sewing | Recent Entries

Hi all,

I'm currently taking sewing lessons and making a coat (tailored, with horsehair interfacing and pad-stitching and all!). However, I'd like to read up a bit more on the subject. My teacher says all her learning is in her head, and I'd like to read about it.

So I'd like reference books! Specifically books on

Tailoring
Fit and how to see what's wrong with a garment and how to fix it
couture finishing techniques

What are your recommendations?

kendiefox

I think I know the steps in the process, but I want to run it by folks who have done this more recently than ~20 years ago.

How to sew a shirt:

*Buy the pattern
*Buy the appropriate amount of fabric for the pattern if it does not already exist in stash (it does not, i purchased muslin so that i am expecting this to be a trial run before i make one to actually wear)
*Cut out the paper pattern
*Cut out the fabric based on the paper pattern
*Sew the fabric together (rip out seams while swearing fit to strip wallpaper, resew the fabric together, repeat until either Done or completed)
*Sew the buttons on the shirt
*Wash the finished item

I mean, it sounds right? And I am moderately confident in my ability to heck this right up, but I think I can do this.

kendiefox

So I found some resources, and bought some stuff, and came out the other side with a hand-quilted cat mat, a couple of bear's paw quilt blocks, and a rag quilt. The quilt blocks mostly look the same, even!

I definitely still need to work on that 1/4" seam allowance, but I'm getting there. The new machine does make things go faster than hand sewing. We'll have to see how I feel about hand-quilting something larger than the cat mat. :P

Thanks again for the advice last time!

kendiefox

I've been searching around and I've found a couple of still-updating quilting blogs, but many more from ~2011 that just... vanished. I'm used to that sort of thing, I've been online since ~1997, I understand folks move platforms, but I'm not sure where everyone went to.

Where did sewing and/or quilting move? Craftsy? It seems unwieldy, but I'm used to ravelry and new things are weird. And I really, really do not understand Pinterest. (It comes across like craft tumblr, honestly.)

Since this is a cry for help, the specifics: I've started quilting and would like online resources. Preferably ones updated within the last 5 years? But I'll take what I can get. And if there are relevant blogs to follow or some way of wrangling social media, that would be super rad.

As always, if this isn't cool here, I will happily remove or change the post.

rydra_wong

In case anyone feels like combining their sewing and their activisting -- a crafter friend who knows that I find hand-sewing soothing sent me links to some of the amazing suffragette banners as inspiration, and now I'm plotting:

https://www.vads.ac.uk/collections/FSB.html
https://www.vads.ac.uk/results.php?cmd=advsearch&words=women%B4s+library+suffrage+banners+collection&field=all&oper=or&words2=&field2=all&mode=boolean&submit=search&FSB=1

(Another friend has advised that reverse applique may be best for lettering.)

anotherheather

Pay $10 to $12 per pair of Babylegs? No thanks.

Raid the Target novelty sock bin at $2 a pair and make your own? Yes, please!

These get heavy use in our house since Baby Human is in cloth diapers most of his waking hours. Now I don't cringe when they get stained or accidentally thrown in the dryer.

I cut and sewed all of these in a little under an hour:

( Pictures )

(x-posted to my journal)

untonuggan

Question.

My sewing machine is ancient and needs maintenance and I know this.

My father is embarking on an Ambitious Sewing Project, which fortunately my sister is mentoring him on because she has way more sewing experience than I do. (It involves making backpacking supplies himself. Just don't ask and roll with this one because he is doing it no matter what anyone says.)

He is looking for a sewing machine to do the project, but will probably not be doing much sewing after that. So, used would be good, or inexpensive but not one that is a pain in the ass to use.

Things the machine needs to do:

Sew a straight stitch (both forwards and in reverse)
Sew a zigzag stitch
Sew thin slippery nylon fabric without flipping out and puckering, etc.

Also he is having a bit of a, "What brand? Where do I buy this machine?" Kind of moment. Being that I am the kind of person who is on a budget, I mentioned Costco having sales on sewing machines around the holidays. He was not sure if their machines would be of the best quality/be able to meet his needs.

Help? I am not sure there is One Right Answer, but any advice on brands/prices/locations to buy machines would be greatly appreciated.

delladea

(I didn't see any rules against this sort of post, but if this isn't allowed please let me know, or just delete.)

I am in the midst of trying to sell a LOT of vintage sewing patterns. Etsy has not been that great for me, so I am closing my Etsy shop. Enter coupon code MOVING for 25% off your entire order - CraftOverflowShop

I also have a shop on Zibbet I am still setting up, not much there yet - CraftOverflow

I have at least three hundred patterns still in boxes from the 40's onward though most of them are from the 50's - 70's. Many of them are uncut and mostly misses', juniors', and kids' sizes. If you're looking for something specific, let me know and I'll see what I have!

Thanks for looking! :)

Current Mood: busy

miss_s_b

Has anyone else been watching it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0165nj8

I'm all sad now it's finished :(

Current Mood: sad

eldritch_panda

Hey Everyone!

I was curious if anyone might have a tutorial or two they'd like to share concerning altering tshirts. I seem to have a bunch of tshirts from events and cons, and a lot of times I want to buy tshirts from my favorite places. Yet I'd really rather have something a bit more stylish. So I want to try and combine the two. I'm looking for basic tutorials, like how to alter the crew neckline to be more open (especially when it's reinforced like a lot of mens' shirts), and more fashion-oriented ones like how to dress it up (or trash it up).

I'm planning on spending some time googling as well (I've already found this tutorial). I just thought folks might have some favorites. Or maybe there is a great DIY site out there I'm missing out on.

Current Mood: tired

untonuggan

Hello, fine sewing folks! I am interested in doing some free machine sewing/embroidery/quilting what have you. It seems fun! I am, however, at a loss for how to lower the feed dogs on my machine. All I know is that the manual troubleshooting guide says that if the fabric isn't moving, it's because the feed dogs are lowered...but it doesn't say how to do this on purpose. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to figure this out for a Brother LS-1217 machine (don't laugh, I've had it for a couple decades!) or at least where I might be able to find such information. Thanks so much!

sewcute

What are you working on right now? (Post as a new entry with pictures!!)

rydra_wong

untonuggan's friend is a rec therapist at a Children's Rehab Hospital in Washington, DC, and is in particular need of brown (rather than white) Medical Play Dolls:

Basically, a medical play doll is a basic doll form with no face or hair or clothes or decoration or anything. [...] Her hospital needs more dolls in various shades of brown for therapy where the child decorates the doll to look like themselves (which is why you wouldn't decorate it), and then whenever the child needs to have a procedure done the Rec Therapist and the child act out the procedure on the doll first so the kid knows what to expect.

This can be knitted, crocheted or sewn.

Full details at lizcommotion's journal here.

untonuggan

I managed to find a space for the sewing machine amidst the great carpet-replacement-in-the-office-and-craft-room-project to whip up this Log Cabin Pincushion from Modern Log Cabin Quilting (note: link goes to the blog, which also links to the book itself).

I think if I did it again I would have a greater variety between light and dark fabric, but I really wanted to play off the "two varieties of the same fabric" theme. And now at last I have a pincushion that is larger than 1" square, thank goodness.
( 1 photo behind the cut )
I'm really a fan of the book, though, so I'm going to try out some more of the projects as soon as I have room again.

boundbooks

hp_fanworks is seeking Harry Potter crafters and crafts!

hp_fanworks is a place to post and share your Harry Potter-related creations. All pairings and gen are welcome, and we'd really love to see more crafts and crafters!

We accept art, fiction, graphics, icons, fanmixes, crafts, vids, podfic and more. If you made it and it's Harry Potter-related, feel free to post it!

Thanks to sewcute for letting us do promo on this community! :)

untonuggan

I finally got my sewing space set up...and then we had to move before I got a chance to sew anything. We are in the new place now (finally), but my crafting table is being used as an impromptu computer table. Today I just had such an urge to sew (after years of not doing much more than hemming pants) that I commandeered another table and set up the ironing board in the middle of the room.

I've been itching to try crazy quilting for ages. So I did:

12" x 12" crazy quilt block in purples, pinks, blues, and teals, mainly batiks I had in my stash:

( 2 photos below the cut )

I'm not sure what I want to do with it, though. I had planned to turn it into a throw pillow, but it doesn't really match the other rooms in my house and it's so distinctly "me in high school when I was buying lots of fabric" that I'm not sure who else would have a space for it in their house. But as a lap blanket, I bet I could find a spot for it...hmm...I do have lots of that fabric to use up...

There are still a few places I want to do some embellishments, mainly so I can secure a few angled edges that didn't get sewn down (the edges are just ironed under and pinned down). So I think I might play with that some and then see how I feel.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

cross-posted to my journal

miss_s_b

... is a dress I made for Miss Holly to wear to her birthday party on Sunday. I knocked it up in three hours, from sketching it on paper to letting her try it on, and... I'm pretty bloody pleased with it if I'm honest. It's not perfect, and if I was doing it again there's a couple of things I'd change, but I'm happy with the overall design and shape, and most important of all, Holly LOVES it. She's described it as "epic", which is the best compliment you can get from a nearly-9-year-old....

( hastily snapped on phone in dark room pics below the cut )

((X-posted personal journal and

sewing))

Current Mood: pleased

miss_s_b

I have sadface, because today was the last day of my sewing class. I am going to miss all the girls, and I'm going to miss Angela (the tutor) too. At the beginning of the course, I had never used a sewing machine before, although I was pretty good at hand sewing. At the end of the class, I have made several items (I am wearing the pyjamas now!) and I have learned:

Threading, basic functions, etc, on four different machines.
changing stitch style/length/width on each of those machines
changing needles too
Using sewing patterns and how to translate the hieroglyphics on them
basic alterations to sewing patterns
Using interfacings of various types
finishing raw edges in five different ways
four different types of seam
three different types of hem
seam/hem allowances and why they are how they are and how to use them
stay-stiching, topstitching, and various other useful techniques and when to use them
V-necks, elasticated waist, cap sleeves, drop shoulders
applique (my pyjama top has applique dalek and tardis on)
various things about fitting
how to make bias binding
gathers, tucks & pleats

I learned all of these things hands on making real Things, and they've all turned out great, and I really loved the course, and I am totally signing up for the "advanced" course with the same tutor which starts in september. I may post proud pictures of the projects later, when I have taken them...

I figure there's not much chance of any of you living near me, but if you do, I totally recommend Angela's courses. She's a very fair and patient tutor (and you need to be to deal with me) who never stops smiling and offering useful advice. You can sign up for the next ones from half way through June, on the local council's website.

Current Mood: creative

miss_s_b

So, having taken into account what you guys all said, and had a play on a couple of machines in a couple of places, and read LOTS of reviews on patternreview.com (MAN that site is busy!) I have placed an order for...

A secondhand Huqvarna Lily 555. Which comes with lots of accessories and stuff that the original owner bought, on top of all the accessories it came with originally, and a manual, and a two year parts and labour warranty.

It's being dispatched on Monday (I spoke to the dealer this morning). It might arrive Monday afternoon, or it might be Tuesday morning.

I am very very excited LOL.

Current Mood: bouncy

miss_s_b

Did You Make That reports that the BBC are going to be making a sewing competition programme. Sadly this is slightly too early in my skill attainment cycle for me to even consider, but maybe some of you guys would be eligible and fancy it?

This is what their press release says:

Are you serious about sewing?

Is your home full of your own creations?

Do people admire your handmade clothes?

We’re looking for men and women who love sewing to take part in a brand new TV series.

From skirts to shirts, blinds to bags; if you’re at home behind a sewing machine and a dab hand with a needle and thread, we’d love to hear from you.

To find out more contact us now:
020 7067 4822 / sewing@loveproductions.co.uk

For an application form go here.

There are a couple of stipulations.

You must be a UK resident.
You must be available for filming in July.

It'd be awesome if somebody from this community got on there!

((X-posted personl DW and

sewing))

Current Mood: cheerful

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Page Summary

jamethiel - Reference books to improve my skills!
kendiefox - Is there a crowd to source?
kendiefox - Update to previous cry for help
kendiefox - Where did everyone go?
rydra_wong - This sewing machine kills fascists
anotherheather - Mini Project: Baby Leg Warmers
untonuggan - Sewing machine question
delladea - A bit of shameless advertising...
miss_s_b - Great British Sewing Bee
eldritch_panda - Altering Tshirts
untonuggan - Help lowering feed dogs on a Brother LS 1217 sewing machine
sewcute - Current
rydra_wong - Looking for a sewing project for a good cause?
untonuggan - Quick project
boundbooks - Harry Potter Crafts Welcome at hp_fanworks!
untonuggan - First time back to sewing/quilting
miss_s_b - My First Garment for Another Person
miss_s_b - What I Learnt at my Sewing Class, By Jennie Rigg Aged 34 1/2
miss_s_b - Machine Update
miss_s_b - Hello, it's me again. Anyone fancy being on telly?

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