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Slung Blade
Jul 11, 2002

IN STEEL WE TRUST

I darned a couple socks around the end of the year, you don't really need a kit or anything so long as you have some appropriate needles and something to give the sock some shape. I used a 500ml mason jar with rounded corners for mine.

I think the biggest trick is to start far enough away from the hole and give yourself enough room for you to weave in sufficient thread to hold your repair in place via friction.

I can't really comment on what yarn or thread to use, that's entirely up to the existing sock you're trying to repair.

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HelloIAmYourHeart
Dec 29, 2008
Fallen Rib
I used an orange when I darned my socks. They're pretty thick wool socks from costco, so I used a wool sock yarn. If I were darning a pair of cotton socks, I'd actually probably still use wool, just the thinnest I could find--cotton has NO stretch and a woven darn has very little stretch. Also, wool will sort of felt up on itself and tighten up and solidify.

KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle


An LED bulb with a plastic outer shell also works great as a form.

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh
I bought a darning mushroom and used wool, just because of Sandra the real seamstress from Ankh-Morpork who kept having to hit people with a mushroom who confused her with the other kind of seamstress.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





thanks for the tips! i do have some lightbulbs because i haven't had the chance to get that disposed of properly so maybe i'll try that

i do also need info about needles which is why i asked if i should just buy some random darning kit on amazon to get them.

HelloIAmYourHeart
Dec 29, 2008
Fallen Rib
I used used an embroidery needle. It just has to be big enough to fit your yarn through.

YggiDee
Sep 12, 2007

WASP CREW
Are there any good fabric stores that don't charge an arm and a leg to ship to Canada? Ontario just hit another lockdown and I gotta make hats!!!

effika
Jun 19, 2005
Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.
Discovery Fabric is in Canada and I never order from them because the shipping to the US is atrocious. Maybe it's better within the country? Lots of people like them, and if you're looking for anything vaguely outdoors/sports they probably have it.

Jinxie Monroe
Apr 9, 2007

No really.
Thank you.
https://www.simplififabric.ca/ and https://www.fabcycle.shop/ are my current go-tos for fabric in Canada. Fabcycle is specifically deadstock which is a nice touch, and they get some neat stuff out of old mills sometimes.

Lead out in cuffs
Sep 18, 2012

"That's right. We've evolved."

"I can see that. Cool mutations."




Also Funky Monkey for plush/kids' knits. Pretty sure they're in Ontario. When I was making the otter plush a few months ago, they had the best selection of minky I could find online anywhere in Canada.

https://funkymonkeyfabrics.com/

YggiDee
Sep 12, 2007

WASP CREW
Thanks bunches, these are way better than making sad noises at the US exchange rate. Fabcycle has some lovely selections, and also for three dollars they'll apparently just throw in a box of whatever fabric they have lying around and my chronically indecisive ADHD rear end appreciates it.

Slung Blade
Jul 11, 2002

IN STEEL WE TRUST

YggiDee posted:

Are there any good fabric stores that don't charge an arm and a leg to ship to Canada? Ontario just hit another lockdown and I gotta make hats!!!

If you want heavy stuff, JT's outdoor fabrics is out of Ontario.
https://www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/

Paccana is out of Calgary, shipping rates are reasonable.
https://www.paccana.com/


I recently purchased a good quantity of fabric and supplies from both, both were great to deal with and prompt with service. I recommend both.

Slung Blade fucked around with this message at 04:28 on Apr 10, 2021

Jinxie Monroe
Apr 9, 2007

No really.
Thank you.

YggiDee posted:

Fabcycle has some lovely selections, and also for three dollars they'll apparently just throw in a box of whatever fabric they have lying around and my chronically indecisive ADHD rear end appreciates it.

I love it since I usually like to start with a material and get inspired from there, and they get some unusual things that can be put to fun use. A friend of mine regularly gets their scrap boxes to make into little quilted bags.

Really the only downside is their fabric classification can be a bit hit or miss, but the same can be said of a lot of retail fabric stores.

The_Hatt
Apr 29, 2005

Got bored and made a stuffed chew toy out of canvas for my dog a couple weeks back:



Took him a couple of days to figure it out:

effika
Jun 19, 2005
Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.

The_Hatt posted:

Got bored and made a stuffed chew toy out of canvas for my dog a couple weeks back:



Took him a couple of days to figure it out:


Yes good

A.s.P.
Jun 29, 2006

They're just a bunch of shapes. Don't read too deeply into it.
Anyone have experience lowering the crotch on a jumpsuit or pants by inserting a gusset? 🤗

taiyoko
Jan 10, 2008


A.s.P. posted:

Anyone have experience lowering the crotch on a jumpsuit or pants by inserting a gusset? 🤗

I have seen old ads for jeans that had a diamond-shaped gusset in the crotch area so you could roundhouse kick in them like Chuck Norris, but that doesn't "lower" the crotch to make them drop crotch/saggy diaper look. Or if you mean "the distance between waist and crotch is too short, and it's digging in/giving me camel toe", you'll be better off drafting anew.

Here's a pic taken from the Threads March 2018 issue on pants fitting that's relevant, "HBL" stands for horizontal body line, basically lines used to establish a reference. They suggest starting on the front pattern piece with one just above crotch level and perpendicular to the grain line, with two more parallel above at 3-inch intervals, then transferring them to the back pattern such that they would match at the side seam. The front crotch curve can be adjusted similarly to the pictured back if needed.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
edit: totally changing the direction of this post...

Any recs for good beginning quilting books or resources? I have a skillshare membership for some amount of months and there seems a decent program on there, but if anyone has something they love let me know!

cloudy fucked around with this message at 23:38 on Jun 9, 2021

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh
Before you buy any quilting book read these and use them as your guide, it will honestly save you hours and hours of work as a new quilter.

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/easy-half-square-triangle-units-for-quilts-2821466
https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/easy-quarter-square-triangle-units-2821468
https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/magic-8-half-square-triangle-units-282144

Quilting patchwork and appliqué by DK is the go to newbie book
Donna Kooler’s encyclopaedia of Quilting
Martin Mitchell has a whole series of books, they tend to be expensive new dirt cheap second hand and all of them are great
The quilters ultimate visual guide edited by Ellen Phal is probably my favourite.

The best how to make each block book with exact instructions I have is A block a day 365 quilting squares by Lucinda Ganderton.

:)

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Thank you!! You are a gem 💎

I'm excited to try something new. Just purchased my first mid-range NEW machine. I'm 34 and I've made it this long with a 90's hand-me-down. The end of an era.

Liquid Communism
Mar 9, 2004


Out here, everything hurts.




Also, nothing wrong with doing something dirt simple to get started. Picking up a bunch of fat quarters of quilters' cotton for cheap and doing a square patchwork top to get some idea of how to keep things square and even across a full blanket is really helpful. My first one was decidedly neither until I learned to sew a steady seam. Still kicking around my front room as a day blanket 25+ years later, though.

Fru Fru
Sep 14, 2007
We're gonna need a bigger boat...and some water.
If you can find one, I recommend getting a 1/4 inch guide foot for your machine. I had one when I first started out with quilting and it was incredibly helpful.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
I took all of your advice-- thank you all! Bought a quarter inch foot as well as a walking foot (as recommended by the nice sewing store ladies). Here's my first mini quilt, was hoping it'd be decent enough to hang on my little blanket ladder, and I think I did OK!

https://twitter.com/c10udy/status/1405646705496887303?s=19

Definitely figured out the areas that I will need to improve on. If you all are up for some quilt discourse... I watched 2 different tutorials, and got told 2 different recommendations for seams. One person said press seams to the side and nest, the other said press all seams open. Also one person said backstitching wasn't necessary when piecing, another said it was. Is this the "salt or no salt in pasta water" of the quilting world???

effika
Jun 19, 2005
Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.
I LOVE THE COLORS YAY SO BRIGHT

Always backstitch unless you have another way of securing your threads.

The rest is up to you and what way you decide looks best and is easier.

Liquid Communism
Mar 9, 2004


Out here, everything hurts.




Very nice! Seconding effika, nice color choices. :)

Lead out in cuffs
Sep 18, 2012

"That's right. We've evolved."

"I can see that. Cool mutations."




That looks great, especially for a first attempt! Are those mitered corners on the border?

Also this is, among other things, the quilt discourse channel. :justpost:

And yeah pressing to the side vs pressing open is very much up to you. I feel like the argument for pressing open is that it can lie flatter, but quilting cotton is so thin that I doubt you'd really notice. I feel like I did it on my first quilt and then never bothered. I also feel like pressing to the side might be stronger? (Again, though, you quilt everything down at the end, so it doesn't matter much.)

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.

Lead out in cuffs posted:

Are those mitered corners on the border?

Yeah! Finishing that binding was some kind of torture. Gotta get better at that maneuver.


Lead out in cuffs posted:

I also feel like pressing to the side might be stronger?

Yeah, that's what I was thinking! I pressed mine flat because it's easier to not have to think about which direction to press. But I wonder if the pro opinion is flat for art quilts that will rarely see a washing machine, and to the side/nested for utilitarian quilts... utili-quilts.

Fru Fru
Sep 14, 2007
We're gonna need a bigger boat...and some water.
That looks great!

I don’t always backstitch when piecing but it depends on the piece. Like in yours I wouldn’t bother with the triangles but I might when I put the rows together so the edges don’t come apart during quilting and binding. Even then I am kinda lazy and that will be sewn over during binding so it’s not the end of the world.

Great job on the binding also! Sometimes I will make rounded corners so I don’t have to deal with mitres. I am not ashamed and also they look cute!

Pondex
Jul 8, 2014

Can any of you reccomend me a heavy-duty (-ish) machine?

I want to get into making a bit of outdoor gear but I'm getting option paralysis. I'm used to sewing but I don't want to run down my machine too much doing straps/canvas etc. as it's a loaner.

There's the Singer Heavy Duty 44-series, Brother ST150 or Brother HF37 (which I think is called ST37 in the US). Those are around the budget I have. The ST150 isn't that easy to find inside the EU though.

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh
The brother heavy duty have their own special bobbins in the U.K

Singer heavy Duty is the one to go for, it’s the first one in the range that has a proper metal head and the guarantee on it.

effika
Jun 19, 2005
Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.
I like my Singer Heavy Duty but if you will be sewing things like canvas, look for more industrial use machines like Juki and Sailrite. They are expensive but will handle thick fabric like it's nothing, and they have machines with zigzag stitch and walking feet too.

Also I feel like I don't have enough clearance between the foot and the plate of my machine and can't imagine sewing more than like 3 layers of canvas. I have enough trouble getting 4 layers of 200gsm spandex fabric wedged under there. (It sews fine, just doesn't want to fit.)

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh
I imported my Singer Quantum Stylist 9960 to singer Switzerland when they first came out and had the power supply switched to U.K. and then sent here and it STILL cost £1000 less than buying the equivalent U.K. version at the time.

Official store has it for £600 on sale now and honestly, it’s the dogs. Automatic tension and it’s a quilting machine so designed for layers, getting the official walking foot is extremely worth it with this machine. I’ve used it for thick waterproof table cloth material and it’s fine with it.

https://singeroutlet.co.uk/products...YBoC4-YQAvD_BwE

Pondex
Jul 8, 2014

Yeah, there's a few tempting industrial walking-foot machines on my local craigslist for not too much money. I don't have the space for one though.

n0tqu1tesane
May 7, 2003

She was rubbing her ass all over my hands. They don't just do that for everyone.
Grimey Drawer
My mom recently borrowed my Singer Heavy Duty to recover some outdoor wicker couch cushions, and in taking the old covers off discovered that there were six existing covers still on the cushions




Now, this couch is probably 60-70 years old at this point, considering the wool and coil spring construction of the cushions.

HelloIAmYourHeart
Dec 29, 2008
Fallen Rib
I love it.

edit: the aloha flowers are the best

legendof
Oct 27, 2014

n0tqu1tesane posted:

My mom recently borrowed my Singer Heavy Duty to recover some outdoor wicker couch cushions, and in taking the old covers off discovered that there were six existing covers still on the cushions

This made my day. It's like a house with six layers of linoleum, only so much more inexplicable.

Comrade Quack
Jun 6, 2006
Witty closing remarks have been replaced by massive head trauma and general stupidity.
I’m weird and I enjoy the nesting cushions. Hopefully that wasn’t the only thing holding those cushions together.

effika
Jun 19, 2005
Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.
I am super tired but I finished a t-shirt! Greenstyle Green Tee.

I hate neck bands so I did a clean finish binding instead. I need to work on the little v-point dart, but I like it well enough to wear it out of the house. It is amazing how much a difference the proper fit makes.




And an action shot, since fashion looks better in motion:


I did not pick the correct size on my first muslin and got this:



Had to add in a gusset along the sides, two sizes bigger to accommodate my chest. At least their newer patterns have an FBA pieces!

n0tqu1tesane posted:

My mom recently borrowed my Singer Heavy Duty to recover some outdoor wicker couch cushions, and in taking the old covers off discovered that there were six existing covers still on the cushions




Now, this couch is probably 60-70 years old at this point, considering the wool and coil spring construction of the cushions.

That is fantastic! So many trends throughout the decades. I wonder if the cushions fit differently now?

n0tqu1tesane
May 7, 2003

She was rubbing her ass all over my hands. They don't just do that for everyone.
Grimey Drawer

effika posted:

That is fantastic! So many trends throughout the decades. I wonder if the cushions fit differently now?

My mom patterned the new covers on the top layer, so there's a little bit more room inside the cushion, but not so much that it shows. A little fluffing of the wool stuffing and it looks good. It's really in good shape for how old it must be.



Comrade Quack posted:

I’m weird and I enjoy the nesting cushions. Hopefully that wasn’t the only thing holding those cushions together.

Nah, these cushions are pretty beefy on the inside.

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Pondex
Jul 8, 2014

Is there any way to make a double-drawstring bag like this, without having the cords crossing each other inside the channel?



http://www.nicoleathome.com/2013/02/tutorial-double-drawstring-bag.html

I'm using some polyester webbing for mine (like 20mm wide seatbelt) and it kind of looks like garbage folded around itself. Maybe make the channel wider?

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