Victorian jabot tutorial
March 29, 2010 by Lex
Filed under Clothing, Sewing, Tutorials + How Tos
by Zeloco
I’ve always been a fan of the Victorian fashions and, surprisingly, not only the feminine part if it (of course I love the feminine dresses and corsets (who doesn’t?!), but I’ve always dressed in an androgynous way). So, naturally, I NEEDED a jabot.
I can’t say I’m a pro in crafts or sewing,. I usually work in a trial-and-error way and I have no official training in this, so don’t be scared of reading professional terminology – there’s none. I find this particular method working best for me, feel free to alter it in any way to suit your needs/style/etc.
Giveaway Winners!
Congrats to the three lucky winners of the Advertising Giveaway!
Audrey
KittyVamp Designs
Luise
Thank you to everyone who entered, I hope you’ll all be back for our next giveaway!
|
|
|
WhatTheCraft Advertising Giveaway!
To celebrate our new look, we’re giving away 1 month of advertising on the site to THREE lucky people!
All you have to do to enter is comment here with the website (blog, etsy shop, personal store, etc.) you’d like to enter to win advertising for.
* One entry per person, please! *
This giveaway will end on March 13th at 11:59 PM EST. 3 winners will be randomly chosen on the 14th.
Ready, set, go!
Sewing Machines for $200-300
March 6, 2010 by Lex
Filed under Articles + Reviews
This is Part 4 of the Official WhatTheCraft Sewing Machine Recommendation List!
How did I choose the machines on this list? Online consumer ratings, my favorite shopping buddy.
These machines were selected because they not only had good ratings… they also had a lot of ratings and were at least decently rated at more than one of the review sites. A 5 star machine with 1 reviewer could be a fluke. Likewise, a 5 star machine on Amazon that has 2 stars on Ebay reviews is not a machine I’d gamble on.
*I should mention that unless otherwise noted, I have not personally tested these machines.*
The recommendations have been broken up into several groups by price.
|
|
|
$200 – 300
Janome 115215 / Kenmore 19233
Janome 115215 / Kenmore 19233 – $290 refurbished on Overstock
PatternReview rating: 26 would recommend, 2 might recommend, 2 would not recommend
Overstock rating: 4.8 stars, 13 reviews
Sears rating: 5 stars, 62 reviews
Specs: 215 stitch functions, buttonholer, zipper foot, free arm capability, drop in bobbin
Sewing Machines for $150-200
March 6, 2010 by Lex
Filed under Articles + Reviews
This is Part 3 of the Official WhatTheCraft Sewing Machine Recommendation List!
How did I choose the machines on this list? Online consumer ratings, my favorite shopping buddy.
These machines were selected because they not only had good ratings… they also had a lot of ratings and were at least decently rated at more than one of the review sites. A 5 star machine with 1 reviewer could be a fluke. Likewise, a 5 star machine on Amazon that has 2 stars on Ebay reviews is not a machine I’d gamble on.
*I should mention that unless otherwise noted, I have not personally tested these machines.*
The recommendations have been broken up into several groups by price.
$150-200
Brother CS6000i
Brother CS6000i - $169 on Amazon
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars, 258 reviews
PatternReview rating: 2 would recommend, 1 might recommend, 1 would not recommend
Ebay rating: 5 stars, 27 reviews
Overstock rating: 4.6 stars, 264 reviews
Specs: 100 stitch functions, operates with or without foot control, buttonholer, zipper foot, free arm capability, drop in bobbin, speed control
Sewing Machines for $100-150
March 4, 2010 by Lex
Filed under Articles + Reviews
This is Part 2 of the Official WhatTheCraft Sewing Machine Recommendation List!
How did I choose the machines on this list? Online consumer ratings, my favorite shopping buddy.
These machines were selected because they not only had good ratings… they also had a lot of ratings and were at least decently rated at more than one of the review sites. A 5 star machine with 1 reviewer could be a fluke. Likewise, a 5 star machine on Amazon that has 2 stars on Ebay reviews is not a machine I’d gamble on.
*I should mention that unless otherwise noted, I have not personally tested these machines.*
The recommendations have been broken up into several groups by price.
$100-$150
Janome 11590 / Kenmore 16231
Janome 11590 / Kenmore 16231 – $145 refurbished on Overstock
PatternReview rating: 24 would recommend, 1 might recommend, 2 would not recommend
Overstock rating: 4.7 stars, 15 reviews
Specs: 90 stitch functions, presser foot adjustment, buttonholer, zipper foot, free arm capability, drop-in bobbin
Brother XR9000
Brother XR9000 – $135 refurbished on Overstock
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars, 3 reviews
Overstock rating: 4.7 stars, 28 reviews
Specs: 120 stitch functions, operates with or without foot control, buttonholer, zipper foot, free arm capability and larger quilting table attachment
Sewing Machines for Under $100
March 4, 2010 by Lex
Filed under Articles + Reviews
After much searching, noting, and head scratching, I have assembled the Official WhatTheCraft Sewing Machine Recommendation List!
How did I choose the machines on this list? Online consumer ratings, my favorite shopping buddy.
These machines were selected because they not only had good ratings… they also had a lot of ratings and were at least decently rated at more than one of the review sites. A 5 star machine with 1 reviewer could be a fluke. Likewise, a 5 star machine on Amazon that has 2 stars on Ebay reviews is not a machine I’d gamble on.
*I should mention that unless otherwise noted, I have not personally tested these machines.*
The recommendations have been broken up into several groups by price.
Under $100
Janome 11574 / Kenmore 16221
Janome 11574 / Kenmore 16221 – $99 refurbished on Overstock
(Kenmore and Janome are made by the same manufacturer & sold under different brand names)
Sears rating: 5 stars, 30 reviews
PatternReview rating: 5 would recommend, 0 might recommend, 0 would not recommend
Overstock rating: 4.8 stars, 36 reviews
Specs: 74 stitch functions, presser foot adjustment, buttonholer, zipper foot, free arm capability, drop-in bobbin
Brother XL2600I
Brother XL2600I - $90 on Amazon
Amazon rating: 4 stars, 68 reviews
PatternReview rating: 1 would recommend, 1 might recommend, 0 would not recommend
Ebay rating: 4 stars, 9 reviews
Overstock rating: 4.6 stars, 147 reviews
Specs: 59 stitch functions, buttonholer, zipper foot, free arm capability, drop-in bobbin, electronic speed control, 25 year limited warranty
Which Sewing Machine Should I Buy?
March 4, 2010 by Lex
Filed under Articles + Reviews
And by I, I mean you.
It’s one of the most common questions in the sewing world, heard from beginners and seasoned seamstresses alike.
A few notes about what to expect from your sewing machine:
If you are buying new, you should not expect a machine under about $150 to be able to handle heavy duty work, i.e. several layers of fabric, denim, fleece, etc. I really wouldn’t expect any new machine under about $300 to be able to handle heavy duty work, at least not very well, though some machines will claim to be heavy duty anyway.
I must advise against buying sewing machines at Walmart. Walmart contracts (and often forces) companies to outsource the manufacturing of their machines to Walmart’s cheaper factories. The result is a machine with the same brand name and model number as sold in other stores, but of lesser quality (thus the lower price). I learned this fact the hard way.
