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Somehow I missed that there was a sewing thread up in here. I make quilts! This is my most recently finished one. I dyed the fabric (sheet from the thrift store), pieced it, quilted it, and bound it all by myself.   However it is very small and I don't need a tiny quilt so I'm waiting for someone to have a baby so I can give it to them.
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Oct 3, 2016 03:52
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NancyPants posted:I dig this quilt. The pattern is called an "archipelago quilt" which I found while looking for a quilt pattern that called for two solid colors. The color is more gray in person. I was trying to dye a moon shape and it didn't work so I cut it up. I wasn't really trying to make a baby quilt specifically, but who else uses a tiny quilt?
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Oct 3, 2016 18:29
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there wolf posted:Moon shape? How were you dying it? Stitched shibori with jacquard dyes.  This is one that I made that came out really well, so I decided to get a big piece of fabric and make a giant moon using the same technique. However, the thrift store sheet I used was much thicker and softer than the muslin I practiced on, so there wasn't nearly as much contrast between the white and color.  Lame. So I cut it up. The back of the quilt is made of other shibori experiments as well. And here is the link to the pattern I used: http://www.9-stitches.com/blog/quilting/square-quilt-pattern HelloIAmYourHeart fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Oct 4, 2016 |
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Oct 4, 2016 01:33
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Very important to have a cat help you sew.
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Oct 23, 2016 17:48
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there wolf posted:Specifically what machine is going to come down to what features your wife wants, so if this isn't a big surprise gift you should think about taking her to an actual dealer for test drives. Yeah, a couple years ago my dad knew my mom wanted a serger, but he had no idea what features she wanted so he gave her a "gift certificate" for one (I think it was a 3x5 index card with something like "good for one serger" written on it) and then they went to Missouri Sewing Machine Co and she picked one out and he paid for it.
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Nov 29, 2016 05:37
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Cowwan posted:Sounds reasonable, I'll keep an eye out for a shop. It appears my town used to have a sewing machine repair shop that specifically advertised selling Husqvarna Vikings, but they also seem to have closed down. A lot of quilting shops sell Husqvarnas and will offer repair services (of all sorts of machines, so even if they sell Pfaffs they might be able to help your machine), so look for that as well. If you are in the greater Kansas City area I know one specifically.
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Jun 30, 2018 16:03
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there wolf posted:Ideally a tuning should just be cracking the thing open to clean out any dust or grime and then putting new oil in one or two key spots. I have cleaned the inside of my machine out before. I took the front cover off, which was a kind of a hassle because it had several different screw types holding it on and was a bit of a weird shape requiring multiple steps, and just got in the works with a can of air and a pair of tweezers and pulled out a shocking amount of lint. Getting the cover back on was like assembling a puzzle and probably would have been a lot easier had I taken pictures while disassembling it. I wouldn't try to do any repairs myself but that was pretty doable.
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Jul 2, 2018 13:13
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I have this sandpapery block that pulls them off, works ok. It's called a sweater saver I think.
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Nov 2, 2018 03:49
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Arsenic Lupin posted:However! Before you do anything, put in a brand-new needle. It is amazing how often you can cure skipped stitches and bad tension with a new needle. They do get dull, they do bend ever-so-slightly, and it's a cheap fix. My sewing instructor says you should change your needle every 8-10 hours of sewing. Here is a picture of used needle and a new needle that I took with my microscope.  And here is my winter coat that I made last summer from a $5 thrift store quilt. I took the back and batting off the quilt, dry cleaned it, and rebacked it with flannel. The sleeves and collar are velvet, the pockets are extra extra large, and it's lined with turquoise satin.  I go to a weekly sewing class at a local quilt shop, that's the classroom behind me.
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Jan 30, 2020 21:23
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I get a lot of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" and Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" comments.
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Jan 31, 2020 06:19
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https://dog-of-ulthar.tumblr.com/post/184147573580/im-gonna-teach-you-to-fix-your-dang-pants This post is kind of annoying but it has very helpful pictures.
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Mar 29, 2020 23:18
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The CDC telling people to wear home made fabric masks makes every single fat quarter I ever impulse bought justified. I've made 16 masks so far and I have 8 more almost done. Eventually I will have to buy more fat quarters to replenish my stash, which will also be justified. Edit: I did not impulse buy ribbon or elastic so now I'm trying to figure out how to make ties out of... something. HelloIAmYourHeart fucked around with this message at 17:02 on Apr 5, 2020 |
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Apr 5, 2020 03:20
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I ended up cutting strips from a camisole that I think was supposed to be some kind of shapewear. It was very stretchy and didn't fray or ravel at all.
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Apr 6, 2020 01:40
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I think it might also depend on how the elastic is attached. I didn't care for the ear loops, so I did my elastic like this (images from Craft Passion). One big adjustable loop that you can slide around to fit your head. Much more comfortable and easier to fit--if the elastic/fabric strip is too long, you can just tie a knot in it. 
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Apr 6, 2020 05:29
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I would make lots of masks, but my sewing table has become my work from home office desk, so I can only sew on the weekends because I have to take apart my work setup. A bunch of guys I went to high school with are on Facebook having a discussion about not being able to wear masks because they are black, and the possibility of getting arrested/shot seems more dangerous than getting the virus. I asked one of them if he thought a colorful printed mask would help, and he said he didn't think so. It's just terrible.
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Apr 7, 2020 05:01
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Not cheap thread, and not old thread (dust and grime can gum up your machine). I usually use Gutermann because that's what they sell at the quilt shop I take sewing class at, but it's really nice.
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Apr 17, 2020 01:46
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The masks I made for my former medical coworkers had polyester ribbon ties, and apparently there's a lower temp autoclave setting that kills the virus without melting polyester. Now if I'd known they were going to autoclave them, I wouldn't have used polyester in the first place, but of course they told me that AFTER I made and delivered them all.
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Apr 20, 2020 00:07
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effika posted:It's nice to finally use it! I have fabric from 2007 that has finally found its calling as a mask.
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Apr 30, 2020 03:26
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John Cenas Jorts posted:I think sewing as a hobby stacks skills really well. Start off with a super simple project that doesn't involve anything other than sewing lines. Then do something where you put in elastic. Then button/button holes. Then a zipper. Start combining things together, expand to working with different types of fabrics. My sewing teacher says you should add no more than two new skills to a single project. Monday I will learn how to do mitered corners on a quilt border!
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Jun 20, 2020 05:15
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stab stabby posted:Chiming in with scrap chat, I've been making mask loops out of T-shirt yarn. I don't do ear loops, i do one big loop that fits over the head/at the neck, with sliding knots tied at the end to secure it. My friends have said that they find my masks more comfortable and secure because of it... but they might also just be saying nice things. That's my go-to mask design as well, although mine is a sort of doubled loop.  Can you post a picture of your sliding knots? Sounds interesting.
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Jul 18, 2020 02:17
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Oh, that's really clever! I usually use my ponytail as an anchor point for the top strap.
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Jul 24, 2020 17:52
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 My dad designed and 3D printed these things for pulling ear loops around the back of your head, which seemed a little over-engineered to me.
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Jul 26, 2020 04:14
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I just got a significantly nicer machine (from a $200 Brother I got 13 years ago to a Pfaff Quilt Ambition 630) and the increase in piercing ability is astonishing. I feel like I could sew through a sheet of plywood.
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Aug 3, 2020 00:15
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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.) Front  Back (with original fabric)  I sent it out for quilting, but I pieced and bound it myself. I'm really happy with how it came out.
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Aug 26, 2020 04:31
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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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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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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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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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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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Admiral Goodenough posted: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? I believe that's called "inspiration". You might do a GIS for "ombre half square triangle" or "spectrum hst quilt" or whatever. I think that fabric selection is going to be key in a gradient quilt.
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Dec 9, 2020 20:35
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Quarter inch foot is the best foot.
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Dec 11, 2020 04:17
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Comrade Quack posted:They make others? Well, if I try to do a zigzag stitch with my quarter inch foot, the needle hits the foot and snaps, so I need at least ONE different foot.
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Dec 12, 2020 04:18
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YggiDee posted:I don't really know? I like stuffed animals, and I just made a little hat with kitty-ears. I like the idea of making flat pieces of fabrics into 3D things, but probably not clothing. It just kinda boils down to, there's a lot I don't know and I don't know what's important to know. Does it matter if I'm using cotton or polyester thread? Is the brand of thread important at all or is it just a preference thing? The local craft store has an absolutely overwhelming range of fabrics and I'm usually too nervous to ask the staff WTF 'bonded fleece' is vs regular fleece. Type of thread/fabric is probably more important to worry about when using a sewing machine and/or making something that is going to see heavy use, like a coat or a quilt (or, if you're me, a coat out of a quilt). If you're making fun little things by hand, just use whatever works and feels good, for both thread and fabric. And visit us in the embroidery thread!
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Dec 13, 2020 23:57
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That's fantastic.
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Dec 14, 2020 01:25
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Is it the right bobbin for the machine? You'd be astonished at how often that happens with secondhand machines.
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Jan 3, 2021 03:40
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You can purchase teflon coated needles to avoid buildup, but I'd ask the maker space people if they're okay with it first. Depending on how much the wax "sheds" (?), it could gunk up the feed dogs or get into the bobbin area. One of my fellow sewing students was working with a really grippy, rubbery fabric, and he ended up sandwiching it between two sheets of tissue paper to help it slide along. That might be an option for keep as much wax away from the machine as possible.
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Jan 9, 2021 03:39
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 My cat and I finally figured out to share space while I sew (no, I don't know why she won't just stay in her bed).
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Feb 3, 2021 03:24
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there wolf posted:The machine is warmer. The bed is heated! cats, man
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Feb 3, 2021 20:46
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I think it's mostly so I quit shoving her out of the way, but she does usually look out the window when she's up there. If I'm not sewing, she just sits next to the machine or sleeps in her bed.
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Feb 5, 2021 02:35
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 08:24 |
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KozmoNaut posted:Machines with too many fancy features make me skeptical, like "so where did they cheap out?". Personally I just want straight and zig-zag stitches, forward and reverse, but I'm very utilitarian that way. Mine cuts the thread at the push of a button, which is great.
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Feb 6, 2021 05:11
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