself:FISHMANPET posted:With very little sewing experience, I am trying... a thing It's back zipping, but I don't know how long a back zip needs to go. I had my wife measure my back and it looks like it would end at about waist level, is that long enough or do I need a longer zipper?
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Sep 2, 2018 02:39
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Yeah it's really just so you can get your head through the neck hole? Usually the pattern will advise the zipper length too.
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Sep 2, 2018 04:13
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