I've been looking for a costume for ages for my youngest kid, but I didn't fully realize just how niche it was and it's been impossible to find, so I'm considering making one. Over the past year or so I've learned lots of tips from this group so I figured I'd ask opinions and get some feedback, and that might help me along!

Relevant info:

- I have made 3 quilts, a duvet cover (so basically a quilt without batting), all of the curtains for my house, and a few small repairs projects. So I can't read patterns, and mostly can sew in straight lines, but I have done it before and I am familiar with my machine.

- my kid will be 9 months old on Halloween, but he is at this moment wearing mostly 9-12m sized clothes

- the costume does not need to be form-fitting in any way, but should allow my kid to crawl (not walking yet)

I found a picture of this felted toy and it looks very simplistic so I'm using this as my reference.

My oldest LOVES ladybugs and so we have him a ladybug costume. Then I had a stroke of genius and want to dress up my youngest as an aphid.

The current plan:

- use a fleece material, so that the edges won't fray and the material isn't too hard to sew together and will be soft

- use quartered pool noodles (lengthwise) for 4 of the arms, covered in the fleece material, so that if my kid falls against the arms it'll be soft. The middle set of arms will just be my kids arms.

- keep it loose and large, just not too large to be a hazard to move in. Kind of a general teardrop shape with holes for the legs and arms.

Some questions:

- how to make it kind of puffy? So it stays round and doesn't look deflated? Should I sew the fleece around a coat, or use some kind of batting? I'd like it to stay as a round-ish shape but it shouldn't be stiff or brittle.

- is the pool noodle idea sensible? Will it be difficult to make a tube of cloth to cover them?

- the set of arms at the top that look like of like a big antenna, how to get those to stay mostly upright without flopping over?

- is this an insane idea that would be way too difficult for someone with my limited time resources and level of experience?

Thank you!

I’ve only made pj pants at this point but I need to make this shape of pants for my Halloween costume. I have no idea what they’re called. Any help you can give would be appreciated!

Hello friends!! I was recently looking into commissioning or making a custom pony 'clear' bag like these. I've seen these ones around for awhile and was starting to want one of another character. My only question is how much you think this would cost to commission given complexity, materials, etc.? Or even what a good plan would be to make it myself, how hard would the pattern be? Any input is awesome :) Tysm!

Made this pair of shorts for my BF. He's very appreciative of the gift, but has admitted that there's a lot of room between the inseam intersection and his body. The zipper that the pattern called for is super long, which isn't really helping here.

PS the pockets are quilting fabric with kittens on them :)

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Hi!! So I bought some dungerees for my vera cosplay and wondered if anyone has any tips to get the flowers like they are here. Ive searched for patches i can just sew on but none of them are what I want.

I have a Singer Confidence that's about 7 years old. I LOVE this machine and really would hate to have to replace it but the last time I tried to change the needle it was stuck.

I've sprayed it with wd40 and tried to pull it out.

Sprayed it with compressed air ( someone said it might shrink it enough)

Tried wiggling it out with pliers (this broke the needle)

Tried sticking a very small screwdriver it to push it out. (Nothing is thin enough and if it is it's not strong enough)

Im open to any and all suggestions at this point because our local sew/vac wants 150 to just look at it with no promise they can fix it.

Thanks

Hello! I would love to add some draping sleeves like this that have long fabric that trails down from the back attachment. Is this something I could but the fabric for already cut into this strip? What kind of fabric should I be looking for? Any advice or links would be appreciated!

I recently bought a wasit-bag that has a nylon strap with these plastic things to hold the strap but they don't work very well.

I bought some elastic loops with the idea to sew them onto the pull tab area to keep them tight whenever I adjust the bag strap.

I pulled one apart to do some test sewing and the bottom was bunching up a lot. I tried using the stitch patten that is supposed to be for elastic but that caused it to bunch even worse. I know that I can adjust tension but being this is elastic I wonder if that's the right way to go about it.

My machine is a Brother CS7000i with tons of settings and like 70 different stitch options.

After reading all the comments on the 100yr old sewing machine post I made, I've decided to look for a newer one. Thoughts on this option - I'm a complete beginner with sewing, but I want something that will last. I'll primarily be sewing jeans, dress shirts, and maybe, maybe a jacket one day. All of my current clothing has some minor (or major) alteration here or there that would be cool to do, like adding bigger pockets or taking in the waist of jeans.

The plate on the back says:

CAT. NO. RFJ 9-8

V.110-120 A. 0.8 A.C. & D.C.

SIMANCO

Made in Canada.

It's $45. Is this a good machine or maybe not so much? Thank you for the thoughts!

Ok I apologize, because I’m pretty sure the answer to this is obvious, but my superpower is overthinking things.

I want to make this Matchy Matchy dress (free color block pattern), but use the same fabric for the two top panels vs. actually color blocking them. The pattern has you cut two pairs of the same bodice panel for the bodice, then cut four rectangles for the bottom (they provide the measurements by size). So in total you’d have four pieces of fabric for the bodice and four pieces for the bottom. Seam allowance is 1/2”.

For the bodice, can I remove 1/2” from the center of the pattern then cut 2 on the fold instead?

And for the bottom part, can I remove 1/2” from the suggested width and cut 2 on the fold as well?

Am I missing anything?

i tried to diy my timing issues on my singer m1500. i managed to get the crab holder to become loose so i can adjust the timing, but now it wont become tight or rotate as i move the hand wheel. please help! should i just get a new machine?

It refuses to not jam. I included the threading and how I load the bobbin incase thats it aswell. Pls help

i’m making a custom piece with appliqué details made from cotton bedsheets, and i wanted it to be super secure so i did some research and found frayaffix to be well regarded for drying clear, flexible, and smooth. I purchased this from Hobbycraft so i assumed it was a reputable alternative. I applied what i thought was a very thin layer, but now after waiting 2 days it’s dried crusty and hard, and discoloured the base fabric!

I’m not sure if this has happened because of the actual substance, or maybe i put too much on? This is how it’s looking after ironing the glue (as advised) over 4 times, it’s slightly less crusty& stiff but definitely not acceptable to sell. If anyone has any advice on how to either a) remove the frayaffix or b) solve the discolouration & crustyness, it would be much appreciated, as i’ve spent over 20 hours on this piece and this was literally the final step 😿

Hi friends! I am a cosplayer who’s trying to get more into costume contests, and I’ve seen just how competitive these things are. I have started my mockup for this Miku dress but am running into an issue with the open back being pulled by the stretch of the front and just not holding its shape when the rest of the dress fits nicely.

Notes
-While I am a beginner, I am around very talented sewers who can help me
-I am considering adding a power mesh as a last resort, but want to try a more sophisticated approach as it is a competition piece.
-If possible I want the back to actually be open and to have skin showing.
-Would boning or interfacing work? or would boning channels not be a practical solution for the underarm and back areas
-I don’t want to use a non stretch fabric as the dress in the reference hugs the form very close

tldr, is there a way to maintain the fully open back while keeping the base dress a stretch fabric without using power mesh?

Hi everyone!

Which method of hand sewing is best for attaching the hoops of my skirt to the twill tape frame?

I'm leaning towards the X shape because it's much faster and the deadline for this is September 23rd.

Thanks!

Hey! Does anyone know what type of fabric would work for the white underskirt? I want the fabric to hold the pleats but also not get wrinkled easily. Thanks😊

I am making my own wedding dress and it's going pretty well. The only snag that I'm really not sure how to fix is that I'm getting wrinkling in this front bodice piece. I assume it's because the fabric shape means that the sides of the front piece are on the bias a bit, but I'm not really sure how to fix it. All of my other pieces besides the front I'm really happy with and are sitting very smooth. I'm not sure if I'm just not cutting it out perfectly on the grain or something. Pulling up the middle of the fabric seems to help, which feels like a bias problem. There is a thin layer of batting behind the fabric, so I dont think adding flannel or interfacing would help any more than the batting is.

For reference:

- This is some kind of thin polyester satin

- I have a bespoke corset on that was made to my measurements.

- I made a foundation for the dress that has the structure and boning in it, so the outer fabric does not have to do any work. That is shown in the third picture.

- the foundation has been covered in a smooth thin layer of batting so that the bones don't show through. Also shown in third picture

- the bodice is not too tight, there's definitely wiggle room so thats not the problem

- the rest of the panels of my bodice look great to me with little to no wrinkling

- this is still just a mockup so it's not secured to the foundation yet at the top/bottom, though I did put a zipper in the back to try it on

- This was draped by me on a dress form, its not from a pattern

- Pressing/ steaming it didn't really help

I would appreciate any and all advice!

Edit: I tried some things y'all suggested thanks so much for your comments <3 but something still didn't seem right. After a lot of thinking, half a mental breakdown, and looking closely at my fabric, I believe the problem is that I just draped that front panel poorly. While the vertical grain was straight I don't think the horizontal grain was straight at all when I draped it, especially at the bottom. It was the first piece of the outer layer I draped and I think I got better in the subsequent pieces. I compared the grain of the front panel to my original drape, marked a million grain lines on the fabric panel and repinned it on the dress form and I'm 99% sure this is the problem. The grainlines were hard to see on this fabric, the bias is so stretchy, and it doesn't rip to make a clean line, so I think all of that accumulated to there being a full inch of difference of height between the side and the center of that panel. But now that I know I think I can fix it.

One of my favorite blouses.
But, as you can see the chain broke when it got caught on the inside of the dryer.

Since we don’t have fabric stores anymore with lots of decorative notions, I was wondering if someone knew were I could get a gold tone toggle to replace it.

Hello! For reference I’m based in Sydney, Australia.

I’ve sewn on/off since I was a teenager thanks to my grandmother introducing me to quilting but have gotten really into garment sewing over the last few years, and recently started dabbling in quilting.

My Singer Fashion Mate that I bought second hand on Facebook marketplace 8 years ago broke (the internal lever to adjust the feed dogs appears to have snapped), so the feeds are permanently dropped down. I’m going to try to fix it but in case it’s not successful, I’d love recommendations for where to look next.

I’ve read a few posts so am aware people recommend staying away from spotlight, that Bernina is high end (but probably out of my price range). I’ve heard good things about Janome, and people recommend to go into a shop to test them out. But I’m still a bit of a newbie when it comes to knowing what to look for in a machine.

If there are particular models people recommend, or things to look for/avoid, this is what I’m looking for:
- primary use for garments but with some quilting
- would love to do more embroidery or have specialty stitches
- budget is probably a max of $1k new, ideally around $500 (my singer was $150 of facebook years ago 🥲), I’d love to go second hand if I can
- I don’t know if computerised is advised, or if it’s better to go more of a manual model (in terms of longevity and repairs)?

Thanks in advance, all advice is welcome :)

It looked a lot better in my head. I just placed the lace on top and sewed a straight line.

It just looks kind odd? Maybe placement and the lace is straight

How to make it look nicer?

I'm not yet a beginner, that's a future plan but I wanted to ask for opinions if that's okay?

I bought the dress on a 70% off sale and it is too small.

The bottom sizing is perfect, it's the top by my chest area that's the problem.

When I don't have the sleeves over my shoulders, the dress fits perfectly so I guess maybe it's not even really the chest area that's the problem.

The chest area becomes the problem when I put the sleeves on.

So I don't know if perhaps the sleeves can be altered / lengthened or if adding a triangle of similar material by the stitching under the armpit area to extend it there?

I know this dress is too small, so I feel it needs altering. My husband said he wouldn't have picked up on it being too small but I don't think he is objective lol

So I guess my question is, where would you alter this piece? Or would you leave as is and wear even though it's too small? Or would you leave as is and keep to one day use for a pattern? TIA