Posted on 06/15/2009 11:55:36 AM PDT by STARWISE
I used to make daughter/doll dresses. I took the pattern to a blueprint shop where they shrunk any size 2 pattern by 1/2, fitting a doll perfectly. Stuff like that is fun.
I got a great dress on clearance at Kohl’s in January - kind of a sun dress for $5.90. I will wear it next month to my son’s wedding rehearsal dinner. But I also love to sew and currently have 7 pair of slacks/jeans to shorten for my kids, and shorten hem/shorten the halter strap of a bridesmaid dress.... Guess I better get busy. I made several sets of scrub outfits for my daughter, 2 nice robes (one “winter”, one lighter weight)for my husband. When my daughter was on the upper bunk in dorm room, she needed someplace to put her glasses and cell phone, so I made up a little pocket flap thing that tucked under her mattress and hung down, also made pockets for the TV remote, a few kleenex in it. I used to sew all the time, some years ago. Soon I will have a place where I can leave the machine set up all of the time, which might inspire me more.
EEEgads..necktie skirts? They are back? I still have mine..may have to add more neckties to make it fit. lol
Good for you !
~~~
How I Built My Own Wingsuit
Posted Fri Jun 05 2009
By Chris Warnock
Excerpt:
There I was, in the middle of a Utah winter, dreaming about jumping again. I’d recently finished editing a couple of instructional DVDs regarding wingsuiting, and those videos had sparked a new interest for me: I wanted to learn wingsuit flying in the upcoming jump season.
My budget was tight, and the cost of a new wingsuit seemed high. “Why not build my own suit?”
I wondered. My sewing skills were adequate for patching canopies, but that was the extent of my expertise. I’d been planning to work on sewing projects this winter… projects that would expand my knowledge of sewing. This was a logical step, I ventured. Surely building a wingsuit would help me in the seamster department, provide a suit for me to use in springtime, and keep my budget intact… it all appeared to be a fantastic idea.
I went through a list of resources I had available:
1) A great DZO (Jack Guthrie) who would allow me use his sewing machines
2) A good friend (Douglas Spotted Eagle) who would let me borrow a wingsuit for a while. Note: Neither Douglas nor I expected that “while” to be 4.5 months.
3) My girlfriend’s mother (Jane) works at a fabric store, and has extensive knowledge of available fabrics and parts such as zippers, snaps, etc.
4) A Wingsuit manufacturer (Tony Uragallo, of Tonysuits) who was willing to answer some questions I had about wingsuit design and assembly. Tony’s input was key during a few points in this project.
The first thing I did was take the borrowed wingsuit to Jane at Hi-Fashion Fabrics, in Grand Junction, CO. She inspected this Tonysuits Mach1 and helped me create a list of fabrics and parts necessary to build a replica.
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=719
~~~~~~~~
Men in Quilting - Does Grandfather Make Quilts?
*snip*
Aimee said:
My grandfather has made a quilt for each of us 10 grandchildren. He does the embroidery for blocks and then has someone else help quilt and piece. I will always treasure my quilt and have a wonderful story about the man who made it.
(Do write your down memories about Grandfather making quilts. Perhaps pictures of each, if you can get them, and something about each. That also could make a lovely memory book to give to each of the grandchildren.)
http://www.blisstree.com/articles/men-in-quilting-does-grandfather-make-quilts-79/
I sew for the satisfaction of doing it.
I was going to order new cushions to the tune of over $300.00 but decided to use this fabric on hand. They couldn't be more perfect.
We bought my Singer 201 or 501 (or something like that) in 1958. I’m still using it. It is all metal. It’s not going anywhere.
Pattern Review is also a fantastic resource, rating
patterns, machines and notions
http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/sewingclasses/board.pl?t=15681
~~~
Etsy .. buying and selling all things handmade
~~~
The About sewing site is loaded with helpful info
I’m right up there with ya! Stacks,
bins, and hampers full ....... ;)
BTW, at our annual monthly bldg. flea market,
fabric from a former tenant was being sold
for $1 .... a piece! Some pieces were 5-6
yards. Needless to say, I’m bulging, stacks
are nearing 5 ft. high .. but how could I resist?
I have enough for the next 5 yrs ... easy .. ;)
Talk about blessings. Then at the end, she
told me to just take the 7-8 yds that were left.
Nirvana!
I make one A-line skirt and one Fundamentalist Frump jumper, and an occasional craft or costume for my kids. The Salvation Army supplies most of my clothing needs! If I improved my sewing skills, I’d probably end up with a better wardrobe, but nobody sees me, anyway!
Suh .. weet!
We need to have more forums and yahoo groups for conservative crafters. I stopped looking at Janomes due to the rabid support for the left and bought a Singer.
Maybe start one ?
Sewing is a skill everyone should learn at an early age. By 12 I was repairing my own clothes and keeping mom off my back for tearing up “school clothes”.
Just last week, I went through all my back issues of Threads magazine. Yes, I can sew couture-quality if need be. But, yikes, the cost of fabric nowadays! Even Vogue patterns are in the $20 dollar range! I used to sew their designer patterns all the time. I just don’t want to spend the money and countless hours creating my own wardrobe anymore. So, I am on hiatus, at least until that first granddaughter appears. (Visions of frilly, lacey dresses in my head.....)
I was just going to say that my wife has stated several times that it doesn’t pay to do it anymore due to the fabric costs.
She still does some of the kids clothes once in a while when she finds a suitable fabric on sale.
In some cases she has bought clothes off the rack on sale for less than what the fabric would cost and then converted to her needs.
I started sewing in the 60s, because you couldn’t get the latest Carnaby Street designs in the USA. I went through sewing for others for barter and then for money, did craft fairs, learned to weave and made clothing out of my own fabric. First the fabric, then the yarn became prohibitive and then the imports from India put a lot of us out of business, especially the ikat and raw silk designs.
I still will do repairs and alterations, but I don’t enjoy it.
My husband is a sailor who is also building a second boat. He bought an industrial machine and has made his own sails, then he repaired someone’s catamaran trampolines and he is now making a storm sail for another sailor. He enjoys it and this is sewing overlapping triangles of slippery Dacron with super UV resistant thread on a huge long table. He is eyeing my old Bernina for various other projects and will probably get it back into top form this winter.
I loved the reference to pillowcase tops. My first creative garments were pillow case mini dresses that I dyed and embroidered. This economy may spark some creativity among the young. That is always a good thing.
so does my mother-in-law... she sews pajamas for my boys... very customized shirts for them and my husband... my husband usually wears his shirts to bbqs and on holidays... my boys where these shirts that my mother-in-law made for her two boys (my husband and his brother)... we came across them when we were cleaning out my brother-in-law's room after he unexpectedly passed away... these shirts are very special...
she also has made me a very nice apron and throw pillows... someday i will make myself learn to sew...
I’m a lapsed seamstress and dormant doll crafter who’s planning to start sewing again as soon as I decide on a new machine. (That high-end Bernina is to die for!)
The problem here in New England is that the best fabric stores have gone out of business. Yes, there are a lot of craft/quilt fabric shops, but no high-end apparel fabric.
Shopping for fabric from an online store leaves a lot to be desired.
But I continue to buy patterns, just in case I find the perfect fabric!
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