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HelloIAmYourHeart posted:I finally finished my One Block Wonder quilt that I started in December. (note: that link includes a tool that lets you see what the blocks will look like before you make them, which is cheating yourself of half the fun.) That looks fantastic!
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# ? Aug 27, 2020 01:09 |
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# ? May 30, 2024 13:42 |
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Nice spirals! No, the quilting is big loopy spirals the diameter of each hexagon. I don't have a good picture of it unfortunately.
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# ? Aug 27, 2020 01:39 |
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HelloIAmYourHeart posted:No, the quilting is big loopy spirals the diameter of each hexagon. I don't have a good picture of it unfortunately. Oh the spiral quilting is visible in the photo you posted, and what I was commenting on! Some solid work there.
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# ? Aug 27, 2020 06:18 |
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HelloIAmYourHeart posted:I finally finished my One Block Wonder quilt that I started in December. (note: that link includes a tool that lets you see what the blocks will look like before you make them, which is cheating yourself of half the fun.) I came in on the byob spaceship and I’m so glad I did. I wanted to tell you this is beautiful. I’m a quilting hack so my quilts are “unique”, but I have fun. My favorite quilt was the byob group project we did a few years ago.
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# ? Aug 27, 2020 14:29 |
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FluffieDuckie posted:I came in on the byob spaceship and I’m so glad I did. I wanted to tell you this is beautiful. Well in the words of BYOB,
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# ? Aug 27, 2020 18:32 |
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DIY secret santa maybe? Edit: also welcome, fluffie
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# ? Aug 28, 2020 00:37 |
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there wolf posted:Well in the words of BYOB, Here’s the byob quilt thread. Users designed their own squares and I printed them on transfer paper. The final quilt was sent to our mod at the time, dct The thread is fun because everyone was involved and joking around and maybe accidentally learning something about quilting. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3704290
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# ? Aug 28, 2020 12:28 |
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FluffieDuckie posted:I came in on the byob spaceship and I’m so glad I did. I wanted to tell you this is beautiful. Thank you! Professional quilting makes any quilt look so much better, it's ridiculous. I'm also kind of a hack--my points don't match up, my seams are wobbly, the finished top is wavy as the hills of Iowa, but get someone to stretch it out on a long arm and it looks like a million bucks (and one block wonders are busy enough to hide a multitude of sins, lol). I only get my bed size quilts professionally quilted, though. The little ones I quilt myself are a little more "unique" as you say, although I like to think of them as "inspired by Gee's Bend". Mask and quilt scraps. I put it on my cat's bed. Yes, she has four poster. Violet Craft's "Atomic Starburst" which was my first experience with paper piecing (looks great! not easy!) Archipelago quilt made from a thrift store sheet that I dyed. And the one I just finished when I was figuring out the layout and the first one block wonder I made in 2016 on the bed.
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# ? Aug 29, 2020 02:43 |
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HelloIAmYourHeart posted:Thank you! Your cat is so cute and your quilts are amazing!! I made a little cutlery roll to throw in my work bag from fabric scraps. It has pockets for napkins and sanitizer wipes, which I find myself needing when I eat lunch in the odd places work brings me to. I kinda hate how thin the ribbon is and will probably add something beefier. I used it because it was a scrap too, making it an all-scrap project!
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# ? Aug 30, 2020 03:32 |
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Is there a recommended company for custom printed fabric? I tried looking in this thread and didn't find any discussion on it. I also googled it and there's several companies - some that do custom digital printing and charge by the yard and some that do screen printing for the cost of a screen + the fabric. If anyone has any experience with this and has suggested cost break points or companies that are easy to work with, I'd appreciate some input. I'd be looking for a calico and probably would want a 40 yard bolt for now. I could probably do with just black ink, but black+another color would be nice.
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# ? Sep 3, 2020 16:00 |
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Soooo, this might not be super relevant to you because I just used Spoonflower for a small single personal project, and not for a larger order. But I was unhappy with their print quality (washed out colors).
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# ? Sep 3, 2020 18:52 |
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cloudy posted:Soooo, this might not be super relevant to you because I just used Spoonflower for a small single personal project, and not for a larger order. But I was unhappy with their print quality (washed out colors). I've used Spoonflower once, and was pretty OK with it. But I was printing mock clay tablets, where brightness of colour wasn't what I was going for. I imagine it might also depend on the fabric. hollylolly posted:Speaking of Snulsmas, I was visited by Snarls this evening as he dropped off my gift! For the OP, if it's just screenprinting you want (ie one or two colours), a lot of your local printing houses should be able to do it, and you'd be supporting local industry.
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# ? Sep 3, 2020 21:18 |
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I've heard mediocre things about Spoonflower from one person IRL, so thanks for giving me more info on them. The tablets are definitely cool. I also tried calling the local printing shops, but nobody here does anything wider than 18". I guess I could look into setting up my own basement print shop...
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# ? Sep 3, 2020 21:57 |
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DIY secret santa signups are now open! https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3941260
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# ? Sep 22, 2020 19:55 |
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Hello DIYers! We have a new forum/mod feedback thread and would love to hear your thoughts! https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3944213 Get ready to read this message 15 more times in every thread you read! Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 14:09 on Oct 16, 2020 |
# ? Oct 16, 2020 01:36 |
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I just rebooted the Fix It Fast thread here and I'm looking for links to good beginner sewing resources. If y'all have links to things like that or want to make an effortpost on the topic of getting started with sewing I'd love to feature it with a link in the the OP!
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# ? Oct 18, 2020 06:12 |
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Tilly and the Buttons is largely focused on women's clothing sewing, but I've found her guides to be really clear and helpful!
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# ? Oct 18, 2020 06:41 |
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Bingo Bango posted:Tilly and the Buttons is largely focused on women's clothing sewing, but I've found her guides to be really clear and helpful! Added to the fix it fast OP and also bookmarked so maybe I'll finally use my sewing machine and ever-growing pile of fabric that I'm totally going to use someday I swear!
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# ? Oct 18, 2020 06:47 |
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Any recommendations for a basic beginner sewing machine? I just want to do things like hem pants, mend a backpack strap, maybe dart a shirt. It doesn't have to be super cheap, but I probably don't need anything fancy or with a lot of features.
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# ? Dec 5, 2020 06:05 |
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rockear posted:Any recommendations for a basic beginner sewing machine? I just want to do things like hem pants, mend a backpack strap, maybe dart a shirt. It doesn't have to be super cheap, but I probably don't need anything fancy or with a lot of features. If you're fine with just a straight stitch, then it's hard to beat an old iron one from the 50's/60's, like a vintage Singer. They're overbuilt to hell, easy to maintain, easy to find parts for, and the secondhand market is glutted with them so you can get one for like $50 bucks. Before you buy, you'll want to check that it actually sews, that it has a foot-petal and the wires and belt are in good condition. But new machines do have some serious improvements that might make them more worth your while. Namely the zig-zag stitch for stretchy materials, and removable arms to make sewing cuffs much, much easier. Don't want to do any research? Get anything from the midrange brands, Juki, Janomi, or Baby Lock. Willing to read a bunch of reviews and debate your options? Set your filters to $150 or more and look at Brother or Viking. Avoid new Singers.
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# ? Dec 5, 2020 08:18 |
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corgski posted:Added to the fix it fast OP and also bookmarked so maybe I'll finally use my sewing machine and ever-growing pile of fabric that I'm totally going to use someday I swear! Oh so you have a stash... How to make a fancy stash busting quilt for newbies. Easy: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/easy-half-square-triangle-units-for-quilts-2821466 Fast: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/easy-quarter-square-triangle-units-2821468 Fastest: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/magic-8-half-square-triangle-units-2821440 Using a magic system may not get you the super fancy quilts you see on the internet but some of those take years where as with this you start to see it come together by the end of the evening
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# ? Dec 5, 2020 08:48 |
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there wolf posted:If you're fine with just a straight stitch, then it's hard to beat an old iron one from the 50's/60's, like a vintage Singer. They're overbuilt to hell, easy to maintain, easy to find parts for, and the secondhand market is glutted with them so you can get one for like $50 bucks. Before you buy, you'll want to check that it actually sews, that it has a foot-petal and the wires and belt are in good condition. This is solid advice and could probably belong in the OP of that fix it fast thread.
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# ? Dec 5, 2020 12:42 |
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Actually since the question comes up a lot, I was thinking about trying to do a more comprehensive flow-chart version. Give me a day or so and I'll write it up.
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# ? Dec 5, 2020 17:54 |
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If you are in the U.K it’s a straight line to “whichever Singer Heavy Duty you can afford” Our sewing machines are eye wateringly expensive in comparison to American prices, we pay £200 for the base level $50 brother and it gets worse and worse the higher up you go, so you may as well get the £250 one with a metal head and 10 year guarantee even if it only has limited stitches.
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# ? Dec 5, 2020 18:52 |
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Thanks everyone. Very good information. I am tempted to go vintage, as I like mid-century stuff generally and I'm not bad at working on small mechanical things, but I know zero about how a sewing machine works so maybe I should go with something that's likely to work right off the bat. So it seems like these machines around $300 are pretty basic but decent? I'm not gonna lie I'm kind of drawn to the black Janome just because it's HEAVY DUTY and has an ALL METAL BODY but maybe that stuff isn't very important... Any opinions on these? https://www.amazon.com/Juki-HZL-LB5...customerReviews https://www.kenssewingcenter.com/janome-hd1000-be-heavy-duty-black-edition-sewing-machine-1.html https://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/bl-zeal.php
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# ? Dec 5, 2020 23:23 |
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learnincurve posted:Oh so you have a stash... Oh man half square triangles are my new thing. They can be a traditional layout or really clean and modern or super complex or anything in between, and you can find a million images on GIS. Currently I am interesting in using busy patterned fabric in limited color palettes, because it feels a lot like the One Block Wonders, which are my other favorite. 480 three inch half square triangles, randomly arranged. I dyed the fabric myself in buckets in the backyard. The blue/white is a bunch of different shibori (Japanese tie dye) techniques. This looks much more complicated than it is. It is absolutely a quilt that a beginner could make (I suggest making them larger than three inches for your first quilt, though), and I highly recommend it.
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# ? Dec 6, 2020 05:02 |
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rockear posted:Thanks everyone. Very good information. I think all those machines are good options but the black Janomi looks pretty sweet; stuff like the removable arm, needle threader, and other stitch patterns are nice perks that make it worth getting a modern machine. Heavy machines are long-lasting machines (its why there's so many cast-iron ones still being used) so a metal body is a good thing. I'm going to put some stuff about vintage machines in my big buying post which will shine a little more light on the issue.
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# ? Dec 6, 2020 07:05 |
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I love that quilt! I’ve been mostly doing the fast 8 but definitely going for HST next time after seeing that, last few I’ve done have been super fast bigger block bags and headboard protector and the like but this was the last mini quilt topper I made
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# ? Dec 6, 2020 10:38 |
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learnincurve posted:If you are in the U.K it’s a straight line to “whichever Singer Heavy Duty you can afford” Lol the one sewing machine I actually owned while living in the UK was one I got from my drug-dealer-housemate's nan, and it was super cheap. Drug dealer dude was actually super nice, and only dealt in pot. His nan liked to source and fix up used machines and then get them to people at basically no profit just for the love of sewing. HelloIAmYourHeart posted:Oh man half square triangles are my new thing. They can be a traditional layout or really clean and modern or super complex or anything in between, and you can find a million images on GIS. This owns. Shibori is a lot of fun, and this is an awesome use of it. learnincurve posted:headboard protector Oh. We're getting a bed with an actual wooden headboard in January. I think I may have another project for my list. (Somehow, while juggling a one-month-old).
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# ? Dec 6, 2020 11:31 |
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there wolf posted:I think all those machines are good options but the black Janomi looks pretty sweet; stuff like the removable arm, needle threader, and other stitch patterns are nice perks that make it worth getting a modern machine. Heavy machines are long-lasting machines (its why there's so many cast-iron ones still being used) so a metal body is a good thing. Thanks! The HD1000 was sold out by the time I went back to buy it so I went for the 3000 for a little more money.
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# ? Dec 6, 2020 17:31 |
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HelloIAmYourHeart posted:Oh man half square triangles are my new thing. They can be a traditional layout or really clean and modern or super complex or anything in between, and you can find a million images on GIS. This is so beautiful, I love it. How will you be quilting it?
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# ? Dec 6, 2020 22:37 |
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Not sure. I do want to quilt it myself instead of getting it done professionally this time. I really like the quilting in this instagram post https://www.instagram.com/p/CIJM6aznmr_/ but my corners don't match up so nicely. I might just do wobbly matchsticks (my specialty). Do any of y'all have any suggestions? The other quilters in my sewing class* tend to make either very simple quilts for grandkids or follow patterns pretty rigidly, so they aren't sure what to do with a random improv quilt. *my sewing class consists of about six women my mother's age, a guy in his 40s who makes really nice cosplay stuff (currently Homelander), and me who is either making some kind of art quilt or a skirt out of a 70s tablecloth or something. It's great.
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# ? Dec 7, 2020 00:19 |
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HelloIAmYourHeart posted:Not sure. I do want to quilt it myself instead of getting it done professionally this time. I really like the quilting in this instagram post https://www.instagram.com/p/CIJM6aznmr_/ but my corners don't match up so nicely. I might just do wobbly matchsticks (my specialty). Do you want to do the machine-hand combo like that, or just by hand/machine? Hand quilting, particularly big stitch like that, is very forgiving on wonkiness; it just tends to add to the homemade charm of it all. I think you could do that pattern even with slightly wonkier blocks. You really only need an even square for the diamonds, since that's where uneven sides are going to stand out, and you can just pick a few of the better squares for that and then do the maze pattern through the more uneven parts. But if you're really worried about it then you could modify it into more of a free-hand maze that relies on the piecing less. Something like this but with some diagonals In the total opposite direction, personally speaking, on a geometric quilt like this where there isn't a pattern in the piecing to really highlight, I favor curved quilting. So I'd probably do some kind of wave or cloud pattern. Something like these irregular circles would look good.
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# ? Dec 7, 2020 02:52 |
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So you want to buy a sewing machine- Domestic sewing machines are small appliances and are roughly equivalent in price to microwaves; you can spend a hundred bucks on one or ten thousand depending what brand and how many features it has. This is a guide to help you narrow down the choices and get the right machine for you. What do you want to do with it? Are you planning on making clothes, quilts, slipcovers, leathergoods, embroidery? There is a very wide range of features in sewing machines and which ones are vital or useless is going to depend on what you want to make. Like if you want to hem your pants yourself then an old Featherweight is fine, but if you want to make your own leotards then you'll need something with a zig-zag, or even a overlock stitch. A good way to research is to look to what the other people in your chosen field are using for their sewing to get an idea of what kind of machines and what features you're going to want. Crafters are typically an overwhelmingly helpful bunch, so if they don't already have all the info about their tools somewhere, you should ask them about it. What's your budget? Bad machines drive more people out of sewing than anything else, so how much you're willing and able to spend is very important. For a new machine, plan on spending upwords of $150 to not end up with a hunk of junk. If you don't want to put that much in, then you should look into the secondhand market. If you're not buying from a mechanic/store that's already refurbished the machine, then you'll probably need to add another $50-$100 on your mental pricetag to get the machine serviced. Like changing the oil in your car, this is something you can learn to do yourself if you're handy, but it's a lot easier on older, vintage machines. Do you want a vintage machine? Vintage machines can be roughly sorted into two categories: pre 60's cast-iron ones and everything else. Cast iron machines are still around and popular today because of their insane durability and excellent functionality. They can be powered by treadle, handcrank, or electric -both external pot motors and internal ones. Exempting some 60's models, they have only the single lockstitch which makes them not so great for sewing knits and other stretchy fabric, but they'll do pretty much anything else from heavy denim, to quilting, to leatherwork with ease. They're also fairly cheap, usually priced around $50-$100 if it's not a collectable. In particular I recommend this model- The Singer 201, it's Singer's best machine and one of the best sewing machines ever made, hands down. Not as pretty as it's predecessors, but it's the culmination of everything that came before it and it was 30 years before tech advances eclipsed its quality. Easy to use, easy to maintain, and wildly available. The downside to them and all iron machines is the weight. Even the portable models like the featherweights are a hassle to haul around compared to plastic machines, particularly when they don't have a case. As for the post iron-age machines, they're marked by two significant trends -the increasing use of less durable plastic parts and significant advances in technology culminating in the modern digital machines today. If you want the zig-zag stitch and some other clothing sewing niceties like a removable arm, but you don't want a digital machine, you might want to look at models from the 60's-80's instead. But be discerning, do some research on the machine, try to stick to established, higher-end brands like Bernina or Janomi, and lean towards proper refurbishers/vendors rather than randos on craigslist. In general when buying a used machine you need to check that it runs, that it has its pedal, that any chords or belts are in good condition, and that there's no weird bobbin situation. You will need the manual to know how to thread it properly at the very least and a lot of times those are available online if the machine doesn't come with one. Do I want to buy a new machine? New machines are largely plastic and computerized. They have an incredible amount of specialization as a result, and you can get very basic ones with a few per-programmed stitches or really fancy ones that let you program them to do all the sewing for you (mostly used for embroidery.) When buying a new machine, you pretty much want to stick to digital models. There are non-digital ones out there, but they are the lowest rung budget/starter machines and you'd be much better off with a quality vintage model. It's still best to tryout any machine before you buy, so going to a store or dealer is optimal, but if you're buying online just be thorough in checking reviews first. The easiest way to pair down your options is to just pick a brand. Is money no object? Pfaff and Bernina are the absolute best of the market. Don't have infinite money but willing to spend more to avoid extensive research ? Janomi, Juki, and Baby Lock are solid, mid-range brands. Want a good deal? Brother and Viking have decent budget models but you have to do your research to avoid the bad ones. Avoid new Singers. In general, a good sign of quality is the weight of the machine. Heavier= more metal parts = better. If anyone has any questions about this, or thinks I missed something then please comment. I wanted to have something to point to when we get machine questions since it comes up so often.
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# ? Dec 7, 2020 20:29 |
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there wolf posted:Do you want to do the machine-hand combo like that, or just by hand/machine? Hand quilting, particularly big stitch like that, is very forgiving on wonkiness; it just tends to add to the homemade charm of it all. This is very helpful input. I'm just going to machine quilt it, but I think I need to practice on some scraps first.
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# ? Dec 8, 2020 03:40 |
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there wolf posted:In the total opposite direction, personally speaking, on a geometric quilt like this where there isn't a pattern in the piecing to really highlight, I favor curved quilting. So I'd probably do some kind of wave or cloud pattern. Something like these irregular circles would look good. This one is so beautiful, do you know of there is a pattern somewhere for it? I've never quilted before but I am willing to learn just for this one. Is quilting easy to scale up in size, by cutting larger pieces? E. Actually wow, now that I looked at the photo in full size I can see how small some of those squares/triangles are. I might just try to draft a pattern that only uses triangles of the same size but keeps the gradient colors. MIDWIFE CRISIS fucked around with this message at 11:30 on Dec 9, 2020 |
# ? Dec 9, 2020 11:28 |
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Admiral Goodenough posted:This one is so beautiful, do you know of there is a pattern somewhere for it? I've never quilted before but I am willing to learn just for this one. Is quilting easy to scale up in size, by cutting larger pieces? Yeah, I'd highly recommend doing a much simpler pattern for your first quilt, ie much bigger triangles than that. Also, this post by learnincurve has some useful tips on making triangle blocks: learnincurve posted:Oh so you have a stash... You probably want to get yourself a roller cutter, ruler and cutting mat if you don't have those. Quilt piecing has to be very precise, and it's hard to get there using scissors.
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# ? Dec 9, 2020 12:13 |
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Good advive, thanks! Tools need to be aquired. I've always wanted to try a quilting project, my grandma does a lot of it and it always makes my fingers to try it myself. And I need to use my sewing machine more, in the past year or so I've only used it to make masks. Is there a word for when you see something cool and your brain goes "pretty, gotta try" even when it's way out of your league? Crafting hubris?
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# ? Dec 9, 2020 12:38 |
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Admiral Goodenough posted:Good advive, thanks! Tools need to be aquired. I've always wanted to try a quilting project, my grandma does a lot of it and it always makes my fingers to try it myself. And I need to use my sewing machine more, in the past year or so I've only used it to make masks. No worries! I'd recommend getting a beginner's quilting book and giving it a read through. There are a lot of steps to making a quilt, and little tips and tricks to all of them. Also I'd suggest making a smaller lap-sized or wall-hanging quilt for your first project, since it'll be a bit more tractable while you're learning.
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# ? Dec 9, 2020 14:16 |
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# ? May 30, 2024 13:42 |
Admiral Goodenough posted:Good advive, thanks! Tools need to be aquired. I've always wanted to try a quilting project, my grandma does a lot of it and it always makes my fingers to try it myself. And I need to use my sewing machine more, in the past year or so I've only used it to make masks. Curiosity. It’s why it kills so many cats. “Oh man you can stand on electric wires, bird? I have got to try that!” —electrokitty.
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# ? Dec 9, 2020 15:15 |