#50/50 cotton poly

[magpiemending]

I think at some point I’m going to try dyeing some of my fabric with coffee grounds.

[vinceaddams]

Hello! I was wondering if you would kindly explain the merits of different thread materials for hand sewing (or point me to a good resource about the subject)?

A lot of the historical costumers on YouTube say they greatly prefer silk or linen, but don't explain why. The employee at Fabricland suggested polyester over cotton for hand sewing some cotton hankies, and had no answer for when cotton thread would ever even be used. You mentioned in a post somewhere that you use poly for machine sewing colours, but prefer cotton for whites (or maybe the other way around, I might be misremembering?). Please help, the lack of "why" is driving me nuts and google is Not helping!

Hello! The main reason I dislike polyester for hand sewing is that it's just so damn twisty and tangly. It's what I use at work for sewing buttons back onto the sleeves of jackets when I change the length, and I have to be careful not to let it get all snarled up. The polyester thread is made with the intent of being used in sewing machines, so it makes sense that they wouldn't take into account how the amount of twist and the way it un-twists when you pull it through material affects hand sewing.

Another thing is that wax doesn't really meld into it, it just kinda sits on the surface. Usually (but not always) you wax your thread before hand sewing with it, as it makes it stronger and helps stick the fibres together so they don't wear out as fast, and it makes it easier to work with. On silk and linen it sticks nicely, but on polyester it just kinda lays on the surface all crumbly like.

Linen is great for hand sewing because it's usually very strong, but waxing is essential because otherwise a lot of fibres will strip off of it just from the process of being drawn through the fabric a bunch of times. And modern linen thread is too uneven to work in machines, so I only have it for hand sewing.

Silk thread is also great for hand sewing because it's really smooth and soft and runs nicely, and waxing it makes it stronger, and I usually double it if it's the fine stuff. Silk thread can be used for machine sewing too, but I would only suggest it for very lightweight delicate things, because I've tried it on a shirt or two and it just doesn't hold up well to long term wear & washing. (The little bit of hand finishing I do with silk thread on the insides of the collar & wristbands on my everyday shirts is fine because it's not in one of the areas that wears out first, and as previously mentioned it's doubled and waxed, and therefore stronger than a plain unwaxed machine sewn silk thread seam.)

It sounds like you're thinking of this post? Yes, you are misremembering it slightly, I was only talking about thread for shirts there! The reason I usually use polyester for the machine seams on my coloured shirts is simply that it comes in a lot of colours and is therefore easier to match.

(I also use polyester for machine sewing things like pants, because I know it's stronger and will hold up to a lot more wear. Actually, I've also had to switch to heavy duty polyester for sewing the buttons on my pants, because the linen just keeps wearing through and they keep popping off. This problem is probably because I don't actually have heavy linen thread, and am instead using fine linen yarn, which is not meant for sewing. But anyways, it's still plenty strong in seams, just not for attaching buttons. I do have actual linen thread in finer weights.)

The cotton thread I mentioned liking for white shirts is Aurifil 50 weight, which I recently found at a quilt shop and it's soooooo nice! Quite fine and soft, so I still wouldn't want to use it on heavier fabrics, but it's absolutely ideal for lightweight linens or cottons.

Ideally it would be amazing to have it in more colours and use it on more shirts. The reason I only have it in white is because it's a 1300 metre spool that cost like 20 bucks, and if I recall correctly the quilt shop only had a very few colours anyways. I do at least want to go back and get another spool in black...

(There's also the matter of it matching the shade of white fabric better, as all my white polyester thread is either optic white or ivory.)

Regular cotton thread is fine I guess, but I find it to be awfully stiff. It works for shirts, I just don't much like it, and I haven't really tried hand sewing with it.

[mayakern]

Would you consider selling both short and long sleeved versions of your button-downs? I have sensory issues with long sleeves, and attempting to cuff long sleeves into short sleeves makes them too tight around the arm, unattractive, and likely to come undone over the course of the day. I can't justify paying $80+ for shirts I will have to cut apart and alter, and I was really really hoping you would make more of the buttondowns in short sleeve polyester. Ever since Morning Witch switched to cotton I can't justify buying more of their shirts because the cotton is so terrible to care for and iron. You were my last hope for cool shirts that I can wear to feel more comfortable in my gender presentation without having to kill my back ironing every time I wear one. I really hope you can consider offering both (and maybe look into a coton/poly blend or else they will be just as much of a nightmare to care for as the Morning Witch shirts).

the button shirts im proposing are a stretch cotton jersey (95% cotton, 5% elastane), which is different from the MWS 100% cotton shirts. we also don’t use the same factory as MWS, which should be pretty obvious based on price alone. (frankly if their cost per button shirt was $40 and they retailed them for $50, i’d be horrified)

i have not ironed our samples yet, but that is something we’ll be doing later. out of dedication to our cause (and totally not the chronic fatigue that is kicking my ass), i have left our sample shirts in a crumpled mess on our coffee table so i’ll be able to see very easily how much ironing/steaming they’ll need lol

[silverfoxphil]

i actually have a lot of familiarity with clothing markups (i’m a retail planner in the apparel sector) so thought i’d give some insight 💔 sorry to say that the tit jacket will likely be just as expensive if not more expensive than the wad pleather jacket. generally almost all synthetic fibre fabrics are cheaper than natural ones, so an entirely plastic jacket is relatively cheap to produce. the expensive part for it was that each jacket needed designed printed on the back, but even then it likely wouldn’t have cost more than £35 to produce (and that’s being generous, it’s more likely that a well constructed printed pleather jacket with the hardware included is in the £18-£25 range depending on how they sourced) so it’s nearly a x3 markup and profit at the minimum. the tit jacket is a zipped chore/workwear coat that is most definitely a cotton/poly blend, and it looks as if it might be waxed too, but i’m taking the waxing of the fabric out of the equation because the price of a well constructed item like that would be obscene for merch. the price of the workwear coat is based heavily on the fabrication of the cotton/poly blend twill. now because this item is intended to experience new stitching through the patches, i would guess that it’s no less than 55% cotton since cotton is extremely durable and can withstand being pierced through without causing tearing through the garment. let’s keep it at that 55/45 split, with the hardware and cut of the coat, this would likely be in the £50s to produce. if they plan on keeping similar markups, the tit coat may be around £150. however, because they’re putting out other items that will have insanely high markups (i’m not technically familiar with laminate photo cards, but a quick google search says the photo cards individually are likely a few p to make and will most definitely not be sold at a few p) i’m hopeful that they’ll have a lower markup for the tit coat. i don’t think it’ll be less than £100 unless the majority of their non-clothing items have markups in the 10s, but hopefully not more than £100.

anon 💔 breaking my heart. thank you for the insight though, I just hope the quality is actually good at this point... or that by the time I get to the merch booth they will be sold out because I don't think I'll be able to control myself.

[bomberqueen17]

a lil mini sew-along

So @sassaffrassa and I and a couple of friends decided to do an informal kinda sewalong just to get ourselves moving on I'm Gonna Sew Stuff One Day I Promise.

Sew Liberated was having a sale, so we decided to try the Matcha Top, which at the time was like eleven bucks. Why not. So we got the PDFs and each went through our various travails of printing them out and whatnot. And I'm just gonna talk about the process here, in case anybody else was thinking about getting into sewing, and kind of a review of the pattern. Day 1: Prepare the pattern, and look up other reviews, and figure out what the heck you're getting yourself into.

So, the Matcha Top. it's one of S-L's older offerings, and it only goes up to a size 24. Which is a 48.5" bust, by the measurement table. But it also says there's twelve inches of ease at the bust in the finished garment. Okay so yeah no, this will fit my 50" bust then, no worries. It goes on to say that the only real important measurement is your shoulder measurement. So I measure my shoulder, from where I'd want one sleevehead to be to the other, around the back of my neck, and I get 16", which puts me in a size 10. Uhhh.....

I read a bunch of reviews, which all agreed this thing fits real boxy so you can size down pretty freely, and then I looked at the pattern pieces. Well, the only thing that really matters is that shoulder fit, and the collar. I draped the collar piece around my neck and decided I did want the biggest size there, so I just. Went ahead and cut a straight size 24, and I figure I will take in excess in my toile. I am making a nice wearable toile though, with nice fabric, it's just not expensive fabric. Because I figure, it's a boxy top in flowy fabric, whatever size it ends up being will probably be fine.

Looking at the pattern pieces I am slightly skeptical of the grading. I'm used to seeing like... contours, but these are just straight-up every single pattern piece is expanded in size the same amount from one size to the next, regardless of things like... a plus-size person's skeleton is not larger than a straight-size person's, so it is bonkers to scale up the shoulder at the same rate as you scale up the squishy areas like the bust. So the pattern direction to just cut the size that fits the shoulders is probably correct. The size 24 shoulder is not actually knowledgeably scaled to fit a human being. Somebody "graded" this with a rolling ruler. Ah well. Reviews suggest the more recent patterns by this company are better, so I won't get too mad. But do keep that in mind, as you look at this.

Well, so I marked on my shoulder detail piece where the size 14 line would be, and expect I will trim it down, and use that to place the sleeve, and there'll just be a lot of excess fabric at the armscye that I'll have to trim off. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Or I'll, idk, put some pleats in under that shoulder detail. It has you attach it pretty early. I might be prepared to unpick this thing a few times.

I fondled my fabric stash, decided on a drapey rayon-cotton(?) mystery challis, and the collar and shoulder details in a contrasting cotton-poly solid. Got that cut out one evening when nobody was around. (It does say in the pattern instructions to use something with good drape. I looked at pattern reviews and yeah anyone who used linen or a stiff quilting cotton got a boxy fit out of it. You really want drape here.)

Then I lost my mind due to the stress of house remodeling, and after I'd ironed interfacing onto the collar and shoulder details, I embroidered on them. Why? IDK but it gave me something to fixate on for a couple of hours while there was demolition happening in my house and I couldn't get to my sewing machine.

[image: two stiff black pieces of fabric with blue swirls embroidered on them, and chalk marks visible where I've futzed with sizing and the embroidery design. yeah they're wildly different sizes but whatever it's handmade charm *jazz hands*]

So anyway.

That's where I'm at, and I'm hoping this afternoon/evening I'll have time to do some sewing.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Do you have any tips you'd be willing to share on getting starting with quilting? I want to try but there seems to be a lot and I don't know where to begin. Or how. If not, I understand. Either way, I hope you're well

First, do you know how to sew? If you don't, a lot of quilt shops and fabric stores (like Joann Fabrics) offer classes, often for free.

Second, do you have a sewing machine? If not, I recommend a thrift/secondhand store and taking the machine to a place that repairs them. I found a local place via the NextDoor app. The licensed retailers often charge outrageous prices, so I opt for independent folks. They aren't licensed to sell machines, but they can repair them. Quilt shops will also know people who perform maintenance and repairs, and they may do so in-store, so ask. I pay $90/machine (for both computerized and manual), and the licensed retailer in my area charges $150/machine, even the manual ones.

For fabric, speak to quilt shop owners about their scrap collections. Many of them will have bins and bins of the stuff. That was the first place I got good quality fabric for pennies. One of my local quilt shops (all quilt shops are independent, Joann Fabrics is not) sells scrap fabric for $6/large zipper freezer bag. The bag had to be able to close, that was the only rule.

For thread, there's a lot of debate on what's the best. I started with cheap cotton thread. It makes a lot of lint, but it was extremely inexpensive, just $5/1200 yards. You want size 50 for sewing and piecing. I favor size 30 for handquilting because it's thicker, stronger, and makes for some visual interest when I use contrasting colors.

For quilt batting, get it on sale. I buy mine at Joann Fabrics, and opt for cotton because I like the way it feels. Polyester and poly-cotton blends are less expensive, often half the price of cotton. They're good options for limited budgets.

Other notions: pins, rotary cutter (I use one with a 60mm blade), rotary ruler (clear plastic with a grid, at least 4 inches wide), cutting/craft mat with a grid, scissors, iron and ironing board (I got mine at a department store for super cheap), and bobbins, all of which are available at craft stores. Remember to do your shopping during sales and with coupons because those discounts make a HUGE difference.

For patterns, I have a pinned post on my blog with links to free pattern sites. If you want to support your local library, go check out quilt books there. Some libraries also offer classes and will direct you to places that offer supplies for free or nearly free. There's a local program in my area that offers a boxed kit with nearly everything you need to learn a new craft without spending a lot of money. They may have staff members who will teach you. Video tutorials by @teresadownunder have worked really well for me; I'm autistic with ADHD, which makes learning some things really difficult. She explains things really well, with lots of visuals and written text. It was was her videos that taught me how to do foundation paper piecing.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I highly recommend going to a local quilt shop. They will be absolutely thrilled to teach you. A new member to the cult of quilting? This is wonderful news! One of my blog followers here was really shy about approaching anyone in person because they're a guy and quilting is traditionally a woman's art. He wanted to surprise his grandmother with a quilt because she always made quilts for the rest of the family, but no one had bothered to learn how to make quilts. He's now the family quilter and has thrilled his grandmother with two quilts now. Sure, his sisters tease him, but he no longer cares because quilting is very satisfying work. It only looks complicated, and some of the more advanced patterns are, but that's why I share WIP pics. Y'all can see that it's really quite simple...and it makes my ADHD brain very happy because there's so much immediate gratification. The first time I made corners meet, I did a squealing happy dance.

Good luck, and remember to be patient, take breaks, and have fun. Oh, and set an alarm for every 90 minutes because you may get really into the work.

[just-og-north]

Since I primarily use Dye Sublimation every shirt (or other items) need to be white, and at least 50/50 poly cotton.

8.5x14” T-shirt template.

[gardeningloverfamily]

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[supremeplug]

[fashionveroshop]

Astro Boy and Uran Sweatshirt

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[emporium]

Tumblr Sweatpants • $55

Do you like being cozy? How about warm? What about wearing pants? Do you do that?

7.8-ounce, 50/50 cotton/poly fleece

Elastic, self-fabric waistband and self-fabric cuffs

Dyed-to-match exterior drawcord

Front pockets

[livingmeatloaf]

Tumblr sweatpants review

8/10 overall rating

Price: $55

Image ID: black Tumblr sweatpants laid flat on a beige carpet.

Measurements

First things first: the measurements on the size chart are confusing and not super helpful. I got the 3XL (the largest size) to be safe and I'm very glad I did. This ended up being my size, though I usually can wear a 2XL in other brands. Here is a full breakdown of the pant measurements, so you can judge them for yourself. All are measured flat then doubled where applicable.

Waistband relaxed = 42 1/2in (108cm)

Waistband stretched = 52in (132 cm)

Hip = 53in (134.5cm)

Upper thigh (at crotch level) = 31 1/2in (80cm)

Calf (10 inches above bottom hem) = 17in (43cm)

Ankle = 14in (35.5cm)

Length along outseam = 46 1/2in (118cm)

Inseam = 31 1/1in (80cm)

Pocket depth = 11 3/4in (30cm) from waistband, roughly 3 1/4in (8cm) from bottom of the opening. Curved, so hard to measure.

The waistband has a bit of stretch thanks to the elastic in it, but not much. There is a functional drawstring to tighten. The material itself has minor stretch, maybe about as much as a cotton t-shirt. The ankle cuff seam has *zero* stretch. The legs are tapered in a fairly slim cut.

The legs ended up being too long for me, so I'll have to roll up the cuffs or recuff them entirely.

The sizing chart at the time of my ordering listed the waist measurement of the 3XL at 21 1/4 and the inseam at 30 3/4. There was no indication if that waist measurement was flat, doubled, anything.

Material, Construction, and Comfort

There are no material content, washing instructions, or manufacturer origin tags inside the pants. The site lists the material as "7.8-ounce, 50/50 cotton/poly fleece, Elastic, self-fabric waistband and self-fabric cuffs." This matches what I see without doing a burn test. The outer material has a smooth, slightly ribbed finish that does look and feel like a heavier t-shirt material. The inside is a fluffy poly fleece.

All seams are fully sealed in surge stitching, with a few trailing tails at joins. The drawstring is a woven flat cord. The elastic is 1 1/2in flat elastic, stitched down on top and bottom. The elastic and drawstring are both anchored at the center back, so the drawstring is not continuous and cannot be pulled out. Both are contained within the channel of the waistband, so no elastic pressing directly to the skin.

The tumblr logo is screenprinted on the left leg. It is warm and flexible, so I believe it will serve my sweatpantsy needs. I have not yet washed them, so I cannot say how they'll hold up over time.

As long as you get the right size, there should be plenty of ease for movement. If you want a more relaxed fit, maybe go a size up so long as the size range allows you to.

Overall, I'm pleased with these and do no regret buying them. The pockets are nice and deep, the pants are comfy, and they'll keep my legs warm. The quality and construction are pretty good; if you told me these were from a mid-tier department store like JcPenney or Kohls, or that they were from an athletics brand, I would believe you. I think this is reflected in the price. I'm not a huge fan of tapered legs and the pants only just fit comfortably where I prefer a much more relaxed fit.

I would love if Tumblr offered other styles and they should definitely talk to their manufacturer about increasing the size range into truly plus sized options, as I consider myself on the lower end of plus size and only fit their largest size.

@staff Please put the option for reviews on your shop page!

[widowshill]

Munday asks: 2, 3, 6? please and thank you!

MUNDAY ASKS.

2. What's the ideal type of weather for you? Describe what would make you say, "It's perfect outside."

i feel like my answer to this is terribly boring but i love a sunny mid 70's day ! i prefer dressing in sundresses / cotton and linen to having to bundle up, and i get very cold pretty easily ( especially my hands ... #RaynaudsGang 😔 ) love when i get to sit outside on the porch swing have my iced coffee and a good book. little bit of a breeze, tiny bit of cloudcover, no rain ! (missing days like this quite a lot lately)

3. What's your favorite article of clothing that you own? Is it your favorite because it's comfy, because it's sentimental, because it's aesthetically pleasing, or because of something else?

ohhhhh. um i think i've posted this here at some point, but i have a vintage 50's shelf bust dress that is my favorite thing i have ever ↓

mostly for aesthetic reasons –– it's a gorgeous item on its own, and good handiwork, but primarily because i think i look very good in it lol. (i'm not that Endowed with a feminine figure so a good cinch waist / shelf bust gives me such euphoria! on top of the colors, etc) it was also not that expensive, maybe 20 or 30 bucks? and while i wouldn't call it comfy, I'm much more comfortable in vintage fabrics than modern poly blend stuff.

6. Do you have a favorite plant? What is it? Would you ever own one?

ohhhhh good question. hm. i'm honestly not particularly a plant person, but I am currently very fond of hydrangeas, namely the ones that vary pink/blue. and maybe would get one someday ! maybe if i'm ever well off enough to have a gardener to landscape and tend to the soil acidity for me so that it actually looks good lmao ( or a plant wife )

[magpiemending]

50/50 cotton/poly blend is Not a very cooperative fabric

[caltheprophet]

hello, void of tumblr! i know i don’t post often, and this is a personal account, but i’ve started an apparel business with my own artwork🥰

i’ve got a super limited run going for these next two weeks while my screen printer is working away on my design shown in this post!

i’ve only got 8 hoodies between medium and xxl, they’re a 50/50 cotton/polyester fleece blend, black, with the image in red ink❤️

and there’s 16 tshirts (now 14), between small and xxl. also a 50/50 poly/cotton blend, black shirt but this one’s got white ink! 🤍

hoodies are $47 including shipping, and tees are $25 including shipping (in the US only atm, i’m sorry!)

i’ll be reblogging with photos of the shirts and hoodies once they’re shipped to me! but if anyone would like, they can order thru my dms or my website. it’s a pretty barebones site rn, since i don’t have a lot of stuff to sell lol

pls pls considering buying, or at least reblogging this post! this is currently my only source of income until my summer job starts, and i gotta pay my rent🖤💕

merch site: foulprophetdesigns.square.site

[sirvivalism]

Trying to bring my sleep system down a solid 20° or so without increasing my pack weight or roll size too much. This is getting too complicated for a Texas boy used to 9 months of hellish heat.

I camp out every year in the 40s-50s with nothing but a 6ish lbs wool blanket and a mat, and if it gets colder I have another 2lbser in the dog's pack I can share as well as a whole cold weather clothes and bag sack I can swap out for if I predict it before departure. But I'd like my gear to collaborate more if you get my meaning and to be more flexible without alteration.

So I'm looking into more effective layering - my current thoughts are to add a cotton or silk base on the inside and a windproof tarp on the outside. Or just use my poncho since it's usually too cold for mosquitos by then and my bug net is useless. But what is best? Which version of either, if either, will keep me alive if I'm out and about when the next cold snap takes hold?

I've heard "cotton kills" enough in my life to be hesitant, but silk has a hell of a price tag for a set up that I haven't personally put to the test. And if I do go cotton, what weave/weight is optimal is a mystery to me. I also like the idea of my poncho serving as my outer layer, but I'm not sure if it would be enough vs the treated canvas or diy gum blankets I read about.

Then there's modern waterproof shit to consider for that outer layer - nylon blankets, poly tarps, etc. If they're enough to get the job done, and I don't want to flop out (or dry out) my poncho at the end of each day... if I could roll one up around the inner layer and woolboi and skedaddle without concern it would be ideal.

I've never been a fan of conventional sleeping bags - most tend to be too bulky, unnecessarily expensive, or both, and they only do the one thing: keep you comfy at night. Once I dropped my surplus sleep system (and stowed the goretex bivy) for the holey, wooly beast I now use, I couldn't go back. It's a hammock, a blanket, a backpack, and more; and it's plenty big for me and my pup.

Oh well, I might just have to bite the bullet and start getting shit to play around with. Not like I don't have the time since I won't see double digits in daylight for half a year. Maybe I'll start light and cheap with a Turkish towel or some shit and see how quickly I overheat with a poncho on......