So I got lucky and blessed to be given a free embroidery machine from some old folks I know. Her husband no longer uses it so they handed it off to me today and were adamant about giving it to me for free. I was wondering if anyone had any tips and tricks for it.

It is a Singer Futura Quartet and came with everything, all the bits and pieces are not in the photo but off to the side.

Thank you 😊

Help, patterns or suggestions much appreciated.

Ok so to preface, I’m a beginner to the world of sewing so I know really next to nothing. I’m trying to learn the vocabulary whilst fumbling through projects with rolls of random fabric from Walmart. I love the look of ruffles and flounce especially on the borders of my clothes and as accents. This hem is on a rib knit shirt I own. It’s very wavy when worn (like lettuce?) and is on the hem of the shirt and the sleeves. Is it just called a rolled hem? Can I achieve this with a basic brother machine (I’ll attach a picture of the machine I own) or do I need a overlock or cover stitch machine? PLS HELP.

I want to sew a jacket for a costume and I’m not sure what fabric to use for it. The jacket is from Lego Monkie Kid, I’ve attached a picture of the character sheet to the post for reference. I’m debating between using cotton, a cotton-polyester blend, fleece, or wool. I’m leaning toward using a cotton-polyester blend (plus ribbed knit fabric for the bottom), but I’m not positive and wanted to get some feedback before I started. I was also wondering if anyone had any recommendations for how I should go about attaching the designs on the right side of the chest and the back of the jacket and if I should use the same type of fabric or something else? I’m considering adding lining to the inside after I’ve added on the designs but I wasn’t sure. For the t-shirt I’m planning on sewing the red and black circles onto a plain white cotton t-shirt I already have, is this the best option and is there a way I can avoid making the inside of the shirt itchy and uncomfortable to wear when I sew the circles onto it? Thank you in advance!

I’ve never sewn clothes before but I have made some stuffed animals and a dog costume so I’m not a complete newbie but I’m not very experienced either. I also know Halloween is coming up, I meant to start earlier but life got in the way. I know there’s a chance that I won’t be able to finish it in time for Halloween and have a previous year’s costume I can wear if I need to and will be still able to wear this new one I’m making to a friend’s summer costume party later if I don’t end up finishing it in time for Halloween.

Has anyone purchased from purelinenenvy.ca before? I'm eyeballing their extra wide linen to make a sheet set, and just want to make sure it will hold up okay!

Can anybody recommend a fabric type for slips and half slips? I recently came into a collection of beautiful vintage midi length wool skirts but that vintage wool is so itchy!! I desperately need a layer between my legs and the fabric of the skirt. I considered several standard synthetic options but, I also tend to run hot so I’m not sure how comfortable that’ll be if I’m also wearing wool. Does anybody have any suggestions?

Hello, I am not making anything from scratch but repairing a bra. The underwire snapped in half on one cup and I bought a replacement. The new underwire fits perfectly but it's about half a cm too long. I can cut it down to size but the webstore advised using a tipping fluid so it doesn't stab me once I sew it in lol. But all I can find in the UK is tipping powder which doesn't look straightforward to use.

Is there another, easier option? Preferably something already in fluid form? Or is the powder easy to use? I don't have a heat gun, this is just a one-off repair that I was hoping would be much cheaper than buying a replacement bra for £40! If there's something I can buy from a bricks and mortar shop that would be ideal, otherwise at least from a UK online retailer.

[CROSSPOSTED]

Hi everyone!! Im pretty new to sewing in general- I’ve only ever done rough mending stuff but my brain demanded I start learning to properly sew stuff since I love to make things with my hands. Recently I decided to make a whole new jacket for my dad’s birthday (though the process took a bit longer and is currently on pause while im on a month long trip) and used a favorite old jacket as a sort of guide since I know absolutely nothing about sewing or jacket making 😅.

Please ignore the cats (they loved how warm and plush it was apparently) and mess lol, but heres some pictures I have of how the process went and the current look on my dad, I did about half of it by hand sewing everything until my dad couldnt take watching me slowly go about making it and got me a brother sq9285 machine which I really love, its pretty cool and theres so many neat functions!!

I pretty much started by cutting an outline of the main body with the ends folded in so i wouldn’t need to sew the sides except when cutting the quilting plush i used as like, filling sorta to hopefully make it warmer. I used anti-pill fleece flannel and some sherpa for the inside. I used like a regular coil looking stitching that just went round and round until my friend who knows more about sewing told me to at least use a blanket stitch so I searched that up and used it. The quilt batting was harder to figure out but eventually i simply overlapped it, kinda like putting two pieces of paper over the other and then used a straight stitch to sew them together so there wouldnt be any sort of hard seam digging into the side or making it look off.

I wanted to see if anyone might have any sort of advice for when sewing on the zipper as well as making deep pockets for both hands and placements for extra pockets, like what sort of stitching I should use? Also while I may not know any technical terms and whatnot of stitching if anyone has questions or wants more elaboration about what I did I’ll try my best to explain!

Anyways yeah, this was like maybe my third project with sewing (the first two being a oval bag and a small plushie) and my friend did call me insane for going straight to “make a jacket” but ha it came out decently well so far!! 😝

Made a post earlier asking for advice about the interfacing on this bag. I have never done a sewing project before but I drew the pattern on Trader Joe’s bags and went for it! His name is Gerald and he has pink lining! He’s made of cotton fabric with a burlap strap.

Sewing button up for my husband, and usually I just sew for myself, so having trouble picking a size. I've highlighted sizes that seem to fit and including measurements.

Would love advice on which size to pick or how to grade between them!

So I slammed my jacket sleeve in the car door on accident today and the button snapped in half. Luckily I have an extra but I have no idea how I would sew it on how it originally was. It has a gap presumably because the leather is thick and looks wrapped or knotted in some intentional way. Can anyone tell me how I would do it like this? I have basically no sewing experience so keep that in mind I just figured a button should be doable. I included several pictures of both the sewing on the broken and identical unbroken button as well as the buttons on the other side of them.

Hi sewists… I’ve been working on the Ophelia Veste by Madeinestel. The pattern calls for a yoke but I wanted to do a full lining. I did the bagging out method, and I feel like the lining is sooo oversized and baggy. Is this just inherent with the bagging method? It doesn’t look as bad in pictures, but the sleeves are especially baggy and I feel like I’m pushing through the lining trying to get my arms through.

I’ve set this down and picked it back up several times over the last 2 months. Im wondering if i should just pick it apart and do the yoke instead? Any other suggestions to make the lining less baggy?

Everything I’ve read says the lining should actually be slightly larger than the exterior, but I cut them to be the exact size.

Does anyone have a pattern recommendation? I’m trying to find a pattern similar but I’m stuck on what key words to search for. What are these style of sleeves called? I found some decent options that could work but figured I would see if anyone knew the exact name of this dress style. Thank you!!

Thrifted this sweater. It's my mom's favorite colour, but the texture is awful. Like a dish rag. Which gave me the idea to make it into dish rags for my mom for Christmas. (There's a running joke that she doesn't wash her dishes very well, so there's a humorous layer).

My questions is: would the fiber content of the sweater make for good dish rags, or is it a recipe for mould (something my mom famously hates)

The tag says 42% hemp, 58% flax.

Also, what would be the best way to go about making it into rags? I was thinking I'd pick apart the seams, and then do a basting stitch around the places I intend to cut, so that it won't unravel. Then I'd go around the outside with some kind of stitch to keep it all together.

Symmetrical tears around the collar of my vintage mink fur coat. Looks to be right at the seams of the collar. I just purchased this from a consignment store a couple weeks ago, and I haven’t had the chance to wear it yet. I’ve been storing it on a wide hangar. I’m not sure how it was stored prior to being in my possession. There doesn’t appear to be any other rips except these two.

Instead of patching it myself, I’m thinking of taking it to a furrier. But these years appear quite fragile, I’m wondering if it’s even worth it. I paid $370 for this, it was the coat of my dreams. any thoughts? Thank you

I inherited my grandmother’s sewing supplies, and I found these while organizing. Are they meant for sewing?

She grew up in the depression and saved and reused anything and everything, so they might be something odd she thought she could repurpose

I just thrifted this vintage serger for $6.99!!! There was no price on it and I don't know if the employee who priced it was giving me a good deal or if that was the listed selling price but I don't care! It's an Ultralock 14U32 and it does work (at least the needle moves when you push the pedal).

My husband keeps suggesting getting me a serger for my birthday or Christmas but I didn't want to buy one without knowing if I'd use it (or how to use it lol). Now I can try it out with basically zero financial risk :D

Any tips for using it? I found the manual online which is great. Would it be best to take it to get serviced or just see how it goes?

I’m making my 7yr old a dress she wants from a cartoon character. I have great sewing knowledge but never adjusted a pattern like this. I had to use an adult pattern but took the XS size than scaled the print down to 80% to get close. But now I need to make sure I’m within range before I cut. The skirt portion still seems huge but I’m gonna run with it and hem/dart if need be. Where do I measure to check the BUST AND WAIST AND HIP MEASUREMENTS?
I know the hip won’t matter to much but she’s built like a block lol. And I can tell the dress account for a decent bust. Her measurements are bust- 26” waist 25” hips 29.5.
If you can somehow markup my pics to point out where to measure I would be very appreciative!

Can the fit of these jeans be improved? This is a wearable toile of the Carlisle pants by style arc.

I reduced the total rise by 1”, and the back another 5/8”, but I think the back is still a bit higher than the front. For the additional 5/8”, I took about 3/8” out of the middle of the yoke, and another 1/4” out of the rise of the back pant piece. I don’t know if it was right to split the reduction between the yoke and pant piece. If I reduce any more, it will come out of the back pant piece only.

The front rise hits where I want. As far as the crotch, there is some bunching, but not sure if that is normal ease for non-stretch denim pants. I don’t know if a full tummy adjustment would help but I don’t really want to add any length to the rise.

Any fitting advice is helpful. For reference I’m 5’2” 36-29-37”

These Dickies are dadgum comfortable jeans. The problem, with jeans in general, is lack of pockets. I have a couple things on my belt, but am not interested in a duty belt.

I am spoiled on Spiewak's EMS pants. 17 pockets, 10 of which are useful routinely. The other 7 are rarely used, but still nice.

So, I would like at least 2 more pockets on these jeans. I have 5 pairs that I never use, but would like to.

I have finished one pocket with a zipper and a welt. First one, but I am digging it.

Opinions? What do you think?

R/JG

Picked this book up a few months ago. This is my first make from it, and my first M&M pattern period. Very pleased with it overall. It’s a nicely done pattern with good instructions.

Fabric is an unknown deadstock remnant, seems to be a cotton/poly blend shirting. It’s very loosely woven and unstable on the bias, so keeping the stripes lines up was difficult. It also doesn’t take a crease all that well, so also wasn’t very much fun to work with on the plackets. But it does have a good drape and wear very nicely.

Things kind of went off the rails with the front placket. I unpicked it a few times and got it better but not perfect. The edges of my fabric were starting to fall apart so I finally had to just accept good enough as good enough and move on. Sleeve plackets are similarly not perfect but acceptable for a casual shirt.

There is something a bit off in the sleeves for me, despite the garment being quite oversized the sleeves pull a bit in the bicep when I lift my arms. I think it might be a bit long in the shoulders.

Fun make overall, excited to sew more from this book. I’m a 5’11” man with a 40” chest, and this is a medium - size down if you’re a small person.

Hi! Can anyone help me identify what type of zip to buy (in reference to the images), from what I can tell the zips come from a company in Taiwan called Maxzip (zip 90005) but they don't seem to actually sell them in anyway I can buy. I bought some generic size 8 zippers off of amazon but they don't actually work.

From what I can tell I think the zip is reverse coil? But I have failed to understand what it means for what I need to buy and don't want to keep buying things until it works.

I've never fixed a zip before so any information would be very appreciated as this is new to me.

Thank you :)

I wanted to post this Bag I made since I didn't find anyone posting themselves making it when I first wanted to make it.

Disclaimer: I'm a super beginner at sewing and I don't have a serger so please don't judge my work too hard 😅.

It would be 10 times better with good lining thou, maybe if I like it enough (I made it last night)I will make another one with proper lining. I never lined anything in my life thou and I'm scared to improvise, if y'all have some tips of the fabric or how to make lining I'll appreciate it. Link to pattern and instructions: https://blog.moodfabrics.com/boho-bow-bag-free-sewing-pattern/#ScrollCommentsToMe I followed everything exactly as shown to the best of my abilities and resources.

Everywhere online it says how to fix peeling/flaking pleather. I recently purchased a leather jacket from Marshalls and it ripped at the pocket a week after purchase. I sewed it carefully and it ripped again a week later. What can I do to fix it permanently?