Posted by Mucha Muchacha on 2008-01-28 23:33:36
Post Subject: Awesome Blythe doll links
Hi Blythe Lovers:) I just posted some really great links for Blythe customization, restoration and sewing patterns on my craft blog: www.Ohlookwhatimade.blogspot.com please let me know what you think!
Posted by supercrafty on 2005-03-14 15:12:25
Post Subject: Craft Supplies Yard Sale Sunday 3/20 Los Angeles GREAT DEALS
The Crafty Girls and Boys of Stitch n' Bitch Los Angeles bring you their first ever
Craft Supplies Yard Sale
Sunday, March 20th, 2005
10 am - 2pm
1327 South Stanley Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90019
Several members of Stitch N Bitch Los Angeles will be selling some of our vast stashes of knitting, art, crafting, sewing, craft and crocheting supplies. Many items are brand new and are priced cheap to sell, sell, sell!
Yarn - TONS of YARN!
Iron-ons
Picture frames
Fabric - Vintage and Brand New!
Beads
Magnetic snaps
Glue guns and sticks
Candles
Appliqués
Trims
Latch hook yarn
Buckram
Roll of piping/cording filler for custom cord
20 lbs. of bath salts
Essential oils to make bath salts
Several rolls of cording with lip
Feather trim & patches
Bolts of plain cotton fabric, velvets & vinyl
Sewing patterns - new and vintage
Plastic baby safety pins (shower favors)
Silk flowers
Silk bags
Purse handles
Make your own lampshade kit
Ribbon
Some scrapbooking stuff
Painting & drawing supplies
Stickers
Postcards
Pencils
Buttons
Vintage bottle caps - all unused
Craft Magazines - Knitting, Budget Living, Crafts Report
...and more!!
It will be great - don't miss out! See you Sunday!
Posted by jean on 2004-07-20 12:40:02
Post Subject: Write for getcrafty
Many of you lovely ladies have emailed me saying you'd like to help create more content here at getcrafty. here's your chance! I'm looking for the following stories, many of which are inspired by recent threads:
--10 tips for living super-cheaply
--how to make shrinky-dink earrings (digital photos a must!)
--Crafty Books We Love...a round-up of recent cool crafty books and why we love them (this would be created with the help of the craftistas)
--how to throw a kick-ass party, includes coming up with a theme (digital photos a must)
--any and all knitting, stitching and sewing patterns that are cool. (again, digital photos are nessary)
--don't do it yourself: a list of 10 things one should never attempt.
if you have an idea that isn't here, just email me! once assigned, i can give you further instructions.
email your story ideas, along with writing samples to stories@getcrafty.com. i can't wait to hear from you.
ps: i don't have any sponsors (yet) and getcrafty.com is currently running at a loss, so i can pay with gratitude, but not cash. sorry! perhaps one day...
Posted by Katrin on 2006-07-22 14:15:58
Post Subject:
I spent so many years following pattern instructions exactly, thinking they were an absolute authority. If the finished product didn't fit or turn out right, obviously something must have been terribly wrong with my sewing skills, my body, or both.
I've only recently learned a secret: Most commercial sewing patterns are imperfect at best, seriously flawed at worst. Not only do they start out designed to fit one specific body (the fit model's), the different sizes are then generated by a computer program that simply makes everything bigger or smaller, rather than adjusting for the parts of the human body that tend to grow and those that don't. (Just because a size 18's boobs are much bigger than a size 6, for instance, that doesn't mean the shoulders are proportionally that much wider too.)
The solution (that they never tell you): It's okay - in fact, almost always necessary - to make adjustments on the pattern beyond the official "lengthen or shorten here". It's fine to cut different sizes on a multi-sized pattern if you're, say, a 12 on top and a 16 on the bottom. The beauty of sewing your own clothes is that no one ever has to know what number corresponds to any part of your body - all that's seen is that your clothes actually fit well. The more sewing experience you get, the more you'll get to recognize where and how you usually need to alter.
Most important is to go by your own measurements, not the "size" you think you wear. Sewing patterns are sized differently from ready-to-wear clothes. Measure yourself, know what those numbers are, and buy whatever pattern matches them. Be prepared - it'll likely be at least two "sizes" higher than you're used to. Just keep reminding yourself it's simply a different numbering system and that when you're wearing the clothes, no one will know anyway.
Posted by stella on 2006-11-15 01:15:02
Post Subject:
i think it's hard to find sewing patterns online because it's hard to present them in a format that works. i guess you could make a .pdf and tell people to blow it up 1000% or something, but you just don't see that.
i think the easiest way to find patterns is to just flip through the pattern books at a fabric store. most of the indie-ish pattern manufacturers i know of are on the vintage/farmgirl side.
Posted by pudding on 2006-07-23 02:59:09
Post Subject:
Most important is to go by your own measurements, not the "size" you think you wear. Sewing patterns are sized differently from ready-to-wear clothes. Measure yourself, know what those numbers are, and buy whatever pattern matches them. Be prepared - it'll likely be at least two "sizes" higher than you're used to. Just keep reminding yourself it's simply a different numbering system and that when you're wearing the clothes, no one will know anyway.
Posted by pudding on 2006-07-20 00:39:47
Post Subject: Are some sewing patterns easier to follow than others?
I've just been wondering.
I've taken up sewing and have had a few lessons (I made some pants! Whoo-ee!).
I've just bought some sewing patterns because Spotlight was having a 1/2 price sale on all paper patterns. They are Simplicity patterns, very basic, and seem easy enough to follow.
I've heard some pattern companies' patterns are difficult to read and I'm wondering if any experienced sewers could steer me in the right direction?Are any particular patterns more difficult to follow than others? Some I should stay away from as a beginner sewer?
Posted by Sewlittletime on 2005-10-13 09:15:11
Post Subject:
Try www.rustyzipper.com
I was just browsing their site a few nights ago and they have an incredible number of 70's patterns! At the top of the sewing patterns page, there are boxes in which you can narrow down your search to which decade, sizes, men's or women's, price range, etc. The average cost was around $9.00. I didn't think that was too bad. I plan to go back and buy a couple myself. I'm such a pattern addict!!
Posted by Grungie on 2007-01-12 15:23:49
Post Subject:
I have a Samantha doll myself and I still make clothes for her (I know I'm way too old to still play with dolls but, what can I say, I'm a dork.)
American Girls (and various knockoffs) are popular enough that dress patterns are super easy to find on the internet and in your standard pattern catalogs at the fabric store. Just look for a pattern that says it's for an "18 inch vinyl play doll" or something like that (AG's are all 18 inches high.)
Pleasant Company actually used to sell a package of sewing patterns for each of the dolls back when I first got mine and I use those patterns a lot. Unfortunately, I think they discontinued them but you can probably still find them on Ebay.
A couple of my favorite websites are The Dollies' Dressmaker (www.dolliesdressmaker.com) and Morissey Dolls (www.morrisseydolls.com). Dollies' Dressmaker has mostly pre-made clothes for sale and a few patterns sometimes, but I like the fact that she makes a lot of clothes for the "historical" girls which I personally prefer to the modern stuff. I mostly go there for inspiration. Morrissey is definitely worth checking out because she has a really wide variety of outfits and makes them for about every imaginable size of doll, not just American Girls. (I actually just noticed that she also has patterns for Bratz so you can make non-trampy outfits for them.)
Posted by annie_r on 2007-05-15 19:46:25
Post Subject: hip sewing patterns
Does anyone have reccomendations for where to find cool sewing patterns? I'm all about the Amy Butler and Lotta Jansdotter books so I think that I have home dec. covered but would love to find some patterns for clothing. Maybe kind of along the lines of the Built By Wendy patterns...
Posted by Kanle on 2005-03-17 12:34:00
Post Subject:
Beginning Sewing is an online book that you can download or print out that will help you get started just learning or refreshing yourself with how to sew. Try this page for different patterns.
I'll try to post more as I come across them, but if you do a search for free sewing patterns on Yahoo or Google you will find lots of sites. You might alsow ant to look at Free Patterns.com. You have to become a member, but it's free.
Posted by lizzymahoney on 2006-03-25 08:25:28
Post Subject:
Things I've purchased in lots on eBay or at brick and mortar auctions or garage/thrift sales: buttons, paper, jewelry, clothing, sewing box contents, cans of screws or bolts or nails, beer making supplies, material!, books and magazines, clothing, rocks, ribbon, knitting needles and crochet hooks, macrame yarns, cooking utensils, gardening supplies, doorknobs, casters, old photos and postcards, lamp parts, baby items, fishing junk, aquarium supplies, candlesticks, candles, bells, and probably many more things. It helps to keep similar things together, like scrap fabrics separated from yardage, yardage separated by general types, and sewing patterns for general sizes.
If you do this at a garage sale, you do have to watch that people don't tuck valuable things in the box lots. An auction book I've read mentions the migration of desirable things from one box to another and another and another as a common problem. And I've had people rip me off at garage sales by buying three t-shirts and one evening dress for the price of the t-shirts.
Posted by stella on 2007-05-30 01:05:18
Post Subject:
definitely! it's even more worth it, because you can sew clothes that fit you better than commercial clothes. the thing is, you probably won't have much luck with commercial patterns. Simplicity has some Kaliyah Ali (i think) plus-sized patterns that are cute, but most commercial sewing patterns are *not* designed to fit us curvy gals. they basically just take a size 8 and make it bigger, so the bust and arms never fit right.
instead, take a basic sewing class and then a class in pattern drafting or fitting. check out the Palmer-Pletsch books - http://www.palmerpletsch.com/
i don't own any, but i have heard they are great for sewing clothes that really fit your figure.
also, pick up the last two issues of Threads magazine. the last issue had an article on draping a plus-sized sloper (a basic bodice pattern) and the current issue has a how-to on drafting sleeves to go with it based on your measurements.
you can also look for smaller pattern companies like Hot Patterns. Hot Patterns has very cute patterns that go up to a size 26 and are designed for curvy figures.
Posted by susan*s on 2004-11-07 17:08:05
Post Subject:
I wrote an article on making a basic A-line skirt which is in Jean's book, Get Crafty, and on my site, here:
http://susanstars.com/howto/make_aline.php
It's great pull-on skirt with an elastic waist, no darts, no zipper. It takes just an hour or two to make.
I'm not surea about a pattern book with exact sizes that covers different styles of skirts, but there are a few (American) sewing patterns I like for easy skirts, I can look for them & post numbers and brands if you like. For Euro patterns, I like Burda a lot--they have some very stylish skirts, and the instructions are in several languages, including English (I assume that that's the language you want instructions in--?). Anyway, hope this helps get you started! :)
Posted by Katrin on 2005-10-11 20:51:52
Post Subject:
I knew a woman who traced all her sewing patterns onto sheets of clear plastic (I think she used dropcloths, which are pretty cheap at home-supply stores). I thought it was a pretty good idea.
Posted by Sewlittletime on 2006-02-05 12:04:59
Post Subject:
I just got a vintage advertisement and some vintage women's magazines from e-bay. Such cool stuff there!!
I am considering selling my unwanted sewing patterns on e-bay......and maybe some other stuff too.
Posted by artgeek on 2006-05-25 20:37:29
Post Subject:
I live in a one-bedroom apartment with my husband and a cat. It's way too small for our needs, but we're makin' do. On to my craft area:
Our bedroom, which hosts a large loft bed, has lots of storage underneath. I probably store 2-3 large storage bins under there, plus some other larger items.
Next to the loft, I've a HUGE metal desk which is specifically for my crafting. I've two lamps, plus some small open bins, and my sewing machine on the desk surface. Inside, I store trim, sewing patterns, collage materials, and boxes to decoupage. It honestly awes me what I can make disappear into this desk's drawers.
Finally, I have a large wooden shelving unit in the corner that holds my various tool boxes (one for sewing and another for thread, one for embroidery/kumihimo, and one for beading), my craft- and creativity-related books, and my fabric.
Oh, and I also have a long, thing storage bin under my desk for clothing that needs repairs, something I let pile up way too much.
I only reasonably need a bit more space, but what I would really love isn't so much more space as dedicated space. A room even half the size as my bedroom, but that I could decorate just to be inspirational and joyous...that I lust after!
Posted by Sewlittletime on 2005-05-08 04:01:00
Post Subject:
What a fun thread! I am so itching to go thrifting!! Next w/e I'll be going w/ a group of GFs to a big neighborhood sale that is held every other year. We all LOVE going b/c we always find the neatest stuff! Clothes for the kids or ourselves, furniture, toys, books, etc. I print off a map of the neighborhood every year, so we can keep track of where we've been, bring bottled water, sunscreen, my granny cart to tow our purchases, a couple of snacks, a list of what I want to find and extra paper and a pen to write down addresses in case we buy something big that we have to go back for. WE all meet at my house, b/c it's the closest, and pile into someone's van and GO!!
I hope I find more cool sewing patterns this year!
Posted by Catana on 2004-09-21 18:48:33
Post Subject:
I have used freezer paper or wrapping paper (purchased after holidays at an enormous discount) to make patterns for various things like chair pads, a wedding dress, pillows and many other projects.
I use freezer paper too, sometimes. You can press it and bond it to the material temporarily. If you use sewing patterns, you'll also find that some have a lot of unused areas of tissue paper. I save those and use them for creating patterns.
Posted by Sewlittletime on 2005-06-09 18:01:27
Post Subject:
~Cigarettes....and yes I do want to quit, but I'm not bothering until after our big drive down south 'cuz I know I'd just end up smoking again watching my cousin and her husband smoking!
~Sewing patterns and fabric....not necessarily bought to go with each other.
~Organizing products. My husband just gets a bemused look on his face when I come home w/ yet another storage tote or something.
~Ice cream...lots of it!
Posted by Katrin on 2006-03-25 14:14:28
Post Subject:
I bought the (American) premier issue of Get Creative and was very disappointed. It's definitely geared toward the reader of Woman's Day or Family Circle who wants to jump on this trendy craft bandwagon. The projects were about buying new clothes and attaching decorations to them (and we'll show you EXACTLY how to make those decorations, so you don't have to do any of that messy thinking for yourself!) or gluing together coasters and napkin rings out of brightly colored felt. Did I see a juice-can pencil holder in there too?
It did mention a couple of sewing patterns, one of which I really liked and went out and bought. So the issue was worth it for that - but otherwise, its target market can have it.
I've looked at a couple issues of Make - I love the idea. It's like a more hardcore ReadyMade, which I also love. Make seems to be focused more on electronic projects, which I'm not interested in (now, anyway) with only the occasional mention of fiber crafts. So it's another one that's meant for someone other than me - but in a cool exciting way rather than a lame cheezy one like Get Creative.
Posted by MuseSewingPatterns on 2006-03-12 22:06:41
Post Subject: Muse Sewing Patterns
Muse Sewing Patterns - Make it Uniquely You!
Handbags | Home Accessories | Baby Gifts | Holiday Items
Created by a sewing teacher.
http://www.museonline.net/images/patterns/minipatterns.JPG
To get a free PDF pattern email me with "Get Crafty" as your subject.
muse@museonline.net
