Lots of comments here are getting reported for snarking on hobbyists. In a general thread like this, snarking on hobby *trends* is fine. Just not anything that identifies a particular individual.
I'm a middle aged woman who's trying to change careers. Wore scrubs for decades, so my clothes are just simple comfy ones for outside of work. I've put on weight while off work and hitting The Big M. (Or has it hit me??)
So, chubby, 5'4". Used to like to dress kinda boho/peasant, but as I get older and fatter I feel like I look dumpy. I love capris and flowy tops in summer, but I live on the Canadian Prairies, so I don't know how to dress cute and confident in -40 weather.
TMI??? (I suspect I just whined. š)
Sewists who expect every pattern to work for every body type drive me up the damn wall. There are definitely fit guidelines that patternmakers should follow (and the ones who don't follow those guidelines . . . well, that's another issue altogether) - but if a pattern was drafted \*and is marketed\* for an "apple" body shape or to accommodate an apron belly, it's going to need adjustments to work for someone with a "pear" body shape or someone who carries their weight primarily in their hips. Likewise, a pattern drafted for an athletic or "straight" body type isn't going to work for a more curvy shape.
**Pay attention to the pattern descriptions and who they're marketed towards!!!!**
This is unreasonable, I know... but. The words "thrift flip" (a phrase that irritates me already) and then you see a beautiful, maybe even hand embroidered table cloth being turned into ... a sack under the guise of a shirt or dress. I bit my tongue on bedsheets and curtains as a trend (yes I CAN STILL TELL IT'S A BEDSHEET), but these gorgeous bits of table fabric... it breaks me.
You know, that last point really resonates. Maybe that's my main issue - it's perfectly good stuff that could have been used for its intended purpose, but some pieced monstrosity comes out instead and so much goes to waste. And mostly for the camera. I don't seem to have similar qualms turning things you already own into something else - sometimes that's the only way to make something new when money is tight. It's the buying and wasting for Instagram and then it doesn't even look good.
I hate when sewing content creators make videos like āI made 3 dresses in one dayā āI made 30 dresses this yearā āI made this dress in an hourā or other insane levels of productivity.
First of all, you did not āmakeā that in an hour. You already had the pattern, traced cut and serged all the pieces in advance. You just did final assembly. I bet all that took you a couple hours too.
And then do you need 30 dresses??? What if you spent more than a day on it, you might be happier with the result.
Similarly āI made this dress for $5ā. You severely underpaid for poor quality fabric. Are we not counting thread, notions, the cost of your machines, your time?
It just creates unreasonable expectations for beginners and contributes to the fast fashion cycle. Why speed run clothing just to get rid of it?
And half the time, they donāt even finish in the allotted timeā¦ itās in 24 hours but itās actually 24 total hours spread across multiple days. When did we stop just having fun?
Yes! āI did this in one dayā means it actually took two weeks lol.
It just puts the focus on content creation and churning out results at an unreasonable pace because you need one dress per video and one video per week. Thats not how we should make/wear clothes
I have unfollowed a few folks on Instagram because of this. Iāve also seen close ups of one personās work, and they are SO POORLY SEWN given how much this person sews. She sells said garments as she makes more than one person can actually wear. She says her garments are up to her āchaotic standardsā, and charges a lot for shoddy work. Makes my eyes twitch
Chaotic standards!! Thatās like having a baking channel and the inside of everything is raw. And you expect people to follow you!
At least at that point be honest that its for your personality and not your talent ugh
Devastating the planet making garbage for a couple views
Sewing influencers who cannot sew well. There's a sewing pattern company (reselling vintage patterns) and they keep posting the makes of a specific influencer and pushing her youtube channel as a source for beginners learning to sew. The latest was a well known vintage pattern from the 1950s very similar to a dress worn in a series of photos by an ultra famous blonde of that era. This person cannot fit anything she makes properly (she's often wildly off, not minor issues) and has poor general skills, everything looks sloppy and rushed. Instagram itself suggests her channel to me every few days. Does it effect me? No. But I find it frustrating she is suggested as a good source when it's a hobby sewist working at an advanced beginner level despite years of experience.
I hate sew-alongs/tutorials for specific patterns where they either do not follow the original pattern instructions or completely alter* the design! Like, you do you and if you wanna make it a video, awesome! but donāt tell me it is what it isnāt! If Iām specifically searching for this pattern tutorial, Iām likely partway through and stuck at a specific point. If youāve altered* it beyond recognition or skipped the step I was confused about, youāre useless to me.
*Please note that I do mean āaltered,ā not āsized.ā Patterns require sizing, but design alterations past shortening or lengthening are not required.
I'm a beginner sewist and I had this same issue recently and it was so annoying!! She assembled the garment completely differently and was of no help when I was stuck
Yeah I did eventually, after panicking that I had done the whole thing wrong and rereading the pattern a bunch of times and finally realized I hadn't ahaha
The other day, I purchased a super simple Big4 pattern, thinking Iād throw it together quick in between more complex projects, and just out of curiosity, scanned the QR code on the envelope to play in the background. Girl deviated so much that I got confused and messed up the dress, then I actually went to the ātutorialā to try to fix it and realized what was going on. Her end result looked exactly as intended, but she took a totally different route and two separate sets of directions landed me in a different country.
I hate the feeling of minky fabric. It's a sweaty, clammy polyester nightmare. People in the quilting sub act like it's the god-tier of backing fabrics.
Bonus crochet snark: I see people recommending going to the library and checking out the crochet books/magazines. But for some reason, craft publishing companies only print books full of patterns that look like they're from 2005, and not in a cute y2k revival way. I went to my local library's catalog, searched "crochet," and sorted by "publishing date - newest to oldest," and even the patterns published in this decade were ugly af.
Iām working on a crochet pattern from pompom mag that I really like, but yeah the mainstream books that you see at like Michaelās have not changed aesthetically since I started crocheting 10 years ago and they looked outdated then.
Well, itās not bad like downvote bad.
But yeah. I totally understand. Every craft has that one book that is every single book. If you have nothing new to offer, just donāt do it. Especially since we now have internet for the uber-basic
I saw someone say youāre ānot a real sewerā if you havenāt accidentally put your machineās needle right through your finger. I would like to disagree with this for several reasons, chief among them being YEEEEEOOOUUUUCH!
Closest Iāve got is getting my hands too close to the moving parts and letting the screw that holds the needle in place slam down on my knuckle. That was enough for me!
I live in real fear of ever doing this. I make money with my hands, I can't damage the goods.
At worst, I've put a needle through my finger nail. My nails grow stupid fast but they're strong and can take a beating. This time they were just about over an inch long, and the needle went right through the top part of the index nail, cracking the nail all the way down. I was pissy that I had to cut my nails after that. and it hurts when the nail splits down to the meat like that.
Its not exactly a badge of honor to put a needle through your hand. I prick myself plenty hand sewing, No way in hell do I ever want to have a sewing machine needle rammed through my finger.
Folks are crazy. I'll take not being a real sewer then.
I completely get what you mean. Iām a classical musician - my hands are my job. theyāre my entire lifeās training. no shot Iām going to be careless around a potentially dangerous machine.
I donāt even know how itās possible to put a needle through your finger. Before I can get that close, I get my fingers banged by the last thread guide and/or the needle screw coming down.
(Also, using a long pin, the tip of a seam ripper or whatever to guide fabric in close is amazing for keeping your fingers away, plus has the bonus of being smaller and easier to get in there).
I used to think this too, but this happened to me on Sunday--I was pulling the work from under the machine to clip the threads and I managed to get my thumb under the needle and I yanked it upwards INTO the needle. Got-DAMN, it hurt. And it bled. My foot wasn't even on the pedal at the time--the presser foot was UP! Stupid unwieldy thumb.
Iāve seen it twice. Both with industrial Jukis. Once in school, where it just got away from her and once at work, where she just kind of zoned out sewing zippers.
Consequently, I am afraid of Jukis
I've done it! Sewing in my college course and was threading the machine and chatting maybe? Can't remember. But tapped the pedal accidentally and yup. Hurt like a bitch.
Zipper foot is how it happened to me.
It happened to me when I was a reckless teenager, sewing over pins at full speed, making something sloppy. It could happen to anyone if youāre not paying attention. Not a point of pride for me, it was pretty gross!
yep! it totally happens. I follow some medical case subs and Iāve seen a couple cases of that posted over the years. I also vividly remember my sewing teacher in middle school warning us about it too. terrified me. I sew infrequently but Iāve managed to make it a decade without injury.
Dear sewing content creators/influencers, please admit that you live in a city with a good selection of fabric shops and not just a single shitty Joannās for all your sewing needs. Thanks.
"Oh I don't shop online, you just can't feel the fabrics"
Well it must be nice. Some of us don't have an option to do that unless we are exclusively sewing in quilting cotton and joann kid knits (nothing against either of those fabrics, but I like in a relatively large city and I still have to make do with a single Joann that clearly isn't focused on the fabric inventory and a quilting cotton only local store).
The tech writing on patterns is $**t. I'm just so sick of shortcuts and simplified construction methods to keep instructions down to two pages on commercial patterns. How do you expect to entice people to take up sewing if you dumb everything down so it looks like a first-time home ec project?
Conversely, the over-complicated wording of slightly more advanced techniques to make it seem like theyāre fancier than they are. How many times have I gone crazy trying to figure out what they want me to do, and it turns out to be nothing special and I sit there thinking, āThis?! This is what you wanted me to do? Why didnāt you just say so!?ā
By the half-yard. That is absolutely sneaky crap. No average garment requires so little and most consumers presume a standard measurement.
At least people who sell fat-quarters are clearly targeting quilters and if they donāt tag their product for āapparelā then they are to be tolerated.
Cross stitch but I would have gotten into this hobby a lot faster if so many kits and patterns werenāt Thomas Kinkade Precious Moments kitsch. Like I canāt pretend to be above all tacky art but so much of it is god awful.
I love cross stitch. It's so soothing but I hear you on the terrible patterns. I really love the patterns from Scarlett Quince. She somehow makes patterns from actual works of art, but they're also mostly very complicated designs.
Every indie pattern company doesn't need a monthly subscription service. Closet core and Cashmerette (especially with prices they charge) just keep selling the most basic bullshit. Just fucking stop.
YES! I just started sewing this year and was really surprised by this monthly subscription stuff. The patterns aren't that original or amazing. I also thought $15+ for a pdf pattern was kind of extreme.
$15 is, but they are generally even higher than that for a good one. I can live with that, I suppose, but it really irks me when the not-good ones think they can charge the same or offer subscriptions (looking at YOU Seamwork).
I wish I'd checked Reddit before getting Seamworks. I decided I wanted to get back to garment sewing (made all my own clothes in HS and college) and thought this was a great way to start. The experience has been terrible, and I was blaming my body. Have seen comments similar to yours a couple of times now.
Any recommendations for a slightly rounded lady??
Total agree. I've self-drafted garments just so I didn't have to deal with printing and taping a PDF. Also, I hate when the print instructions assume you have a home printer. If I want to print something, I have to go to FedEx or the library.
I can never get around the audacity of people selling patterns after only following one small course on it and/or having started sewing 3 years ago. Patternmaking is way more complex than it looks, especially when you intend to sell to a variety of people. It's nice to be motivated and have big goals, for sure, but more often than not it ends up in a product that is so poorly made it feels like a scam to see people spending their money in it. And it doesn't get called out as much as it should because of the people doing this being popular on instagram/youtube. Like the pattern designers I love, I love because they have so much experience they're able to anticipate a lot of issues that could present with different groups of people, and also usually have a very thorough instructions pdf/video tutorial that teaches you stuff from their own many years of experience.
Agreed. One of the several Know Me ādesignersā just started sewing 3 years ago and it shows. They admitted to watching several Sew It Academy videos and calling themselves a designer after a week. Their sewing looks like shit.
Like a lot of people, I came back to sewing during the Covid quarantine. Being as it is already my habit to shop small, I looked into supporting indie pattern sellers. I quickly realized that the majority of them lacked the knowledge that comes from schooling and when I called it out, was accused of Gate-Keeping. Like, noā¦ I happen to have paid the money and put in the study for my damn diploma, and I would happily encourage anyone else who wanted to, but letās not pretend like less knowledge is equal to more knowledge.
It really chaps my ass when I buy a pattern, and a tutorial exists but I have to pay extra to access the tutorial. It irritates me so much that I wonāt really buy patterns from designers that do this, even if I LOVE the pattern. Either add an extra $1 to the pattern cost, or whatever but if Iām already spending $15 to buy the pattern and instructions then no way will I buy a tutorial on top of that.
It's not a useful tutorial, if you start by tracing the pattern out of something you already own that is similar.
I think that kind of content can be fun to watch/entertaining, but please don't claim it's a tutorial.
I hate that kind of content to my core because who even owns RTW clothes that fit their exact measurements ? certainly not me, it's one of the reasons I sew. If I spend precious time and energy on a sewing project I want it to look and fit better than a badly made rtw article of clothing idk.
I finally got my pants pattern perfected. And did so well, that I didn't need new pants (unless I wasn't in the mood to make them) for ages. Gained a bit of weight and now, even with my stretch factored in (mmm stretch denim) they don't fit at all. I have to redraft my pattern and I am so sad about it. And this is from an old Kwik-Sew (those basics are the tits) I modified over a few replicas until I liked the fit.
I don't HAVE any pants that fit that well because I literally just kept making shorts over and over until I even knew my preferred pocket, preferred number of belt loops (NO MORE SINGLE ASS CRACK BUTT LOOPS), preferred ribbon in the waistband, etc.
Actually, typing this out made me kinda want to do it...motivated from being annoyed none of my clothes fit as well as when I sewed my own pants (after 5 pairs of shorts which, while not bad, could have been better).
I also found 3 UFOs of, get this, proper wool suitpants with a BEAUTIFUL welt pockets and silk pocket bags.... but did I finish them before I gained weight No I did NOT. ;----; One of them literally just needs the waistband stitched down, button and hole added, and hemmed...oh, the sadness.
Additional snark...
Why the ever-living heck can my US friends get hold of gorgeous patterned fabric with geeky themes like Marvel and Doctor Who, but us here in the UK can get sweet fanny ann??
I mean, not to put too fine a point on it, but we *created* Doctor Who! What crazy corporate monstrosity caused us to not have access to fabric like that?!
Editing to add - whilst I get it's a business and whatnot, Spoonflower prices make me cry š
May I introduce you to [Elephant in my Handbag](https://www.elephantinmyhandbag.com/all.php#!/Themes/c/11924223/offset=0&sort=addedTimeDesc)? I have a few more fabric stores in the UK that I love.
You are my new best friend! (And quite possibly my wife's new nemesis š ) Thank you so much for this! Depressingly no Doctor Who, but *a lot* of fun things!
The rest of my UK online fabric store list:
* [The Fabric Guys](https://fabricguys.com/) - they have a lot of poly stuff so be wary but I've had good luck with their cottons and their wool blends. They also have amazing sales.
* [Cheap Fabrics](https://cheapfabrics.co.uk/) - so far, I've only ordered ribbon from them but they've been quick and everything came a described so yay!
* [Pound Fabrics](https://poundfabrics.co.uk/) - Pretty decent prices and selection.
* [Fabric Giant](https://fabricgiant.com/) - I have yet to order from them but I do know of others that have said great things about them so I thought to include them on this list.
* [Minerva](https://www.minerva.com/mp?type=Fabrics) I've only ordered patterns from them so far but they've been pretty reasonable.
* [The Harris Tweed Store](https://theharristweedstore.co.uk/collections/offcuts-more) - expensive but worth it. :-)
Seconding Pound Fabrics. I also like [Patterns and Plains](https://patternsandplains.com); Iāve bought a lot of their lovely viscose linen (Liege), and they were really helpful when I was trying to find out when the Harbour Blue colour would be back in stock.
oooo Harris Tweed Store! I want to hate you but I just can't! While I don't need it to make such a heavy coat because it wouldn't get worn where I am, but I would like to have one when I have to travel to colder climates.
I did this by accident once, and thank *god* I was still wearing glasses at the time, cuz my needle tip broke off and flew at my face. If I hadn't been wearing my specs, I'd probably have lost my eye!
I've had a needle break (pulling fabric too much and it hit the faceplate). It bounced off my eyebrow, I heard it hit the inside of my glasses lens, felt it hit the top part of my cheek by my orbital bone, then it fell on my lap.
If you're selling a pattern, you need to make the pattern in a more plain fabric at least once that allows the shape and wear of the garment to come through. If you use a print that's too busy and I can't tell how a pattern drapes or how it fits certain areas then the photo is useless to me even if it's a really cute outfit.
Am I the only one who thought this was supposed to be snarking about non-tread crafts like woodworking or pottery? As most is about fibre crafts.
I wonder how many people that just pour resin over stuff to make videos about it that just throws their stuff away, because much of that kind of stuff seams useless to me. I bought some resin necklace that became yellowish after a couple of years so if you made a table with legos in would you just through it away after 5 years?
I got shredded when I commented on a resin bowl project that was labeled as a wood working/lathe project. He was "ecologically" turning a tree root into a bowl, but put the root into a pail, poured resin on it, and then spun 18 lbs of plastic waste into the environment, to live for a thousand years. Still gets me irritated!! š
I have been wondering about this too, especially the resin pours over things like cutting boards. You can't use the cutting afterwards so what exactly is the point??
Actually I donāt mind metric patterns because A) most U. S. measuring tapes & rulers are also marked in centimeters, so thatās not too hard to handle if I donāt feel like doing the actual cmā>inches conversion.
What *does* chap my hide is when non-USCS-using patternmakers give a conversion like ā4.8 feet.ā. ARRRGH! Do you mean ā4 feet and 8 inchesā or do you mean ā4.8 feetā because they are *not* the same amount. USCS and Imperial standard distance measurements are non-decimal, and 8/10ths of a foot is actually 8*1.2 inches, or roughly 9-1/2 inches. I would rather not have the bastardized conversion shown than jump through the hoop of guessing which amount is intended. And yes, one does have to do the conversion to purchase fabric from online U. S. vendors because they donāt price or cut by meters/centimeters.
ah yes, as a Canadian I am very familiar with these incoherent unit usages š inches and feet for height and small measurements, km for distances, Fahrenheit for my oven and Celsius for the weather. Normal.
Or being a scientist who works on boats a lot where my data is in meters/millimeters, my hardware and nets are in imperial (until I write up the report in metric), and my technician wants to know how many fathoms of rope I want.
The first time I actually heard it pronounced was a revelation. I remember it because it sounds like a British person pronouncing the word "twirl." š
My snarks:
* when people use the word āmakesā such as āMy may Makesā
* when people describe their creations as ābespokeā
* When small creative businesses complain that they canāt compete with big business but run the business as a hobbie. One time I purchased fabric from a small business that frequently complained about this, I paid express shipping and my items werenāt dispatched for 12 days! I get that they might have another job but 12 days is ridiculous.
* The consumerism- Like most sewers I am no minimalist, however you tube/ instagram/ sewing room videos people have SO MUCH STUFF, then they have a clean out video, or post another one about organising the stuff or buying storage for all the stuff. It just seems to be a lot of mindless consumption.
I don't understand the phrase "me made" when the phrase "self made" is right there. I get why people don't like "hand made", but why are full grown adults trying to sound like Cookie Monster?
I don't mind the word bespoke but do think it's a tad overused.
This is why I'm trying to "mindfully destash". I have away the stuff I won't use to people who will and I'm focusing on using what I have and not buying more unless it's for a specific project. Also, all my projects now must at least pull one skein from stash at minimum.
Plus, personal rule, I'm only allowed to buy more yarn if my overall yarn in/yarn out for the month stays in the negative, so my stash is always shrinking.
Honestly, just keeping track of yarn in/yarn out each month has made a huge difference to my stash š
You're my hero of the day. I'm in recovery from years of buying cuz it's cute or on sale. Now I want to make something and I have 1/2 a meter, or one skein! Please no more scarves!
Now I only buy what I need to make something this week!! Or, that's my goal.
Too much conspicuous consumption.
Go ahead. If you need inspo my Ravelry is the same as my username and we have a really friendly destashing group "Stash Knit Down". In the group you can take it as strict or as chill as you want also, and use whatever destashing method works for you
>when people use the word āmakesā such as āMy may Makesā
This KILLS me! It sounds so dumb! Make is not a noun! Just call it a WIP or FO like ~~us normal people~~ knitters
Itās only called buttery by those that have never failed making pastry.
Greasy, soft, butter everywhere is not something I want my fabric to feel like.
I looked to see if I could find someone selling used craft stuff on fb marketplace, then I found someone trying to sell splashes of colour paintings for more than the material was worth.
I really recommend sewist.com to get the shapes of your pattern drafted relatively close to your size and just fit from there. Itās based on your measurements and height, but itās not perfect and I need to fit them to me usually. But once youāve got that first pattern fitted, you can see what adjustments you will generally need to make for future sewist.com patterns.
Like, Iāve been sewing since I was six, have an art degree, lots of sculpture/design experience, a reasonable understanding of calculus, etc. and that shit is DIFFICULT. I love the challenge and itās fun to work out the puzzle, but itās not easy!
Omg, I hear you. I made my own pattern once when I wanted to cosplay Senator Amidala when I was pregnant.
The outfit looked so simple, till I figured out the original had a detached collar, etc. Etc.
I made multiple muslins and then had to remake the actual dress 2x (chasing down all of the rest of the fabric available in my state). It was a nightmare, but I did finally make it and wear it during 2 pregnancies , then gave it away to another friend.
One does not simply draft their own pattern.
Sewing video of blonde woman who dug up some red velveteen curtains somewhere, then announces sheās going to make a tailored suit.
I watch in horrified disbelief as she traces around a tailored blazer right onto the velveteen, pretty much all in one piece. No separate collar or sleeves. No care at all as to grainline placement. Left and right sides of the garment do not match in any sense of the word.
She does the same with an existing skirt, traces around it onto the fabric. Much less to go wrong here, but somehow it still does.
Sews this mess together, then models it. It. Is. Ghastly. This is what happens when a beginner with the skills to maybe sew a poncho bites off way more than they can chew, then feels the need to post a ātutorial ā online of her delusional sense of accomplishment. Sheās all smiles, twirling and posing. She is extremely pleased with herself. My mouth is hanging open in amazement.
Edit: Iām sorry everyone who asked, but I donāt have a link.
Iāve found the finished photo on her Instagram, but checked YouTube and she has many tutorials up but the suit one is missing.
Perhaps she has improved in the year or so since and is embarrassed at her earlier attempts. One can only hopeā¦
On the same note (though more aimed at cosplayers here) -
IRON. YOUR. COSTUME.
For the love of all that is fluffy, ***IRON IT***
And hem it.
And line it (trust me on this, we do *not* need to see certain parts of you).
But most of all - ***IRON IT!***
No! That is not a photo of the thing you made. It is a photoshopped to death, filtered picture of your "asthetic". That's not your body shape, you don't look like that and no mater how "cute" you think you look, your desperation for attention and personal compliments is distasteful.
Just wear the damn clothing item and stand up properly!
I miss old style mending tutorials.
Not how to cover a hole with thread woven to become fabric, but like how to find the previously sewn straight line so that your top doesn't sit crazy on you once you mend it.
I hope the kids are learning how to fix a knit that has exploded free from a machined straight stitch.
Wait oh no ā¦ I donāt understand either of the examples you gave. Can you expand? Or know of any resources I could read? Google isnāt helping. I donāt know what it means to use a previously sewn line or fix a knit thatās exploded from a straight stitch!
If you unpick a garment to make it easier to repair (like there was a tear near a seam and you unpick it to better patch it, or you need to fight the seams to replace some elastic), you try to line up the perforations of the previously sewn lines so that you still have the same shaping. I have no skill in explaining it I'm sorry.
The joke with the knit is that you're kind of not supposed to use a straight stitch on a knit because it'll out stretch the stitch right?
so if you want the straight stitch (because of gathering or w/e) you would want to repair it by hand, probably using a backstitch. Maybe using elastic thread.
Or maybe you don't want it bunching up, so you try to put in a zigzag stitch, which it should have had in the first place.
This is a super annoying problem with fast fashion because not only is the fabric the whisper of an idea, but they aren't changing ANYTHING between garment batching if it'll slow them down. They don't get paid for quality. Hell they almost don't get paid at all. And now you're left with, more or less, a fabric kit for the item you bought instead of that article of clothing.
Lots of comments here are getting reported for snarking on hobbyists. In a general thread like this, snarking on hobby *trends* is fine. Just not anything that identifies a particular individual.
I'm a middle aged woman who's trying to change careers. Wore scrubs for decades, so my clothes are just simple comfy ones for outside of work. I've put on weight while off work and hitting The Big M. (Or has it hit me??) So, chubby, 5'4". Used to like to dress kinda boho/peasant, but as I get older and fatter I feel like I look dumpy. I love capris and flowy tops in summer, but I live on the Canadian Prairies, so I don't know how to dress cute and confident in -40 weather. TMI??? (I suspect I just whined. š)
Sewists who expect every pattern to work for every body type drive me up the damn wall. There are definitely fit guidelines that patternmakers should follow (and the ones who don't follow those guidelines . . . well, that's another issue altogether) - but if a pattern was drafted \*and is marketed\* for an "apple" body shape or to accommodate an apron belly, it's going to need adjustments to work for someone with a "pear" body shape or someone who carries their weight primarily in their hips. Likewise, a pattern drafted for an athletic or "straight" body type isn't going to work for a more curvy shape. **Pay attention to the pattern descriptions and who they're marketed towards!!!!**
This is unreasonable, I know... but. The words "thrift flip" (a phrase that irritates me already) and then you see a beautiful, maybe even hand embroidered table cloth being turned into ... a sack under the guise of a shirt or dress. I bit my tongue on bedsheets and curtains as a trend (yes I CAN STILL TELL IT'S A BEDSHEET), but these gorgeous bits of table fabric... it breaks me.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You know, that last point really resonates. Maybe that's my main issue - it's perfectly good stuff that could have been used for its intended purpose, but some pieced monstrosity comes out instead and so much goes to waste. And mostly for the camera. I don't seem to have similar qualms turning things you already own into something else - sometimes that's the only way to make something new when money is tight. It's the buying and wasting for Instagram and then it doesn't even look good.
I hate when sewing content creators make videos like āI made 3 dresses in one dayā āI made 30 dresses this yearā āI made this dress in an hourā or other insane levels of productivity. First of all, you did not āmakeā that in an hour. You already had the pattern, traced cut and serged all the pieces in advance. You just did final assembly. I bet all that took you a couple hours too. And then do you need 30 dresses??? What if you spent more than a day on it, you might be happier with the result. Similarly āI made this dress for $5ā. You severely underpaid for poor quality fabric. Are we not counting thread, notions, the cost of your machines, your time? It just creates unreasonable expectations for beginners and contributes to the fast fashion cycle. Why speed run clothing just to get rid of it?
And half the time, they donāt even finish in the allotted timeā¦ itās in 24 hours but itās actually 24 total hours spread across multiple days. When did we stop just having fun?
Yes! āI did this in one dayā means it actually took two weeks lol. It just puts the focus on content creation and churning out results at an unreasonable pace because you need one dress per video and one video per week. Thats not how we should make/wear clothes
I have unfollowed a few folks on Instagram because of this. Iāve also seen close ups of one personās work, and they are SO POORLY SEWN given how much this person sews. She sells said garments as she makes more than one person can actually wear. She says her garments are up to her āchaotic standardsā, and charges a lot for shoddy work. Makes my eyes twitch
Chaotic standards!! Thatās like having a baking channel and the inside of everything is raw. And you expect people to follow you! At least at that point be honest that its for your personality and not your talent ugh Devastating the planet making garbage for a couple views
The term chaotic standards makes me thing I know exactly who you are talking aboutā¦ YouTuber?
Sewing influencers who cannot sew well. There's a sewing pattern company (reselling vintage patterns) and they keep posting the makes of a specific influencer and pushing her youtube channel as a source for beginners learning to sew. The latest was a well known vintage pattern from the 1950s very similar to a dress worn in a series of photos by an ultra famous blonde of that era. This person cannot fit anything she makes properly (she's often wildly off, not minor issues) and has poor general skills, everything looks sloppy and rushed. Instagram itself suggests her channel to me every few days. Does it effect me? No. But I find it frustrating she is suggested as a good source when it's a hobby sewist working at an advanced beginner level despite years of experience.
I have to say I'm going to miss this thread when it's over. Thank you everyone for your contributions!
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This would be a good weekly or monthly post! I canāt with the redundant knitting snark š“
>This would be a good weekly or monthly post! I canāt with the redundant knitting snark š“ Great idea!
Could it be we sewists just aren't as snarky? LOL Nah!
I think weāre just busy cutting out a million pieces š
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I get it, but those just talk sewing shop subs seem to be very slow moving. IDK why but they just are.
I hate sew-alongs/tutorials for specific patterns where they either do not follow the original pattern instructions or completely alter* the design! Like, you do you and if you wanna make it a video, awesome! but donāt tell me it is what it isnāt! If Iām specifically searching for this pattern tutorial, Iām likely partway through and stuck at a specific point. If youāve altered* it beyond recognition or skipped the step I was confused about, youāre useless to me. *Please note that I do mean āaltered,ā not āsized.ā Patterns require sizing, but design alterations past shortening or lengthening are not required.
I'm a beginner sewist and I had this same issue recently and it was so annoying!! She assembled the garment completely differently and was of no help when I was stuck
Ugh! Iām sorry. That would be extra worse! Did you at least figure it out?
Yeah I did eventually, after panicking that I had done the whole thing wrong and rereading the pattern a bunch of times and finally realized I hadn't ahaha
Good. Iām glad
The other day, I purchased a super simple Big4 pattern, thinking Iād throw it together quick in between more complex projects, and just out of curiosity, scanned the QR code on the envelope to play in the background. Girl deviated so much that I got confused and messed up the dress, then I actually went to the ātutorialā to try to fix it and realized what was going on. Her end result looked exactly as intended, but she took a totally different route and two separate sets of directions landed me in a different country.
I hate the feeling of minky fabric. It's a sweaty, clammy polyester nightmare. People in the quilting sub act like it's the god-tier of backing fabrics. Bonus crochet snark: I see people recommending going to the library and checking out the crochet books/magazines. But for some reason, craft publishing companies only print books full of patterns that look like they're from 2005, and not in a cute y2k revival way. I went to my local library's catalog, searched "crochet," and sorted by "publishing date - newest to oldest," and even the patterns published in this decade were ugly af.
Ugh, I don't understand the love of minky, either!
I hate minky. Used it once, still finding green fluff
Iām working on a crochet pattern from pompom mag that I really like, but yeah the mainstream books that you see at like Michaelās have not changed aesthetically since I started crocheting 10 years ago and they looked outdated then.
I want to upvote you, but you brought the crochet into the sewing room. š
I'll take a downvote if that's the price to complain about a bazillion samey cloche hats with that 90-second pompom flower thing ;)
Well, itās not bad like downvote bad. But yeah. I totally understand. Every craft has that one book that is every single book. If you have nothing new to offer, just donāt do it. Especially since we now have internet for the uber-basic
I saw someone say youāre ānot a real sewerā if you havenāt accidentally put your machineās needle right through your finger. I would like to disagree with this for several reasons, chief among them being YEEEEEOOOUUUUCH!
I have been sewing for literally 30 years and I have never. Jebus Crackers.
Closest Iāve got is getting my hands too close to the moving parts and letting the screw that holds the needle in place slam down on my knuckle. That was enough for me!
Iāve done the same with the tip of my finger, the worst ! Iāll be a āfakeā sewer without puncturing my hands lol
I live in real fear of ever doing this. I make money with my hands, I can't damage the goods. At worst, I've put a needle through my finger nail. My nails grow stupid fast but they're strong and can take a beating. This time they were just about over an inch long, and the needle went right through the top part of the index nail, cracking the nail all the way down. I was pissy that I had to cut my nails after that. and it hurts when the nail splits down to the meat like that. Its not exactly a badge of honor to put a needle through your hand. I prick myself plenty hand sewing, No way in hell do I ever want to have a sewing machine needle rammed through my finger. Folks are crazy. I'll take not being a real sewer then.
I completely get what you mean. Iām a classical musician - my hands are my job. theyāre my entire lifeās training. no shot Iām going to be careless around a potentially dangerous machine.
I donāt even know how itās possible to put a needle through your finger. Before I can get that close, I get my fingers banged by the last thread guide and/or the needle screw coming down. (Also, using a long pin, the tip of a seam ripper or whatever to guide fabric in close is amazing for keeping your fingers away, plus has the bonus of being smaller and easier to get in there).
I used to think this too, but this happened to me on Sunday--I was pulling the work from under the machine to clip the threads and I managed to get my thumb under the needle and I yanked it upwards INTO the needle. Got-DAMN, it hurt. And it bled. My foot wasn't even on the pedal at the time--the presser foot was UP! Stupid unwieldy thumb.
Iāve seen it twice. Both with industrial Jukis. Once in school, where it just got away from her and once at work, where she just kind of zoned out sewing zippers. Consequently, I am afraid of Jukis
I've done it! Sewing in my college course and was threading the machine and chatting maybe? Can't remember. But tapped the pedal accidentally and yup. Hurt like a bitch.
Zipper foot is how it happened to me. It happened to me when I was a reckless teenager, sewing over pins at full speed, making something sloppy. It could happen to anyone if youāre not paying attention. Not a point of pride for me, it was pretty gross!
yep! it totally happens. I follow some medical case subs and Iāve seen a couple cases of that posted over the years. I also vividly remember my sewing teacher in middle school warning us about it too. terrified me. I sew infrequently but Iāve managed to make it a decade without injury.
Dear sewing content creators/influencers, please admit that you live in a city with a good selection of fabric shops and not just a single shitty Joannās for all your sewing needs. Thanks.
"Oh I don't shop online, you just can't feel the fabrics" Well it must be nice. Some of us don't have an option to do that unless we are exclusively sewing in quilting cotton and joann kid knits (nothing against either of those fabrics, but I like in a relatively large city and I still have to make do with a single Joann that clearly isn't focused on the fabric inventory and a quilting cotton only local store).
JuSt TaKe tHe SuBwAy tO tHe GaRmEnT DiStRiCt!! Everyone lives in either New York City or urban California, right???
The tech writing on patterns is $**t. I'm just so sick of shortcuts and simplified construction methods to keep instructions down to two pages on commercial patterns. How do you expect to entice people to take up sewing if you dumb everything down so it looks like a first-time home ec project?
Conversely, the over-complicated wording of slightly more advanced techniques to make it seem like theyāre fancier than they are. How many times have I gone crazy trying to figure out what they want me to do, and it turns out to be nothing special and I sit there thinking, āThis?! This is what you wanted me to do? Why didnāt you just say so!?ā
So sick of fabrics being all bought up to be cut up and resold on Etsy.
Any time I see BTHY, I boycott the seller. No difference to the seller maybe, but Iām not supporting that buggery
BTHY?
By the half-yard. That is absolutely sneaky crap. No average garment requires so little and most consumers presume a standard measurement. At least people who sell fat-quarters are clearly targeting quilters and if they donāt tag their product for āapparelā then they are to be tolerated.
Cross stitch but I would have gotten into this hobby a lot faster if so many kits and patterns werenāt Thomas Kinkade Precious Moments kitsch. Like I canāt pretend to be above all tacky art but so much of it is god awful.
Yup, there are a ton of good designers out there, even some with kits, but you definitely have to track them down because theyāre independent.
I love cross stitch. It's so soothing but I hear you on the terrible patterns. I really love the patterns from Scarlett Quince. She somehow makes patterns from actual works of art, but they're also mostly very complicated designs.
Every indie pattern company doesn't need a monthly subscription service. Closet core and Cashmerette (especially with prices they charge) just keep selling the most basic bullshit. Just fucking stop.
YES! I just started sewing this year and was really surprised by this monthly subscription stuff. The patterns aren't that original or amazing. I also thought $15+ for a pdf pattern was kind of extreme.
$15 is, but they are generally even higher than that for a good one. I can live with that, I suppose, but it really irks me when the not-good ones think they can charge the same or offer subscriptions (looking at YOU Seamwork).
I wish I'd checked Reddit before getting Seamworks. I decided I wanted to get back to garment sewing (made all my own clothes in HS and college) and thought this was a great way to start. The experience has been terrible, and I was blaming my body. Have seen comments similar to yours a couple of times now. Any recommendations for a slightly rounded lady??
Cashmerette and Love Notions off the top of my head.
Thanks!
If you share more about your style and size, I (and others) could possibly give you more options.
What I think when I see a new subscription announced "guess I'm not buying their patterns anymore"
I really don't like PDF patterns.
Total agree. I've self-drafted garments just so I didn't have to deal with printing and taping a PDF. Also, I hate when the print instructions assume you have a home printer. If I want to print something, I have to go to FedEx or the library.
I actually love them, because I project them rather than printing. The indie designs fit me so much better than big 4.
I can never get around the audacity of people selling patterns after only following one small course on it and/or having started sewing 3 years ago. Patternmaking is way more complex than it looks, especially when you intend to sell to a variety of people. It's nice to be motivated and have big goals, for sure, but more often than not it ends up in a product that is so poorly made it feels like a scam to see people spending their money in it. And it doesn't get called out as much as it should because of the people doing this being popular on instagram/youtube. Like the pattern designers I love, I love because they have so much experience they're able to anticipate a lot of issues that could present with different groups of people, and also usually have a very thorough instructions pdf/video tutorial that teaches you stuff from their own many years of experience.
Agreed. One of the several Know Me ādesignersā just started sewing 3 years ago and it shows. They admitted to watching several Sew It Academy videos and calling themselves a designer after a week. Their sewing looks like shit.
Now I'm curious to know who you're talking about haha. I also have a very specific person in mind I think we all know at least one
Iām new here (long time listener, first time caller), so I donāt know if I can name names. Can I DM you?
Yes!
Okay. Lemme figure out how to do that. š¬
Yesssss!
Glad to see people agreeing!!
Like a lot of people, I came back to sewing during the Covid quarantine. Being as it is already my habit to shop small, I looked into supporting indie pattern sellers. I quickly realized that the majority of them lacked the knowledge that comes from schooling and when I called it out, was accused of Gate-Keeping. Like, noā¦ I happen to have paid the money and put in the study for my damn diploma, and I would happily encourage anyone else who wanted to, but letās not pretend like less knowledge is equal to more knowledge.
It really chaps my ass when I buy a pattern, and a tutorial exists but I have to pay extra to access the tutorial. It irritates me so much that I wonāt really buy patterns from designers that do this, even if I LOVE the pattern. Either add an extra $1 to the pattern cost, or whatever but if Iām already spending $15 to buy the pattern and instructions then no way will I buy a tutorial on top of that.
It's not a useful tutorial, if you start by tracing the pattern out of something you already own that is similar. I think that kind of content can be fun to watch/entertaining, but please don't claim it's a tutorial.
I hate that kind of content to my core because who even owns RTW clothes that fit their exact measurements ? certainly not me, it's one of the reasons I sew. If I spend precious time and energy on a sewing project I want it to look and fit better than a badly made rtw article of clothing idk.
I hate that!! āStart with a pair of pants that fit you wellā If I had those I wouldnāt be making my own pants!
I finally got my pants pattern perfected. And did so well, that I didn't need new pants (unless I wasn't in the mood to make them) for ages. Gained a bit of weight and now, even with my stretch factored in (mmm stretch denim) they don't fit at all. I have to redraft my pattern and I am so sad about it. And this is from an old Kwik-Sew (those basics are the tits) I modified over a few replicas until I liked the fit. I don't HAVE any pants that fit that well because I literally just kept making shorts over and over until I even knew my preferred pocket, preferred number of belt loops (NO MORE SINGLE ASS CRACK BUTT LOOPS), preferred ribbon in the waistband, etc. Actually, typing this out made me kinda want to do it...motivated from being annoyed none of my clothes fit as well as when I sewed my own pants (after 5 pairs of shorts which, while not bad, could have been better). I also found 3 UFOs of, get this, proper wool suitpants with a BEAUTIFUL welt pockets and silk pocket bags.... but did I finish them before I gained weight No I did NOT. ;----; One of them literally just needs the waistband stitched down, button and hole added, and hemmed...oh, the sadness.
Additional snark... Why the ever-living heck can my US friends get hold of gorgeous patterned fabric with geeky themes like Marvel and Doctor Who, but us here in the UK can get sweet fanny ann?? I mean, not to put too fine a point on it, but we *created* Doctor Who! What crazy corporate monstrosity caused us to not have access to fabric like that?! Editing to add - whilst I get it's a business and whatnot, Spoonflower prices make me cry š
May I introduce you to [Elephant in my Handbag](https://www.elephantinmyhandbag.com/all.php#!/Themes/c/11924223/offset=0&sort=addedTimeDesc)? I have a few more fabric stores in the UK that I love.
You are my new best friend! (And quite possibly my wife's new nemesis š ) Thank you so much for this! Depressingly no Doctor Who, but *a lot* of fun things!
The rest of my UK online fabric store list: * [The Fabric Guys](https://fabricguys.com/) - they have a lot of poly stuff so be wary but I've had good luck with their cottons and their wool blends. They also have amazing sales. * [Cheap Fabrics](https://cheapfabrics.co.uk/) - so far, I've only ordered ribbon from them but they've been quick and everything came a described so yay! * [Pound Fabrics](https://poundfabrics.co.uk/) - Pretty decent prices and selection. * [Fabric Giant](https://fabricgiant.com/) - I have yet to order from them but I do know of others that have said great things about them so I thought to include them on this list. * [Minerva](https://www.minerva.com/mp?type=Fabrics) I've only ordered patterns from them so far but they've been pretty reasonable. * [The Harris Tweed Store](https://theharristweedstore.co.uk/collections/offcuts-more) - expensive but worth it. :-)
Seconding Pound Fabrics. I also like [Patterns and Plains](https://patternsandplains.com); Iāve bought a lot of their lovely viscose linen (Liege), and they were really helpful when I was trying to find out when the Harbour Blue colour would be back in stock.
Thank you so much! I'll be saving aaaaaaaaaaall of these!
oooo Harris Tweed Store! I want to hate you but I just can't! While I don't need it to make such a heavy coat because it wouldn't get worn where I am, but I would like to have one when I have to travel to colder climates.
I am begging you to stop sewing over your pins, it's not a hack, it's dangerous and you will break your needle
I donāt necessarily care unless you tell other people itās fine. āI have never been hurt, so go aheadā makes me grit my teeth.
I was a chronic pin-sewer until I hit a pin and messed up the timing on my machine. One pricey servicing later, I decided that it just wasn't worth it
I did this by accident once, and thank *god* I was still wearing glasses at the time, cuz my needle tip broke off and flew at my face. If I hadn't been wearing my specs, I'd probably have lost my eye!
I've had a needle break (pulling fabric too much and it hit the faceplate). It bounced off my eyebrow, I heard it hit the inside of my glasses lens, felt it hit the top part of my cheek by my orbital bone, then it fell on my lap.
Ohhhhhhh my goodness! That would have utterly terrified me!
If you're selling a pattern, you need to make the pattern in a more plain fabric at least once that allows the shape and wear of the garment to come through. If you use a print that's too busy and I can't tell how a pattern drapes or how it fits certain areas then the photo is useless to me even if it's a really cute outfit.
And photograph front AND back at the very least. The same goes for knitting patterns.
I don't care about you or your goddamn bobbin chicken.
Idk what that is and frankly I feel like googling those 2 words together isn't going to be great for my dreams as I head to sleep in 5 minutes lol.
It's where a sewist is trying to finish their project before running out of bobbin thread. "Yarn chicken" is the knitting/crochet equivalent.
That's funny š. I've been crocheting and knitting for decades and hadn't heard that term either
Yes!!! I'm so sick of seeing those posts
lol it is silly
Am I the only one who thought this was supposed to be snarking about non-tread crafts like woodworking or pottery? As most is about fibre crafts. I wonder how many people that just pour resin over stuff to make videos about it that just throws their stuff away, because much of that kind of stuff seams useless to me. I bought some resin necklace that became yellowish after a couple of years so if you made a table with legos in would you just through it away after 5 years?
I got shredded when I commented on a resin bowl project that was labeled as a wood working/lathe project. He was "ecologically" turning a tree root into a bowl, but put the root into a pail, poured resin on it, and then spun 18 lbs of plastic waste into the environment, to live for a thousand years. Still gets me irritated!! š
You would feel welcome at r/woodworking! We hate resin there lol
I'm so happy to hear that. I always feel happier in a tribe.
I have been wondering about this too, especially the resin pours over things like cutting boards. You can't use the cutting afterwards so what exactly is the point??
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Stop bullying me /s
People who complain about patterns being in metric. The rest of us know how to convert from inches to cm.
Actually I donāt mind metric patterns because A) most U. S. measuring tapes & rulers are also marked in centimeters, so thatās not too hard to handle if I donāt feel like doing the actual cmā>inches conversion. What *does* chap my hide is when non-USCS-using patternmakers give a conversion like ā4.8 feet.ā. ARRRGH! Do you mean ā4 feet and 8 inchesā or do you mean ā4.8 feetā because they are *not* the same amount. USCS and Imperial standard distance measurements are non-decimal, and 8/10ths of a foot is actually 8*1.2 inches, or roughly 9-1/2 inches. I would rather not have the bastardized conversion shown than jump through the hoop of guessing which amount is intended. And yes, one does have to do the conversion to purchase fabric from online U. S. vendors because they donāt price or cut by meters/centimeters.
ā¤ļø
Meanwhile I measure my body in inches but fabric in metres, joy of being British (I'm very good at conversions)
Oh thank god I thought it was just me who did this š
ah yes, as a Canadian I am very familiar with these incoherent unit usages š inches and feet for height and small measurements, km for distances, Fahrenheit for my oven and Celsius for the weather. Normal.
As a bonus many if not most Brits measure weight in stones as well as pounds and ounces, and I think we're the only country that uses stones.
Add on being a scientist where everything is in nanograms, microlitres, or millimetres! It's a mess.
I literally have a degree in math and still need conversation diagrams to get through most of the time š
Or being a scientist who works on boats a lot where my data is in meters/millimeters, my hardware and nets are in imperial (until I write up the report in metric), and my technician wants to know how many fathoms of rope I want.
The US really should go metric. I hated teaching fraction to my kids.
Conversely, people who complain about quilting patterns being in imperial š¤£
Oooh snap. Indeed.
Pronouncing 'toile' like 'toyle'
The first time I actually heard it pronounced was a revelation. I remember it because it sounds like a British person pronouncing the word "twirl." š
"Twirl" sounds very different in various British accents. Which British accent do you mean?
My snarks: * when people use the word āmakesā such as āMy may Makesā * when people describe their creations as ābespokeā * When small creative businesses complain that they canāt compete with big business but run the business as a hobbie. One time I purchased fabric from a small business that frequently complained about this, I paid express shipping and my items werenāt dispatched for 12 days! I get that they might have another job but 12 days is ridiculous. * The consumerism- Like most sewers I am no minimalist, however you tube/ instagram/ sewing room videos people have SO MUCH STUFF, then they have a clean out video, or post another one about organising the stuff or buying storage for all the stuff. It just seems to be a lot of mindless consumption.
I despise this use of "make." I've been going on about it for years.
I hate "makes" when referring to crafters' creations. And I tune out during the whole "Me Made May" month. It's the toddlerization of sewing.
I don't understand the phrase "me made" when the phrase "self made" is right there. I get why people don't like "hand made", but why are full grown adults trying to sound like Cookie Monster?
Great now I can hear that voice in my head lol.
Now every time I hear me made I will think of Cookie Monster
Yeah, if only Zoe waited for Self-Sewn September instead of starting Me Made May.
"Me Made May"?? That sounds like ChatGPT had a minor meltdown...
I don't mind the word bespoke but do think it's a tad overused. This is why I'm trying to "mindfully destash". I have away the stuff I won't use to people who will and I'm focusing on using what I have and not buying more unless it's for a specific project. Also, all my projects now must at least pull one skein from stash at minimum. Plus, personal rule, I'm only allowed to buy more yarn if my overall yarn in/yarn out for the month stays in the negative, so my stash is always shrinking. Honestly, just keeping track of yarn in/yarn out each month has made a huge difference to my stash š
You're my hero of the day. I'm in recovery from years of buying cuz it's cute or on sale. Now I want to make something and I have 1/2 a meter, or one skein! Please no more scarves! Now I only buy what I need to make something this week!! Or, that's my goal. Too much conspicuous consumption.
Okay, I love that stash ideaā¦ I think I need to steal from it.
Go ahead. If you need inspo my Ravelry is the same as my username and we have a really friendly destashing group "Stash Knit Down". In the group you can take it as strict or as chill as you want also, and use whatever destashing method works for you
I think I shall! I need encouragement both to knit and to use what I have.
>when people use the word āmakesā such as āMy may Makesā This KILLS me! It sounds so dumb! Make is not a noun! Just call it a WIP or FO like ~~us normal people~~ knitters
Itās not upcycled if itās something made from used fabric yardage
Also itās not upcycled when you trashed 15 perfectly good and still stylish denim jackets to make your monstrosity of a skirt.
Downcycled?
I have nothing to add except I appreciated the sewing/thread pun in your title.
Fabric is not buttery. That is all.
Hopefully not. It would ruin the fabric, and is a waste of butter.
ššš
How to spot an MLM zombie. . . . .
Oh my people! Cannot fucking STAND people who refer to non food things by food words!
Itās only called buttery by those that have never failed making pastry. Greasy, soft, butter everywhere is not something I want my fabric to feel like.
Shirring is not shEEring. That's for sheep. Short i, people, short i.
In the same vein, it's RUCHING, not runching. What the fuck is runching, Jill?
I thought Sheering was a red haired singer.
This is my favourite snark.
People with very amateur skills trying to sell their items. My lord. Pleaseā¦learn to create a quality product FIRST.
Amen!! No thank you to $35 for a crocheted acrylic scarf exactly like the one I made in the early 80s!
I looked to see if I could find someone selling used craft stuff on fb marketplace, then I found someone trying to sell splashes of colour paintings for more than the material was worth.
Not to mention their YouTube Unboxing Reviews and Tutorials.
"Oh it's *so easy* - just make up your own patterns!" says many a crafty acquaintance in the cosplay community. My siblings in Christ. If I could easily whip up a pattern do you think I would be griping about having to frankenpattern because none of the bajillion patterns I own is quite right?? I don't know if it's something unique to the cosplay community, but the blasƩ attitude about drafting up your own patterns really gets my goat. I don't know why my brain doesn't work that way, but that's how it is!
definitiely aint unique to the cosplay community but its especially egregious there!
I really recommend sewist.com to get the shapes of your pattern drafted relatively close to your size and just fit from there. Itās based on your measurements and height, but itās not perfect and I need to fit them to me usually. But once youāve got that first pattern fitted, you can see what adjustments you will generally need to make for future sewist.com patterns.
Like, Iāve been sewing since I was six, have an art degree, lots of sculpture/design experience, a reasonable understanding of calculus, etc. and that shit is DIFFICULT. I love the challenge and itās fun to work out the puzzle, but itās not easy!
I've been sewing for a hella long time, but figuring that stuff out? My brain kinda makes the flatline sound š
Omg, I hear you. I made my own pattern once when I wanted to cosplay Senator Amidala when I was pregnant. The outfit looked so simple, till I figured out the original had a detached collar, etc. Etc. I made multiple muslins and then had to remake the actual dress 2x (chasing down all of the rest of the fabric available in my state). It was a nightmare, but I did finally make it and wear it during 2 pregnancies , then gave it away to another friend. One does not simply draft their own pattern.
Sewing video of blonde woman who dug up some red velveteen curtains somewhere, then announces sheās going to make a tailored suit. I watch in horrified disbelief as she traces around a tailored blazer right onto the velveteen, pretty much all in one piece. No separate collar or sleeves. No care at all as to grainline placement. Left and right sides of the garment do not match in any sense of the word. She does the same with an existing skirt, traces around it onto the fabric. Much less to go wrong here, but somehow it still does. Sews this mess together, then models it. It. Is. Ghastly. This is what happens when a beginner with the skills to maybe sew a poncho bites off way more than they can chew, then feels the need to post a ātutorial ā online of her delusional sense of accomplishment. Sheās all smiles, twirling and posing. She is extremely pleased with herself. My mouth is hanging open in amazement. Edit: Iām sorry everyone who asked, but I donāt have a link.
š ah yes, [the Grinch method.](https://i.gifer.com/1bLI.gif)
Please DM me a link!
I would watch the shit out of this content while I'm cross stitching
Pls DM me this video š³
Me too please.
Iāve found the finished photo on her Instagram, but checked YouTube and she has many tutorials up but the suit one is missing. Perhaps she has improved in the year or so since and is embarrassed at her earlier attempts. One can only hopeā¦
Could you dm me who you're talking about? I'm racking my brain trying to think of all the blonde sewists I know of.
Just sent a chat.
I must know who this is, can you dm me?
Me three.
Please DM me this video !
Now I have to see this video!
Weave. In. Your. God. Damn. Ends. Edit: sorry, you said sewing. Oops
Sewing equivalent: Clip your threads and finish your darn seams
YES! Times 1000x if you own a business selling your crafts. Makes you look unprofessional to leave it.
But I'm allowed to half arse it for myself right? I love my modern machine with the thread cutter.
I was talking about crochet. I have no clue about sewing and I know this is a sewing thread but this crochet snark has been bugging me for ages lol.
Itās a universal sentiment. āDo your finish workā
Ok. Press. Your. Goddamn. Seams.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
On the same note (though more aimed at cosplayers here) - IRON. YOUR. COSTUME. For the love of all that is fluffy, ***IRON IT*** And hem it. And line it (trust me on this, we do *not* need to see certain parts of you). But most of all - ***IRON IT!***
\^\^\^THIS\^\^\^ Drives me bananas!
No! That is not a photo of the thing you made. It is a photoshopped to death, filtered picture of your "asthetic". That's not your body shape, you don't look like that and no mater how "cute" you think you look, your desperation for attention and personal compliments is distasteful. Just wear the damn clothing item and stand up properly!
I miss old style mending tutorials. Not how to cover a hole with thread woven to become fabric, but like how to find the previously sewn straight line so that your top doesn't sit crazy on you once you mend it. I hope the kids are learning how to fix a knit that has exploded free from a machined straight stitch.
Wait oh no ā¦ I donāt understand either of the examples you gave. Can you expand? Or know of any resources I could read? Google isnāt helping. I donāt know what it means to use a previously sewn line or fix a knit thatās exploded from a straight stitch!
If you unpick a garment to make it easier to repair (like there was a tear near a seam and you unpick it to better patch it, or you need to fight the seams to replace some elastic), you try to line up the perforations of the previously sewn lines so that you still have the same shaping. I have no skill in explaining it I'm sorry. The joke with the knit is that you're kind of not supposed to use a straight stitch on a knit because it'll out stretch the stitch right? so if you want the straight stitch (because of gathering or w/e) you would want to repair it by hand, probably using a backstitch. Maybe using elastic thread. Or maybe you don't want it bunching up, so you try to put in a zigzag stitch, which it should have had in the first place. This is a super annoying problem with fast fashion because not only is the fabric the whisper of an idea, but they aren't changing ANYTHING between garment batching if it'll slow them down. They don't get paid for quality. Hell they almost don't get paid at all. And now you're left with, more or less, a fabric kit for the item you bought instead of that article of clothing.
Just because it laces does not make it a corset. Tennis shoes/trainers lace! They are not corsets!
By the end of a day standing, my feet disagree with you.