#sewing advice

[fabrickind]

Sewing hack:

You know how like 80% of sewing is actually ironing? This is how I make it less terrible:

Get a table, desk, Kallax, or similar. Throw a tabletop ironing board on top of it. Place it somewhere near your sewing machine table (next to in an L shape, behind, whatever works for your setup). The key is that you can reach it while still seated at your sewing station. If you don't have space for a permanent table, get a regular folding ironing board that can fold to the correct height. This setup works best with a swivel chair.

Put an iron on this table. Make sure you plug it in and turn it on when you are seated at your sewing station (and turn it off and unplug it when you are finished sewing)

When you need to press a seam, simply turn yourself to the side without getting up and press it. Easy.

I find that if I don't have a setup like this, I simply will not get up to press my seams. If I can reach the iron and have it waiting for me, though, I can work "pressing seams" into my regular sewing workflow in a way that isn't terrible for my brain and doesn't add a ton of extra steps (getting up, making sure the iron is on and set up, pressing the seam, walking back to the sewing machine...) and it reduces the amount of ironing in sewing from about 80% to about 50%

Hope it helps someone else to do it this way!

[wellpresseddaisy]

Fabric, fabric, where to buy your fabric

With the likely closure of JoAnn Fabrics by March (they've filed for Chapter 11 again and so far the bidder looks to be the group that bought Big Lots), a lot of people are wondering where to get their apparel fabric and supplies.

Before I go any further, if you're feeling really sad about the likely closure of a place you always shopped, that's perfectly fine. I'm recommending what I do only because I haven't had even a JoAnn's close enough to make the drive worth it in years.

All of the fabric stores I'm recommending sell swatches, which are the secret to sewing when you don't have a local fabric store.

Don't shop at stores that won't send you swatches if you can manage it. Personally, I've had too many disappointments to go through it again. The discount may have been amazing, but the color was wrong or the fabric wasn't the right weight.

What I do:

1. Go through a store's catalog and mark favorites. Yes, you need to make an account to do it, but that usually nets you a coupon off your first order. Stonemountain let me use that coupon on swatches.

1a. Make a note of their free shipping threshold, if they have one.

2. Put together a cart of swatches. Consider what you might like to make for the coming year and in what type of fabric while selecting things.

3. Look at the total, factor in shipping, and save half of them for later. :) (this step is optional, but recommended).

4. Buy your swatches and spend the next few days like the pakidge? meme. Receive them and rejoice.

5. Consider the colors you ordered. Do you like how that fabric feels on your skin? How does it drape after washing it? Will it need special care? Do any of the colors make you look like you're sickening for something?

6. Make final selections for the coming season. Place a bulk order, meeting the fabric store's free shipping threshold (if applicable and workable in your budget). This works a lot better than ordering only enough fabric for one project at a time, if your budget allows.

6a. Complain bitterly that there are no local fabric stores where you can just go and play with the fabrics. Consider chucking your career and opening one.

7. Spend several days like the pakidge? meme again. Receive your fabric, rejoice, and then spend hours washing, drying, and ironing it before you put it away, ready to be sewn.

Notions and supplies

Wawak is honestly one of the best places for sewing notions and supplies. Their prices are good and their shipping is reasonably fast.

Apparel fabric

Stonemountain and Daughter

Has a good selection and they're pretty generous with the coupons and sales. They aren't the least expensive, but they sell good quality apparel fabric.

Minerva

Yes, they're in the UK, but even with the currency conversion most of their core range fabrics are a decent price. Their shipping is also really reasonable.

Vogue Fabric

They have an excellent selection at reasonable prices. If you need mockup fabric, their muslin is well-priced.

Dharma Trading Company

If you're at all interested in dyeing your own fabric, Dharma is the place. They have a wide array of dyeable fabric in so many different fibers and weaves. Their shipping is, admittedly, a bit pricey if you're on the east coast, but the quality is good.

I do not recommend Missouri Star Quilt Company or Robert Kaufman Fabrics any longer. MSQ bought a large stake of RKF a few months ago as the company was failing. The owners of MSQ are devout Mormons who tithe to the church and go on missions. While I absolutely support religious freedom, I don't want my money, even indirectly, going to support any religious organization that works against the interests of the LGBTQ community. This is also why I will never shop at Hobby Lobby.

[ghostpossum77]

anybody who sews or does cosplay pls give advice!

I’m making socks hat from welcome to hell (ref pic below) and I have no clue where to start! I drew it and I know what materials to use but idk exactly how to make it

below is a pic of the character and a cosplay photo I found online

[kuschelkissen-art]

So, uh. Any idea on how to do Smile's hair in plush doll form? If I do it just combed back, he will look the same as X, so I guess there would need to be some volume? But idk if that would even look good (nor do I know how to achieve it 🥲)

But he needs a friend 🥹 shares welcome, i can use all the help

For reference:

[plarnston]

trying not to crash out while sewing on a button but why is it SO HARD to tie off a stitch :( i literally cannot do it. my fingers are way too fat and I can't bring the knot down low enough. somebody PLEASE help me

[star-sstruck]

Anybody have an tips on seeing a button on? I already did it once but it came off-

[skettchyartendeavours]

Hello! What fabrics do you usually use for your plushies? Do you buy them in person or online?

Why hello again :D

I've used a few different types of fabrics in my projects, which I will list in order of how often I use them:

Fleece, my go-to option for most plushies It's pretty cheap, easy to find in a variety of colours and textures, has a good amount of stretch, very pleasant to work with, and holds up to wear relatively well!

Printed cotton, great for accents I like to incorporate a bit into most projects to add a little more visual interest and texture variety, texture especially come into play if there are plastic pellets in the section I've chosen to use a cotton print. Probably wouldn't make a plushie entirely out of this though as it's trickier to hand sew and doesn't stretch. This one holds up to wear quite well.

Faux fur and nursery fleece, soft :] Both of these are more of an occasional fabric. They shed like mad and it's impossible to see your stitches when working externally, but the end result is worth it! (I will note that nursery fleece feels a little dodgier to work with since it stretches and tears easier)

Minky, a common plushie fabric I don't really use this as often since I find it a little trickier to work with and I've never been able to find a decent variety of colours, although the minky I have been able to find is a decent option if you want the end result to be both shiny and soft. It also seems to hold up to wear pretty well, although it also sheds like mad and I've never found one that has a good stretch.

Satin, the shiny one Has a nice shine and a smooth texture, although it's definitely a challenge to work with due to its fraying and thinness. Can't really say how well it holds up to wear though since I haven't used it on any projects that've gotten consistent wear.

Taffeta, only used this once lol I picked this fabric for a specific project due to it's double-coloured sheen. It handles similarly to cotton while working with it, although it seems to crease and stain easier. (I should also note that I used a synthetic taffeta, silk taffeta is much more expensive and tricky to clean)

Velvet, the shiniest soft one Great option if you want your end product to be soft and shiny with a little bit of visual texture! It is, however, horrid to work with. It sheds, curls, is slippery, tears at certain points, rejects my preferred tracing methods, and is very thin. I've also used velour which is similar to velvet, but I don't remember that one being quite as troublesome to use.

There's also the odd fabric I've used here and there that I haven't managed to identify, but I think I've covered enough of my consistently used fabrics to answer your question!

And now to answer your second question, I do prefer to buy my fabrics in person. I just find it better to get a good handle on the exact colour and texture of what I'm working with upfront instead of having to gamble on it. As a bonus, it also means I don't have to wait for my materials to arrive and can jump right into using them if I so desire.

I think that's all I've got for now, do take care! ^v^

[yuna-is-tired-sm]

𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩.