A "Thank you!" and some random tips...
Mar. 4th, 2004 05:22 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
rhiannontherose.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
craftgrrlI wanted once again to thank everyone who responded to my posts about the wedding dress design and the hand flower. You gave me some wonderful feedback, a smattering of advice, and most importantly...confidence! I never expected the amount of positive comments I got, and I am still turning funny colors.
This effort at turning my crafting into my official career and full-time business is really frightful and overwhelming. It is all the more so nerve-wracking and insecurity-feretting because it is oh-so-important to me. I have a mobility-impairment and a smattering of minor other disabilities that are progressively interfering with my working "normal" jobs. My husband's search for better work is hindered by his need to worry about finding work compatable with work for me, since he is providing all the transportation for both of our jobs. We have recently had to give up our dreams of PhD's because of finances and my general health, and have settled on a new life plan...that aims for need-meeting and happiness by way of him having more freedom to find a "providor" job that he can stand and that doesn't wear on *him* physically, and for me to be able to do this as my professional career, so that my condition just maybe stops degenerating so quickly, I can still contribute financially to our household, so that we can save for a house, and be able to start our family. We really want to be able to start our family. :-) If I can pull off having my crafting as my career, I could still work through a pregnancy, and even at-home-mom!
All this, really, just to impress upon you how much it means to me...to us...to hear that you think I'm not completely loony to think that maybe, just maybe, this can all work. So thank you, thank you again, for your wonderful responses.
In thanks, I thought I'd post a few answers to questions that I get asked all the time at work (I work in a Fabrics & Crafts Department, at the moment)...
~ No, you are not limited to materials packaged as "fabric paints" when hoping to paint on fabric. There is a product called "Fabric Medium" which you can mix with almost any standard acrylic paint you could dream to use, which will essentially turn it into a fabric paint.
~ If you are making (or even purchasing) a fabric item for almost any purpose other than wearing or using as bedding, then ScotchGuard spray is your friend. Sold in Hardware stores or departments, Scotchguard spray is marketed as a waterproofing spray for fabrics. On the same account, however, it also provides a measure of stain resistance, and to an extent, fade resistance. It'll work best on tightly woven, smooth fabrics, simply because then it is most likely to provide an unbroken surfacing to the fabric. Always test on an unseen bit, or on a sample scrap of a given fabric before using, just to make sure that you like the results. Usually Scotchguarding is next to invisible, but on some fabrics it can add a slightly plastic sheen...that sheen, as well as slight stiffening, will often result simply from spraying on a thicker layer than necessary.
~ Yes, there is a special product for cleaning silk/fake flowers.
~ If you are making those no-sew blankets and find that on two (opposite of each other) of the four sides, the fringes you cut do a wierd distendy-curly thing...no, you're not crazy, and you're not doing anything wrong. A lot of fleece has a slight stretch factor to it, usually in only one direction. Barely noticible when in a sheet, when cut into thin strips, the stretch factor will become plain when those strips (aka fringes, in this case) are going in the direction of the stretch. The distention and curl will be more extreme, the narrower the fringes are. In other words, if you notice that the fleece you want to use seems to have a bit of stretch to it, stick to inch-wide fringes instead of half-inch fringes, because otherwise you might find the fringes distending almost to the yank-off-able point.
~ If you do not own a dryer, I generally recommend that you not bring fleece items to the laundrimat to dry. Industrial dryers are often turned up way too high, and can melt patches of the fleece, which is woven largely of essentially plastic fibers. Fleece is water-resistant...in the case of good-quality fleece, water will hit it, bead up, and can be shaken off, and the fleece won't really let moisture through unless left saturated. On the same account, fleece doesn't really trap water very well...which means that it doesn't take long at all to try, as long as it is spread out and the beaded water has a place to evaporate to. I have thick, two-layer fleece blankets, fleece cloaks...oodles of fleece...and the longest the thickest of them ever took to dry, draped over my drying rack, was two hours. If you're in a real hurry for something dry and warm, just keep the fleece in a laundrimat-dryer for a few minutes..maybe 5...to cut down on the chances of meltage.
~ If you look on the label wrapped around most brands of yarn, the label will tell you the recommended size knitting needle or crochet hook to use with it. This is a recommendation, not a rule. Exact finished measurements of the knitting in a given pattern of a given amount of yarn will vary somewhat depending on the yarn or combination of yarns used, the size of the needles or hooks, and how "tight" or "loose" a knitter/crocheter you are. If you are following a pattern for a given yarn with a given size needle/hook, but tend to be a rather "tight" knitter, you might need to use needles/a hook one size larger to match the looseness of the pattern...or, expect to have to get a little more yarn.
~ There are a lot of decorative threads out there, many of them metallic...especially these days, when many sewing machines come with fancy "embroidery" stitches. Bear in mind, however, that these threads are meant to be decorative...use them to accent all you want, but please do not use them for the sewing that will hold a given project, piece of clothing, etc. together. Most of them are not strong enough for that, and your lovely work will fall apart. Most brands of thread will tell you (or their display will tell you) what use they are good/designed for. In most cases, for sewing that is going to hold something together, you're going to need an "all purpose" thread...unless you are using a thick (denim, courderoy, etc), stiffer, heavier fabric, in which case you'd want to use apholstery threads or specialty "jeans" threads.
~ Many people note that a new machine will sew something perfectly, and sew the next thing horribly...and then decide the machine must be broken. While manufactoring defects or lack of consistant reliability when it comes to a variety of different kinds of fabrics and project needs are possible, especially among "lower end" machines, quite often the trouble is simply that adjustments have not been made to compensate for changes in the thickness of what you are sewing through and the thread that you are sewing with. While some machines have features to consider like the ability to lower feed teeth, adjust foot pressure, add a special foot attachment for sewing over chunky, multi-layer seams, etc...with nearly all machines you will want to consider...
--> How thick is what I am sewing through? Does my thread match the needs of what I am doing with the fabric? (see above comments on thread)
--> Does my bobbin tension match the thickness of the thread? In machines where the bobbin fits into a small metal case that then goes into the machine, there is often a way to directly adjust the tension of the bobbin case...how easily the thread spools out of the bobbin itself. As one professional-machine-repairwomen-friend-of-mine once told me, if you have the threaded bobbin in the metal case, and hold the loose end of the thread, the bobbin should slide down the thread the way you might imagine a spider descending, smoothly, with moderate speed, and largely of its own accord. If it rushes down fast and out of control, the bobbin tension is too loose. If you have to yank and snap your wrist up and down to get the bobbin to haltingly descend in bursts, the bobbin tension is too tight.
--> Does my needle match the kind of fabric I'm sewing through? In the basic sense, most machine needles fall into three main catagories...the basic needle that will work well for most fabrics...the stronger needle made for thicker, tougher, heavier fabrics...and the really sharp, fine-pointed, delicate needle good for really thin, fine, slippery fabrics like silks, satins, sheers, etc. If you get really into things, you can find needles packaged specifically for different weights of material and weaves.
--> Tension! Tension is what really gets most sewers (and not just the new ones) in trouble. Tension is basically how the upper spool and bobbin spool release the thread...and thus, how tight the stitches are. As with the rest, most manuals that come with machines will give you pointers about what tension setting to use for what kind of fabric. Still, it always causes trouble for people. If your stitches are loose on the bottom, sloppy, tangled...the tension is too loose. If the fabric is puckering and the thread is straining or snapping, your tension is too tight. The biggest issue here is the thickness of the fabric (remember that if you are sewing through 4 layers, as with a folded hem, the thickness is now greater than when you were just sewing two pieces together)...tension perfect for a sweatshirt knit is going to be a sloppy, tangled mess on a thin, scarfy sheer...tension perfect for a thin, scarfy sheer is going to be straining and puckering for that thick sweatshirt knit. Always, when possible, test out your tension on scraps of material matching what you plan to sew. It'll save you a lot of seam-picking.
Ok...that's enough for now. I hope it helped someone! :-)
This effort at turning my crafting into my official career and full-time business is really frightful and overwhelming. It is all the more so nerve-wracking and insecurity-feretting because it is oh-so-important to me. I have a mobility-impairment and a smattering of minor other disabilities that are progressively interfering with my working "normal" jobs. My husband's search for better work is hindered by his need to worry about finding work compatable with work for me, since he is providing all the transportation for both of our jobs. We have recently had to give up our dreams of PhD's because of finances and my general health, and have settled on a new life plan...that aims for need-meeting and happiness by way of him having more freedom to find a "providor" job that he can stand and that doesn't wear on *him* physically, and for me to be able to do this as my professional career, so that my condition just maybe stops degenerating so quickly, I can still contribute financially to our household, so that we can save for a house, and be able to start our family. We really want to be able to start our family. :-) If I can pull off having my crafting as my career, I could still work through a pregnancy, and even at-home-mom!
All this, really, just to impress upon you how much it means to me...to us...to hear that you think I'm not completely loony to think that maybe, just maybe, this can all work. So thank you, thank you again, for your wonderful responses.
In thanks, I thought I'd post a few answers to questions that I get asked all the time at work (I work in a Fabrics & Crafts Department, at the moment)...
~ No, you are not limited to materials packaged as "fabric paints" when hoping to paint on fabric. There is a product called "Fabric Medium" which you can mix with almost any standard acrylic paint you could dream to use, which will essentially turn it into a fabric paint.
~ If you are making (or even purchasing) a fabric item for almost any purpose other than wearing or using as bedding, then ScotchGuard spray is your friend. Sold in Hardware stores or departments, Scotchguard spray is marketed as a waterproofing spray for fabrics. On the same account, however, it also provides a measure of stain resistance, and to an extent, fade resistance. It'll work best on tightly woven, smooth fabrics, simply because then it is most likely to provide an unbroken surfacing to the fabric. Always test on an unseen bit, or on a sample scrap of a given fabric before using, just to make sure that you like the results. Usually Scotchguarding is next to invisible, but on some fabrics it can add a slightly plastic sheen...that sheen, as well as slight stiffening, will often result simply from spraying on a thicker layer than necessary.
~ Yes, there is a special product for cleaning silk/fake flowers.
~ If you are making those no-sew blankets and find that on two (opposite of each other) of the four sides, the fringes you cut do a wierd distendy-curly thing...no, you're not crazy, and you're not doing anything wrong. A lot of fleece has a slight stretch factor to it, usually in only one direction. Barely noticible when in a sheet, when cut into thin strips, the stretch factor will become plain when those strips (aka fringes, in this case) are going in the direction of the stretch. The distention and curl will be more extreme, the narrower the fringes are. In other words, if you notice that the fleece you want to use seems to have a bit of stretch to it, stick to inch-wide fringes instead of half-inch fringes, because otherwise you might find the fringes distending almost to the yank-off-able point.
~ If you do not own a dryer, I generally recommend that you not bring fleece items to the laundrimat to dry. Industrial dryers are often turned up way too high, and can melt patches of the fleece, which is woven largely of essentially plastic fibers. Fleece is water-resistant...in the case of good-quality fleece, water will hit it, bead up, and can be shaken off, and the fleece won't really let moisture through unless left saturated. On the same account, fleece doesn't really trap water very well...which means that it doesn't take long at all to try, as long as it is spread out and the beaded water has a place to evaporate to. I have thick, two-layer fleece blankets, fleece cloaks...oodles of fleece...and the longest the thickest of them ever took to dry, draped over my drying rack, was two hours. If you're in a real hurry for something dry and warm, just keep the fleece in a laundrimat-dryer for a few minutes..maybe 5...to cut down on the chances of meltage.
~ If you look on the label wrapped around most brands of yarn, the label will tell you the recommended size knitting needle or crochet hook to use with it. This is a recommendation, not a rule. Exact finished measurements of the knitting in a given pattern of a given amount of yarn will vary somewhat depending on the yarn or combination of yarns used, the size of the needles or hooks, and how "tight" or "loose" a knitter/crocheter you are. If you are following a pattern for a given yarn with a given size needle/hook, but tend to be a rather "tight" knitter, you might need to use needles/a hook one size larger to match the looseness of the pattern...or, expect to have to get a little more yarn.
~ There are a lot of decorative threads out there, many of them metallic...especially these days, when many sewing machines come with fancy "embroidery" stitches. Bear in mind, however, that these threads are meant to be decorative...use them to accent all you want, but please do not use them for the sewing that will hold a given project, piece of clothing, etc. together. Most of them are not strong enough for that, and your lovely work will fall apart. Most brands of thread will tell you (or their display will tell you) what use they are good/designed for. In most cases, for sewing that is going to hold something together, you're going to need an "all purpose" thread...unless you are using a thick (denim, courderoy, etc), stiffer, heavier fabric, in which case you'd want to use apholstery threads or specialty "jeans" threads.
~ Many people note that a new machine will sew something perfectly, and sew the next thing horribly...and then decide the machine must be broken. While manufactoring defects or lack of consistant reliability when it comes to a variety of different kinds of fabrics and project needs are possible, especially among "lower end" machines, quite often the trouble is simply that adjustments have not been made to compensate for changes in the thickness of what you are sewing through and the thread that you are sewing with. While some machines have features to consider like the ability to lower feed teeth, adjust foot pressure, add a special foot attachment for sewing over chunky, multi-layer seams, etc...with nearly all machines you will want to consider...
--> How thick is what I am sewing through? Does my thread match the needs of what I am doing with the fabric? (see above comments on thread)
--> Does my bobbin tension match the thickness of the thread? In machines where the bobbin fits into a small metal case that then goes into the machine, there is often a way to directly adjust the tension of the bobbin case...how easily the thread spools out of the bobbin itself. As one professional-machine-repairwomen-friend-of-mine once told me, if you have the threaded bobbin in the metal case, and hold the loose end of the thread, the bobbin should slide down the thread the way you might imagine a spider descending, smoothly, with moderate speed, and largely of its own accord. If it rushes down fast and out of control, the bobbin tension is too loose. If you have to yank and snap your wrist up and down to get the bobbin to haltingly descend in bursts, the bobbin tension is too tight.
--> Does my needle match the kind of fabric I'm sewing through? In the basic sense, most machine needles fall into three main catagories...the basic needle that will work well for most fabrics...the stronger needle made for thicker, tougher, heavier fabrics...and the really sharp, fine-pointed, delicate needle good for really thin, fine, slippery fabrics like silks, satins, sheers, etc. If you get really into things, you can find needles packaged specifically for different weights of material and weaves.
--> Tension! Tension is what really gets most sewers (and not just the new ones) in trouble. Tension is basically how the upper spool and bobbin spool release the thread...and thus, how tight the stitches are. As with the rest, most manuals that come with machines will give you pointers about what tension setting to use for what kind of fabric. Still, it always causes trouble for people. If your stitches are loose on the bottom, sloppy, tangled...the tension is too loose. If the fabric is puckering and the thread is straining or snapping, your tension is too tight. The biggest issue here is the thickness of the fabric (remember that if you are sewing through 4 layers, as with a folded hem, the thickness is now greater than when you were just sewing two pieces together)...tension perfect for a sweatshirt knit is going to be a sloppy, tangled mess on a thin, scarfy sheer...tension perfect for a thin, scarfy sheer is going to be straining and puckering for that thick sweatshirt knit. Always, when possible, test out your tension on scraps of material matching what you plan to sew. It'll save you a lot of seam-picking.
Ok...that's enough for now. I hope it helped someone! :-)
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