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Way to go! I'd love to learn more about repurposing clothes. I've got a small stash of weird clothes I'd never wear but bought because I thought I might do something with them but never HAVE done something with them...
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Jan 22, 2008 01:06
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seriouslywtf posted:I really need a zipper foot for my machine. It really makes a difference. I've eyeballed it before but the results are messy. And unfortunately, everything else you do can look perfect but if you screw up a zipper... either it looks homemade or it actually screws up what you've done. I made a really cute pencil bag for my sister once, or rather it was cute until I finally put in the zipper. The whole thing buckled funny because I was too lazy to put on my zipper foot and just tried to do it with a regular foot. Mistake! Making pillows is always useful anyway. My boyfriend made fun of me for making a bunch but he uses them all the time.  And, in my opinion, if you just have room and time it's not a big leap from making a pillow to a quilt if you're up for it. You may be more interested in sewing clothes, but quilting is handy. Just putting together a simple patchwork or square quilt is pretty easy, in my opinion. It helps teach you to be very exact with cutting and with sewing, which is something I still kind of struggle with. I don't like to be really careful about seam allowances but quilting forces you to do that if you want even a simple design to stay lined up. Sorry for pimping quilting so much, I'm just curled up under the fruits of my labor so I felt the need to preach.
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Jan 26, 2008 22:58
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Etoniichuan posted:I don't know how to cross stitch, but I hear it is easy. The biggest obstacle that is preventing me from learning is the patterns they have at various stores. Doing a ducky, or the 'cutest wittle angel' pretty much turns me off. Is there a probram or something where I can take simple pictures or wording in different fonts and turn them into a usable pattern? I'm wondering if there's a way to just use that program that generates intarsia knitting patterns from pictures- that's probably the way to go (I'll need to dig up the link for you). What I have is a giant book with patterns that range from the cutesy duckies to just a lot of different fonts. I'm not as put off by the cutesy stuff but the fonts are handy- those little kits for cross-stitch that say naughty things sell for a pretty penny (though I suppose it's worth it when they come with a frame) but you can just apply fonts to say whatever! My oh-so-subversive ( I know,  ) "gently caress Off" cross-stitch wall hanging didn't take a lot of effort.The only thing that becomes a turnoff for cross stitch for some is just having to count. If it's counted cross stitch, my mom is out. And it IS pretty easy to screw up by one stitch if you don't pay attention. I started doing a big counted cross dragon and I messed up one whole row and haven't gone back since then.
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Feb 8, 2008 21:21
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boscokitty 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'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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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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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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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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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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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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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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I never even thought of that! Great idea.
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Mar 5, 2008 03:28
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squirrellypoo posted: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. Looks nice! I made placemats with pockets a while ago but it was a complete waste of time- I use them occasionally but my boyfriend completely ignores them so they sit in the drawer. This is what happens when we scorn the dinner table for eating in the living room, I guess.
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Mar 7, 2008 18:17
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Not an Anthem, hopefully those links helped- if you're up for learning more about it and don't mind an investment, I really thought the photo how-tos on "Doodle Stitching" were great. http://www.amazon.com/Doodle-Stitching-Fresh-Embroidery-Beginners/dp/1600590616 Unfortunately, the cover is the best part of the book in terms of the cute factor (and, sadly, you don't really see the cover on the inside anywhere- but there are cute projects), but like I mentioned the photo how-tos are nice. Lots of books I've seen just have illustrations and somehow that doesn't help me much. I learned the little bit I was doing before just from the simple instructions on Sublime Stitching patterns, but that meant my work was fairly limited and didn't really pop well. Anyway sorry, just pimping a book by a sweet girl from Crafster. I'll shut up now.
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Mar 13, 2008 21:29
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I have plenty of store-bought hoodies with raw edges out like that. Doesn't matter with that fabric. Two of my favorite hoodies are made to look inside-out all the time.
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Mar 25, 2008 19:59
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Sometimes I wonder why I got into quilting when I am clearly too lazy. I bought about 12 fat quarters at my favorite fabric store and thought "Oh, I'll do a little hexagon throw or wall hanging or something." Then I considered how many hexagons I'd have to cut---- oh GOD, even for a wall hanging it's awful. This is why I either need an expensive die cut machine (ahahah) or I need to just buy pre-cuts from someone. So I'm opting for that two-of-a-kind quilt with the card trick block that I think we talked about before- it's the cover quilt on the April American Patchwork Quilting. Seems more manageable and a better showcase for cute fabrics.
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Mar 30, 2008 20:55
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Prophet 60091 posted:
I'd make a remark about how guys are just as capable of sewing but then I remember that I had to explain threading/knotting thread on a needle and basic stitches to my boyfriend. He was seriously CLUELESS. But OK, he's the exception. I know lots of guys who sew. Your jacket still looks cool.
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Apr 4, 2008 02:55
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boscokitty posted:I finished that one! I'm now working on another one, well, it was going to be the same pattern, but due to a mistake on my end, I've now mutated it into a pattern of my own making. I'm not up to hexagons yet, I'm really just sticking with squares/rectangles. Not brave yet. I think it looks cool. When you quilted the two-of-a-kind, did you stick with the dragonfly or floral motif that they suggested? I'm not worried about the effort but am already dreading machine quilting it that way (though I'd probably stick to squiggles). I'm trying to decide if the quilt would lose something if I were to just quilt around the edges of each "square." One part of me thinks it would make the squares pop, the other thinks that it would not look as interesting if it wasn't quilted as much as it is in both of the finished shots. Does that make sense?
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Apr 6, 2008 21:11
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Thanks! I'm still kind of torn on it but I have time to think. I just started cutting today. I just have a regular sewing machine but it's not too awful to use if I just get the feed dogs out of the equation. I think I'll just have to decide after I lay out all of the pieces. But either way, that squiggly pattern you put up is exactly what I was thinking of so we're of like minds!
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Apr 7, 2008 05:06
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boscokitty posted:
Haha, nice. I know my living room is an absolute disaster zone because I spent all day yesterday cutting on the dining room table. Sure, I have my own sewing room but there's no TV in there!! I'm going to get yelled at if I don't do some vacuuming today since it's my JOB. I'll look into the walking foot. I haven't investigated my machine too much but remember that I got it because people said it was OK for smaller quilting projects (I'd die if I did intricate quilting on a bed-size one). It's supposed to have a couple stitches that can mimic hand-stitching and it definitely has some fun stitch patterns that I can exploit for edging. All of this is yet another example of why one should research HOW to sew a project while they're getting fabrics/patterns: it sounds to me like this foot would have saved me when I tried my FIRST quilting project- with satin no less- years ago. It was a nightmare to make and it showed.
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Apr 7, 2008 19:49
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Goldaline posted:
Was that up on crafster? I hope so- it looks familiar. It's awesome.
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Apr 17, 2008 02:44
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I love it!!!
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Apr 29, 2008 17:22
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Latte Wench posted:What do you seamstresses do with any decorative stitches that your machine may have? My singer has a handful of decorative stitches but certainly not that many. I've just used them as a little accent on things, but they're kind of a pain in the butt. I have a little leaf pattern that I thought I might use with quilting but...uh...that was not realistic!
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May 28, 2008 02:52
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Troubleshooting: I'm putting together a fleece blanket/quilt thing for a friend, and I ended up with some thicker batting than what I usually use in this sort of thing. I have two problems: a) Because the fabric is so thick, I'm not putting the presser foot down. Though if I do, it doesn't seem to matter- what happens is, every couple of inches, I get an extra little loop of bobbin thread on the underside. b) Even with a denim needle, it's cramming up and I'm getting bunched up bobbin thread until it clogs the machine and I can't do anything anymore. It's a workhorse of a machine otherwise- normally I have very little trouble sewing through thick things (I made an Amy Butler overnight bag- notorious for being extremely thick/annoying- and had no issues really). I've adjusted tension. I guess the one thing I haven't tried yet is just covering the feed dogs. Would that make a difference? Is there just a bobbin issue that's not even really related to this? I have noticed when working on another quilting project (just putting the squares together, not actually quilting yet) that the seams aren't even. But when I mess with the tension either way, nothing is happening. It's a singer, I can't remember the model offhand though I'm sure that would make a difference.
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May 19, 2009 18:51
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handbags at dawn posted:poo poo, I didn't even notice the denim needle part! Yeah, switch to a universal or quilting needle, you'll be much happier. Yeah, in retrospect I have no idea what my rationale was there. Thank you! I will try again with a quilting needle this weekend.
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May 22, 2009 05:48
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Ozma posted:Yeah, in retrospect I have no idea what my rationale was there. Thank you! I will try again with a quilting needle this weekend. Everyone was desperately awaiting my update, but I switched out the needle, took apart the bobbin casing and made sure everything was clean/OK, and tried again--- everything is back to normal, and the quilt is finished. Then, 5 minutes after finishing it and putting it on the floor to examine, the cat ran over it with her razor sharp back claws and used it as some sort of launch pad and ripped two huge holes in the goddamn thing. gently caress.
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May 29, 2009 20:54
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Viet Timh posted:Just finished making this: Plus, if it works- who cares!?
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Jun 15, 2009 05:05
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Goldaline posted:Always meant to learn cathedral window quilting--decided to try it in wool. I know you're hardcore and all but goddamn, do you have a deathwish? Of course, I'm the laziest quilter in the world so I shouldn't make fun...
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Jul 21, 2009 04:39
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I have a zillion scraps/fat quarters given to me by my granny in law that I'm trying to burn through and it's taking forever. It's unfortunate because I'm way too lazy to do any complicated piecing.
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Jul 24, 2009 19:35
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madlilnerd posted:I love your sock monkey print; do you know where you got it from or was it just from your granny? Granny got it, but I've seen similar prints at the smaller fabric stores here (I actually found something very similar for another scrap quilt I made recently). I'll dig around my scrap bag for the edges to see if that sheds any light on the deal.
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Jul 26, 2009 08:09
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Yep! That's it. Thanks.
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Jul 26, 2009 19:37
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 18:33 |
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Lots of people do it entirely by hand, I think it's all about how much time it takes you to do things and how prim and proper your hand stitching is. I think that, unless you're someone who can spend a ton of time just working on patches in front of the TV, it's dangerously close to an unfinished project if you actually have a life. I see all hand-quilted stuff and think "yeah, that's fantastic- I have to work and I have other things to do around the house when I get in, so NO." You definitely want batting in there. The parts that I typically do completely by hand would be the actual quilting- the stitching that holds the layers together- because my machine just won't quite cooperate with me when it comes to machine quilting. I talk myself into liking this more because it gives it a homey feel. Most of my actual fabric for quilting has come from smaller shops, but it means I typically pay more even if I get really unique fabrics. I browse the remnants at Joanne's sometimes too but more often than not it's fabric I wouldn't want. With my last quilt (not the monkey one, prior to it) I mixed in some more expensive fat quarters that I'd purchased from a local fabric store with scraps from other projects- I'd estimate the fabric cost of it to be around $80 (including batting). I honestly have no idea what a realistic price range would be because I very rarely go out and buy fabric with something in mind, I tend to get grabby when I see stuff that I like and then figure out a gameplan later. edit: The more I think on it, the more I think that $80's a bad estimate. Maybe I'm being a little too generous- it was probably closer to $65 considering fabric actually used? This is why it's a bad idea to buy fabric and then plot it out later- you never have an accurate idea of what each quilt "cost" you to make!
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Jul 28, 2009 20:17
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