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I'm working on my first quilt ever, and I like sewing clothing so the fabric and buttons are tempting. I don't know how much money I could give you for it, but post pics anyway! If I don't snag it, somebody else will. Here's a portion of the quilt I'm working on. I cut a ton of 5x5" squares out of whatever fabrics were around, sewed them into strips, then sewed the strips together. Right now it's 4x16 squares, but the monotony is killing me. I have new fabrics and want more variety in there, so I may take some of the seams out and sew the strips in different orders.  And somehow, half of my squares don't line up when I sew the strips together, but all the strips are the same length so it's okay by me.  I'm actually very proud of how many different sources the fabrics came from. There are some remnants from my old sewing projects, some from a friend who does SCA garb, some polyester "brocade" from my little sister, old pajama pants, and trim from a scrapbooking calendar in there. Some of the other fabrics I'll be adding in are old bedsheets and the excess fabric from some Ikea curtains I just hemmed. Maybe even a pillowcase that matches the bedspread it's sitting on.. (Edit for picture of quilt-in-progress) Bees on Wheat fucked around with this message at 09:00 on Apr 24, 2012 |
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Apr 24, 2012 08:23
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TEE HEE posted:Totally new to this, bought an old machine that does straight stitch only, is that enough to make basic items like t-shirts or will I need zig-zag stitch as well? I used to have an old machine that only did straight stitch. I used it to make an apron out of an old tshirt I didn't care about. The apron rarely gets used, but still, pretty much every seam has broken a stitch or two somewhere. 
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Jun 30, 2012 13:18
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Shnooks posted:Edit: Wait, on the front yoke there's the waistline marking and some numbers that say the sizes and some inches next to it. I'm guessing that's probably the waist measurements? It's coming out to me being a size 12. This is what it says: Some garments have a lot of ease, so the finished piece ends up several inches wider than your measurements. I know I have a dress pattern that has something like 4" of ease in the waist. I found the size chart on the Mcall's site, and the numbers on your pattern sound like the garment has 3" of ease. Not entirely sure why you'd want that on a skirt, but okay. Maybe it sits low on the hips? I think I'd go with what others have been saying, and do a muslin or at least see how the pattern pieces look on you. Maybe make a muslin of just the waistband?
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Jul 1, 2012 20:53
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Sometimes drug stores or dollar stores will stock a few things, depending on the location. Might not be the highest quality stuff, but if you need something right away it can be a godsend. Walmart selections depend on where you live, too. They don't stock much of that stuff around here because there are so many craft and fabric stores around. When I was visiting family in mostly-rural Ohio, their Walmart had a huge sewing section and I actually got some really nice fabric there. Most of the bobbins I currently own are cheap metal ones that came with a chintzy plastic sewing machine I paid  for at the drugstore. (I have since gifted to a friend because seriously that thing was awful.) I also have a small collection of oddly-sized vintage bobbins that came with an old sewing machine and desk that I used to own. Most of them didn't even go with the machine I had, so I have no idea what to do with them. Maybe I'll sell the lot on Etsy for an exorbitant fee. Hipsters will pay a lot for old stuff, especially if you call it an "instant collection" and stick it in an old jar. Edit: Don't buy plastic bobbins, they are terrible. My old roommate bought some because they were cheaper than the metal ones, and every time she tried winding one, it would break. Bees on Wheat fucked around with this message at 11:33 on Jul 22, 2012 |
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Jul 22, 2012 11:27
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this catte posted:How plausible / attainable is completely custom printed pattern fabric in small quantities? like, say, I design a pattern in Illustrator and want it printed in black ink onto 3 yards of pink cotton, or something. Does this exist as A Thing and how much am I gonna end up paying? If I need really small amounts of something for detailing I'd probably just hand draw it with those "industrial" sharpies, but I might need enough to line, say, an entire hoodie, but just one or two. Not sure about the other things, but for fabric you might want to try Spoonflower. It can be a bit pricey (around $20-25 per yard for basic cottons), but they do offer completely custom fabric printing, and you can also shop designs that other people have made public. You can order test swatches, fat quarters, or by the yard. Be sure to read the whole FAQ though, because there are some limitations to the type of printing they do.
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Oct 13, 2012 10:54
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I am working on the most obnoxious pair of capri pants right now. The waistband requires ease stitching onto the pants and it's driving me nuts, but if you ignore that step the piece isn't large enough. Ugh.
Bees on Wheat fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Oct 27, 2012 |
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Oct 27, 2012 23:54
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Fuzzy pajama pants? That's what I want right now. I was working on some capris, but I think the project is in hibernation forever now, and not just because the weather is getting colder. I had a really cute pattern, but attaching the waistband was driving me mad. The waist of the pants needs to be gathered ever-so-slightly, 1 5/8" in the back, and 5/8" in the front. Seems kind of stupid to me, and I'd probably have skipped the pattern if I noticed that sooner. The fabric I was using was an indigo blue cotton, sort of like thin denim. A friend of mine destashed some fabric on me a while ago, and there was just enough of it for this pattern, so I figured they'd be like cute little jeans. Then I realized I was essentially making ladies jorts. 
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Nov 2, 2012 01:07
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:You could convert the gathers into darts if that makes it better. I actually own a pair of medium denim clam-diggers and when I think about it, they make me feel remarkably "unfashionable mom"-ish. Yeah, I think I'll try that. I was excited about them at first because the pattern was cheap, the fabric was free, and I don't have many pants that fit. They've been sitting on a chair in my kitchen untouched for over a week now.  E: I just remembered the pants already have darts in the back. Why the gently caress are there darts and gathering on the same edge? There's only an inch of fabric that needs to be gathered in back, too. 
Bees on Wheat fucked around with this message at 10:14 on Nov 2, 2012 |
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Nov 2, 2012 09:19
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Comrade Quack posted:When you're finished could you dye them to look less like jorts? Maybe! Right now they're a very dark indigo blue and they have a finer weave than denim so I'm not too concerned about it. I just thought it was kind of funny.
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Nov 3, 2012 00:50
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Yeah, in retrospect this purchase was really dumb. It's from a book called the Sew Everything Workshop. I got it because it was half-price and it came with a bunch of patterns, but after buying it realized most of them were really, really stupid patterns. Like, including shapeless rectangular tank tops for that stuffed-in-a-pillowcase look we all love. I'm just glad I decided to use this fabric and not the really nice plaid I've been hoarding. That would have been upsetting.
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Nov 5, 2012 04:34
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madlilnerd posted:You joke about the pillowcase, but here in the UK we had this show on TV about saving money and some girl actually said she makes "vintage style tops" from old pillowcases with head and arm holes cut out. I joke because I know people do things like this. Those and the ones Rufus linked to have way more shaping than the one in my book, though. The pattern is seriously a rectangle with rectangle shoulder straps. I can't imagine actually needing/wanting a pattern for this. Here's a pic from the book that I shamelessly stole from the web: 
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Nov 6, 2012 02:25
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You could probably get a decent line between colors by tightly clamping the part that won't be dyed between two sheets of plexiglass. Works pretty well for small shapes, but no idea how it would turn out on a large finished garment like that.
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Nov 20, 2012 02:21
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Pile of Kittens posted:It's easier to just ship the head (the steel part) and find a table/motor/clutch combo in your own area. I'll be moving to Oakland soon and I might need to get a second Juki for my new business. I'll be making skydiving jumpsuits! I'm very excited... I've never worked with some of these materials, and the range of motion on those garments is quite different than your average jumpsuit. If you're in the East Bay, you might want to give Urban Ore in Berkeley a try. It's a huge warehouse thrift store that keeps a lot of appliances in stock. I'm not sure what their selection is like now since I haven't been there in a year, but they usually have a good selection of old sewing machines, some with tables. First time I went there, they had 5 or 6 vintage machines of varying types, with tables, right by the door. I wanted to take them all home. 
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Jan 25, 2013 03:01
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Whenever I need sharp lines on a hem, I cheat and use Stitch Witchery. It's a fusible webbing that you iron between two pieces of fabric, kinda like gluing it together. Not sure if it would help in your situation since those straps looks pretty small, but might be worth a shot.
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Feb 1, 2013 00:06
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Arsenic Lupin posted:Japanese clothing is nice because it's all straight seams. However, the word of mouth is that hakama are a royal pain in the rear end because of the large number of folds you have to sew through. That's pretty much what I was thinking. One of the quickest sewing projects I ever did, aside from some simple 2-piece skirts, was a basic yukata (lightweight summer kimono) and obi. I was using a store-bought pattern so it may not have been the most traditional garment, but it was drat easy. Had it finished in one afternoon, and that included all of the cutting and piecing. Hakama might be a little trickier because of all the folding, but it's still basically just a giant rectangle of fabric.
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Feb 16, 2013 01:50
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Technically it doesn't need hemming because it doesn't fray. Tulle is basically plastic netting, but unlike woven or knit fabrics, the fibers are fused together. However, depending on the garment, it may be uncomfortable to leave the edges unfinished because the raw edges can be scratchy or pokey. Hemming them may fix this, but sewing tulle can be a serious pain. Encasing the edge in ribbon might be easier, because then you'll have some fabric to sew through, and it'll look fancier, too. Something kinda like this:  Alternately, she can just wear a slip under the garment and it should be fine, unless you have really stiff tulle.
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Jun 7, 2013 12:47
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Goldfinch posted:I've got a question after seeing all these cool quilts. I made one super-beginner quilt top - like, it's literally just squares of fabric sewn together. But I'd still like to finish it/get it finished so I can feel that warm glow of having accomplished something. I've been working on a babby's first quilt too, and I figured if it's too hard to machine quilt with a regular home machine, I'd try hand-tying it. You basically take a length of embroidery thread, make a small stitch in the quilt, and tie the ends. Might not be as pretty as other methods, but it's damned easy.
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Jun 17, 2013 00:18
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Today I learned that if you want to sew through your fingernails, an old Penncrest machine will do a great job. However, you might want to refrain from doing so because it's terrifying and you will break your needle. Thankfully it only hit the nail and not flesh, and my fiance had a shot of scotch ready for me before I even got detangled from the machine. 
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Jul 16, 2013 07:16
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Guys, I just bought some muslin and this pattern from Vogue, and I think I need someone to hug me and tell me it's all going to be okay. I know it says "advanced" on the package, but I didn't realize quite how many pieces and steps there are until I got it home. It has a full lining and a foundation lining that includes boning in the bodice and the goddamn shoulder straps. I may even have to buy new machine feet because I don't have a decent zipper foot, and apparently you need two different kinds to do this right. And I'm making at least two of these, because the long one will be my wedding gown, and the short version will be for the bridesmaids' gowns. 
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Aug 25, 2013 07:00
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Comrade Quack posted:You could decide not to have bridesmaids. I like this plan.  Unfortunately, I already promised to make my sister's dress, since she'll be my maid of honor. It's going to be a bitch and a half since she lives in another state, but she's visiting right now so I can get all her measurements and talk colors and all that crap. Current plan is to make a muslin, mail it to her for fitting, and hope for the best. I have no idea what to do for the other bridesmaids. Even if I do make their dresses, I doubt any of them are going to fit Vogue sizes since they're quite curvy. Pattern sizes are really bad for your self-esteem, by the way. My measurements put me at a pattern size 18 or 20, depending on how much ease the garment has. Oh, and 20 is the largest size. I know I'm a goon, but I'm not that fat. Meanwhile, my sis is something like a 12. 
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Aug 25, 2013 10:27
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I had a shirt like that, with the fakey buttoned French cuffs. I just replaced them with actual cufflinks. I found a nice pair at Target that I didn't mind wearing with that shirt all the time. You could try making a matching buttonhole so you can put cufflinks in, or different buttons or something.
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Oct 7, 2013 02:41
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Etheldreda posted:Hey sewing experts, I have done a fair amount of patchwork piecing and sewing bags (so, mostly squares and rectangles). I am doing OK, but sewing would become much more pleasant for me if I could figure out how to stop this one problem I keep having. When I sew, I measure pieces very carefully and pin them together and start to sew, but it doesn't take long before the fabrics aren't right anymore; I think the top fabric gets pulled by the machine a bit more than the bottom fabric so I end up either with the fabrics no longer touching at the bottom, or some sort of "creases", or I pull on the top fabric some and get annoyed, or all of the above. What type of fabric are you using? It could be simply that it stretches more in one direction that the other and your pieces aren't oriented the same direction. It could also be a really stretchy fabric or a loosely woven one that will do that no matter what. Adjusting the pressure on the foot might help (usually there is a button you push down on somewhere on top the machine). Alternately, you can try stay-stitching the pieces before sewing, gluing them together with fabric glue, or fusing the pieces with Stitch Witchery. I'm not an expert, but that's what immediately springs to mind.
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Feb 12, 2014 23:38
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Quilting cotton will work for some garments, but I don't think it would drape right for a circle skirt. They might work for an a-line skirt or something with a gathered waistband, though.
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Mar 26, 2014 08:12
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Okay, how do you mark and cut really drapey fabrics without wanting to kill yourself? I am working on this pattern, and it has several large, complicated pieces that are hard to trace because the fabric keeps shifting. So far I have resorted to weighting the pieces down with soup cans, taping the fabric to the floor, and spray starching the living hell out of it. For marking I'm using water soluble fabric pens, but I also have blue fabric pencils and tailors chalk. Anything else I should be trying?
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May 18, 2014 07:36
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Both of those are pretty good ideas! I had some similar thoughts, but it was late at night and I don't have access to either of those things so I went with starch and tape. So far it works alright, but I'll probably try the spray glue tomorrow if I can get to the fabric store. Waiting for the starch to dry is a pain and I accidentally starched a couple pattern pieces, making them all wrinkly and weird.
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May 18, 2014 09:55
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sforzacio posted:Transfer the tissue pattern onto pattern or manilla paper, then weigh down the pattern with a bunch of stuff. Then you have a kind of hard/raised edge where you can painstakingly mark using light and gentle strokes around it. I thought about doing that just to keep a copy of the pattern that won't be damaged as easily, but some of the pieces are huuuge. The cutting layout uses the full 60" width, and something like 5 or 6 yards of fabric, not including lining. In other news, I messed up part of the lining and had to rip all the seams out. Turns out skipping ahead isn't a great idea when the instructions for one part are in two different places. There's a foundation lining with plastic boning in it, and I was confused because there were directions for sewing it but not inserting the boning, and all the pattern pieces said to cut doubles.. Turns out I misplaced the instructions where it says to take one set of lining pieces and interface them, then sew them up and add boning. The other set is the lining for that.. lining.
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May 19, 2014 04:43
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It looks like it could be easy to fix, but the zipper tape might be too shredded. Unless you can get better pics, or show it to someone in person it's hard to say whether or not it can be fixed easily.
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Nov 19, 2014 06:00
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I have a Brother 1034d, and I can say the box makes a very reliable footrest because oh god why did I buy this I don't need it and have never used it. One of these days, I swear..
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Feb 4, 2017 12:10
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there wolf posted:That's why you get a proper table that the sewing machine sets into. Then it just vibrates like crazy instead. I super lucked out several months ago and found a sewing desk in the garbage room at my apartment complex. It's a bit on the smaller side, but it's sturdy wood construction and fits perfectly in my tiny-rear end apartment. Still haven't managed to get the machine mounted in there, but just having dedicated drawers for storing thread and machine parts has been a huge blessing.
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Aug 30, 2017 01:11
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Lookin' good there! Depending on how hosed it is, you may be better off just making a whole new waistband instead of fiddling with the old one, assuming you have enough fabric left over. I would try making the new band one size smaller, then either gathering the excess material in the back or adding a few strategic darts to take up the excess. Just not both. I tried making a pair of capris once, and the pattern called for darts and gathers in order to attach the waistband properly and it was terrible. 
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Jun 4, 2018 23:22
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I wish my machine had one of those. I was adding trim to a couple of coats and the sleeves on one were way too tight to do everything on the machine.
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Jun 14, 2018 01:35
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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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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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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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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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It's kind of hard to tell from just that picture, but the lineart on the website looks like it has a little triangle piece on the back, right at the top of the legs. Is that a separate piece that needs to be attached first? Maybe try posting the part of the instructions relevant to this section and we can figure it out.
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May 22, 2019 10:03
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blastron posted:The triangle piece is a yoke that does go on before sewing up the side seams. It has a curve to it to give the back some volume. It doesn't reach as far as the side seams, though, and as far as I can tell wouldn't do anything to the length of the back. Welp, I got nothin'  You can try this: tinytort posted:At a guess: make sure the waistband is even on both pieces, and let the cuffs take care of themselves. You're going to be hemming those anyway, you can hide uneven edges there if you need to. (It's what I did with the dresses I made.) Or if you want to put in some extra effort, make a basting stitch up the side of the longer piece, gather the fabric slightly, and then sew it to the shorter piece. If you go with this option I'd suggest gathering the fabric between the waistband and the darts only, to avoid issues with fit between the darts and the cuff, or the darts themselves. There shouldn't be enough fabric there to make things look really weird as long as you spread the gathers out as evenly as possible. I did something similar earlier when I realized I cut the sleeve linings for my jacket unevenly.. although I guess on a lining things won't be noticeable if they look wonky.. Rotten Cookies posted:First time I've pulled out the sewing machine in a while, did a practical thing that isn't pretty to get back into things. This is dope. If you want to neaten up the collar with little effort or skill required, just stitch some bias tape over the raw edges. It'll make things look nice and neat, and you won't have to worry about the edges unraveling in the wash.. or the bird's beak..
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May 23, 2019 09:37
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blastron posted:I figured out my problem: I’m an idiot who doesn’t know what a “yoke” is. Getting that correctly attached gave me exactly the amount of length I needed. Haha, glad you figured it out! I thought it was weird that it went on top the pants leg like that, but I figured maybe there was something in the directions you knew about that I didn't! Rotten Cookies posted:You're all gonna laugh, but I completely forgot what bias tape was called. That does seem like an easy finish to the collar, thanks! Don't sweat it. I did so much sewing (and swearing) this week and couldn't remember anything. I managed to lose my good scissors at the start of my project, somehow, and even lost track of my backup scissors while they were in my hand.
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May 27, 2019 11:11
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The other day, Amazon suggested I need a coverstitch machine based on previous purchases (bought my 1034D online a few years back..) I don't know what I'd actually do with one, but dammit, I want it.
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Aug 29, 2019 22:05
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BonerGhost posted:My guess is that such cheap thread is probably wound badly, but I imagine if it's rough/inconsistent that'll screw up your tension too. It's probably this, but I'd imagine the fiber content could (possibly) have something to do with it too. Most of my threads are polyester or poly-cotton blend, but man let me tell you about the time I tried to load the machine up with quilter's cotton by mistake.. 
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Feb 19, 2020 15:56
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