Crafty Thread - what are you working on at the moment?

[wayward bob]

Sewing people - what's the best way to finish garments- pinking shears or zig zag stitch?

very late on this, but pinking lasts very well on firmly woven fabrics - my 40s dresses are all pinked. zigzag adds thread into the seam which might not be ideal on lightweight fabrics (and can pull them into a hard line sometimes). but if you pink you have to be super careful - i've cut into the main fabric in the past which is an absolute bitch

eta: i often find a clean finish (where you fold over the seam allowance and stitch it straight) or if you're feeling extravagant bound seams are a better idea than either.

 

[wayward bob]

I'm thinking felting. I even got a book. I thought it was all just hot washing old jumpers but it seems if you want to blend colours and patterns you have to do some weird stuff with 'wool tops', net curtains and soap. Looks like a load of old bother. Anyone done it? Is it really as labour intensive as it looks?

also late on this. i've done a bit of felting - beads for jewellery and flat felt i've used for slippers. it's loads of fun, especially if you have some kids you can rope in to do the hard work. you don't need masses of kit but a piece of mesh/net, and a sushi mat (for small pieces) or an old beach mat (for bigger stuff) are good. the best way to speed things up is "shocking" the felt in changes of hot and cold water.

it really is masses of fun and really interesting for what it teaches you about different fibres. you can get little bags of all kinds of different types from wingham and experiment. if you're going to do that i highly recommend buying/making a small drop spindle too

 

[RubyToogood]

The tropical islands dress is finished. It is reeeeeaaalllly tight. I'm wearing it for a gig tonight. Let's just hope it doesn't split.

 

[vauxhallmum]

The tropical islands dress is finished. It is reeeeeaaalllly tight. I'm wearing it for a gig tonight. Let's just hope it doesn't split.

View attachment 15530

Ooh I love that. It's got a sort of hula thing about it

 

[Biddlybee]

That looks lovely Rubes... can't wait to see it later

 

[moose]

Gorgeous! Wear a cardi and unzip it underneath

 

[trashpony]

Gorgeous! Wear a cardi and unzip it underneath

I have never done this oh no

Ruby - it's beautiful. I can't wait to sew again because I can actually do that (unlike my knitting which is well shit )

 

[RubyToogood]

I'm slightly annoyed that it's come out better than the mushroom dress as it was a total afterthought and the fabric was half the price, but there you go.

Next project: turn ordinary jeans into motorcycle jeans by lining with kevlar.

 

[moose]

Always the way. I just knitted a fantastic skull cardi, but did it in shit yarn as it was a bit of an afterthought - now I want to wear it forever, but it will go bobbly and ratty really quick.

 

[Biddlybee]

Sell it

 

[albionism]

Fimo pendant

 

[wayward bob]

nice work albionism, i thought it must be fimo but it looks too good

rubes you look fuckin lush - great dress, great accessorising, great hair hope it lasted the night!

 

[albionism]

Thank you wayward bob. I have been pissing about with Fimo for a few years now,
selling my creations at various markets and craft fairs. I only ever intended to use
the stuff to make a gift for my wife, but it's very addictive. I have now made 1000s
of pendants,incense holders, earrings etc. Here is another one i made.I love the stuff.

 

[albionism]

The tropical islands dress is finished. It is reeeeeaaalllly tight. I'm wearing it for a gig tonight. Let's just hope it doesn't split.

View attachment 15530

splendid indeed.

 

[Biddlybee]

They are lovely albionism

 

[RubyToogood]

rubes you look fuckin lush - great dress, great accessorising, great hair hope it lasted the night!

Thanks! It didn't split, it was fine and has eased up like the other one did. I think they're just meant to hold you in a bit round the waist.

 

[albionism]

They are lovely albionism

thank you

 

[spirals]

I have been making amigurumi again My punk rock hamster that is currently on display in the forbidden planet shop in London

 

[Biddlybee]

teeny tiny

 

[moose]

Ha! He's ace!

 

[toggle]

cute.

i'm working on a design of a capelet with several variations. i've actually found somehting that i can do in my handspun wool that really shows it off that actually suits me. if the other variations look half as nice as the first one, i'll be delighted and i might just try getting it into one of the online knitting mags

 

[trashpony]

Oh dear, I've found a fabric website that sells all sorts of nonsense cotton. I'm going to be wandering around in a dress printed with poodles if I'm not careful

Or how about this one?

 

[maya]

Or how about this one?

Tom of Finland?

 

[geminisnake]

Oh dear, I've found a fabric website that sells all sorts of nonsense cotton. I'm going to be wandering around in a dress printed with poodles if I'm not careful

Or how about this one?

What's wrong with that material?? I'd wear it!!

 

[geminisnake]

I'm thinking felting. I even got a book. I thought it was all just hot washing old jumpers but it seems if you want to blend colours and patterns you have to do some weird stuff with 'wool tops', net curtains and soap. Looks like a load of old bother. Anyone done it? Is it really as labour intensive as it looks?

I've done wet felting and just started on needle felting at the weekend. Which method you use depends on what you want to make imo. If you're doing bigger pieces I'd go with wet and for smaller more decorative stuff I'd go needle. Tops is merino wool which comes in many colours and you don't need loads to make a good sized thing. Old woolly jumpers are great for the start of bags. I've just been sorting out some today
I got my wool from Devon Woolies iirc. About £10 got me 400g of wool, most of which I still have and I got 2 blues, 2 greens, red, orange, yellow, 2 pinks and purple.

The wet can be labour intensive and the lady that taught me how to do this advised using olive oil soap coz your hands are going to be wet for quite a while, other soaps will dry your skin.

Are you on facebook? I can post photos there but not here for some reason

 

[rollinder]

Oh dear, I've found a fabric website that sells all sorts of nonsense cotton. I'm going to be wandering around in a dress printed with poodles if I'm not careful

Or how about this one?

think we've been looking at similar websites
trying to find somewhere uk that sells this

Haven't decided which colour yet.

Have a large bag/holdall that's slowly disintergrating on me so am thinking of stitching/gluing it back up and covering it with something more exciting that just black w/ failing to be posh brown trim.

 

[moose]

Oh dear, I've found a fabric website that sells all sorts of nonsense cotton.

Jesus At least I know where to go for potato fabric now

 

[vauxhallmum]

I'm having felting issues
Surely if you buy 'wool' from a 'wool' shop and it looks like 'wool' then it shouldn't be some bastard synthetic material
Only I thought I would hot wash all the granny squares I made (no way I'm going to make enough for a blanket) just to see how they would turn out. No magic felting at all. None, they are just clean. Bastards.

 

[wayward bob]

what does the band say vm? sometimes wool is treated to be "superwash" - something to do with the scales on the fibres that mesh together in the felting/fulling process, they remove them or smooth them down or summat.

 

[moose]

Just finished sewing together 39 flowers I've been crocheting in odd moments for months