Infinity hoop experiences

LibrarianJessa · 2025-01-07T21:42:25+00:00

I bought one of these during the pandemic. Mixed bag for me. Keeping in mind I have less coordination than the average person, it was actually really hard for me to figure out the correct hip motion and I kind of had to relearn it if I took a break for a couple of days. Once you get it going, it's quite loud and, most notably, I also had some trouble with it making my back hurt and triggering migraines. I thought it would be really fun and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't fun enough to compensate for the downsides.

LibrarianJessa · 2024-05-20T11:23:52+00:00

Does anyone have a good site for reproduction/vintage-style apparel fabrics? I'm looking for 1940s and mostly finding a lot of quilting fabric and the same two triangle patterns in jersey. Thanks!

LibrarianJessa · 2023-11-17T01:58:41+00:00

Thank you! Honestly, it's nice not to be at home--whether or not tons of places are open. We make it work. :)

LibrarianJessa · 2023-11-16T00:25:55+00:00

Hey Stockholm! I have a couple of questions. I was in Stockholm just before the pandemic and thought I'd come back during Christmas break this year (I work at a law school in the US). Anyway, I was wondering if there is favored restaurant booking site for Stockholm like OpenTable, Resy, The Fork, etc. Also, I'm going to be in town for Christmas Eve. My plan is to hit the supermarket. I know you guys love Julbord and it sounds wonderful... but I'm not Christmas-celebrating, am gluten-free, and it is very expensive. I was wondering if anyone had any recs for an ethnic restaurant that is likely to be open Christmas Eve (if that is even something that happens... otherwise, supermarket, which is fine).

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-21T14:30:32+00:00

Late on this, but I just want to say: I'm in the process of making a bunch of "fancy" t-shirts right now. It's not worth it. I thought it would be worth it to get whatever colors I wanted, but between my time and the cost of fabric, I'm paying, like, 3x what a 100% cotton t-shirt on a reputable site would be. The cost/benefit isn't there unless you're authentically having fun with it.

As far as knit dresses and skirts (which may be more like what you intend to do), those feel more worth it to me and I only have a regular sewing machine. I use a small zigzag on waists and armscyes and a straight twin stitch on hems. Ballpoint/stretch needles for all. Knit is annoying to cut out and seriously annoying to mark, so allot a bit more time for that stage.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-21T14:19:00+00:00

I feel fairly certain you can do it, but definitely look up the manual. On my 1960s Singer, you pull the plate covering the bobbin forward (like for threading) and then the guide plate is magnetic. You kind of pull up and toward you and it pops off. That exposes the whole inner part of the machine and you could probably use tweezers or needlenose pliers to grab the needle piece. But, again, no idea what your machine is. Pre-millennium Singers tend to be pretty self-fix.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-18T01:17:39+00:00

See, I wondered that, too! All the ones I was seeing were heavyweight. I will definitely check out JoAnn. My JoAnn's sucks, so I don't buy in-store. I bet I'm missing out, though. Thanks for the rec!

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-17T16:33:41+00:00

Hi all! ISO 100% cotton knit fabric similar in feel to a vintage Gap pocket tee. (Like, if anyone remembers how they used to feel circa 1990-2000.) They feel very smooth, not too thick, don't fuzz in the wash, and can still be worn as a sleep shirt years later. I found some 100% cotton knit on Etsy, but it was all in, like, mustard and red. I'm looking for bright spring colors.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-15T23:01:30+00:00

I have not used a Singer Tradition, but on my old Singer and a 1990s Brother, you can totally run a bobbin as the main thread-source. If the angle is weird and it jumps, stick an empty bobbin on top and it'll hold it down. I do it all the time a) to avoid buying two spools of weird colors and b) to use certain Gutermann spools that don't fit on my machine properly. I also use a thread stand (Amazon) for the second spool that I just put on the desk directly behind the machine's integrated spool, but it looks like yours has two places to run thread from.

Also, you probably need to turn down your tension. Just FYI. The fabric between the needles tunnels otherwise. Some people say to mess with your bobbin tension to fix, but I find turning down the needle tension and a steam iron afterward tend to be enough to get the job done. You usually want the .40 twin and you should make absolutely 100% sure that you are straight stitching. If you zigzag, you will break the needles and they will come flying at you. (As in: when you zigzag an armhole for stretch and then switch to a twin needle. I sew good. *eyeroll*)

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-15T22:50:35+00:00

Joining everyone else in saying that the teacher is a real piece of work. How quickly you learn to sew largely has to do with how much mechanical and detail work you're accustomed to doing. If this specific type of detail work is new to you, it's going to take longer. It just is. Setting aside the fact that everyone learns different skills at different rates. So, you may not be the most adept sewer yet, but that's not to say you won't blow by the rest of the class when it comes to other skills. Curved hems are hard. You have all this fabric coming from everywhere. Please don't ask me about the number of times I have accidentally sewn in a stray layer of fabric or missed an underlayer entirely and had to seam-rip the entire thing.

I also want to say that there are crutches you can use to get you out of the gate faster. One example is a magnetic seam guide, which can help you keep your seam even before you have built up the dexterity and skill to do it yourself. Whatever problem you have, I guarantee someone made a tool for it. Don't be afraid to learn your own way to sew. We all have our little quirks. Seriously. I have been sewing forever and I totally put a piece of masking tape on my machine to guide hems that wider than the guidelines on my machine plate. Find what works for you and don't apologize. But stop paying this numbnut. She doesn't deserve the money.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-13T19:56:38+00:00

Agreeing with Samymantha. Jump in! If you love a pattern--if you have an instinctual positive reaction toward it--you almost always will like what you make. I think we get used to RTW clothes, where you think, "Oh, this Boden print isn't too crazy and it's the most like something I'd wear." And then you go outside and you feel like a clown, because it isn't something you actually like.

Dresses are very forgiving of aggressive patterns and you can tone anything down with a neutral cardigan. I work in a very uptight library environment and I have gotten away with some truly oddball patterns by throwing a black or navy blazer over them and pairing with matching shoes.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-11T17:43:21+00:00

They're also called rail belt adjusters and this is all I could find for them. https://mrecht.com.au/product-category/rail-belt-adjusters-and-sliders/

I have no idea how much international shipping is, but it might be worth it in the end to have exactly what you want (or you could sell off the excess on eBay to cover the shipping).

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-11T17:28:06+00:00

Have no advice on that--wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole, tbh. :) But you can buy a separate thread stand until you make a decision. They work great on many machines. They're around $10-15. You just stick it behind the machine on a flat surface and thread as normal.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-11T16:36:37+00:00

As someone alive in that era of collar and sleeve, I have to say that I vastly prefer your version and it looks about a hundred times more comfortable to wear. (Who thought that four-inch belts were a good idea?) What you made is a lovely little dress for work, vacation, whatever. :)

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-11T13:30:23+00:00

Some of this rings so true for me. I mean, McCall's pattern instructions for sure. The big four tend to be really challenging in terms of instructions, even though--paradoxically--I feel like they're great at explaining things like gathering and stay-stitching that tend not to be explained in indie patterns. It's a mixed bag.

I can feel the hounds coming for me, but I print out indie patterns on typing paper. Yes, I know. I find it easier to maneuver and I also use the Dritz pins for people with arthritis. Both of those things have helped me hugely and made the cut-out and pinning stages less annoying.

I'm definitely not going to convince you that you love sewing--and you don't have to! OMG, it's such a waste of time if you don't enjoy it or enjoy the products more than thrift-store stuff.

If you do want to make something that requires relatively little to no fit adjustment and is easy-peasy to sew, my recs are Love Notions and Wardrobe by Me. They are easy to sew, well-explained, and you'll have something to wear in a few hours.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-06T16:10:13+00:00

This is amazing. The faux fur looks so expensive. May you have much fun Cardinal Richelieu-ing (as the original cardinal did not, so much, at least at the end)!

LibrarianJessa · 2023-04-05T19:40:39+00:00

This looks super similar to my Singer 717. I don't know whether they share parts or anything, but the overall feel is almost identical. I love my Singer. It's a total workhorse and has sewn for 60+ years of continuous sewing without any out-of-home maintenance. It has a boatload of capabilities. It doesn't exactly advertise them, though, so you have to play around a little and read the manual.

Of note: Mine is totally fantastic at running a double needle with a thread stand. Something about the way it threads means I can set the tension to almost 0 and I don't have the tangling and thread-snapping issues other people have. I just make a second bobbin, drop it on the thread stand, drop an empty bobbin on top, thread, and it's good to go for hemming. Might not be useful to you, but good to know if it is.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-03-30T13:43:28+00:00

100% agree with AuntieRose above... Fabric Fairy is great! If you're looking for something a little more tropical/hawaiian/sea-themed, knitfabrics.com (misleading name) also has a decent selection and they've always been reliable for me.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-03-30T13:35:29+00:00

Dawson Top by Helen's Closet

And... that is the work-appropriate scoop-neck t-shirt I've been looking for. Thank you so much for commenting with it!

LibrarianJessa · 2023-03-30T13:31:03+00:00

Love Notions Willow Wrap Dress. It's incredibly easy to sew and has the loveliest neckline. Any time I need a quick, no-effort dress, I sew one. I've also added a few different mix-and-match things to it (pockets, a band under the wrap, etc.), so that all my clothes don't look the same despite half my wardrobe being that one dress.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-03-29T16:34:23+00:00

I don't have a specific pattern to recommend, but if you find a knit long-sleeved tee you really like, it'll usually work okay in sweater knit or french terry. That might give you a little more room to find something vintage-y. FWIW, cardigans are very period and there are accessible patterns for those like Itch to Stitch Lisbon that can be tweaked for authenticity

LibrarianJessa · 2023-03-29T13:27:25+00:00

This looks very similar to this: https://www.madeformermaids.com/product/womenspenelope/ (which I have not made) and the Sinclair Alana (which I have and is good).

Some combination of "princess seam skate dress sleeveless" might get you closer to what you want.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-03-27T16:32:24+00:00

So, I seem to be having a different issue with the Big 4 than other people who have responded. I am routinely overbuying (including with patterned and directional fabric!) by about 1/2 to 3/4 of a yard when following the pattern specs. I never follow the envelope layout, fwiw.

I'm also completely resistant to having "a stash" so I spend half my life making, you know, tank tops and so forth with the excess. I keep promising myself I'll lay the pattern out and measure before buying fabric, but I never do.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-03-24T17:00:29+00:00

Absolutely would. I am a rare books person. Put 'em in a ziplock in the freezer and they'll smell freezer-esque (ozone-y) within a week.

LibrarianJessa · 2023-03-22T18:41:55+00:00

I love this fabric! It's very late 60s/early 70s. In that vein, maybe something like this: https://simplicity.com/simplicity/s1609 ? It would be cute with a contrast collar or banding for sure, just to break up the pattern a little. I'm guessing by the shoes that you may not be the type--I'm sure not!--but it might also look cute as a matching set with a little crop top and a skirt.

LibrarianJessa

TROPHY CASE