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boscokitty, that quilt top is amazing! I haven't got anywhere near enough patience for that kind of thing - I can barely stand to hand stitch a hem before I get bored... [url=http://www.fehrtrade.com/gallery/90/mutton-dressed-up-glam[/url]I made two quick and easy tops over the weekend, and photographed them coincidentally as my work outfits for the past two days[/url]. I wore the purple and grey one yesterday, and I'm wearing the brown top and my red cords today. Oh, and boscokitty, at the bottom of that page you can see my Bosco kitty, since he was getting in the way of the photoshoot. He's a big black furball.
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# ? Feb 19, 2008 18:00 |
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# ? Apr 28, 2024 03:54 |
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epilepticbicycle posted:Aw my first hoodies (I've been meaning to make some for quite a while, looking through all of your awesome stuff finally made me do it!): I need that second one! OH MY GOD! If you have any fabric left over please send me a pm/email or something!!
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# ? Feb 21, 2008 18:26 |
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Is it worth it to get a subscription to that magazine? I picked up an issue a couple months ago and loved some of their stuff but I wasn't sure. I'm still mostly a beginning quilter though I like to pretend I'm a bit better than I am. I'm so lazy, I'm STILL cutting pieces from some scraps that I inherited so I can put together a Flying Geese variation. I really want to get into applique more but am nervous.
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# ? Feb 22, 2008 00:55 |
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Ozma posted:Is it worth it to get a subscription to that magazine? I picked up an issue a couple months ago and loved some of their stuff but I wasn't sure. I'm still mostly a beginning quilter though I like to pretend I'm a bit better than I am. I just subscribed, so I would say yes. My mom had a couple of back issues, and I bought this one myself - it's laid out nicely and they're really good about giving you instructions/measurements for bigger or smaller sizes. Also, they tend to show you at least one color alternative (besides the featured picture) for each quilt pattern in the magazine, and it seemed to have less "frou-frou" quilts than the other quilt magazines I bought. I am super nervous about applique, although I don't know why as I suspect my needlework background will be a help with that. I guess I'll tackle that down the line. The bug has really bit me on this one.
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# ? Feb 22, 2008 01:08 |
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I noticed the color alternative and really liked that. Lots of times I dismiss quilt patterns solely because I just can't picture how it would look with different types of fabrics.
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# ? Feb 22, 2008 03:53 |
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I get that one and I really like it. The color options are a big part of it, and I just really like a lot of the designs.
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# ? Feb 22, 2008 04:04 |
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I will have that second quilt top finished tonight, and I'm already planning the next one. Help.
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# ? Feb 22, 2008 16:18 |
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boscokitty posted:I will have that second quilt top finished tonight, and I'm already planning the next one. Help. Come over to my house and start working on ones for me! I've been really bad- I told my sister her birthday present will have to wait until March when she visits not because it isn't done but because I can't ship it to where she lives. But I lied: it's a quilt and it isn't done. I have one that's just being quilted now but it's a very strange size so I'm tempted to just finish that and give it to my brother and just start a new one for her. I overextended myself too, I wanted to do one for her that had lots of embroidered blocks. Durr.
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# ? Feb 22, 2008 20:16 |
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boscokitty posted:I will have that second quilt top finished tonight, and I'm already planning the next one. Help. It's too late for you. I have six planned quilt tops in various stages of completion, at least five scrap tops I add to whenever I have scraps because I've decided to go zero waste, and cloth for at least four more, but I can't stop watching the shops for sales. It's an illness. In fact, the mailman just brought me a nice bundle of fat quarters, a Flirtations charm pack, and some other goodies. Fortunately my husband and I have a discretionary allowance system where we get to spend our own money on anything we want with no complaints from the other, so that keeps me in check a bit. Sort of.
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# ? Feb 22, 2008 21:46 |
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guaranteed posted:It's too late for you. I have six planned quilt tops in various stages of completion, at least five scrap tops I add to whenever I have scraps because I've decided to go zero waste, and cloth for at least four more, but I can't stop watching the shops for sales. It's an illness. In fact, the mailman just brought me a nice bundle of fat quarters, a Flirtations charm pack, and some other goodies. Fortunately my husband and I have a discretionary allowance system where we get to spend our own money on anything we want with no complaints from the other, so that keeps me in check a bit. Sort of. We have about the same system you described, so no complaints from him so far, of course I've only made two... Hopefully I won't become a fabric-holic. (would be so easy what with the shop, I'd better watch out.)
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# ? Feb 23, 2008 01:41 |
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I have a couple of band tshirts that I want to remake into more feminine tops. However I'm having problems with the neckline. I want to make it square rather then round, but I have no idea how to cut and sow the fabric (in the corners). Does anybody have any pointers? Xinica fucked around with this message at 20:32 on Feb 23, 2008 |
# ? Feb 23, 2008 19:53 |
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^^You could just sort of notch them at the corners so you can fold them down. Putting a little facing in it might look neater though. If any of you folks would be entertained by following along as I make riduculous, unwearable crap, I just started a blog for all to watch. Science experiments are currently on-going as I attempt to make a dress and crystallize it into rock candy. Having Horns- http://havinghorns.blogspot.com
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# ? Feb 24, 2008 06:37 |
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I watched Ghostbusters with my kid for the first time today, and he loved it so much wouldn't go to bed without a Ghostbusters shirt on. I had a few left over pages of iron on transfers, so I let him print up some pictures he wanted (I let him use the iron AFTER it was cool to "finish up").
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# ? Feb 24, 2008 08:50 |
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Goldaline posted:Putting a little facing in it might look neater though. What does this mean? I'm not that fluent in english. Thanks for helping me out
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# ? Feb 24, 2008 19:55 |
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I have a really old (the person who gave it to me told me it could be 50 years) Kenmore sewing machine. I have no idea how to work a sewing machine, but I would really like to use this one. What is the procedure to adjust the tension of the top and bottom of the seam? Right now the upper portion ties the thread fairly loosely, and the lower portion is so tight I can't sew anything but pieces of paper. I know this post is useless without pictures, but I don't currently have a working camera. If there is not a general rule of thumb for this thing I suppose I will just have to wait until I can photograph it properly. Corla Plankun fucked around with this message at 08:42 on Feb 25, 2008 |
# ? Feb 25, 2008 08:16 |
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Okay, all, I have a question. I'm venturing into the dangerous, potentially aggravating territory of working with silk. After reading the first post in this thread reminding me that crappy fabric will result in a cheap-looking garment, I went to my local higher-end fabric store, which happened to be having a sale on silks. I've been sewing for years (worked through a few years of high school and university at a fabric store), but I'm not ambitious enough to be awesome at it, and I know that. But, generally, I find if I stick to relatively easy patterns I'm good. My first silk project will be Vogue 8392:http://www.voguepatterns.com/item/V8392.htm?tab=very_easy_vogue_sportswear&page=2 The middle view, of course. Who on earth would wear the other two views? Anyway, I've made it once already out of a cotton blend I picked up at an estate sale years ago, and it turned out really nicely and was very easy. So, the pattern is easy and I've done a dry run that went well. Also, it's dupioni silk, so much more manageable, as far as I can tell. If that goes well, I have another project in mind, and that's where it gets a bit scarier. I have some beautiful charmeuse with butterflies all over it. After looking at what feels like every pattern available, I settled on one I had back from when I worked at the fabric store, so mid-1990s. But it's very simple, no collars, no gathers, no zippers or buttons. It's not tailored, either. So that's a good start, I guess. I read up on sewing with silk - so, French seams, size 9 sharp needle, silk pins, check, check, check. Another trick someone taught me about sewing with slippery materials is to lay a strip of toilet paper on top of your fabric layers and sew through that to stabilize things. But, I have a question that Google hasn't been able to help me with: What about bias tape? This top has no facings; the neck edge is supposed to be finished with bias tape. I wouldn't think your standard broadcloth bias would work so well with silk charmeuse. But there doesn't seem to be a source out there for silk bias tape. Please tell me I don't have to make my own. What do I use?
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# ? Feb 25, 2008 15:24 |
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Corla Plankun posted:I have a really old (the person who gave it to me told me it could be 50 years) Kenmore sewing machine. I have no idea how to work a sewing machine, but I would really like to use this one. What is the procedure to adjust the tension of the top and bottom of the seam? Right now the upper portion ties the thread fairly loosely, and the lower portion is so tight I can't sew anything but pieces of paper. Also, if your machine looks similar, this might help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es24cH-uRQU That same user has lots of videos with that same machine.
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# ? Feb 25, 2008 18:46 |
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Corla, Is it still doing that after you mess with some of the tension knobs on the right side? I had a very old Kenmore machine as well and I had to just tinker with the knobs until I got it right--- and the diagrams on the side/top pertaining to the stitch really didn't match up anymore. I think what it really needed was a tune-up, which might be worth considering. It was a workhorse and I loved it but the stitches were NEVER perfect. It makes my like my brand-new Singer a little more.
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# ? Feb 25, 2008 21:40 |
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boscokitty posted:If no one comes up with an answer, you might look to see if your model is listed on this page: http://www.sewusa.com/Sewing_Machine_Manuals/kenmore_Sewing_Machines_158.htm isn't a bad amount to spend to make sure the thing's working right. (I just spent $15 on a manual from the Singer site for my grandfather who mysteriously wants to learn how to sew at age 87 and wants to use the machine my grandmother bought in 1950.) I've tried really hard to find a model number on the machine somewhere, but I can't seem to find one. The only identification at all is a really long string of letters and numbers on a metal "Sears and Roebuck" plate inside the cabinet. On the plus side, though, the youtubes you linked are perfect! My machine is not exactly the same, but it looks extremely similar. I think this is all I need to fix it! I'm going to give it a try later on. I haven't messed with any knobs at all before now. I was raised in a house with a sewing machine that I was ABSOLUTELY NOT permitted to touch, so I think I have a little built-in phobia of messing up sewing machines by fiddling too much. Update: I cannot get it threaded to save my life. I am hoping it's because the thread I have is too thick, because I don't think it is humanly possible to put so much thread through such a tiny, tiny needle. I'll have to go to Michaels and get some more. Corla Plankun fucked around with this message at 22:48 on Feb 25, 2008 |
# ? Feb 25, 2008 22:14 |
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Yeah, I know the feeling about messing with knobs. I learned to sew in home ec where we were told that we would break the machine if we dared to touch the tension knob on our own. I was nervous about messing with it it on mine! Now of course I tinker with it all the time.
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# ? Feb 26, 2008 04:42 |
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Should I be paying attention to the voltage or ampage rating of motors on sewing machines? I want to do heavy (14 oz) denim, would 110v, 1.5 amps do the trick? I have a 1 amp and it really just isn't enough. Also, how much will using denim specific needles help?
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# ? Feb 27, 2008 22:45 |
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RichBomb posted:
Denim should be totally doable, get the right needle. The one you have now might have a broken tip, which would prevent it from going through.
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# ? Feb 28, 2008 04:10 |
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Buddleia posted:My first silk project will be Vogue 8392:http://www.voguepatterns.com/item/V8392.htm?tab=very_easy_vogue_sportswear&page=2 Dupioni ("raw silk") is really easy to work with. The edges fray a bit more, but otherwise it's not terribly different from working with plain cotton - it presses well, isn't slippery, and generally handles well. Just don't expect it to drape! You don't have to do all the special silk things with it, but if you want to use it as practice for the charmeuse, go right ahead. quote:If that goes well, I have another project in mind, and that's where it gets a bit scarier. I have some beautiful charmeuse with butterflies all over it. After looking at what feels like every pattern available, I settled on one I had back from when I worked at the fabric store, so mid-1990s. But it's very simple, no collars, no gathers, no zippers or buttons. It's not tailored, either. So that's a good start, I guess. quote:What about bias tape? This top has no facings; the neck edge is supposed to be finished with bias tape. I wouldn't think your standard broadcloth bias would work so well with silk charmeuse. But there doesn't seem to be a source out there for silk bias tape. Please tell me I don't have to make my own. What do I use? But it hasn't turned me off it, not at all. I just bought some GORGEOUS printed charmeuse when I was on holiday, even better as it was 10 euros a metre (marked down from 42!) and I got the very last of it, which was exactly as much as I needed for a blouse I had in mind. Edit: well-timed, SewStylish just posted a bunch of tips for sewing with silk and I learned a few in there, too! squirrellypoo fucked around with this message at 14:01 on Feb 28, 2008 |
# ? Feb 28, 2008 11:58 |
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squirrellypoo posted:Dupioni ("raw silk") is really easy to work with. The edges fray a bit more, but otherwise it's not terribly different from working with plain cotton - it presses well, isn't slippery, and generally handles well. Just don't expect it to drape! You don't have to do all the special silk things with it, but if you want to use it as practice for the charmeuse, go right ahead. I also plan to pre-wash the dupioni. I've heard lots of people say they launder dupioni silk, but it does shrink quite a bit (I washed a swatch). Obviously, laundering charmeuse is a no-no. squirrellypoo posted:Instead of silk pins, you might be better off using weights and a rotary cutter because that stuff just loves to slide everywhere as you're trying to cut it out. squirrellypoo posted:But you really need to conceal every raw edge in charmeuse or it'll fray EVERYWHERE, as I learned the hard way! But don't buy the premade stuff, that'd just be gross, especially on such an otherwise nice top. Thanks for all the helpful advice!
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# ? Feb 28, 2008 15:46 |
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Hey everyone. Thought I'd pop in and share my two newbie dresses. When I started, I figured, "If you're gonna sew, might as well skip the little steps and just jump right in." My theory was that if clothes can be manufatured in sweatshops with an uneducated, tired and impovished workforce, then a middleclass gal like me can do it too, eh? (My logic may be a little flawed, but it was what I thought at the time) So, I made my prom dresses for both years I went to the high school prom. My sewing experience beforehand was next to nothing. (I had reconstructed a pleated shirt by carefull pinning everything together and then chopping off the waistline.) I figured this would be a good thing to start with, because I'd save a shitload of money, (Each dress cost ~$120) and it would only have to be worn once so the craftmanship didn't have to be top-quality. Anyway, I wanted to do something different, so I decided that my boyfriend and I would go for a Gypsy-pirate theme. I chose that pattern because it wasn't fitted - a very loose shirt, a corset made of little panels (adjusted by laces) and an elastic-waisted skirt. There's a hell of a lot of stuff wrong with it, but it held up for the night and it was dark, so no one noticed the shoddy hems and the interfacing poking out of the corset. :P Excuse the low quality pics - I had to shrink them a lot to get 'em to fit. And the other one was alright. It fit a bit weird, because it was, well, fitted and I wasn't used to making fitted dresses. We were going to do a cowboy/indian thing, but his stuff wasn't ready in time. Anyway, it went pretty well. I shortened the dress (it was originally floor-length). The neck was hard because I didn't understand what the pattern was trying to tell me, so it was really messy. But no one noticed. ... I write too much. Anyway, right now I'm not doing anything until I get a serger, so I can properly finish my stuff and have it not fall apart in the wash.
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# ? Feb 28, 2008 18:00 |
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Pile of Kittens posted:Denim should be totally doable, get the right needle. The one you have now might have a broken tip, which would prevent it from going through. Definitely get the right needle. I think lots of people don't realize that they should change needles more often, too. I sewed with the same needle for ages and never realized that some of the problems my machine had were just because the needle was getting really dull! Lots of the quilting books I have mention that you should have a new needle for each new project. Now, since most quilting projects are massive that isn't the same as saying get a new needle for each purse or outfit you make, but it speaks a bit as to how often you should be getting new ones. I swap out fairly frequently.
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# ? Feb 28, 2008 21:00 |
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My favorite pair of skinny just are too baggy in the crotch and thighs. I have sewed up plenty of jeans in the legs, but I want to get the right fit in the thighs and crotch. How should I go about doing this?
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# ? Feb 28, 2008 23:58 |
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Newbie quilter here, and my first finished black and white quilt top: It's actually upside down in this pic I just noticed, but never mind. Still to go is a red border, followed by black border and binding. Woot! I have to say, I'm addicted. I have three in cutting phase as we speak. Actually I think I just love having justification for buying all these gorgeous fabrics I keep seeing!
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# ? Mar 2, 2008 11:17 |
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meche posted:I have to say, I'm addicted. I have three in cutting phase as we speak. Actually I think I just love having justification for buying all these gorgeous fabrics I keep seeing! I took another class last week and made a table runner in red, white, and blue. Don't know what I'm going to do with a table runner of all things, give it to my grandmother maybe, but it was a quick small fast project and I learned how to bind something and had a side lesson in machine maintenance. It looks like this except I made all the stars look like the one on the left, the others are too crooked for my taste. Anyway, I typed too much, but what I'm getting at is a) your quilt looks great and b) help me I'm becoming addicted.
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# ? Mar 2, 2008 14:07 |
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leisure no capi posted:My favorite pair of skinny just are too baggy in the crotch and thighs. I have sewed up plenty of jeans in the legs, but I want to get the right fit in the thighs and crotch. Man, I've been puzzling on this for a while. I've taken pants in at the waist before and I almost always have to tinker with the legs a little to get it right but I've never had to fix the crotch. I'm sorry! So I made my cat this bed a little while ago: I didn't really try very hard because I'm tired of making that drat bitch stuff that she doesn't appreciate for more than a day. Anyway, she ended up kind of liking the fact that you can go up inside it and hide or just lay on top. So when I got an Amy Butler book with a pattern for a kitty tunnel, I thought why not- she has a little "kitty tent" with stand-up tunnels but not one that's fabric and lays a little more flat. And I definitely thought the one in the Butler book couldn't possibly hold itself up in a true tunnel shape. I swapped out the fake fur in the book for fleece and, to compensate, I DID get some extra heavy duty iron-on stabilizer for the top layer. But to no avail. It looks kind of cute and it's definitely cozy inside but it's just too long, I think. The cat likes her bed because it's more shallow so she has an idea of where it is but with this she goes in a little and gets scared. So I either chop it in half or I just get some wire to put in a couple strategic places. Oh well, no big deal- I think it was like half an hour to sew! It's also one of those things where you don't even really need a pattern and feel foolish for using it but like the last Amy Butler pattern I used, I had a "duh" moment about a part that should have seemed easy. I had never thought of making a drawstring sleeve in the way that she described, which is humiliating. I guess you can't see the drawstring in the back in my pictures though. Oops.
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# ? Mar 2, 2008 20:53 |
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boscokitty posted:Anyway, I typed too much, but what I'm getting at is a) your quilt looks great and b) help me I'm becoming addicted. Thanks! I went with the black and white so I didn't have to worry about colour for my first one, but ended up really glad I did. How did you find the classes? I'm debating signing up for some myself, I just kind of did what I thought was right to make this one, but I think I need some help with the binding etc.
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# ? Mar 2, 2008 22:56 |
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meche posted:Thanks! I went with the black and white so I didn't have to worry about colour for my first one, but ended up really glad I did. That black and white was a great choice, as I said, it looks really sharp, a nice bold look. I have a little bit of some similar fabric that my mom had left over from a project, and I think I'm going to make a tote out of it. Don't know how that'll go, but I did find an easy-looking pattern, so we'll see. Post a picture when you get the border on!
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# ? Mar 3, 2008 04:18 |
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Goldaline, your poo poo rocks, I like the tunnel dress. I have a question about embroidery.. how hard is it to transfer a really random asymmetrical image into an embroidered one on a sweater? Are there online tutorials to learning embroidery?
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# ? Mar 3, 2008 08:39 |
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Just got my denim needles, size 18. My machine is still arthritic and buzzy but it went through 6 layers of 11oz with a little help.
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# ? Mar 3, 2008 22:32 |
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Ozma posted:Man, I've been puzzling on this for a while. I've taken pants in at the waist before and I almost always have to tinker with the legs a little to get it right but I've never had to fix the crotch. I'm sorry! Ya the waist is perfect on these pants, and so are the legs.. but the thighs and the crotch there is just so much baggage, oh well leisure no capi fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Mar 3, 2008 |
# ? Mar 3, 2008 23:05 |
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Not an Anthem posted:Goldaline, your poo poo rocks, I like the tunnel dress. Ha, thank ya! I actually set it up at the Philly Flower Show this morning. And for embroidery, I've always found tracing paper is amazing. Trace your pattern, tape the tracing paper to the fabric, and stitch through both it and the fabric. Then tear away the tracing paper. Woo.
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# ? Mar 4, 2008 05:38 |
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I never even thought of that! Great idea.
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# ? Mar 5, 2008 03:28 |
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barraGOUDA posted:
In fact, I've pretty much just made hats so far in my adult life...But on the bright side I kind of just improvised these and they almost turned out OK. nothingmore fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Mar 6, 2008 |
# ? Mar 6, 2008 03:32 |
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I hacked two Ikea pillowcases into four placemats (with cutlery pockets) and coasters last weekend. I've been meaning to do it for ages but hadn't quite gotten around to it. Otherwise, I'm currently midway through making BurdaStyle's JJ blouse, but the instructions for it are so loving bad, I'm willing to bet money that they were never proofread before being uploaded. Simple stuff, like saying to sew Ruffle II like this and then do Ruffle II in the same way. Or saying "left side" when you meant to say "wrong side" because you've confused right/left with right/wrong. It's so bad I actually got out a pencil and started correcting it, teacher-style until I got fed up and just threw them aside. It's weird, I've done a bunch of their patterns before and found the directions to be quite good, so I don't know what happened on this one...
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# ? Mar 7, 2008 12:20 |
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# ? Apr 28, 2024 03:54 |
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English as a second language, I'm guessing. Sometimes I just hit the little hiccup and man...does it ever...sometimes it's charming...and sometimes it just sends it all right to hell. Especially the right/left thing. It just smacks of babelfish / dictionary, to me. Makes me wonder how people manage to hack through all those Japanese pattern books sometimes. Pictures and intuition only ever get me so far. edited to add: how it got through Burda's proof-reading, that's a mystery for the ages, innit?
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# ? Mar 7, 2008 16:20 |