Quick Sewing Tip: Keep a log of machine maintenance

When was the last time you cleaned and oiled your machine? Or changed a needle?

You don’t remember?

Me neiths.

That’s why I started keeping a mini notebook next to my machines so I could record when and what maintenance I’ve done.

I change the needles on my sewing machines fairly often, but on my sergers and coverstitch machines? Unless I break a needle, almost never.  And when you can take out your handy dandy notebook and see that you haven’t changed the needles in 5 months, it can make troubleshooting go a lot faster.

When it comes to cleaning and oiling, most of my machines suggest once a month… for infrequent use. HA! For “daily use”, the manuals suggest cleaning once or twice A WEEK. *cough* Oops.

Now that I keep notes, though, it’s a lot harder to say to myself, “I just cleaned them, they’re fine….”  I can actually look (in horror) to see that they haven’t been oiled in… well, in a long time.

Since I’m a machine freak and have a fleet of machines, a wee notebook is appropriate, but if you’ve only got one or two, you could just use a Post-it note stuck to the back of the machine to keep note.

Tutorial – How to Sew a Slipcover, Part 2

Part 2, FINALLY!

I know, I move at turtle speed sometimes.

Part 1 is here if you need it.

So let’s get started. Here’s my naked couch, stripped of all it’s cushiony goodness. (It seems weird that this is the first photo of the actual couch I’ve posted. Kinda dumb, in hindsight.)

Step 1

Last time I told you to go collect some thrift store sheets to use as a muslin, yes?

You COULD forgo the muslin and use these steps on your actual fabric, if you like to gamble, or you’re super ballsy, or really confident. I’m usually all of those, but I still made a muslin. I really didn’t want to eff this up, so I went the safe route, but if you want to roll the dice, be my guest. You’re dangerous!

Grab a sheet and tack it to part of the surface of your couch. I’m going to start with the front of one arm.

You can just stab some pins through the sheet so it lays flat. Or if you don’t want to put pins in your couch for some reason, I suppose you could use tape or something like that.

You can ignore all the marks for now. When you have it laying nice and flat and even, trim around it, leaving a good seam allowance PLUS extra. 3 inches would be good for now.  Mine has already been trimmed… otherwise it would’ve just looked like a mess of a sheet draped over the arm of my couch.

We’ll trim it down more when we’ve got it all pinned and fitted.

Step 2

Choose another surface that abuts (hehe) the piece you’ve already pinned and trimmed. In my case, I’m going to do the piece that wraps all the way around the arm.

Pin it in place the same way I did with the front of the arm. Now, start pinning the two pieces together where they meet.  It’s usually best to start at the center (in my example, I started pinning at the top of the arm) of the soon-to-be seam. Avoid puckers, you want nice clean seams. Some designs might require some darts or gathers, you’ll have to figure out what works best for your piece of furniture.

Pull the pieces taught, but not so tight that you stretch the fabric out of whack and wind up with wonky muslin pattern pieces. Read more

How to frost a window with contact paper – photo tutorial

If you’ve read my recent posts you know two things.

1. I love Contact paper.

2. I moved into a new house a few months ago.

The new house has a problem. That problem is that there’s  a window IN the shower. This window is a problem because it looks directly onto the street.

No, sir. I don’t like it.

Put a curtain over it, you say! But what about all that nice natural light?!

No, no. A curtain won’t do.

When we lived in an apartment a few years ago, there was a living room window I wanted  to cover without blocking the light, so I cut out a bunch of squares of clear Contact paper and stuck them on the window. It looked like a cool mosaic frosted window. The Contact paper is cool because when you want a change, or you’re a renter moving out, you just peel it off.

I did something similar in our basement here, since we have big egress windows that look directly at the neighbors (more on that in a minute). Even though we’re not renting, and I could have actually etched the glass or painted it with frosted glass spray, I just didn’t want anything permanent.

I knew I wanted to use the Contact paper in the bathroom, but I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to use one continuous piece of Contact paper, so there wouldn’t be any gaps you could see through. Someone would have to stick their face right up to the glass to see through the gaps, but I still didn’t like the idea.

I could have just put the plain sheet over the window and left it at that, but that would have been easy, and easy is boring.

So the OCTOPY ATTACK! window was born…

 

 

All you need is some Clear Contact Paper, some scissors, Sharpies, and some time. Read more

How to Sew Fabric Appliques – Video Tutorial + Photo Tutorial

Here’s my video tutorial for fabric appliques / patches. Appliques are a great way to embellish or customize a project. You can add them to bags, clothes, Xmas stockings, and more. Appliqued handmade goods make great gifts because you can tailor each one for the recipient!

If you scroll down, there’s also a photo tutorial version so you can go at your own pace, or go to a specific step.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!  There are lots more tutorials on the way!

And if you have any tutorial requests, leave me a comment!

This tutorial was filmed using a Creative Labs Vado HD Digital Video Camera, a Canon Rebel (for still shots), and edited in Sony Vegas Movie Studio.

 

Here’s the photo + text version of the tutorial:

Read more

How to sew sequined fabric

Today’s Crafty Advice question is about sequined fabric:

 

Dear WhatTheCraft,

I’m trying to sew knit material with sequins that are glued on. My machine works fine with everything else I’ve sewed, but when I tried to sew this fabric, the needle gets gummed up with glue residue from the fabric and starts skipping stitches. Is there a special needle I should be using or is my machine just not capable of sewing this type of fabric?

Sequins are tricky. It’s probably more likely that the fabric is to blame than the machine, especially if the glue is actually getting on the needle. You might have the best luck hand sewing sequined fabric (that goes double for sequins that are sewn on to the fabric and not glued), so you can stitch around the sequins instead of trying to sew through them with your machine.

However, some tricks you can try: use a titanium needle, and put a layer of wax paper over the seam while you sew. Sew right through the paper and remove it when you’re done. The wax should “wipe” the needle off as you sew, preventing the glue build up.

How to Make Ruffle Butt Undies – video tutorial

I finally got this tutorial uploaded to Youtube without problems. YAY!

This two part tutorial will show you how to make a damn cute pair of  ruffle butt underwear. (Or plain butt underwear if you’re not feeling ruffly. But ruffles are fun, so don’t neglect the ruffles.)

Thank you to rufflefabric.com for providing the ruffle fabric. Check out their site, it’s like a candy store for us fabric fiends!

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!  I have a crap ton of tutorials on the way (including drafting your own custom tube dress pattern, no-sew hair bows, sewing and hemming knits without a serger, making homemade limoncello and vanilla extract, and more)!

And if you have any tutorial requests, leave me a comment!

 

This tutorial was filmed using a Creative Labs Vado HD Digital Video Camera, a Canon Rebel (for still shots), and edited in Sony Vegas Movie Studio.

Tutorial: How to Crochet a Chain

by Stacey Trock

Hi there! Today, we’re going to crochet! Never crocheted before? Don’t worry! This tutorial is written for total crochet-newbies, and by the end of this post, you’ll be crocheting chains that you can use as necklaces, headbands… or whatever else you imagination comes up with!

Getting Started

To get started crocheting, grab some yarn and a crochet hook.  It’s easiest to use the size hook that’s recommended on the yarn label.

To begin, make a slip knot (check out my video if you don’t know how!).  All crocheting begins with a slip knot.

Now, we’re going to start crocheting! Insert your hook into the loop created by your slip knot, and tug on the tail (the short little piece of yarn that’s not connected to the ball) until the loop fits snugly around your hook, as pictured.

Now it’s time to chain! Hold the working end of the yarn (the really long end that’s attached to the ball of yarn) and wrap it around the back of the hook to the front, so that it wraps around the top of the hook, as pictured. Read more

Tutorial: Photographic printing with Inkodyes

The wonderful people at Inkodye have shared yet another fabulous tutorial with us.

Using their sun-exposed dyes, they use film negatives to do photo printing on a ribbon! It’s kind of like reverse-screenprinting, but so much easier than messing with screens and emulsions. You could easily do this on a larger scale by printing a negative-style image onto a transparency sheet and using that instead of a negative.

Since I first became familiar with Inkodye, I’ve been dye-ing to try them (hahahha, PUN!).  The Craft Gods were smiling down upon me, as Inkodye has generously provided me with a sample kit to experiment with. I can’t wait to show you what I come up with.

Click here for the full Inkodye Photographic Printing tutorial!

Tutorial: Lace Lampshade

by: inkodye

This project is shockingly simple, yet produces really beautiful and unique results. We were able to transfer the pattern of lace onto our lampshade by using the photographic property of Inkodye. It’s like magic! The lamp we used was found at Ikea for $15, but any cotton or linen lampshade will work perfectly.

 

Total tutorial time: 20 minutes

Used in this project: Inkodye Red Orange

 

Materials. All we used for this project was a cheap lampshade, some lace, a sponge brush, a few push pins, and of course Inkodye!

 

Prep. To extend and lighten the dye add water. This step is optional, but it allows your bottle of Inkodye to last even longer!

 

Mix. Stir the dye and water mixture to ensure even coloring.

 

Paint. Coat the lampshade with the Inkodye mixture, making sure to cover the canvas completely.

 

Pin. Next, use simple push pins to secure the lace. We pinned along the seem of the lampshade in order to keep the front flawless.

 

Snip. Cut off the extra fabric so that the print is undisturbed. Then, align and pin the bottom.

 

Develop. Watch the colors deepen and develop in the sun! We left the lamp out for about 5 minutes, rotated it, and left it out for 5 more.

 

Unravel. Remove the lace from the lampshade to expose the beautiful printed pattern. This is our favorite part!

 

Scrub. Wash with laundry detergent and water to remove excess Inkodye. Don’t be afraid to scrub hard; Inkodye is very permanent! Let dry.

 

Illuminate. Now you can display your newest piece of art anywhere around the house. Voilà!

 

Tutorial: Sun-Printed Batik Fabric Painting and Dyeing

by: inkodye

Batik is a traditional technique that uses Resist to prevent dye from reaching the fabric. You can use this method to create detailed patterns on textiles, wood and unglazed ceramics. With specially formulated Inkodye you get to use the power of the sun to develop the full vibrance of your colors and make them permanent, no other steaming or fixing is required!

Decide how to apply the resist. We used fine line applicators, also try brushes, stencils and sponges.

 

Choose your design. We printed out an illustration to use as an underlay, if you’re brave try freehand!

Flatten your work surface. We used a mild spray adhesive, you can also use stretcher frames.

 

Apply Resist. Try not to smudge your work as you go! Fine lines dry to the touch in minutes.

Finishing touches. Check your work for gaps, dye will bleed through gaps in lines. Sign your work!

Read more

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