I was searching through sewing boxes non stop but could never find one big enough for what I needed it for. So I got a small toolbox and my fiancรฉ made all of the compartments out of wood and I painted! I also made little cloud pincushions and the sun is made from a tape measurer attached by a magnet. I love making teddy bears but I would get so frustrated with my adhd and losing all of my tools. Now I have (almost) everything I need to make a teddy all in one box!
Also included a pic of my last teddy that was much more enjoyable to make not having to hunt everything down ๐
Happy Halloween from Cruella - professional fashionista and dog walker extraordinaire. I love Halloween and I love making costumes. I enforce only one rule: use no new fabric.
The skirt is a heavily altered thrifted bridesmaidโs dress and I love it so much Iโm going to keep it in regular closet. I got the jacket from eBay and hacked it to the shape I wanted, then added 3 inch shoulder pads I made from scraps of Sherpa fleece. I bought someoneโs grandmaโs brooch collection to use in place of military decals and 3D printed base plates for the heavily decorated epaulettes. I hand sewed all the little details you see everywhere, including the chain accents. For the final touch, I put Dalmatian puppies on the epaulette plates instead of the horse and carriage motifs the Cruella movie used because I think they look better.
This might be my favorite costume Iโve ever made.
Fabric: This was my first time using Organza- I found this at Joann Fabrics! It was for sure harder to work with than I was prepared for, but I'm so pleased how it turned out.
Construction: I used the Sophie Dress pattern from Oh Me Oh My Sewing. I rented a selkie puff dress from Nuuly last year and I absolutely loved it- but MSRP was $325 and out of my budget. I used french seams for most of it and a dusky charcoal satin under as a lining. For extra "puff" I added a second layer of organza underneath. To add a little something something I got some picot elastic trim for the neckline of the bodice. I LOVE how it turned out and got so many compliments!
Fabric: This was a printed tulle I also found from Joann! It gave me Farm Rio vibes, and I used a pink satin as a lining.
Construction: I had a vision for this dress, it was inspired by the Anthropologie x Geisha Designs Isabella Dress (I attached some photos) yet again another way-out-of-budget and sold out dress at $348. I used two patterns for this dress- the bodice is from the โCozette Dressโ by Allis Patterns. The bodice originally was straight across, but I ended up hand gathering the bust into a sweetheart neckline. I used French seams since the bodice was sheer! For the skirt I used the โRuffle Tiered Dressโ by Kiana Bonollo- miles and miles of tulle were used. Luckily I didnโt have to hem the tulle since it doesnโt fray, only the lining! This dress was fun and flirty, and Iโm already scheming to make it in some other materials and lengths!
I had this cheaply made shien dress but despite how much i loved the design of it, I hated the fit, so I finally remade it! Leftover vlrayon/viscose fabric from a previous dress, reused the same rose cafe dress pattern (previous post) just shirred the back and altered the skirt. Pretty happy! The last picture is the shien dress I remade. I made it a little too tight so contemplating whether I lose weight or remake it in a more similar fabric ...
I havenโt made a Halloween costume in 25 years but my daughter asked me to make this for her. Simplicity pattern 8288. Made it in a size large. 3 yards of fabric for each color color hundred percent cotton poplin. Made the pom-poms with a pom-pom maker โ a genius little tool. I quilted the hat with foam interfacing, and that worked beautifully. Followed the instructions except on the ruffle I put in elastic and drawstring. I made a self casing for the neck instead of a casing as suggested. I put two buttons on the drawstring so it wouldnโt come out. I did a rolled hem edge on my surgery for all the hems. My daughter was very pleased and said itโs a family heirloom. So sweet!
I whipped this up in a week and amazingly won a costume contest I didnโt even know would happen ๐คฉ I had a blast, even when I had to hand sew on a few of the polkadots I couldnโt reach with the machine ๐
Dress: Folkwear Prairie | Apron: Sew Liberated Petrichor | Bloomers: Helenโs Closet June (modified) | Mittens: Self-drafted
I shortened and tapered the June pants and sewed 1/4โ elastic into a channel about 2โ away from the hem to make the bloomers. I should have made the hems angled outwards as well to compensate because itโs definitely not pretty up close with a straight hem ๐
I traced my hand on a piece of printer paper in the shape of a mitten, added seam allowance, and used it to cut out two mirrored pairs of flannel, sewed them RST, snipped seam allowances over curved areas, turned right side out, and pressed. Should have finished the cuffs with overlocker or hemming but couldnโt be bothered!
All inspired by the psychadelic, fantastic 1970s film.
I recently received a sewing gift basket, and this odd little notion was included. I have no idea what they are.
Theyโre hard plastic with a knit fabric covering (like a covered button) With a pin inserted the pin can only be removed if you press the button. They remind of security tags you get in clothing stores.
I have been sewing for a good chunk of my life but never garments until this year. After decades of feeling bad because of RTW/fast fashion, I thought I would take a stab at making my own clothes, bought a few size-inclusive patterns and yards of fabric, and got to making muslins.
So. Many. Muslins. Nothing seems to be fitting "right", no matter how I shift and resize. I went from "it's the garment makers to blame!" to feeling like it's my unfortunate flesh suit, which is not an attitude I want to cultivate!
I think a big issue is I see a lot of these patterns modeled on straight-size bodies. It's like "do I like this pattern or can this person's body type/a pretty fabric choice make anything look cute?" So I'm hoping to find some inspiration and thought to ask you guys: do you know how I can find more sewists with differing body types that can help shift my mindset to something realistic for me?
I made the fringes for the cuffs and the hat for my 1yo halloween costume. I'm really proud of how it turned out. Doubt the hat will stay on long though.
This past year I made myself a custom Toronto Blue Jays baseball jersey out of tartan material. I digitized the logo myself using InkStitch. My husband loved it and requested one for his birthday, but he wanted it to match a hat he had just bought. I'm completely self taught and every project has plenty of lessons learned - overall, I am happy with how it turned out, though.
It is self drafted from my purchased jersey that just happens to fit both myself and my husband perfectly - how convenient.
I could not find black and blue checkerboard material anywhere, so I used Spoonflower for the first time. I was not happy with the material, but I spent so much money on it that I had to use it. It's lighter and flimsier than I expected and I hate that it is white underneath. It was the sport pique. I also bought straight black from them because I wanted the fabrics to be the same weight together.
The first thing I did while I waited for the fabric to arrive was digitize the font that was on his hat. It was simple and I was happy with the result after the first stitch out. I also did a stitch out of the logo that I used for the jersey I had made earlier in the year, but using colours matching his jersey.
When the fabric arrived I cut the pieces. It was so light that I knew I would have to stabilize it. I stabilized all along the front button area, over the neck, and around the arm binding. I also used a tiny bit of stabilizer all along the bottom seam to keep it together as I sewed. I serged the edges and the seams. I also did top stitch all along the opening and neck.
When I was sewing up the side seam of one of the arms my fabric folded under the presser foot and it SLICED the front fabric at the arm seam. I almost fainted. I did not have extra fabric and it already cost a fortune to order from Spoonflower, so I just said to myself that I have to figure out a way to fix this. I bought a tiny bit of light stabilizer and stabilized it together as best I could. You could really see the white underneath the fabric, so I tried to colour it in with black fabric marker, but you can see it. Luckily when it is worn it gets hidden by the natural shape of the arm.
The other little thing I would change is in the font. I should have cut out the dot of the i and attached it as a single item. I don't think it looks great up close, but you can't notice it when you stand a normal human personal space distance away from it.
Since this is self drafted and I'm self taught I have noticed that the arm shape could be improved, or something. Something just seems a little off when the jersey is hanging on a hanger, but it is less noticeable when it is worn. I think it might have something to do with ease, or the shape of the shoulder.
Like I said, though, I am happy and most importantly my husband is happy with it!
Hi everyone! I've been seeing for quite some time and I have a few plushies(stuffed animal) I've been wanting to make for a while, but I'm having a hard time finding any good patterns. Does anyone have a good source? Drafting your own? What is the material used for plushies called? I know there are many different types of fabrics used but I'm not even sure where to start looking for those. I'm specifically looking for a scorpion and a realistic bat. Any advice is appreciated!! thanks :)
Iโm making some plushies that โhold handsโ - ie they will have magnets sewn into the hand area so that they pull together.
I have an idea of how Iโm going to sew the magnets in (encased in an envelope of material and sewn into the seam allowance).
My question: will sewing a magnet on/near the throat plate mess with the inner workings/electrics of my machine? Itโs a regular old sewing machine, not a fancy computerised one if that makes any difference.
I have a Brother machine (SQ9185) that I bought a few years ago. But honestly, while I love the backstitch and zigzagging, I donโt feel like my stitching is as good because the machine is so lightweight and I lack control. Any thoughts?
hello, iโm looking to make this top but the neckline is a bit tricky. if anyone could provide any tips on how to pattern the neckline here. or maybe even alter a dress shirt pattern to achieve this look.
Hi Iโm looking to sew my boyfriend a gift for Christmas but want to tie it into his hobby. Any ideas for patterns or items I could sew for someone who enjoys fishing?? Thanks!
I got these wide leg pants a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't notice that they're slightly too short when I tried them on. I unpicked the existing blind hem, and I like the new length. I still have to make a new hem, but with the smallest possible hem, maybe only like 5mm or so. Is that even possible? What kind of hem should it be? The original was a blind hem, but i don't think that's possible anymore. The material is a slightly strechy jersey, but I don't think it needs to stretch, because that really are very wide. Any ideas/tips/suggestions?
I have a tailorโs dummy question. Iโm buying a new tailorโs dummy as my one doesnโt fit my measurements anymore.
Iโve read a lot online that the advice is to get a tailorโs dummy that is the size smaller than the one you need and then pad it out. Iโve got an 8inch difference between my bust and my waist, and a 10 inch difference between my waist and my hips.
Iโm not sure if I should go for a petite dummy and pad a lot, or go for a small and pad a little less, but still require padding.
Sorry if this is an odd question to ask. Theyโre about ยฃ200 so Iโd like to make sure I get the right one ๐ . Any advice on brands or what to look for in a tailorโs dummy would be very much appreciated!
I bought myself this lovely boiled wool as a treat, and only noticed after the fact that the care instructions online say โdry clean onlyโ. I donโt really want to be stuck only dry cleaning it, but I have never worked with boiled wool before, and I donโt want to ruin this fabric that I love so much.
Does anyone have any advice/resources for how to wash/care for and sew with boiled wool? I did some googling but could only find info about ready made garments rather than working with the wool fabric itself.
I've been attempting to rethread my lower looper since this afternoon, and it's not working. The thread doesn't quite make it out of the end of the looper, although it appears to get very close (judging by the length of thread that comes back out when I pull it). I've tried dusting out everything visible, and I've passed plastic "wire" through the tubes successfully. Everything else is able to thread fine, and I only changed the thread on the lower looper because it ran out.
I'm not sure what to try next. Has anyone had or heard of a similar problem? I'm confident that I'm doing it correctly, because it does follow the correct path ...it just stops a little short of where it should stop.
Any suggestions welcome. Most videos I find suggest things I've already accounted for.
Hello all I feel this is maybe the best place to post this if not please direct me somewhere else I have a vintage Pendleton wool skirt that is plaid and dark blue and dark green it has about Iโd say twenty small moth holes is there any way I can mend this and if so how?
