Sewing thread

I have a rokku dress I want to take up, however its knitted with fairly chunky wool, how do i go about this with out it unravelling?
I was thinking of sewing a line of zig zag before cutting but would this work?

>>8808685
How would you alter the middle one for shirring? Do you have a graphic for this

>>8808685
I have a fairly general question about sewing - tried /diy/ earlier but they mentioned that /cgl/ might be a good fit:

I was wondering how much of an investment, time-wise, it would be to pick it up as a skill. I buy clothing quite rarely - part of the reason being that reasonably priced stuff either a) fits terribly, b) falls apart in under a year, or c) both.

I'm not really at the income bracket where I can afford to pay a tailor for practically every piece of clothing I own, so I figure this could be a happy middle. Obviously I'm not going to be making my own suits right out the gate (though that's definitely a long-term goal) but what about simple trousers and the like?

Also, any helpful sewing guides for noobs? Rules of thumb like "Don't buy sewing machines by $BRAND manufactured after $YEAR?"

>>8809688
I'm tired, but short answer: no.
The reason sewing ones own clothes has become more of a hobby than a necessity is because the price of tools and materials have gone up while cheap labor overseas has made already made clothing much cheaper. A decent machine is hundreds of dollars. Getting to the skill level that your clothes will fit and not fall apart in a few months is hundreds of hours (assuming you're teaching yourself rather than taking a course or something).
It sounds like you should either a) spend money on decent clothes or b) learn how to repair your clothes with patches/glues/hand sewing.

>>8809688
I'm interested in picking it up as a hobby that might turn into me making clothes for a niche market. Did you want to co-learn with me?

>>8809720
To be clear: I recognise that I'm sure as hell not going to be competitive on price with fast fashion brands.

I see it as being similar to teaching myself to cook, over hundreds of hours - it's not competitive, price-wise, with fast food dollar menus or whatever, nor am I knocking out Michelin star quality meals. I get what I want, at a price I'm comfortable with, along with the satisfaction of doing it myself, and knowing that I can change whatever I want about it.

Maybe my initial post was poorly phrased, and came across as "hay guise can I save a couple of bucks by half-assing a couple hours' effort."

>>8809688
It really depends on how meticulous you are and whether you have someone decent to teach you. Sewing is a skill and therefore needs to be practiced, but if you are very patient and do everything the proper way from the start, it's quite possible to make trousers as a first project. However, the ability to modify patterns/fit, troubleshoot fitting issues and tailor is a *separate* skillset just from being able to sew, and menswear has its own particular peculiarities about fit. It is likely that commercial patterns will not offer you a better fit than reasonably priced clothing in stores.
If you are thinking of saving money in the long term - you won't, not after you invest money in a machine, time learned to sew and time ACTUALLY sewing, particularly if you have any job paying above minimum wage. If you just want things you can't find in stores with a good fit - then that's entirely possible.
If you're interested in menswear, male pattern boldness is not a bad blog to start reading.

>>8809688
It's a fun and practical hobby, I would recommend learning the basic skills at least to patch your own stuff and make small items that are popular/practical gifts, like baby burp clothes or table placemats.

>money
It's not exactly a money-saving move anymore unless you start off with all of the tools and stick with extremely simple projects. Sewing can teach you to start appreciating (or at least realize the difference between) a $20 Chinese-labor factory shirt vs. your own creation that is equivalent to $80 in labor hours.

Does anyone know how lyocell (Tencel) fabrics act in reaction to ironing and wrinkling? Does it take pleats or hold its shape well?

Does anyone use a rotatory cutter for their costumes/projects? I understand its a tool mostly for quilters, but I am so bad at cutting out pattern pieces and I was wondering if a rotatory cutter would help.

>>8810358
I find it terrible for curves, so I personally wouldn't recommend it.

>>8810366
It is a little tricky yes but it's a dream for stretchy unruly fabrics.

>>8810399
>>8810366
My next project is stretch vinyl or PVC, and that's what I've had trouble with in the past. Thanks for the input.

>>8809742

>8809720 is right. I've invested thousands of dollars in supplies and fabrics over years getting to where I am. It's not equivalent to basic, decent home cooking. That would be equivalent to hemming your own pants or making decorative pillow shams. Making your own suit and having it come out really sharp looking and well tailored is much more advanced than making a decent roast chicken. A simple dress or shirt is more easily achievable, but even that will take many, many hours of work and money to get it looking not handmade. It can be a rewarding hobby, but it is an expensive and time consuming one with a steep learning curve even for "simple" things. Also if you get good at it, it'll take up a lot of space.

>>8810358
I have a small one for patterns! It's still not great for tight curves, but it's faster than cutting everything with scissors.

>>8809688
Buy a cheap machine that's decent- Brother machines are considered good starting machines. Use old sheets and clothes to practice (just get them from Oxfam or w/e), get the hang of your machine, learn to make patterns from clothes as well as paper, and buy cheap but decent fabric for your first projects once you're confident. Tailoring is super fucking hard compared to making, say, a cushion, but if you learn how to alter patterns and make patterns from clothes that fit you well (and neither is a particularly difficult skill to learn) you'll be able to pick up the basics of tailoring a lot more easily. Is it worth it money wise? In my opinion, yes. Then again, I sell clothes.
If you hate spending money on clothes that don't fit well and/or don't last, it's a worthwhile investment. You can find cloth online for good prices and fabric districts have a ton of good stuff for very reasonable prices. A metre of fabric will get you a shirt; if it costs less than a similar shirt you'd find in a shop, and if the time taken to make it is less than the time taken to find a shirt that fits you perfectly, it's worth making.

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Are there any good tutorials for school uniform tops? I found one for just the color but most of the ones I find for the whole winter uniform require you to make the pattern yourself and I'm more a beginner sewer.

Ive been working on a Purple Guy FNAF cosplay, Ive got the Zentai, dyed Security Guard pants and shirt, a badge, workshoes and Flashlight, but for the life of me I cant find a template to make a Security Guard hat. All that comes up are 2D ones for Preschool Crafts. Im a total sewing noob but Ill stab my hands dry making it if I can get a template. Ive looked into dying the fabric insert but theyre almost all a waterproof composition or extremely dark. Any help?

>>8818159
Fabric paint?

Okay so I'm just properly getting into sewing, I used to do it on and off, here and there for the occasional cosplay, and my mum also sews so I already own a sewing machine, serger and know the basics of making patterns from already made garments.

However I want to start making my own lolita main pieces and I'm getting tired of making something and the garment looks tired. Some JSKs I've made, no matter how hard I try on the gathering around the skirt to attach it to the bodice, it tends to look messy. Is this really a case of inexperience and as I carry on I'll get better through practice, or am I missing something here?

>>8818636
It's most likely inexperience. Try sewing the gathers flat, and ironing it after it's sewn on.
Have you tried making princess seam dresses? You might have more luck with those.

>>8810358
Giant shears are the answer, I only use my rotary cutter for straight lines

>>8818636
Do you mark the fabric in 1/4s so that the gathering is distributed evenly? How do you gather it (machine, by hand)? Do you take care when you sew, or do you accidentally double the fabric over itself?

>>8818636
Have you thought about a ruffle foot for your machine that will do the gathers neatly for you? Or maybe trying pleats?

>>8818636

Making tidy gathers without a ruffle foot:
>set machine to longest stitch length. (Be careful your machine will now sew very quickly)
>sew two lines parallel to each other along the edge you wish to gather leaving long tails when you start and when you finish
>Pick up the top two threads or the two bobbin threads
>scooch the fabric along the thread
Proper tutorial with pictures:
http://www.danamadeit.com/2011/10/technique-gathering-fabric-the-proper-way-and-the-cheating-way.html

Your gathers will be perfect every time. Please note this method is not suitable for very heavy fabrics such as velvet.

I want to learn how to make clothes so i'm on a website/resource bookmarking hunt

I wanted to ask what are the best places for tutorials/patterns/fabrics!

I'll appreciate absolutely anything

>>8819338
I always use a wide zigzag then run a separate thread through the zigzags to gather, because I always seem to break the bobbin thread if I pull it along on it that way.

Is there a term for the little belt that can be used for adjusting on the back of jackets or blazers?

Does anyone know places where you can get the fabrics/trims that brands use? I'm currently looking for the floral raschel that VM likes to use and was wondering if anyone knows places online where I'd be able to order it.

>>8823073
I'm not sure about that specific lace but you could try cockrobinsong on taobao

>>8817260
http://fattogami.tumblr.com/post/55535810171/how-to-sew-a-sailor-uniform-part-1-sewing-the

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Does anyone have suggests for a pattern of top portion the pic related? I was thinking a doublet pattern or something but they're hard to come by. Open to suggestions.

>>8823250

I'd use a nicely fitted princess seam jacket pattern as a sloper and rejigger the bust seam to be angled toward the center, following the second line of trim. This would be pretty hard for a beginner but probably accessible to an intermediate sewist.

>>8823275
Thanks anon Was thinking a modified jacket pattern would be the way to go. Great suggestion!

Anyone know how often Joanns does sales on their classes?

>>8823250
http://www.walmart.com/ip/21922478?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227016118361&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40942023752&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78880262072&veh=sem

If you know how to modify patterns, this may be a good place to start.

>>8823462
>classes
Can't help you there because I never even knew they had them. Have you taken any?

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Already posted in the help thread >>8824965
but would apprediate any construction tips you might have!
I haven't got flipping though any patterns yet, but would trying to build off a corset pattern be a bad idea or feasible one if I'm trying to integrate some support into the 'jacket'?

>>8824967
It is not possible to make this in real life. Clothes do not work that way.

I don't know if this belongs here or in the dumb questions thread. I'm making a jacket out of gabardine and I would like to line it so it's more opaque. I have a LOT of extra gabardine. Can I just double it up for lining?

>>8824967
the only possible way to do this one anon is to make the jacket a size or two too small, then use tape or clear supports to keep it from falling off and staying on your chest.

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I hope you can help me. I need some help on my friends dress. We sewed it like the pattern said, but whenever she lifts her arm, the entire piece pulls up with her. I tried making the arm holes deeper but that didn't fix the raising problem.

The front of the sleeve is the same shape as the back of the sleeves where you have the armholes. I noticed most other sleeve patterns have a slight curve angle difference between the two. Is this what normally prevents the ride up?

>>8825692
Did you cut the fabric on the crossgrain or bias to give it more stretch if you are working with a normally non-stretchy or non-4-way-stretch fabric? Riding up is a very common problem if the garment is already close-fitting and you're working with a non-stretchy fabric or fabric with 2-way stretch but cut wrong.
>The front of the sleeve is the same shape as the back of the sleeves where you have the armholes. I noticed most other sleeve patterns have a slight curve angle difference between the two
Yes, the back side of the sleeve at the armscye is bigger than the front side because the human back is naturally broader than the front.

>>8825591
You can just be aware that the thicker it is the warmer it is. It could get really stuffy after a few hours at con depending. This is why lining fabric is so thin.

>>8825741
Well, we made a muslin mock up first. There's a 2 way stretch in the fabric that we plan to use but not much.

So if I just modify the curve on the sleeves the problem and cut the stretch right should work its way out?

>>8825692
You are partially right. Yes, having a more shaped sleeve cap would definitely help, but the major thing that would help would be a smaller armscye/armhole. Having a tighter armscye, while not quite as comfortable, will give the dress a much wider range of motion, however, you would probably need to completely redo your dress to fix it.
You could also add a sleeve gusset to help.

>>8825747
What exactly is "lining fabric"? What should I be looking for at the store (I shop at Joann)?

>>8808685
Hi everyone

I'm a total dummy. I finished a lycra dress only to realize I had cut most of it off grain since I had used my leftover scrap fabric.

The edges of some of it curl inwards because of this.

Any way to fix this?

>>8825807
Lining fabric is anything you can use to line a garment. If you don't know much, best bet would be to go for the section specifically labeled Apparel Linings at JoAnn and try out something from there. Usually it's a thin, polyester fabric that is slippery. There is Ambiance Bemberg brand lining (100% rayon) at JoAnn as well and it is the nicest lining the store carries currently.
You will also find lining in the Casa Collection at JoAnn. It is completely mixed in with the rest of the Casa fabrics and you'll need to find the color section first, then dig around for the specific lining fabric (the bolt will be labeled as such). The feel is comparable to the Anti-Static Lining JoAnn sells but less shiny.

If polyester or thin, slippery fabrics isn't your thing, you can also try a thin cotton or broadcloth (poly/cotton blend) from JoAnn. Check the quilting cottons, special cottons, and broadcloth sections for those.

>>8825830
Try ironing the fabric. If that doesn't help at all, try sewing or ironing a stabilizer like Stay Tape to the insides of the curling areas. If that doesn't help, either, you may be better off redoing it all.

>>8825844

I tried ironing it and it stays fine while warm, but once cooled it curls back up.

I found a couple starch methods for other knit fabrics that I was going to try because if all else fails I'll be remaking it anyways.

I'll post how it goes!

>>8825838
Thank you so much for the suggestions!

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>>8825855
Off grain spandex anon here

I ended up using about 5 coats of this starch with ironing and it fixed the curling perfectly!

I can't remember exactly what composition my fabric was but it was a Lycra/spandex

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Where do you guys recommend looking for comissions?

I want to get jacket made from fabric I can provide.

>>8828922
What's the jacket? What are you looking to spend? Are you fine with long distance or do you want a local tailor with an in person fitting? Is your material the right type, weight, and quality? Personally commissions with a client-provided fabric would be a special case because people tend not to know the first thing about fabrics.

>>8828945
Jacket is standard 4 pocket jacket with nothing fancy like frills, etc.

I'm OK with long distance since the fitting doesn't matter much because it's kind of loose fitting. Material is cotton twill similar to jeans fabric.

I have reached out to a few local tailors I trust and have gotten anywhere between $100-200 with 3-5 yards needed.

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How do I make this sleeve and attach to the bodice?

The fact that the sleeves start off the shoulders is really screwing up the shape.

And I also can't seem to figure out how to make a lantern short sleeve.

>>8828966
$100-$200 sounds cheap, honestly, like the tailors will just work off of existing patterns and make a loose-fitting, simple jacket for you without really measuring you.

>Go to well-known fabric shop district today
>Forget it's Sunday
>All but one shop are closed

>>8829000
You'll just need to shave off some of the sleeve cap, but leave in the dip towards the seam to account for the roundness at the bottom of the armscye.
Also were you thinking of having it be two parts, top and bottom, with that top stitching in the middle being a seam? Or just have it be one piece and gathered into the bottom/cuff/thing?
If you need more help, I can try to draw a diagram, if you'd like c:

Anyone know of any good kigu patterns? Joann's is having a sale on fleece and I'm interested in trying my hand at making one.

>>8830645
Two pieces. I'd would love a diagram. Thank you.

>>8830925
Oh and I figured how to do the latern short sleeve. I just cant seem to do it without knowing how the shoulder is shaped though.

how do you transfer pattern pieces to fabric? i get that you cut round the paper pattern, pin it on, then trace round it witha chalk or fabric marker. but how do you do the marks inside the pattern piece, like the dart markings? do you just...reach under the paper and do it sort of blindly, or are you supposed to cut holes in the paper to reach the fabric? im lost.

>>8829345
Depends on OP's location and who they're asking--grandmas working for some extra cash or professional. I (in the US, doing commissions more as a hobby than an income) would do a tailored jacket for $200 + materials if it were a pretty standard style and didn't have a lot of complex or weird seams. $100 is definitely on the low end and I wouldn't expect much for that price unless you live somewhere where labor is cheap in general or happen to luck out with a grandma.

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>>8830928
A dropped shoulder like that is as easy as extending the shoulder seam. In this diagram the black is a standard bodice, the red is the shape you'd need to get a dropped shoulder. The amount you add to the shoulder seam is the amount of drop you'll have. For this you'd want about a couple inches. You can square it up so much that the armscye is a straight line (think yukata, which is constructed of rectangles).

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>>8833081
thank you so much!
I was able to do it and just in time for my upcoming con too!

>>8833064
I usually just poke a hole with a small pen or create a hole with a pin then poke my choice of tailors mark to signify the dart.
I also notch where the seams are suppose to start on the each side of the dart in order to triangulate to the point.

>>8833064
Tailor tacks or if I'm lazy, press hard with a disappearing ink marker on the dot so it bleeds through to the fabric.

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Asking for a bit of advice. I'm positive it's been asked countless times already in other threads. So, sorry.

Ok, I started taking a beginners course in sewing. We're working with industrial sewing machines, but I want to practice at home. I've been told by friends that I should just pick a pattern and practice, but so far pic related is the only thing I've ever done and the result was god awful.

Do I just do like in my video games and keep sewing the same thing over and over until I get good or should I just invest in a ton of muslin and attempt new things?

>>8837052
doing the same thing again is better, if you can honestly look at the failure part of it and say 'ok, this is where i went wrong and this is what i will do next time'
because if you start off aiming to produce something cute, you will already dissapoint yourself bc at the beginners stage it will inevitably be garbage. but if you approach it like 'what will this teach me' then you have less of a chance of getting burnt out.

it might also be possible you're starting with something too complex, does your skirt thing need a ton of tailoring?

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>>8837787
>does your skirt thing need a ton of tailoring?
Not making a skirt actually. I just don't want to rely on chinese ripoff commission shops anymore and I want to learn to make my own cosplays. Pic related for example is something I'd like to do as practice and could possibly be something I could wear. It's just a shirt, but it's not something I'd see in stores since an XXL shirt wouldn't fit the same and a dress wouldn't look or fit the same.

>>8837907
>not making a skirt
>pic related you posted before was a pencil skirt
you high?

>>8837929
I meant the skirt was the only thing I've ever done at all.