#so i did not iron it but topstitch

[badassindistress]

Cloaksforall Sewalong Step 3 - Sewing the hood

Hood opening

We start with making the hood opening look nice.

Take the two hood pieces, and on each fold the long opening edge down twice so that the fold is on the inside (wrong side of the fabric), pin and sew. If your fabric is very thick, you may have to bind it with bias band instead. (That's what I'm going to do on my new cloak, so explanation will be there.

Joining the hood pieces

Lay the two pieces of the hood on top of each other, matching the sewn opening edges. Pin the top and back together about a cm from the edge, leaving the opening and the bottom free.

Sew along the purple dotted line, making sure to go back and forth a few stitches at the start and end.

Now it's time to press your seam to make it look nicer. Heat up your iron, making sure to pick the low heat synthetic option if you're not sure what fibre your fabric is (test the iron on a fabric scrap!), and put the iron on the stitches for a few seconds before moving on to the next patch of stitches.

The levelled up approach is to also press your seam open. This looks like this:

You can use the rounded end of your ironing board to get easier access to the seam.

Finish the seam of what you have just sewn by sewing over the edge with a zigzag stitch. (Generally the second stitch option on machines).

That's enough for now, tomorrow we'll sew the hood to the cloak.

[hidefdoritos]

Galaxy Print Knee Patches

I've just spent two hours locked in mortal combat with my machine, but I emerge victorious with awesomer pants!

Yep, we're working on the same tac pants as always. I have two other pairs of solid black pants, so I can confidently decorate these to match my primarily black-and-blue wardrobe.

Step one was cutting two 9-by-9 patches. (I thought about doing cool hexagons for about 30 seconds and then couldn't decide which way to orient them, so no.) I did my usual trick of putting cardboard in the leg of the pants. Then I folded the edges under slightly and pinned down all around. (Retrospect: Since I didn't iron those folds, I should've used more pins. They kept trying to unfold as I sewed.)

Step two was finding this bobbin of variegated purple thread from my grandma. Rather than hand-winding it onto a spool, I just put it on the machine. Seemed to work!

Step three was realizing this was gonna be difficult. The knee parts of the pants are already two layers thick, and I'm adding another folded layer on top of them. Plus, wrestling the heavy pants under the machine. Eliza has a lovely feature where the bottom comes apart to help you get into sleeves and such, but cramming this fabric in was still a pain.

The above photos are called "Why I'm not a quilter." Also, they show how much trouble Eliza was having with the fabric. The stitch lengths are uneven, I kept hitting pins, and every time I stopped and started, she pulled to one side or the other. On the very first seam, in the first photo, I tried to turn around and do a second row of topstitching, but it came up so uneven that I quit immediately and unpicked it.

Also, she's had this worsening problem where, when I finish a seam, I can't pull the fabric away without turning the top tension back to 0, or the thread will just break. This necessitates remembering to put the tension back to 4. Remember that.

Of course, it wouldn't be a proper sewing project if I didn't sew the pant leg shut on the final corner. So I pulled it off the machine, unpicked it, and went back over it again.

And forgot to reset the tension to 4! Just look at that mess on the back.

I clipped the loops and just sewed it all down again in eagerness to be done. It's a tad noticeable, but I don't care. It's done!

And here's the end result!

Would it be neater by hand? Probably! Is Eliza due for a spa day at the repair shop? Yes! And am I thrilled with the end result?

ABSOLUTELY!

[portsandstars]

Vere cosplay description/tutorial continued part two (belt edition).

If you made it this far, GREAT!!! You're doing fantastic.

My interpretation of his waist/below

I chose to make the belt into a skirt, rather than the whole thing as a dress. This seemed a lot easier to me than trying to combine things further, and honestly I'd definitely recommend this. I made the belt pattern by covering my torso in Saran wrap, tape (masking or duct tape) drawing the belt shape on my torso, and then cutting it out. Note that your front and back of your torso may differ in shape, so I'd reccomend drawing where your belly button is.

I then cleaned up the lines and made it into a pattern piece. Make sure it's symmetrical.. and ADD SEAM ALLOWANCE! If you're not impatient AF then I'd reccomend tracing your tape pattern onto paper so it's actually flat.

It's important for this belt to be SO STRONG because it's going to be under a LOT of strain during the day due to how it's tight and where it is on the body. Maybe it's overkill but I cut out a front and back piece(so my pattern x2), interlining, and added cotton underlining for strength to both the front and the back pieces.

Steps

1. make ur pattern with Saran wrap and tape

2. Clean up your pattern

3. Iron all your fabric and cut out your pattern (2 x of pattern, 2x of underlining cotton, 1x of interlining)

4. Staystitch and zigag fabric (except not the pleather bc we don't care Abt it as it doesn't fray)

5. Attach your interfacing to the cotton (front side cotton) and then baste the cotton to the pleather (front and back). So now you have 2 pieces of the belt, inside and outside piece.

6. Make the pattern for the strips of leather on the front. You should trace your belt pattern and then draw on the strips onto this tracing. They can't be straight lines bc this belt is a C shape tbh, and so they are almost like mini belt patterns. Don't forget seam allowance for their hems!

7. Sew these straps to the outside piece. If you have an idea for the metalic front belt details it would be great to attach them here in this step but I didn't bc I didn't have a good idea (might get them 3d printed though).

8. Freestyle some pockets bc ur gonna rly want some on the inside. I made one the size of my phone as well as credit cards.

9. Sew the pockets to the inside of the belt piece.

10. Put right sides together and sew the top seam of the belt together (seam by your belly button). Belt is like )( now. clip this inner seam.

11. One option you have is to now hem the bottom of the outside and the inside. In this case, you would put the pleated hanging fabric between these two layers and then topstitch it down. This isn't what I did but it'd look better imo than having it hand stitched to the inside. If you don't want to finish it this way, keep the right sides facing each other , sew the bottom hem, and then turn inside out. This will not be possible if you've added stiff belt details btw.

12. Figure out your pleating. I did this by pinning my fabric to my waist while was wearing shorts and seeing what density of pleats looked like and how it compared to what I wanted. It'll depend on how translucent your mesh/tulle is. You can do a small section, and then extrapolate. For me, I did a test of 17.5 cm of freehand pleating which I discovered was 98 cm of fabric (unpleated). As I needed the top pleated edge to be 44.5 cm long, that was-250 cm of fabric for EACH SIDE. These side skirt things are REALLY awkward bc you need all this pleating at the top to get the look but at the bottom, it's supposed to be little wider than a foot or so. Below I demonstrated my end shape with paper. You start with the wide top for the pleating, and the bottom the ending width you want it to be. Then, place weights at the corners and bring up the edges. Cut off the excess. Pleat the top edge as you would normally ignoring the odd shape and it should work out. The proportions in the bottom image is NOT ACCURATE Bc the top edge should be 250 cm and the bottom edge like.. 40 cm.

13. personally I just sewed the pleats to some small strips to keep everything together and then handsewed them to the inside of the belt (with my arm insidethe belt, like a pillowcase). But like I said, you could easily add them into the seam of the belt for a neater look.

14. Add your black gauze in here. Tbh it doesn't need a weird shape it can just be a rectangle that you pleat

15. I placed an unpleated mesh pannel behind the pleating and sewed small tacks throughout so the fabric stayed pulled back to the side. It felt too skirt like (?) Without this and more puffy, too. You don't have to do this but it was my solution and was pretty unobtrusive.

16. Hand fix your chains in. The cotton is also important for supporting these bc they're heavy af. I used chandelier chains, and I'd reccomend getting some where the links are NOT welded shut or it will be difficult to adjust the length of the chains without heavier duty metal working equipment.

17. Add in some structure! If the belt is an open pillowcase, this goes where the pillow would. I used a stiff plastic folders (below) cut into shape (smaller than the pattern by a bit so it doesn't mess with seam allowances). This gives your belt SO MUCH HEFT and is great!! You could also use foam too! Highly reccomend!

18. Add a closure. Personally I used a zipper, but a corset back would work great too especially if you fluctuate size. We don't see his back yet so you can do what you want lol.

19. Personally I added some wire to the bottom hem of the tulle to help it be straight and hang better with the weight but I didn't really like how this turned out.

Just for posterity, here's the pattern I made for the legbands. They're prettttty close but not SUPER close. I'd recommend covering your leg in ductape and having yourself or someone else try to draw the shapes in a mirror. It's wack AF though so I thought seeing what mine looks like laid flat might help you.

[mika-makes-things]

Green trousers part 3:

After getting the darts, pockets and crotch seam ironed, I moved on to sewing the side seams and inseams. I forgot to take process pictures of that part, but it was pretty straightforward anyway.

Next was the fly. I sewed buttonholes (by hand, because my machine’s buttonhole setting scares me) into one side of the facing, folded it to the inside and topstitched it down, then sewed buttons onto the other side. Luckily, I found enough buttons of the right size (and flat enough to not create bulk!) in my stash.

Instead of adding a waistband, I sewed twill tape to the outside of the waist as a reinforcement. I folded the fabric to the inside just below the tape and topstitched it down. I finished the hems with some green bias tape, topstitched on the outside and whip stitched on the inside. Lastly, I added the top button and belt loops.

Then came the most time-consuming phase of this project: hand-finishing the raw edges with a whip stitch. I forgot to take out some of my thread marking and basting stitches before I did that, so I ended up having to wrestle with those for a bit afterwards. I’m fairly certain there are no contrasting threads visible on the outside anymore, though…

And that’s that! The trousers are finished! All in all, I’m very pleased with how they turned out, though there are some things I would do differently.

[bomberqueen17]

ok i should probably sew something else ever

I've finished my third Loftus Bralette now, with some minor revisions to the fit. There's a whole series of blog posts about adjustments you can make, and since I wanted mine to be both slightly more supportive and slightly more forward-oriented, I did the adjustments to shorten the straps, shorten the neckline elastic, and shorten the front curve of the powerbar. It worked, and the newest one is slightly more... pointy.

I also made it from linen for the nonstretch components. And that was a qualified success. Qualified, because the combination of the way linen is in general, plus the shorter neckband elastic meaning it was getting gathered more, meant it wound up with a little bit of a lumpy appearance; a synthetic fabric would I think gather slightly more gracefully and be a bit more forgiving. But linen has such excellent moisture-management properties in particular that I forsee this one is going to wind up in very heavy rotation in my wardrobe. I will certainly use linen in bra construction again, though I will watch this one to see how it washes, because I'm not ironing a bra.

I do think I have the fit dialed in now though. So I have a few more fabrics I want to try-- silk, more elaborate laces, etc-- and then I want to try making it with stretch material for more of a lounge bra since I always need more of those in my wardrobe. But in the meantime I have to sew some other things I think.

[image description: the bra in-progress, showing the peach-colored neckband elastic, white linen fabric, and peach topstitching.] I forgot to take a picture of it on. We'll have to see how well it wears.

That center insert panel is a prime location to do some decorative stitching or embroidery....

[silverfoxstole]

After pretty much a whole weekend’s work, the coat is finished! 😎

It took me most of Saturday to get all the machine sewing done (adjustments to the lining, attaching the lining to the shell, attaching the collar and last bit of topstitching) and I’d forgotten how distracting it is to work in a room full of other people. Usually I’m up in our spare bedroom and unless I’m using a pattern I’m really familiar with I prefer not to listen to music as if I’m singing along (as I do) I’m more likely to make mistakes. Working at the dining table I was having to really concentrate on what I was doing, which wasn’t easy as my mother was watching darts and the guy calling the score sounded like he was about to have an aneurysm!

Last time I used fusible canvas interfacing but as I wanted to get everything from one place and save on postage I decided to go for traditional sew-in stuff on this occasion. That was fine, though time-consuming (and saved my bacon when I belatedly realised I’d cut and sewn it to the facing instead of the front), but if I use it again I’ll only interface one piece of the collar and stand rather than both; it’s quite thick and the collar has ended up a bit bouncier than it would have been with one less layer. The thickness bent two needles when I was topstitching the stand; in the end I had to resort to finishing it off with the heaviest I had left, which happened to be a jeans needle. It did the job!

Yesterday I did all the hand finishing: slipstitching the lining to the cuffs and hem, cutting and securing the bound buttonholes and sewing on the 16 (!) buttons. As I added seven inches to the length and changed the half lining to a full one I had to draft the latter from the pattern pieces I had and thought there would be plenty of volume, but when I came to pin it before stitching the hem I had a horrible moment when it looked as though it wasn’t going to fit. Thankfully it did (just!); if it hadn’t my only option would have been to add a triangle of fabric at the hem, something that would solve the problem but not look as neat, which would have been a shame after all that work.

Annoyingly, the buttons on the belt aren’t central but that’s the fault of the pattern markings. I could have made another belt, as I did with the pea jacket when I noticed the same problem, but I had so much trouble trying to turn two layers of wool, two of interfacing and two bound buttonholes the right way out that I just couldn’t be bothered. I can live with it; I can’t see it anyway. After several failed attempts at trying to get the markings for the buttons in the right place I ended up putting the coat on the ironing board and sewing them on standing up. I moved the closure across a couple of inches from the markings on the pattern as I wanted it to be more fitted; this gives me the option should I put on weight again of just moving the buttons to give myself more room!

Overall I’m very pleased with the way it turned out. I wear my pea jacket a lot and I like the style so it made sense to extend it into a coat. The only other adjustment I made to the pattern was to increase the depth of the pockets, as what’s the use of pockets you can’t properly put your hands in?

Here’s how it looks on (with a flash of my ladybird lining!):

[discountalien-pancake]

Look, everyone can complain all they want about how velvet is the devil but the real devil is silk organza.

But there is no devil that ironing and basting cannot tame.

I don’t usually make corsets using the ‘sandwich’ method because it’s so bulky at the seams on heavier fabrics, but with organza the six (6!!) layers at the seams are still as thin as one layer of quilting cotton. And the seam allowances are so easy to trim down after stitching. Snip snip~!

The sandwich method is for 2-layer corsets. For a front-closing corset you would start with the busk insertion but I don’t have a front closure on this corset so i’m starting from the center back. Seam the center back panels and turn them right side out or just fold them if you cut them on the fold like i did. Take the two pieces of the next panel, line them up right sides together with the previous panel, lining to lining, fashion to fashion. Baste, stitch, trim the seam allowance if needed because you won’t be able to access them again. Press the two layers of the panel away from the seam so they’re right sides out.

Continue until you get to the last panel. Tuck the final seam allowances in, press, and topstitch just inside the edge to close off and finish the panel. If you’re doing what i’m doing, you’ll seam both halves onto either side of one layer of the center front panel, then press the seam allowances in on the second layer and lay it over the raw edges to enclose everything. (Or try the burrito method, I guess?)

Boning channels would be the next step but i’ll simply topstitch along the seam allowances for additional structure and to keep everything flat. Will post an update when I get to this step!

[whennnow]

Utilitarian Edwardian Combinations

April 13, 2023

[Image ID: a photo of Alex posing seated on the edge of a bed, wearing white stockings and Edwardian combinations.]

Sometime last summer, having finished my 1890s corset, but not started planning the corresponding wardrobe, I bought a pattern for Edwardian combinations, dug some slightly-discolored white cotton from my stash, and cut out the pieces.

(Now, I want to say that, yes, I understand that these combinations are a few years too late for the 1890s. I prefer the Edwardian shape of combinations over the chronologically-correct 1890s shape. They're underwear, so when I'm dressed no one will be able to tell that they're not accurate. And frankly, everyone's doing it.)

Part of the reason I had put them aside for so long was the fact that I cut out the front bodice pieces as-is, when I had originally wanted to add pintucks. When I got the fabric and pattern back out in mid-March I decided I didn't care enough to do that, so I just started sewing.

Well, actually, I started ironing. There were seven (7) facing pieces that needed to have certain edges ironed down before starting to sew. Then I could actually start sewing - attaching the facings to the front and back bodice pieces, sewing the legs, attaching the leg facings, and making the leg ruffles into a closed loop. More pressing, then more sewing, then more pressing. I skipped the bodice ruffles, though, because they would have been uselessly bulky under a corset.

And then I had an idea.

I didn't intend to add much (if any) lace or decoration to these, but all that white was getting boring. So I decided to spice things up with colored top-stitching. I still have thread left over from my corset, so I top-stitched the bodice facings and the ruffle's hem in light blue! The effect is subtle, but super cute.

I did add a tiny bit of lace, though. I had two lengths of quarter-inch wide lace that I salvaged from... something I can't remember. They were the perfect lengths to add to the bodice just under the facings!

Then it was ruffling time. I didn't want to hand sew the gathering stitches for the leg ruffles, but I was worried that the thread would break if I used machine stitches to gather them. I ended up using the "zigzag stitch over a piece of string" method. I also ended up resorting to an old Pinterest trick where you do two lines of gathering stitches - one above and one below the stitching line - in order to help control the gathers and make them neater.

I'm so glad I did! It was a tedious process but the results couldn't be prettier!

To cover the raw edge of the ruffle, I made bias tape of the same white cotton I used for the rest of the project and used blue topstitching along the top and bottom to hold it in place around the leg.

With the bodice and legs completed, it was time to attach them to the waistband and make it one single garment!

The bodice went first, with a bit of gathering at the center front. I put in two lines of gathering stitches by hand. The result was not as neat as the two lines of zigzagging over string, but oh well. That gets sandwiched between the inner and outer waistbands, sewn, and ironed.

Then the legs get some gathering at the center back. Having learned my lesson on the bodice, I did the gathering with string again. The legs get sewn to the outer waistband first, then ironed. The legs are just barely supposed to meet at the center back (because these are split drawers), but I opted to overlap the facings for a bit more modesty.

I added some more decorative top stitching along the edges of the waistband, which served to attach the bottom edge of the inner waistband as well.

Finally, it was just buttonholes (in blue thread) and buttons (also blue)! The pattern calls for six down the front - one on the neckline facing, one on the waistband, and four in-between. I ended up adding two on the leg facings below the waistband for some more coverage.

And, with that, my combinations were done!

These are easily one of the weirdest garments to put on. I can't explain it, but the way the legs are disconnected just makes it so odd to get into!

I'm mostly pleased with how these turned out, even if my top-stitching doesn't hold up well to close inspection.

There is one thing I want to point out, though. Becuase this pattern (the TV one) is technically for a corset cover and drawers, and the combinations are just a 'pattern hack', the bodice is a bit oddly shaped for wearing under a corset.

As an Edwardian corset cover, the bodice is meant to encourage the pigeon-breasted look of the era, so there's a lot of extra fabric at the bottom front of the bodice. Because I was making a garment to wear under a corset, I could have shortened the center front by an inch or even an inch and a half and the garment would have been a bit more suited to my purposes. It will work fine as is, but it could have been better.

Next up in 1890s sewing is a bust improver and bum pad. I'm hoping to order a bodice and skirt pattern later this month, too, so I can finalize my plans for clothing. I will need a petticoat eventually, but I'm not sure I have the budget to buy fabric for that right now.

My next few sewing projects will not be 1890s, though! I've got a secret project brewing in a new era that needs to be done before the end of the month and then a quick modern project that is already cut out and waiting for me. Then maybe back into the Regency for a bit, but who knows.

Until then,

Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay healthy.

[adamplacementblog]

Day 13 - Misty Couture

14/02/2024

I overlocked the final piece for the bow then sewed and ironed all the bow pieces, ready to be put together when finishing the dress.

I did some more work on the black corset, stitching in the ditch and top stitching a panel. I pinned and sewed the 2nd panels to the 3rd panels, top stitching the seam allowance towards the back and trimming the seam allowance down.

I then went onto the waspie and sewed the 2nd panels onto the already completed centre front panel, pressed the seam allowance towards the back and sewed twill tape for the boning channels onto the inside, topstitching from the outside to catch either side of the tape.

I ended up sewing the 2nd panels upside down to the wrong sides of the first panel and had to redo all those panels again to get back to the same point. We ran out of the twill tape for the boning channels so couldn’t finish it fully back to the same point. Misty was quite understanding and it just gave me another chance to practise the first few steps.

[eruditetyro]

well. and i did just set up the iron and iron the seam allowance on the bottom of the outer yoke panel so it’ll be easy to topstitch. so that’ll mean darts->outer yoke->sleeves->side seams->cuffs->collar->hem. or whatever. the order can vary on some of these. not all of them though. should be doable. if i get the sleeves attached and the cuff gathers tacked by 6:45 tomorrow i’ll go to craft night and blind hem the pants cuff there and then come back and do more. ideal is to have no more than like, collar fitting and hemming to do day of. this is actually a fine timeline and normal also for me. i finished hemming the dress i wore to the last wedding i went to literally the day before the flight out. as i am not flying and i started this last week instead of two months in advance and it’s only a blouse that i did one mockup for instead of a dress whose bodice took four iterations to figure out, i am doing good.

[oracleofsecrets]

I think using the Catholic newspaper gave me a really weird dream this morning where I was so mad about being in some manner of Catholic-type school with uniforms and they wouldn’t let me get the pants uniform bc sexism that I yelled WHY and woke myself up

Anyway;

I might’ve given the band another coat of gold before sealing everything? Idr. Here it is drying. Tiny jelly jar balanced on top of modpodge bc I remembered almost too late that this has to be Curved

I think I did two coats on the crescents, but I only did one on the band bc it started raining and I wanted to move on anyway

Prooooobabblyyyyy should’ve let it all Set overnight but impatience won out, though I did suffer for it. Hot glued the gem on, forgot this is going to be a circlet, tried “brushing” some hot glue underneath the sides with a wire to some success. Used too much glue for the first big crescent :/ and forgot to bend it Before placing gluing it down… the rest mostly went without incident. I used an embroidery hoop to place the band over to get a realistic curve (briefly wondered why I didn’t just make it out of an inner embroidery hoop to begin with,)

Used a somehwat worn sewing machine needle and a clippers to pick away some of the excess glue. Used the same needle to dab paint over the glue and to patch over where the removed glue tore away some of the paint >.>

Here it is, done (or done Enough) and drying/setting. As long as you don’t look at it too closely it’s not so bad (low blood sugar mood)

I haven’t joined it Together yet, it’s still a flat strip. I’d cut it about 1/3” wider than my head in case the wig (that I still need to buy, now that I’ve committed to wig and ears in lieu of Staff) affects that. Idk if I want to just glue the ends together or something more temporary/adjustable….

Maybe a small bit of heat shrink tubing to cover the seam? I’d have to paint that ofc but hopefully that wouldn’t be too time consuming

I washed my vest thingy while painting and sealing and then had to spend like Forever ironing it. And there are still wrinkles :( also I should’ve washed it sooner bc the marker lines are still a litttttle visible up close. But it’ll be covered by the cape so 👍

Having to re-press the seams made me realize why I Should’ve done the topstitching the pattern specified…… if I have time after everything else is done I might add that, or I’ll do it after Halloween to save myself some trouble next time I wash it

Tomorrow it’s time to tackle the cape

Zelda EOW cosplay log: circlet

After giving up on the staff, which was already another means for me to take a break from sewing, I got started drafting the circlet

I had some Eva foam from another cosplay ish project that didn’t go very well due to inexperience, so that seemed the most logical choice. I forgot how annoying it is cutting Eva foam though… the “headband” part was easy since I could use my rotary cutter, except the length I needed was longer than my ruler, so there’s a wobbly bit from where I had to scoot my ruler. Didn’t feel like cutting out another piece, so it’ll have to do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Studied some screenshots and Sketched out the gem and metalwork bits on paper to get an idea of relative sizing between all the pieces. That damn pvc conduit ended up coming in handy here—I pressed down onto the foam and traced the indent for the gem. Cutting the crescents was realllly fiddly bc I was using scissors. But idk if I could’ve gotten those curves otherwise with an xacto knife

Only on the smaller bits did I think to transfer my sketch onto the foam instead of eyeballing it. My “transfer” method was poking pins along the outline into the foam, kinda like for pumpkin carving. Nice and clear and easy to follow with the scissors without having to worry about painting over anything

I thought I read somewhere that Eva foam can be sandpapered ? So I tried doing that to fix the uneven edges. Idr what grit level sandpaper I used. I mostly used a nail file board actually lol

Somehow I lost my circle gem piece, so I had to cut another one out and sand that :/ I don’t have proper primer so i figured I’d just spray a little modpodge on it to give me a workable surface to paint on. It didn’t occur to me that the pieces were so small that they’d fly off bc of the aerosol blast, so I had to find those in the dark ground bc I keep forgetting to tell the landlady that the outdoor lightbulb is out

I ended up mostly kinda mopping up the modpodge that was left on the parchment paper to get it nice and covered. Then I remembered I should grab a scrap to prime for when I test out paints. Was smart enough to hold the foam with a clothespin so no more glue would get on my hand. A day later It does kinda look like a nice subtle topcoat on my nails though :3 let it dry overnight so I could play some hades 2 and bc I didn’t want to fiddle with mixing paints at like 10pm

The next evening I tested out the paints. At the store I’d been between one metallic red shade and another, and I’d gotten the one that hadn’t seemed Too bright red. This was a mistake. It’s indeed a lovely garnet color, but that’s not quite light or red enough for this. Mixed with a little red looked pretty good. The gold metallic was perfect straight out of the bottle

Also tested whether to use black or white as a base coat. Going with white to keep things brighter

✨The next day ✨

Got my base coat of white on

(Using some weird Catholic local newspaper that some lady who lived here before me still has delivered to catch the mess lol)

First coat of gold. Probably should’ve made sure my sponge was fully dry before painting on the gold… I’m using makeup sponges since they’re denser than the sponge brushes I got for cheap a while ago. Repeating to myself Trust the Process Trust the Process so I don’t get neurotic about how sloppy it looks rn….

Okay yeah second coat is looking a lil better. Added a Little more red to the mix for the gem. I like how the shade looked overall, and especially layered over the other. I dont need another coat on the gem but def will for the gold stuff

Third coat, now we’re talkin. That’s good enough for the crescent pieces, but I think I’ll give the band another coat tomorrow. Testing my gloss sealant on the back of one of the smaller crescents after putting the first coat on the gem to see how that looks

Im planning on using satin modpodge finish though bc it’s an aerosol spray and bc I think that’d contrast nicely and subtly with the glossy. But the glossy is a normal spray bottle, and I wasn’t careful the first time I used it so it got clogged…I usually borrow the spray top from something else, but it’s not the same diameter as the bottleneck so I have to hold it weird :/ I should just buy a replacement nozzle fjsjdhd. But since the pieces are so small I’m just unscrewing the nozzle, taking it out and letting a few drops of sealer fall onto a plastic lid from something or another, then dabbing it on with a sponge

Now that I’m more like Live blogging and not posting about stuff I’ve already done I think I’ll end the post here lol

[pancakeke]

ok here's the post for how to sew lining into a bag with handles for anyone who needs it but mostly me because I always forget how to do this

first assemble the outer bag and lining. match them up right sides together.

sew the edges together normally everywhere EXCEPT the handle halves. sew one side together, but leave 2-3 inches unsewn at the end of the other side. make sure that you leave the same side unsewn on the matching handle half on the other side of the bag so that when the ends of the handle halves are sewn together to make solid loops, the gaps meet each other.

you can see here, the insides of both matching handle halves are not sewn to the edge.

cut a seam open in the lining and pick out just enough stitches to pull the bag right side out through the hole. you could just not sew this seam together in the first place but I like having stitch holes to mark where I need to sew the seam back together later.

bag right side out now yay. I use a crochet hook to yoink the handles right side out cause the hook can grab the end of the handle and pull it out easier than I can jam my fingers in there to do it

match up the ends of the handle halves right sides together and sew only across the very ends to combine the halves into one whole handle. make sure the handle halves aren't twisted before you pin and sew!!

the gap area is still open. iron the edges of the bag flat, while doing so also folding in the seam allowances of the open gaps and pressing them so that you have clean (although unsewn) edges

hand stitch this area closed using a ladder stitch.

also ladder stitch that open seam on the bag lining.

didn't take a pic of this but topstitch along the edges of the bag and handles pretty close to the edge. I did like 1/8 inch in but you could do like 1/4 inch too. you can see the topstitching in the first photo on this post.

tada all done

[indiesewsthings]

1895 EPQ Project: Part 1

The Foundation Layer

SO basically, in the 1890s you had 2 options for the layer closest to the skin: a chemise and drawers or a combination of the two (handily named combinations). I chose to make combinations since apparently they are more economical in terms of time and fabric, and as a broke busy teenager this suits me just fine.

I wanted my combinations to have 'split' drawers that close with buttons down the centre front. I chose a pattern from an 1895 sewing manual and made my design based on the my pattern, contemporary adverts and extant garments. If you look closely, there's a teensy dotted line on the pattern, I decided this was an option for a low neckline and used that.

The pattern told me to use a 'scale corresponding with bust measure', however I don't really know 1) what that is, and 2) how to get one, so I decided to draft the pattern according to the scale given in the book and then fake it till you make it. I drafted the pattern pieces onto gridded pattern paper (honestly took me over an hour). I then marked the seam allowances and darts using a Frixion pen, which I cannot recommend enough because it comes right out when you iron it.

First I sewed the back pieces together with a French seam, then I sewed the darts. Next I sewed the fronts to the back piece at the sides and shoulders and flat felled it. This was the first point I could try it on and see if it fit, so naturally I did and naturally it didn't. So I re-sewed the darts until the fronts overlapped as they were meant to.

The next step was to sew the legs together up to where they meet and flat fell the seam. I then hemmed the raw edges of the split and gathered the rear flap (yes haha butt flap very funny) to fit the back panel.

Then it was placket time, babey. I used 8 buttons spaced 2 inches apart . As several extant garments I looked at used cloth covered buttons (these guys right here), I used plastic buttons covered in my fabric. I put the buttons on the left and the buttonholes on the right. Please don't look at them too closely, they are my second biggest weakness after hooks and eyes.

Then I sewed edging lace around the neckline, armholes and legs. I used reproduction lace from Etsy. Yes, it was expensive but it was really pretty so I didn't mind.

To sew it on (mini tutorial time):

Legs: I joined some insertion lace to some zigzag lace with a whipstitch. Then I top-stitched it to the fabric half an inch from the bottom, then folded the seam allowance into a hem and stitched it down (source)

Neckline: I topstitched the lace around 1/4 inches from the edge and trimmed the excess to about 1/8 inches and overcast it to the main fabric (source)

Armholes: I tacked the lace about 1/4 inches from the edge and then pinned and sewed bias binding on top through the lace. I then turned the bias binding to the wrong side and secured it with a whip stitch (source)

I meant to have pin tucks on the legs, but when I tried the finished combinations on they were already the right length so I couldn't have any.

And then it was done!

I'm really proud of this because this is by far the hardest garment I've ever made. Not necessarily the the physical putting together of it, but having to figure out the pattern and instructions myself. Even though there are a few places I wouldn't invite you to look at closely, I still like to think that someone, once, made some combinations that were much worse. And then they wore them every day.

My favourite part is the fact that this is school work. I get to work on my hobby then at the end of it I get a grade!

[artbymintcookies]

i'd love to see a tutorial/tips on how to make the kim jacket, if you want to!

Alright! It's a little lengthy so bear with me!

So the first step is to get the patterns. The basic shape of it is going to be like this:

You can note as you make the pattern how cropped you want it to be. The basic shape should be like this and you should end up with 3 main body pieces:

Note how I marked my pocket placements in the front (I have 2 in the front and 2 in the lining) but that's optional. You can omit pockets, or add a bunch but I'm not super confident in my ability to do pockets so I recommend looking up the type of pocket you want. I tried to do welt pockets, but I think zip pockets could also be cool.

Also optional is this part of the lining which I just got lazy and zigzag stitched on:

What I did for the pattern is I just traced the neckline and freehand the shapes.

Once you have all the pattern pieces, just remember to either go over them again and add a seam allowance or cut your pieces with a seam allowance.

The actual pieces you will cut are:

4 front pieces (2 lining, 2 main fabric)

4 sleeve pieces (2 lining, 2 main fabric)

2 back pieces, cut in fold (1 lining, 1 main fabric)

Lining pieces optional, but you only need the main fabric for those

4 zipper rectangle bits (all main fabric)

2 cuff pieces, 1 neck piece (cut on fold to mirror lengthwise and widthwise), 1 waistband piece, also cut on fold lengthwise

The basic steps are:

1. Cut out the pieces (I like to zigzag stitch the raw edges so I don't have to worry about them)

2. Sew any patches or pockets onto each piece that needs it

Tip:

The patches are reflective tape that I zigzag stitched with the smallest stitch setting to make a border. I also cut the corners so the weren't just right angles. The front patch I also used the same technique but followed a stencilled drawing of the patch.

3. Sew the lining pieces together, and the main pieces together

4. Sew the wrist cuffs into loops, fold them over. Sew right sides of the main and lining pieces together at the wrist, with right sides of the cuff sandwiched between. (Be careful and figure out a way to pin them so you're able to flip everything inside out). Stretch as you go as the cuffs will be stretchy and smaller than the main and lining fabric.

5. Sew the zipper rectangle pieces (I don't have a better name for them, sorry) to the waistband pieces on their short ends.

6. Sew two inches of the neck and waistband to the main and lining pieces individually.

Just to about here on all sides.

7. Turn the piece inside out, and sew the zipper sandwiched between the main and lining pieces. Leave about 4 inches unsewn on one side so you can turn the piece right-side out again.

8. Sew the neck piece and the waistband sandwiched between right sides of the main and lining pieces, like with the wrist cuffs. You'll have to maneuver the zipper out of a way

9. Turn everything right-side out and handstitch the open part of the zipper closed

Tips:

Iron everything as you go. Seriously like every seam

For extra hold, do some topstitches

You can also add as many layers as you want for extra insulation. I actually ended up doing 2 lining layers and sewed them together during the cut/zigzag stage.

When sewing a stretchy know fabric to a nonstretch, mark each quarter of the lengths and match them while sewing.

Unfortunately I'm actually not that great at sewing, and I referred to sewing tutorials a lot while working my way through this, so hopefully this helps a bit!

[drsteggy]

Well, I might be done with the gauntlets for now. I had to order special needles for my sewing machine to deal with the vinyl, and the pack came with 3 lower rated needles and 2 tougher ones. The 2 tougher needles did the entire belt and chest armor.

I just broke 2 of the weaker needles on the gauntlets.

Now, I could glue the thing I’m sewing on, but I don’t think it will be easy to topstitch what I need to do after they are assembled. I had to order these needles online as my local stores didn’t have them…and it’s freaking New Years Eve. I’ve worked that holiday and I’m not going to contribute to a retail worker’s hell for this. I need to order fabric anyway for Skyloft Link.

I’ve got another pair I can use in a pinch here. The game isn’t out yet, so no one really knows how they look. I am not competing at this con. I can prep these for Katsu and do them the way I really want to.

I might still do the fabric part SINCE I IRONED but maybe I’ll just cut the fabric and leave that as well. I did the decorative bits so maybe I’ll cut them as well, call it done for now and just enjoy the rest of the day.

Ok today I’m finishing my belts and I redid my gauntlets, as my first set I forgot to add extra room so the fit properly. I’m still not sure they WILL be done but they COULD be. I’d like to get the rest of the vinyl stuff done for those and move to the fabric cuffs as I’m planning to appliqué the design on those because WHY NOT throw another new skill on this pile at this juncture in time. It will be fine.

I’m also half planning a Skyloft version of Link- I have a friend who is doing Zelda (he already has the cosplay) and asked if I’d be his Link for Katsucon. The Skyloft gear is pretty simple, and not unlike the champions tunic (except less elaborate) so I said sure.

I found patterns on Etsy for the whole thing and now I’m very oh I could start this today and like dude no. You need these gauntlets in like three days. Katsu is SIX WEEKS AWAY. Start that after you’re back from the first con. LORD.

Oh wait that means I totally have time to do a shield and maybe that starter sword.

[badassindistress]

Thoughts on "invisible" sewing techniques vs deliberately "on show" techniques? Such as invisible zips vs zips in a contrasting colour, hidden sticking vs top stitching, etc.

(I have one invisible zip that is just doing my head in, the last one went in perfectly, first go....grrrr)

Okay so they both definitely have their merits. I like visible topstitching, especially in double rows. I like the cool look of visible metal zippers on punk or street styles

But my heart really lies with invisible closures. I just adore the look of garments that look impossible, like they're poured or sewn on. I'm trying to give my 1903 ballgown the same kind of hidden front closure as some of the Worth dresses, with lacing in front but a decorated panel hiding it entirely.

I also really know the pain of invisible zippers though. They did get a little easier once the lady at the market selling me the zippers told me you can iron them open and flat before sewing them in (and when i got a proper zipper foot)

These were some thought on invisible vs visible techniques, thank you! May your zippers ever run smoothly