#stitch craft

[cheeseandthankyou]

Latest finished stitch!

Face palm Picard

[essentiallydanielle]

Did I match my needle-minder to my project? Why yes, yes I did 🐱

[firesidetextiles]

And a scar away from falling apart.

Cross stitched patch for a jacket. Loving the idea right now of patches and embroidery as clothing tattoos.

[hikolu]

Cross stitched Lands mini magic cards.

Pattern from Craftigurumi on Etsy

[broganwen]

I have this doll called Tatters

Tatters is what’s known as a dammit doll. He is a stuffed cloth doll with a poem on it and is designed for the owner to grab by a limb and whack it about to release stress. There’s a poem sewn onto his stomach about how he’s made to be hit about.

Now Tatters is my rescue damit doll. I stole her from my brothers room Her previous owner whacked them about so much that her shoulder seem opened, left leg ripped off and they were split down the middle.

So I hand sewed him back together with a little bit of extra fabric for his stomach and I kept him safely away from his abuser in my room. And he’s been taken care of for years since.

I decided recently that Tatters should have a friend so I’ve made a cloth doll and… he’s hideous I love him. They’re gonna be great friends. - this will be that one item that my grandchildren I’m not having will find and be like: the hell is this? And my children I’m not having will have no idea and say how much it haunted their dreams as a child.

I should also make Tatters some clothes I think.

[themarginalthinker]

QUICK AS SOMEONE WANTING TO GET INTO SEWING... Got any tips for beginners?? 🥺🥺

OK SO LMAO

I'm going assume you mean like, with a machine, but there's also some stuff I can start you off with for hand sewing (which is also a fantastic and very necessary skill to have in my opinion!)

-Most sewing machines they sell at the store are the same, Singer is just the most recognizable brand bc it's the oldest. A sewing machine with the same specs in another brand is basically the same.

-Now, what those specs are is important for what you're doing. A basic sewing machine for, say, sewing lightweight or medium fabrics will run you between 100 to 300 dollars. 'Heavy duty' means you can switch the setting to add more power behind the needle because it has a more powerful engine to get it through more layers of/thicker fabrics, and it has a wider range of settings for different projects.

-There's also surger machines, but I'm not sure about those (and I can only assume as someone just getting into things, that's probably not what you're after, but if it is, you should talk to the clerk at the store or look up reviews)

-MIND YOUR HANDS, CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH EVEN IF IT SEEMS TO GO WITHOUT SAYING. THE MACHINE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FINGERS. DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGERS ANY CLOSER TO THE NEEDLE THAN YOU NEED TO TO CONTROL THE FABRIC. FUCK.

-Adjusting the tension on the needle is a bitch, everyone hates it. If your thread is snapping for seemingly no reason, it's probably the tension.

-Some machines come with an automatic bobbin winder, which is nice. (actually, I think it's a standard for most these days? More research needed..) but yeah. Bobbins. They make the underside of your stitch line, which is important otherwise the thread just pulls through the fabric uselessly.

-Seam allowance is how much extra edge you give the fabric when you're cutting it out so you can sew it together. I usually got for about a quarter inch, which is about two centimeters? You may want more or less, depending on the fabric/ what you're comfortable with. Some fabrics ravel at the edges easily, so you need more seam allowance for a different kind of stitch.

-Pinking sheers are those scissors with the jagged edges (like those craft scissors but for Grown Ups) - this cuts the fabric in a way that keeps the edge from unraveling so easily

-On the subject of scissors, DON'T. FUCKING. CUT. OTHER. MATERIALS. WITH. YOUR. FABRIC. SCISSORS. I WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND FILL YOUR SOCK DRAWER WITH SAND. Doing this will dull your scissors really fast. Don't fucking Do it.

-Machine loud....scary...BUT MUST NOT LET IT KNOW YOU ARE AFRAID

HANDSEWING

-There are a ton of fantastic tutorials on youtube for learning some basic stitches, but here here and here are some I find most useful.

-Needles also come in different sizes and shapes depending on what you're working on!

Big blunt needle: tapestry or darning needle. Used for weaving in ends in yarn, usually.

Small needle: basic sewing needle.

Curved needle: Good when combined with the ladder/invisible stitch for sewing two things together with no visible thread showing. The curve acts like a scoop in very taught fabrics were you cant angle a straight needle to get it through again.

-You're gonna want a thimble. You put it on the finger that's pressing the needle through the fabric, because if you're sewing for a bit, that finger is gonna get chafed from the point pressure.

-REST AND FLEX YOUR HANDS it's really easy to get cramps because of the small, repetitive nature of the action!

-you will see that one youtuber making god level outfits. you will be tempted to try that. I cannot control you, but I can also stand on the shore and wish you godspeed

--

NOW, IF YOU HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT EMBROIDERY, UNFORTUNATELY I GOT NOTHIN'. I don't do embroidery (yet...we'll see how things go). But here is a video for you to look over of some basic stitches for embroidery you may find useful!

I hope this has been helpful! If there's any specific questions you have, you're always free to ask, and if I can't answer them, I can maybe point you to someone who can! :D

[paganka]