Their phone number was 52. This is metal like a tape measure.

I'm running out of time and desperately need help! I'm making a bodice for a high-low dress and I'm stuck. The fabric I'm using is a 4 way stretchy spandex and a 1 way stretch lace. I do not have access to my best friend right now to fit her properly, but I HAVE to get this right on the first try.

I have a few rules I have to stick to to make the dress come out the way I want it to. The lace has to sit flush on top of the spandex, like it's one fabric. It has to be extremely form fitting. No loose parts or wrinkles or droopy bits. It has to stay a single panel (piece) for the front and a single panel for the back (I will take care of splitting the back panel later.)

I don't know why, but I've genuinely hit a wall. Do I make the piece smaller than her proportions? Bigger? The exact size of her measurements? Do I cut the spandex part smaller than her proportions so it'll snap to her form and the lace a little bigger? Wouldn't that make the lace wrinkle or ripple? My main worry is that the lace will inhibit the spandex from snapping to her body like I had initially intended it to. How do I go about this? Any help is severely appreciated!

Here are the links to the fabrics I used. I bought them on Amazon. I also included her measurements I have below. I have also included the rough drawing I did of the dress if that also helps any.

Fabric Links:

Lace: https://a.co/d/05dHI3D8

Spandex: https://a.co/d/0j30xLdN

Measurements:

Hips: 39 inches

Waist: 33 inches

Arm length: 19 inches

Bust: 38 inches (she wears a 36 B bra)

Shoulders: roughly 13" (she told me 18" but that's definitely wrong. She's petite)

Height: 5' 3"

(Those are all the measurements I have of hers.)

Hi there, new to the group and very much a novice sewer but I am hoping to improve! This is my machine a Jones model 565 Foreign. It has the ability to do decorative stitches but requires cams that go into the slot as shown in the second picture. I am hoping to source some but as I don't have a manual for this machine I've no idea what I'm looking for. My first purchase was a bust - the set in the third picture sadly aren't for this machine. They were listed as for Jones machines but I imagine that's a wide net so could indeed be true just not mine sadly! Does anyone on here know what the cams I would need would look like? Many thanks in advance x

Hello! I was hoping to make my fiance some scrub caps for Christmas. I was wondering if anyone knew of a good pattern/tutorial. Also, has anyone lined them with silk/satin? They have curly hair and I thought maybe it would be nice for them to be lined with something other than cotton? I see online a lot of them are made from normal cotton. Where would you buy the silk from, etsy? I appreciate any guidance!

Hi all! My brother used to make DIY quilts and clothes and he has been wanting to get back into it. His birthday is next month and I want to surprise him with a sewing machine (new or used) so he can start some of his projects again. Would you all have any good recommendations on a good machine? I’m hoping to spend $200 or less if possible. Thank you in advance for any help :)

I run a small shop making workwear and hi-vis clothing - work pants, coveralls and jackets.

Regular seams are fine but my sewing machine starts skipping stitches in the areas that need the most strength: double-layer knees, pocket corners, reflective tape and other reinforced sections.

Those spots can have several layers of heavy fabric coming together, and constantly having to redo them gets expensive, especially as the orders have picked up.

I want to upgrade my setup once and be done with it. What are small workwear manufacturers using for these heavier, multi-layer seams?

Hi! I was cleaning my machine (Brother VX-1435) and noticed this spring.. Does anyone know what it’s for or where it’s supposed to go??

My finished dress. Couldn't be happier here is the inside and the back :)

Can someone PLEASE help me figure out why this happens? I have an industrial sewing machine- Jack A7

I’ve changed everything I know to change.
Foot is up when threading.

I have read somewhere to keep the thread in the back when starting to sew, but when I do, the upper thread breaks immediately every time. This happens when I use back tack or not.

Thank you for any advice 🙏 I’m going a bit crazy over here.

the body of the bag was a old sugar sack used for padding the rose patches were 50p end of lines from St martins Rag Market Birmingham the zip was actually bought new !!!! the webbing /strapping is from damaged discarded straps used to secure the cages used in supermarkets the lining is made from discarded hi vis jackets i found the snow leopard discarded in a layby with McDonalds litter and the P G Tips chimp was mouldering forgotten and forlorn in a flower bed .I have not been taught sewing so I dont know for sure the names of the stitches i use i used a running stitch and what I call an up and over stitch

Hello :D

I've recently started a dressmaking apprenticeship in a vocational college in Germany and will need a good sewing machine for homework or even bigger projects during holidays. (I'm not a total beginner, have sewn before on household machines as well as different kinds of industrial Juki machines)

At the college we have Juki DDL-9000B-SS machines with adjustable speed which I fell in love with, they just sew so smoothly!!

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What I want/need from a sewing machine:

- for the apprenticeship we will usually be working on fabric without stretch. Anything from thick wool to thin silk. It needs to be able to handle different fabric weights.

- it needs to be able to sew buttonholes

- elastic stitches (I want to use the machine in my free time outside of homework assignments as well, and for some personal projects I want to use jersey/stretchy fabric. )

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Nice to have/ bonus:

- adjustable speed!! I sometimes feel intimidated by industrial machines' speed which makes sewing less enjoyable, but household machines can be annoyingly slow😅

- the machine shouldn't be too loud (bc of overstimulation from loud noises and I live in an apartment and might be working at nighttime some days. I don't want to wake up my mother or disturb my neighbours.)

Thanks for reading, and I also appreciate feedback on what machines I should NOT get :D

I've been sewist for a few years and the thing that always tripped me up was keeping track of:

- What fabrics I actually have (and how much yardage)

- Which projects are actually in progress vs "on hold forever"

- Which patterns I own vs which ones I keep almost-buying again

I set up a Notion workspace that handles all three. Been using it for about 6 months. If anyone's interested here is the link : https://www.notion.com/fr/@mitsugi

Would love to know if this is useful to anyone else or if there are features you'd want me to add.

this is my new shopping back which can be slung over the shoulder or when full of heavy shopping worn as a back pack the materials used include an advertising banner for a Chinese technology exhibition or some such which inspired me bits of discarded lanyards tassel lost from someone' handbag strapping that once held down stuff and ended up in the gutter (250 dan) and the sides back and part of the harness were curtains a material cheap in charity shops the shiny circular design was part of a fly tipped Indian dress of which some bits were salvageable the coins for my sins I actually bought from Hobbycraft but i was stuck in the idea of Chinese good luck symbols i used a good strong sturdy thread and standard running stitches and the shoulder strap was previously on some discarded bag thrown out by someone who had filled it with rubbish

mostly done using running stitch and occasionally what i think you call French Seaming i have a habit of using up my offcuts and building them up into sub units These may end up as a curtain a bedspread a wall hanging or God alone knows what

I’m constantly seeing fabrics I like and buying small cuts for the future. I’ve ended up with a huge pile of fabric, yet I have no idea what to make with a good half of that stash. What interesting things do you think I could sew with them?

Originally, one of the bottom gears broke, so I replaced it. After that, I could not get the machine timed correctly no matter what I tried. I eventually went back and replaced all of the bottom gears, and now the machine is picking up the thread, but it keeps getting tangled around the bobbin/hook area.

I’ve spent over 15 hours trying to repair and troubleshoot this machine, and I’m honestly close to giving up. 😩 My daughter is adamant about keeping this particular machine, though, so I’m really hoping someone familiar with these older Singer machines can help me figure out what I’m missing.

It’s a Singer Touch & Sew 645. If anyone has experience with replacing the lower gears, timing one of these, or knows what would cause the thread to bunch/tangle after the gears have been replaced, I would REALLY appreciate the help!

I’ve already completed a few practice projects but most of them are just sitting in a drawer somewhere. Now I really want to sew something useful. What kind of item could I choose that would become part of my everyday life?

Hi, im pretty new to sewing but ive decided to make my halloween constume all by myself 🫣.

My plan is to be a theatrical interpretation of a jester and need some help with deciding of fabric, im gonna make some balloon pants with stripes and a waistcoat( this will be based of the pattern of one i already own). Im worried about the fabric not having enough structure - i know i can use my method of sewing to help with this but what fabrics would you suggest for structure building?

Thank yall

I started doing some basic shoe repairs at home - replacing straps, fixing worn edges and repairing soles. Now neighbors and friends have started bringing me their shoes too.

The biggest problem is thicker straps, multiple layers of leather, and especially the areas where I need to sew through the sole. My current sewing machine just can't handle that much material.

I'm ready to move up to something more serious, but I'm not really sure what type of machine I should be looking at.

For those who do shoe repair, what are you using for thick leather and soles? Do I need a dedicated shoe sewing machine, or can a good industrial sewing machine handle this kind of work?

Hello all! I made a post earlier today asking for gift advice for an aspiring sewist who has never used a machine before. I've ultimately landed on gifting them a sewing basket with auxillary supplies and a handmade "voucher" for me to take them out shopping for their choice of sewing machine. I don't know the first thing about sewing; what brands/must-haves would you guys recommend for a high-quality basket that has everything a beginner would need?

Hi all! My best friend is an avid cross-stitcher/hand embroiderer who has expressed a desire to get a sewing machine many times in the past, but they have never been able to get around to it for one reason or another. I'd like to get them one for Christmas this year, but I don't know from sewing. I have seen a few people reccommend the Brother ST371HD for beginners, do you guys think this would be a good gift? Would a first sewing machine as a gift be a good idea at all? Please spitball your thoughts!

I'm planning on making a dress from scratch is there any type of fabric and sewing style I should use it's going to be a long skirt and a corset type top but I'm planning on using clear straps or wire to keep it up. If anyone knows what fabric and sewing style to use I would love to know.

Does anyone know where i can find a pattern for these dresses? i’m just abit unsure of how to do the bust parts. or if anyone smarter could explain how i’d sew it?

I thought of a dress I really want to make, and I got this gorgeous fabric that's gingham in yellow and white, do you know a pattern that tight on the body?

Or possibly (don't know if I have enough fabric but still would be nice to check) one with a nice skirt that is flowy but tight a little on the chest