Sewing, Mending, and Tailoring Thread - Necessary skills for putting your anime girl patches on your mallninja gear.

  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account
it mostly fucks up with Nylon threading, I've been using one of those singer heavy duties off amazon, did I make a shitty mistake with what machine I bought?
I can’t say for certain as I’ve only ever used cotton thread. I think your best bet is to read the owner’s manual for your machine if it came with one or try to find one online.
 
I learned this the hard way when Ms. Confederate Woman and I started quilting. My machine is an old Brother that was given to me some time ago. Done a couple with it, but I have to roll them up when they start getting big in order to feed them.




I’ve always traced the pattern onto wax paper so that the pattern I bought is the master and doesn’t get destroyed.
Get a big roll of oaktag, the kind pros use is green on one side and beige on the other.

It is sturdier and easier to trace patterns off of. Once you have a perfect pattern for something like pants you can have that forever.
it mostly fucks up with Nylon threading, I've been using one of those singer heavy duties off amazon, did I make a shitty mistake with what machine I bought?

My machine hates bonded nylon thread but sews fine with cotton. Your machine might just not be built for that kind of heavy thread if the tension is fine with others.
 
Wandering over from another thread where indie pattern design companies were mentioned to ask: what nice pattern companies have you found outside the big four?
Bonus points if they do things that either are for or actually adjust well for petite height range.
 
Wandering over from another thread where indie pattern design companies were mentioned to ask: what nice pattern companies have you found outside the big four?
Bonus points if they do things that either are for or actually adjust well for petite height range.
I always liked Timeless Classics, but her patterns are for historical clothes
 
Do you guys know anywhere I can find free sewing patterns?
As the poster above stated, patterns for what? I've made a few of these patterns, mostly dresses, and they're not hard to follow but you do have to print them out and tape them together.
 
For what garment and/or thing? Also, how much experience do you have with making garments/things? That will help narrow it down somewhat.
As the poster above stated, patterns for what? I've made a few of these patterns, mostly dresses, and they're not hard to follow but you do have to print them out and tape them together.
Sorry for the late reply, I forgot I asked. I'm a complete beginner, I was given a used sewing machine from my mother ages ago but I still haven't used it yet. I'm not too sure what my first project should be, or how to get started really, I just wanted to know what free patterns are out there that I could use to learn. Thanks for linking those.
 
Sorry for the late reply, I forgot I asked. I'm a complete beginner, I was given a used sewing machine from my mother ages ago but I still haven't used it yet. I'm not too sure what my first project should be, or how to get started really, I just wanted to know what free patterns are out there that I could use to learn. Thanks for linking those.
If you're very brand new to sewing, I highly recommend finding a pattern for a tote bag, pillow, or something else very easy to start. Your local thrift shop is a great place to find fabric to start; I buy up nice bedsheets, tablecloths, and other large pieces of fabric and use that. I also recommend (after learning how to thread and use your machine) to learn how stitches work and feel by sewing on white copy paper, it's thick enough that you can sew on it for practice. If your sewing machine did not come with a manual, this is a place to find the manuals to many machines, and the manual is very helpful if you don't know what you're doing. Also, hit up your local library and just find a book about sewing in general - this book, as old as it is, is an extremely good resource for beginners to understand types of fabric, how patterns work, and basic sewing. Good luck!
 
If you're very brand new to sewing, I highly recommend finding a pattern for a tote bag, pillow, or something else very easy to start. Your local thrift shop is a great place to find fabric to start; I buy up nice bedsheets, tablecloths, and other large pieces of fabric and use that. I also recommend (after learning how to thread and use your machine) to learn how stitches work and feel by sewing on white copy paper, it's thick enough that you can sew on it for practice. If your sewing machine did not come with a manual, this is a place to find the manuals to many machines, and the manual is very helpful if you don't know what you're doing. Also, hit up your local library and just find a book about sewing in general - this book, as old as it is, is an extremely good resource for beginners to understand types of fabric, how patterns work, and basic sewing. Good luck!
That's lots of helpful information, thankyou! Yes I should try and make a tote bag. I would also like to get into quilting, do you have any tips/recommendations for that?
 
Make sure you really like sewing before making a quilt.
Seriously, this. Read a few - definitely more than one or two - books on quiltmaking before you even entertain this notion. Sometimes people are good at one aspect of making quilts (I piece them by hand), others are great at doing the other stages (the actual quilting, binding and finishing). There are several steps to the process and doing each one well requires skill and persistence. Quilting originally was done by hand, not machine, most people have a preference for one method or another. Machine sewing and hand sewing are two different skill sets. The best advice I can give you is to read as much as possible on it, ask someone who makes good stuff to help you and answer questions. It can be pleasant social activity if you find a class or group that sews.
 
Hey, you.

Yes, you, reading this post.

Get yourself a speedweve.

It is cheap, easy to learn how to use, and I successfully fixed a hole in my socks in less than fifteen minutes with a few cents of embroidery floss. Easily one of the best spur-of-the-moment purchases I've made this year.

Get real fancy and make plaid designs or just match your garment's color as best you can. Either way you'll have a solid repair.
 
That's lots of helpful information, thankyou! Yes I should try and make a tote bag. I would also like to get into quilting, do you have any tips/recommendations for that?
I don't quilt, it's a level of autism I don't have. I instead crochet doilies out of tiny thread with a tiny hook, that's my flavor of autism. Sorry lol
 
Sorry for the late reply, I forgot I asked. I'm a complete beginner, I was given a used sewing machine from my mother ages ago but I still haven't used it yet. I'm not too sure what my first project should be, or how to get started really, I just wanted to know what free patterns are out there that I could use to learn. Thanks for linking those.

Take apart a garment at the seams that you'd like to recreate, trace the pieces onto wrapping paper and voila, free sewing pattern.

If you'd rather not take apart something you own, shop thrift stores and use those for a buck or two apiece.

Start with simple things like carrier bags. You can literally use a cut-up plastic shopping bag as a pattern.

There are tons of youtubes on sewing for beginners.
 
the two times I've made a quilt i've just sewn across in an x pattern, No way I'm tying all those.

another good way to get started is altering clothes. it doesn't required all the cutting and patterns, but you get the benefits of a well fitted piece of clothing.
 
the two times I've made a quilt i've just sewn across in an x pattern, No way I'm tying all those.

another good way to get started is altering clothes. it doesn't required all the cutting and patterns, but you get the benefits of a well fitted piece of clothing.
I personally think alterations beyond basic hemming are more difficult than learning to build from scratch. With alterations you have to already understand the construction of the garment and be able to add or remove fabric while maintaining the shape of the garment. Yes, sewing a dart is fairly easy, but understanding where to put the darts and how large or small they should be requires sewing knowledge which is gained easier from construction.
 
Sorry to Necro this thread, I've been trying to learn to hand sew for the longest time and practice frequently. But, I can't seem to get past the learning curve and am wondering if there's anything I should know? Im kinda just going in blind with youtube tutorials like I did with crochet and knitting. But it seems like I just cant get it right.
 
Sorry to Necro this thread, I've been trying to learn to hand sew for the longest time and practice frequently. But, I can't seem to get past the learning curve and am wondering if there's anything I should know? Im kinda just going in blind with youtube tutorials like I did with crochet and knitting. But it seems like I just cant get it right.
It didn't really click for me until I tried English paper piecing. Getting a good result with EPP is pretty easy even if it's your first time
 
But, I can't seem to get past the learning curve and am wondering if there's anything I should know?
What are you trying to make? A lot of handsewing is pretty zen and not easy to explain beyond a good technique, you kind of have to take it from there. Consistency comes only with practice. When you see small, perfect stitches on something, know that it came from having literally made hundreds and hundreds of thousands of them.
 
Back
Top Bottom