a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by user-inactivated
user-inactivated  ·  2700 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Follow Along With rd95 as he Quilts His Way to a Mental Breakdown, Part 1 (Language Warning)

Thank you. This is fun so far. :)

The wife actually got me a leather thimble. I tried using it at first, but it kept on getting in the way. I might have to try it again, cause being as careful as I am, I'm still a bit clumsy. I guess it's a good thing I'm not sewing with power tools. :P

I got some Bohn brand needles of various sizes and I'm currently using the thinnest one because the weave of the fabric is so tight. I do about three stitches a run, weaving it back and forth through the fabric, before pulling it through and starting a backstitch one stitch back. The needle does seem to be a bit on the flexible end, fortunately there's two more of its size in case it does break.

I didn't know working with knots and tangles were an issue. I guess it's a good thing I'm doing a backstitch then. If the thread does break, it'll help the stitch from coming undone (or so I'm told). I'll have to look into the beeswax. I'll also have to look into pins to hold the fabric in place. I think part of the reason my stitches are so big is because I'm currently working the fabric loose in my hands.

Ironing will be in part to. I know to fold each seem to the darker fabric to prevent it from showing through and to also press theniron, not move it back and forth, to keep from pulling on the stitching. Any tips beyond that?





jadedog  ·  2700 days ago  ·  link  ·  

To hold the fabrics together, you can try safety pins. They sell really tiny safety pins as well as the large, so you can gauge which would be most helpful. An assortment pack might be good. You can use straight pins but you might get poked a lot.

The other thing you can use to hold fabric together is double sided adhesive tape, like the kind you wrap presents with. You can get that at an office supply store. Craft stores sell some double sided tape that you can leave in the seam and wash out later, but that's not necessary here. It's easy enough to remove the tape once you sew the seams. Another thing you can try (but last choice on the list) is water soluble glue stick. Always test the tape and glue on scrap fabric first. The glue stick (and maybe tape) might be a hassle to remove, so test first and consider carefully. Also, if there's any stickiness on the fabric, it might gunk up the iron. If you use that iron for other clothes, that might be something to consider.

If you're going to iron the seam to one side, iron it open first. It sets the stitches and is easier to get an even seam than if you iron it to one side from the start. If you iron the seam to one side, the fabric might bunch on one side so you'll have to gauge which seams will go which way and test it out.

Edit: I'm going to take back that last part about ironing the seams open. When I looked it up, there's controversy about it, so I guess it can go either way. Controversy about sewing. The internet truly is an amazing place. Here's someone who irons the seams to one side and gives reasons for it.

user-inactivated  ·  2699 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I think I might go the safety pin route. If I do though, I'll have to be real careful about how many I use and when and where I keep them. My dog is super well behaved and more often than not doesn't get into anything (unless it's something outside that smells amazing), but I wouldn't want to take any chances.

We found these really awesome clips that take place of pins, but they're expensive as fuxk. Like 20 bucks for a pack of twelve expensive. I don't know if they're worth it.

I think open seam pressing is like some well known yet unconventional method, cause every person I talk to advises me against it, yet somehow it's something everyone knows aboutm