mochi girl molasses

sweater hack/few things

1:40 pm - 04/20/2012
i don't know how to sew. i have a machine but am afraid of it.
so i had sew

i'm volunteering for a thing in the summer so i have handsewn 3 aprons for it.

this is one

waistband pinned


this is another

ape



and then i quicknit a super kerchief for my girls camping weekend

new hat



and today i'm cutting up a freeboxed sweater for socks

hack ma sweater

no idea what i'm doing, totally winging it and loving it so far
this above is made from the arm but i want a good over the knee pair...that'll have to come from the body of the sweater.

spring rocks
happy weekend!
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faeriemuriel 20th-Apr-2012 09:31 pm (UTC)
OMG, the socks thing is so simple yet so obvious! Where are you gonna put the seam at?
molasses 20th-Apr-2012 10:54 pm (UTC)
i have no idea
i think it'll go where it ends up

this is a first try
next one i might be more fussy
aprilvalentine 20th-Apr-2012 11:39 pm (UTC)
I like the aprons! But, I gotta ask, why are you afraid of the sewing machine?
molasses 21st-Apr-2012 01:30 am (UTC)
i tried it twice and broke needles
and thread fromthe top went into a mess

i do not understand!
galingale 21st-Apr-2012 02:03 am (UTC)
I do not understand them either. They're magic ... and some days it just feels like black magic. I've finally got the hang of some bits -- I made a lovely quilt top. But other bits totally floor me -- I had to get someone ELSE to put the top onto the backing!

I did find that it helped when I bought a new machine to replace the second- or third-hand machine someone gave us. The repair shop looked at the old one, and basically said it was time for a funeral.

And I've also been told that I was attempting to use "overlock thread" on a standard machine, I don't know why that's a problem but so be it.

I also pinned a pattern to my mother's bedspread once and almost cut into it before realizing what I'd done. That put me off sewing for decades.

I have some projects brewing to do with my 5yo though...maybe we'll add an apron to the list.
aprilvalentine 21st-Apr-2012 05:32 am (UTC)
"Overlock thread" is thread made for an overlock, or serger machine. They are the ones that sew edges and cut at the same time. A standard machine is a regular sewing machine. Overlock thread usually comes in a big cone rather than a smaller spool. There may be other differences -- I don't have a serger so I'm not sure -- but at least the size of the cone and perhaps the way it's wound would cause issues with trying to use it on a regular machine. It's also probably thicker than regular sewing thread. If you go to the thread rack in a fabric store and study it, you'll see many kinds: cotton, silk, polyester, "quilting thread," "button thread" -- which is heavy and used not only for buttons but for sewing stuff that is thick or needs extra strength in the thread to hold it together and many other kinds. Your project and fabric should determine the kind of thread you use, but for a regular sewing machine, you want the small 250 to 500 yard spools that most of us are more familiar with. Your machine's instruction book should give you this information.

I also pinned a pattern to my mother's bedspread once and almost cut into it before realizing what I'd done.
I think most sewers have done something like that. I've pinned to carpet too. As long as you didn't cut the bedspread, why worry about it, just make sure you only pin the pattern and the fabric you want to cut next time. :-) Oh, just thought of another tip: when cutting out fabric that you've pinned pattern pieces to, keep the fabric lying on the surface (table, bed, floor, whatever) instead of lifting it up into your hands or onto your lap. If you pick it up, you won't be able to cut accurately.

And I can't say it often enough. Read the pattern. Everything you need to know to make any garment or item will be in the pattern directions. To this day, I always read the complete pattern direction from start to finish before I even think about pinning the pattern pieces to the fabric and start sewing.

There are some good sewing comms on lj... maybe a beginner's one for issues like these would be a good idea though.




aprilvalentine 21st-Apr-2012 05:18 am (UTC)
Hmmm... sounds as if you didn't thread the machine properly. If you're just sewing over fabric, needles shouldn't break that easily. What do you mena you broke the thread 'from the top'? It broke up at the top of the machine and not down by the needle? And what did you mean by "went into a mess"? Are you talking about the thread getting into a big nest under the fabric or something else?

There are many videos on YouTube these days to show you how to thread a machine if you have trouble understanding the book that came with the machine. Or you can take a class. There are also usually numbers indicating how the thread should go (as in step 1, 2, 3, etc. down to the needle.) If the tension is too tight, you could experience needle or thread breakage too. If it's not a new machine, it might need oil or repair to work properly. Has anyone else been able to sew on it? What kind of machine do you have? Sometimes it's a good idea to practice sewing without thread on paper to get the hang of speed and controlling how the fabric (or practice paper) should be fed under the presser foot. Draw lines on the paper to guide your thread-less sewing until you can guide it with your hands and control the speed with the foot pedal.

I've actually seldom broken needles and I've been sewing for uh... I hate to say how many years.
molasses 21st-Apr-2012 05:35 am (UTC)
i hired a teacher who showed me the machine-she couldn't sort out the top thread issue either..

but i did buy the machine used.
so my next plan is to give it a checkup.
aprilvalentine 21st-Apr-2012 05:38 am (UTC)
Okay -- it's obviously not you then, but the machine. It probably needs a simple adjustment that a good repair person can easily fix. They get out of alignment with use and though there are things you can do to keep it working well, there are others that you really need to get a repair guy to do. It will definitely be worth it.

Good luck -- if you get it working, you'll be able to make an apron in a quarter of the time!
molasses you'll be able to make an apron in a quarter of the time! — 21st-Apr-2012 05:46 am (UTC)
and it might even fit!


heeeee!!
neko_loliighoul 22nd-Apr-2012 11:37 am (UTC)
thread from the top= you might be threading it wrong? I had this problem with a machine I have no manual for
atheistkathleen 20th-Apr-2012 11:57 pm (UTC)
pretty!
deepseasiren 21st-Apr-2012 05:22 am (UTC)
What awesome, cheerful, bright creations! I especially love the aprons!
nwhepcat 22nd-Apr-2012 07:42 pm (UTC)
You've been productive! I love all your bright and happy works.

I bought myself a sewing machine last Christmas, but I'm afraid of it too. But I really need to Get Over It so I can get to some terrific projects I have lined up.

I hope you won't mind me pimping my own blog, but as someone who likes to wing it, you might get a kick out of the blog I started, Dangerous Crafts for Girls. I've promised 52 crafts in a year, and so far (10 projects in) a LOT have been winging it.
nwhepcat 22nd-Apr-2012 07:43 pm (UTC)
Oh, and it's dangerouscraftsforgirls.com
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