Nekhbet

I've discussed how to thread a needle before, but I've yet to make a post on two other important elements of hand-sewing: how to start and how to finish.

These things may seem obvious to an experienced sewist but can be very frustrating when you're new to the craft, especially as a lot of tutorials assume you already know how to do them.

By machine:

When you're sewing by machine, securing your thread at the start and end of your work is easy: just sew backwards for a few stitches, then forwards. This is called backstitching (not to be confused with the manual backstitch) and will stop your thread from coming loose.

Some sewing machines also have a lockstitch function. A lockstitch is less visible than a backstitch as your thread is locked in one specific spot rather than across several stitches. If your machine doesn't have a lockstitch, you can still make one by shortening your stitch length as much as possible and sewing several stitches in the same spot. Note that this may jam your machine, so proceed with caution.

(Image source) [ID: two lines have been sewn in black thread on a piece of white fabric. The line on the left was started with a lock stitch while the line on the right was started with a back stitch.]

By hand:

There are various ways to secure your thread at the start of your project when you're sewing by hand, ranging from different types of knots to locking stitches. Check out this Sew Guide article to learn five different ways to tie a knot and secure your thread when sewing by hand.

The easiest way to do this is to tie a knot at the end of your thread. If you'd rather not have any knots in your work, you could also look into using different stitches to lock your thread, like the loop knot stitch.

(Image source) [ID: a sewing needle double threaded with blue thread lies on a white background. A knot has been tied near the end of the thread. Text: "Sewguide.com".]

Various techniques exist for securing your thread at the end of your project, too. This Instructables article will show you four ways to tie off your thread to finish sewing, including how to do so with and without a visible knot.

(Image source) [ID: a line of purple running stitches sewn with a double threaded needle on white fabric is secured in place by tying a knot with the two ends of thread.]

Also what is a thimble for?? I know it’s a sewing thing but,,, why?

Sewing 101

Baby steps are important! We all have to start somewhere, after all. :)

Getting started:

Here's a few sewing 101 guides to get you started:

How to thread a needle

Hand-sewing: how to start and how to finish

5 basic hand-sewing stitches (start off with the backstitch)

How to use a seam ripper

Once you know to do these things, you've got the basics of sewing by hand down and know how to undo mistakes with a seam ripper.

Practice on spare scraps of fabric at first until you feel confident enough to tackle a project, and start out small. Make your first project something that's easy and doesn't use a lot of fabric. It's okay if you mess up, because that's the best way to learn!

If you'd like to see more tutorials, check out my tutorial masterpost. Want to learn how to use a sewing machine? Check out this beginner's guide by Treasurie.

Thimbles:

As for thimbles, a thimble is a small protective device you wear on your finger while sewing by hand to protect your finger from getting pricked by your needle.

Abby Cox does a good job explaining what it's for and how to use one in her video about thimbles.

Underskirts and petticoats

I think this is about my post about skirts and cold weather?

There are different types of underskirts, each with different functions. Some will keep you warm, some will shape your skirt, and others will smooth out your skirt's fabric so it looks nice. Which one to pick depends on why you'd like to wear one and what type of skirt you'd like to wear it with. For example, a square dancing petticoat won't fit a pencil skirt, and a half slip will do very little for a lolita jsk.

The same goes for materials: wool or flannel will keep you warm, linen will keep you cool, and silk or polyester will help smooth out your skirt, just to give a few examples.

Underskirts can also help when your skirts have a tendency to bunch up between your legs, cling to leggings, or creep upwards while you walk.

If you can't find any "real" underskirts, you can always combine multiple skirts! A simple linen or cotton skirt can make for a great underskirt even if it wasn't intended as one, for example. I layer skirts and dresses all the time.

If you want to make your own, here's a list of tutorials:

Slips and half slips:

Half slip with elastic waistband

Half slip with elastic waist

10 minute half slip

Extender slip

Bias cut slip skirt

1920's slip dress

Easy 1920's slip dress

Slip dress pattern

Silk slip dress

Mid-century slip dress

Slip to skirt extender

Historical petticoats:

18th century petticoat

Edwardian drawstring petticoat

18th century drawstring petticoat

Victorian petticoat

Quilted petticoat from blanket

Quilted petticoat from scratch

Wool petticoat

1950's petticoat

Victorian knitted petticoat

Edwardian circular underskirt

Modern underskirts:

Tulle petticoat

Rainbow petticoat

Tiered petticoat

Ruffled petticoat from fitted sheet

Chiffon pettiskirt

Half circle petticoat

Petticoat from tablecloth

Knitted/crochet petticoat patterns on Ravelry

Simple tulle petticoat

Bell-shaped petticoat

Lolita petticoat

Lolita bustle underskirt

Gosu Rori petticoat

Puffy tulle/cancan underskirt

Ruffled cotton petticoat

Scalloped underskirt

Chiffon underskirt

Cotton underskirt

Cotton skirt extender

Lace skirt extender

Dress extension

Long petticoat

Divided skirt

Bridal petticoat

i have a bunch of 1 yard pieces in diff textures and materials, and was wondering weather you have any ideas on how to use them fully? they're fairly good quality, but i don't have nearly enough to make anything too fancy

One yard fabric projects

Hold on to those pieces! You can do more with them than you'd think. :)

First of all, look into ways to reduce fabric waste to make the most out of your stash, and check out techniques like patchwork or colour blocking, or piecing.They're ways to turn small scraps of fabric into larger projects. This will give you more options.

Try to figure out what types of fabric you've got on your hand, too. Some ways to do this if they're not labelled are comparing them to online guides, hand feel (requires some experience), or the burn test.

Ideas:

There's a lot you can do with 1 yard (or 90cm) of fabric.

Some ideas are scrunchies, pouches, sleep masks, small plushies, pot holders, accessories, covers for small things, hair bands, purses, wrist rests, doll clothes, face masks, bandanas, placemats, straps,...

You could also turn them into bias tape, keep them to decorate or patch up clothes, or use them to make quilts.

There's plenty of other uses, too. If you're trying to find projects online for small amounts of fabric, the go-to search term is "stash buster" (or "scrap buster"). I've also seen the term "one yard wonder" pass by.

Man nagaki (ankle lenght kimono = men kimono) katamigawari  style, retailored from an tsumugi kimono paired with a girl kimono.

In old Japan, katamigawari was a way to recycle fabrics and make new clothes when you didn’t have the full tanmono (kimono fabric roll) required. It became a true fashion statement in Late Azuchi Momoyama/early Edo periods.

i finished @thecanyonsep 's multichrome pinafore commission! three random pics cuz its so different in all types of lighting and angles!!!

i loved making this 💜💙💚 the material was a challenge here and there and she aint flawless but it turned out pretty sick i think

i hope u like it mae, it should be on its way to you by tomorrow :3 ily thank you for supporting me and my sewing!!! 🦫

Lengthening shorts

You could try adding a cuff or trim, similar to my post on lengthening pants.

The Outfitters has a good tutorial on how to add a fabric cuff to shorts, using wide bias strips. Use similar fabric to hide your alteration, or contrasting fabric to make it part of your shorts' design. This is a good opportunity to use up fabric scraps or upcycle an old garment.

(Image source) [ID: three pairs of blue jeans shorts lying on a white background. Each pair has been lengthened with a strip of contrasting fabric.]

If you use a contrasting fabric, you could also add patches of the same fabric in different places to make it blend into the design more.

(Image source) [ID: a person wearing a pair of blue jeans shorts. The cuff has been lengthened with a strip of geometric fabric in muted colours. The same fabric has been used to decorate the inside of the shorts' pocket. A green circle in the upper right corner of the image says "You can DIY".]

Lace, ruffles, studded fabric bands, ribbons, crocheted edges, bias tape, and other such trims can look nice, too. If your shorts are made of a stretchy material, just make sure your trim has sufficient stretch too.

DIY Lace & Chambray Shorts

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I’ve been finished with this blanket for quite a while now, but I kept forgetting to post some final pictures. I can’t get a shot of the whole thing layed out flat, because it’s bigger than the top of my bed and I can’t really get up that high to take a good photo, so here’s some crumpled and folded close up shots of different areas. 

The first photo at the top is the area where I started making the blanket from. It was originally just a placemat-sized square of nine I made with a few colours from small amounts of yarn that my sister gave me from her leftovers. There have been points where I didn’t feel like working on the blanket anymore, but I overtime, I kept building around it row by row and adding more and more to its size. 

Introduction:

Whether you're sorting out your fabric stash, buying new clothes, or planning a sewing project, it's always a good idea to have some basic knowledge about fabric types.

This post is not a full guide. There's plenty of fabrics that have been left out, like bamboo or pleather. However, this post will give you some idea of the most common types of fabric you'll find when shopping or when cleaning out your stash.

Fabric types:

First of all, there's two major types of fabrics: woven and knit. Broadly speaking, woven fabrics have threads that criss-cross each other, and aren't elastic. Knit fabrics have threads that loop into each other, and are elastic.

Fabrics can also be combined with each other. For example, a lot of commercially available t-shirts are a cotton/polyester blend.

(Image source) [ID: woven versus knit: threads that criss-cross each other versus threads that loop into each other.]

(Image source) [ID: a guide to different fabrics by Apairandasparediy.com.]

Now, let's take a look at a few specific fabrics!

Cotton: cotton is a woven natural fibre, and currently one of the most commonly used materials in fashion, along with polyester. It's soft and breathable. Overall, it's a good choice if you don't know what to use and need something that's not stretchy. Cotton can be woven in many different ways, resulting in different fabrics such as denim or chambray.

Linen: linen is another woven natural fibre, made from flax. It's a great choice for warm weather clothing, as it dries fast and keeps you cool. However, it wrinkles easily and requires specific care instructions if you want to keep it wrinkle-free.

Silk: silk is a woven natural fibre made of the cocoons of the silk worm. Silk costs a pretty penny, but is also one of the strongest fabrics in existence. It's smooth, breathable, shiny, and is commonly used for lingerie and evening wear, among others.

Flannel: flannel is a soft, fuzzy fabric that will keep you warm. While originally made of wool, it can be woven out of wool, cotton, or synthetic fibres these days. Flannel is often used for cold weather wear, sleepwear, and blankets.

Jersey: jersey is a knit fabric, and therefore very stretchy. It can be made of wool, cotton, or synthetic fibres. Your t-shirts are probably made out of jersey fabric. It's also commonly used for sweatshirts, underwear, sportswear, and many other types of garments.

Hemp: hemp is a natural woven fibre and is part of the cannabis family. It's a fast growing plant that results in a strong, breathable fabric. Hemp can be used to make clothes in similar ways as cotton and linen.

Denim: denim is a sturdy fabric made with cotton. It's breathable, and can be quite stiff. Its most common application are jeans, but it can be used to make a variety of clothes and accessories.

Wool: wool is a natural fibre obtained from sheep, and other animals such as goats or rabbits. Wool is harvested by shearing these animals, and if this is done properly, the animal will not be harmed. It keeps you warm when the weather's cold, and cold when it's warm. Wool is commonly used for cold weather clothing and is a popular knitting material. It needs extra care when washing as it can shrink and felt if not taken care of properly. Be careful when using sheep's wool as it can trigger allergies in some people, and others may find it itchy.

Leather: leather is a strong, flexible material made by tanning animal skin. Good quality leather will last for decades. It's commonly used for footwear, clothes, and accessories, among others. If you're looking for an alternative to leather, please pick a sustainable leather alternative and do not use faux leather made with polyurethane as it's basically plastic.

Satin: satin isn't a fibre, but a weaving technique that produces a soft, smooth fabric. Satin weaves can be made with a variety of materials like cotton, silk, and polyester. Satin is often used for evening wear, lingerie, bed sheets, and as lining for clothes.

Chiffon: chiffon is a lightweight, translucent fabric. It was originally made of silk, but polyester chiffon is the most common type today. Chiffon is often used as an overlay for clothing, and for blouses, lingerie, scarves, and anything else that requires something lightweight and see-through.

Velvet: velvet is a woven, tufted fabric that feels very soft. You're probably familiar with this fabric if you enjoy Gothic fashion. Velvet was originally made of silk, but today's velvet is usually made with either cotton or synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon, viscose, or rayon.

Rayon: rayon is a synthetic fibre made from a natural resource: cellulose. It's a very soft fabric that can be used to make a wide variety of clothes. Rayon's a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to sustainability: it's biodegradable, but its production process isn't pretty. It also requires specific care instructions to keep it in good shape.

Nylon: nylon is a synthetic fibre that's probably best known for its use to make hosiery. It's also used for other types of form-fitting clothing, and for sportswear. While nylon is a very strong and elastic material, it doesn't breath well and attracts static electricity. Nylon is one of those fabrics that's basically plastic.

Polyester: polyester is a very common synthetic fibre. A large part of the clothes you'll find in a fast fashion shop are made of (a blend containing) polyester. Polyester can be used for anything that could also be made of cotton: in fact, cotton and polyester are often combined into one fabric. Polyester is durable and moisture resistant, but it doesn't breath well and is basically plastic.

Conclusion:

If you're wondering which one of these fabrics you'd like wearing the most, there's an easy answer: go to your wardrobe, and check the labels inside of your clothes. These labels will mention what fabrics your clothes are made of. If there's a specific fabric that shows up a lot in your closet, you probably really like that fabric. If there's an item you particularly love for its sensory characteristics, check its label, too: you'll probably love the fabric this item was made with.

Next time you buy clothes, keep these fabrics in mind. If you buy something made from a fabric you love, you're more likely to wear it.

If you currently have a lot of synthetic or unsustainable fabrics in your closet, don't worry. It's better to wear these items until they break down than to throw them out while they're still usable, even if you replace them with sustainable alternatives. Wasting pre-existing materials is bad for the environment. They've already been made, you can't undo that. Do replace them with sustainable alternatives once they break down if you can, though!

I made a cloak for my Artemis Halloween costume!

Also maybe it was just an excuse to make a cloak LOL

Exterior: stretch velvet , nap facing up to get that inky darkness

Interior: glittery stretch jersey. I wish I had a dark colour but the black was even more washed out!

It would have been 10000x easier to sew w/ non-stretch fabrics but Joann failed me RIP

Lengthening sweater sleeves

Crochet's a great way to lengthen your sleeves, and so is knitting! Just pick up stitches around the edge of your sleeve (knitting/crochet) and start working as if it was a new project.

You could also add extra fabric to your sleeves. Good items to reuse for this are old socks, old sweaters, fingerless gloves, ruffles, lace, old shirts, or other fabric scraps made of a similar fabric as your original sweater. Try to match the amount of stretch the fabric of your original item has to make sure your hands will still fit through your new cuff.

Instead of altering the cuff, you could also cut your sleeve and insert extra fabric at the cut you've made. This way, you get to keep the original cuff.

If you don't feel like altering every sweater you own, you could also make a separate pair of wrist warmers that look nice with your sweater collection.

If you ever need to mend your new cuffs, check out my post on mending ribbed cuffs.

Some ideas:

(Image source) [ID: close-up of a sleeve of a brown speckled coat that has been extended with brown crochet.]

(Image source) [ID: close-up of a yellow sleeve that has been lengthened with a red floral fabric ruffle.]

(Image source) [ID: gray knit wrist warmer with a white lace edge and a decorative metal button.]

(Image source) [ID: close-up of a pair of hands wearing red knit mittens. There's a gap between the end of the mittens and the ends of the sleeves of the black coat the person is wearing. The coat sleeves have been extended with black ribbed socks.]

(Image source) [ID: close-up of the end of a blue shirt sleeve that has been extended by sewing the cuff of a white shirt sleeve to the original shirt's cuff. Text: "sewsewneat.com".]

(Image source) [ID: close-up of two sleeve black cuffs. The sleeve itself is made of floral fabric and has been cut a short distance away from the cuff. A black strip of fabric has been sewn between the sleeve and the cut-off cuff.]

(Image source) [ID: a patchwork sleeve cuff. The original knit sweater sleeve has been extended with three different types of blue fabric. The bottom part of the sleeve's side seam has been cut open, and a white piece of lace has been inserted between the two seam edges.]

I could do a simple fix, but I think it would be cool to do something nice, that will hold up, and gives it a little flair. I was thinking maybe a leaf pattern because the boss like plants. I have a bit of leeway since they aren't mandatory, and our collection of shirts is just a variety of colors and styles and sizes from many years ago. So it doesn't have to match, it's not a uniform just a company polo.

How do I make it such that it's comfortable to rest my wrists and make it last for the next person who gets it?

Thank you for your time in reading this!

[ID: a person showing off two worn-out sleeve cuffs on a green polo. Three big holes have formed at the seam between the cuff and the sleeve while smaller holes sit at the edges of the cuffs.]

Sleeve cuffs and wrist rests

Sounds like your sleeves are getting a lot of friction! It's cool you get to customise your work attire, though. :)

Mending sleeve cuffs:

I've written a post on how to mend ribbed sleeve cuffs a while back that might interest you.

Before you can start thinking about the aesthetic part of the project, you'll first have to figure out your foundation. This means picking a technique to close the holes in your cuffs. You've got a lot of options here, just to name a few:

Close the big holes with a ladder stitch and the small holes at the edges with a blanket stitch or a whipstitch, using matching thread. This'll result in an invisible mend and turn your cuff into a blank canvas for further customisation.

Once the holes at the base of the cuffs are closed, you could sew a scrap of fabric over your mend (inside for extra comfort, outside as decorative element) to make it extra strong. This might be useful as this spot gets a lot of friction.

Get some embroidery thread and sew across the holes at the edges of the cuffs. Use contrasting thread to create fun details.

Sew scraps of fabric across the holes at the edges of the cuffs to both close them up and add a decorative detail.

Replace the entire cuff with a new one, either with a matching or a contrasting fabric, depending on what look you're going for. If your boss likes plants, you could use a plant-themed print for example.

Replace the entire cuff, making it longer than before and adding a thumb hole. This will turn your cuff into a built-in sleeveless glove. I don't know what the temperature's like at your office, but this is a nice touch when you have to do a lot of typing in a cold room, or when you have circulation issues.

Remove the cuff, finish off the raw edge, then pick up stitches along the edge and knit/crochet a new cuff.

Some ideas:

(Image source) [ID: a hand poking out of a gray knit sleeve. The frayed edge of the sleeve has been mended with light gray, blue, dark gray and black embroidery thread.]

(Image source) [ID: a gray sleeve with a ribbed cuff covered in embroidered red roses with green vines and leaves.]

(Image source) [ID: a white sweatshirt with a print showing sunflowers and bees. A yellow flower with green leaves has been embroidered on the sleeve cuff to cover up a hole.]

(Image source) [ID: a gray cuff with a black round patch sewn onto it with blue thread.]

(Image source) [ID: close-up on a pair of gray sleeves ending in red cuffs with a geometric square print. The cuffs have holes for the thumbs and are essentially sleeveless gloves.]

Wrist rests:

It looks like your wrists are getting a lot of friction when using your keyboard, so I figured I'd add in some DIY wrist rests, too. These are quite easy to make out of scrap fabric and a good filling (like rice, or even more scrap fabric).

Updates from the Copper State has a tutorial for a simple, no-nonsense wrist rest set.

(Image source) [ID: a set of wrist rests made out of colourful geometric fabric. A long keyboard wrist rest lies behind a short square mouse rest on top of a wooden surface.]

Sparkle of Sunshine shows how to make two separate wrist rests.

(Image source) [ID: a single rounded, padded wrist rest made out of red fabric with white polkadots lies in front of a black wireless mouse. Text: "www.sparklesofsunshine.com".]

If you'd like something with a bit more personality, this cat-shaped wrist rest is pretty cute. You don't have to make a cat, of course. Pick out any animal head and tail you like.

Elastic waistband pants

Are you ready to sew your first pair of pants? These elastic waistband pants are a very forgiving project. As the waistband stretches, it's okay if your measurements are a bit off.

The tutorial states these are meant to be pyjama pants, but if you make them out of nice fabric there's no reason why you couldn't wear them outside, too.

You'll have to do a bit of math to draft the pattern, but it's easier than it looks.