#the stitchery

[selfawarescreen]

I had a vision

(feel free to add more sewing youtubers these are just the ones I watch)

[startedwellthatsentence]

Ever since I saw the The Stitchery video where ShannonMakes teaches Charlie to knit by giving here a project that already has a few rows, so that she can practice knitting before learning the hell that is casting on, I’ve thought that it’s the most genius way to teach fiber arts.

Casting on is fiddly af, and new knitters ALWAYS cast on too tight. Giving them a needle with a few inches of stitches on it, in order to let them learn to see the loops and get the muscle memory started for the stitches leaves them better equipped for lesson 2: starting the project. They’ll have a BIT more grasp of yarn tension and control, a bit more idea as to WHY the loops need to be loose enough to get your needle into, etc.

Same for crochet. Many crocheters, even high intermediate ones, will use a larger hook for their starting chain because it’s SO EASY to begin with chains that are too tight. Even if you do a foundation row (which is ALWAYS my preference, fuck a starting chain) your bottom chain is often too tight. Plus, with crochet, there are SO MANY loops to be aware of. Step one: find the V and make a single crochet (repeat for 5 rows) is MUCH less intimidating than starting by going into a chain.

It’s not possible to do this if you’re learning at home, and it would be a LOT of setup if you’re teaching a class of 50, but if you want to teach 1-4 people, this feels like a good way to start.

[thejiangchengapologist]

A Little Momentum, Finally

So I am going back to school and my semester just ended, so I'm finally feeling a little motivated. I'm going to be participating in The Stitchery's community project where she's asking people to send embroidered patches for a patchwork project. I wanted to send her a square of my lotus trim. She needs 2" or 4" squares so I wanted to make a 2" square of the lotus pattern and applique it to some of the 50% brocade, this means I have to be kind of have to be pretty precise about the size. To accomplish this, I did a basting stitch. I have found in the past that fabric pencils/chalk vanish immediately on this fabric, so I decided to try something different.

This worked really well. I'm glad I tried this because I think this might be the way to keep from having wonky petals like I had on the last lotus.

I was so pleased with how it turned out that I went ahead and drafted a new petal pattern.

The centers of the petals are 30° apart. I'm planning to baste the center lines and maybe also the petal outlines which would mean that I would know ahead of time where the ends will be, meaning that I can put the "back" petals on first. I'll probably do that tomorrow. I am also going to dye the silk (and some overalls I bought recently) sometime this week. I have officially started summer break, so hopefully that will mean I can focus more on making. I do also have a therapist so hopefully my mental health will start improving as well.

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[intermittentstitcher]

[bwabbitv3s]

I Spent 18 Months Learning Sashiko Embroidery

Well, it's been a long journey, but a very peaceful one!

[thecozycuttlefish]

Make a linen split-side skirt - the ultimate customizable skirt

Follow along and see how I sewed a linen split-side skirt and made a few mistakes you can learn from on the way.

I made a thing and I think it's pretty cool. You should make one too!

[gothicmagpie]

“I Regret Posting Shorts” by The Stitchery

I thought this was an interesting behind-the-scenes take on YouTube’s ever-shifting algorithms, the perils of trying to chase them, and the ways that different types of engagement with different kinds of content end up displaying from the creator’s end. (For example, I hadn’t thought about the ways YouTube penalizes creators for making videos on different subjects that not every viewer will watch or the patterns if someone watches one video and never returns to the channel.)

[bumblebeeappletree]

Once you've got all those basic outline stitches down, you've got to start working on some fill stitches! Satin stitch is the easiest and most commonly used stitch, while long and short stitch is the basis of thread painting. Fishbone can be done so many different ways just by alteration the angles, space, and length of the stitches, but it's always going to be best for leaves. And finally, crow's foot... well, okay, there's not a lot you can do with crow's foot, but I just think it's super fun!

For some extra help with satin stitch:

https://youtu.be/hRDo0w7l6EA

If you'd like to get this pattern for yourself so you can sew along with these tutorials, check out my Etsy shop at the link below!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ToTheStitch...