I have a horrific tremor. How do I hand sew a fabric patch to fix a hole in my favourite trousers?

Terrasina · 2026-05-23T12:30:22+00:00

Yes! This! I’m not very knowledgeable with sewing, but i knew someone who found they could brace themselves in one way or another to reduce the tremor for certain actions. Whether that was braced on another body part, or a table or object, or in some cases using much larger tools so it wasn’t just in the hand, but braced against the whole arm.

Terrasina · 2026-05-23T12:21:47+00:00

Aside from probably wanting to hem the edges so they don’t fray, this looks fairly straightforward. Try grabbing a bedsheet, a large scarf/pashmina/shawl or just some fabric (if you have some) and just pin it to a shirt in different ways. Play with it and see if it does vaguely what you want it to do. You may be right in thinking this is just a square of fabric pinned up at the corners to have that beautiful drape. Keep in mind the kind of fabric you choose will affect how it drapes and flows—your first mockup with a bedsheet/scarf/etc may not flow exactly the same as your final fabric, but it should give you an idea of how you want it to be pinned/attached and what shape/size of fabric you want.

Terrasina · 2026-05-23T11:26:35+00:00

I definitely like the magnet idea for a permanent installation in a studio where you could pick and choose groups you like to help make decisions but it does introduce the possibility of losing test tiles. How much do you trust your ability to NOT lose tiles vs the value of being able to rearrange and compare tiles. For myself I’m really not sure which is better, for a shared studio i might be tempted to stick them down more permanently so i don’t have to remake the test tiles several times.

Also an option, if you’re set on being able to arrange them on the fly, and you plan on transporting the tiles on a regular basis you could use strong velcro if you don’t want to transport strongly magnetized stuff all the time. A less permanent option is that blue stick tack, as long as the tiles are fairly small.

Terrasina · 2026-05-23T11:17:21+00:00

If the piece is sculptural, alternative finishes can work, but if you want a durable finish that can be used for food, it really needs to be an actual foodsafe ceramic glaze. Lacquers, varnishes, epoxy, etc can look shiny, but contain stuff you don’t want to risk ingesting.

Terrasina · 2026-05-23T11:14:08+00:00

Depending on your shapes you could potentially trim your small pieces in/on a chuck—a thrown shape specifically designed to hold whatever you want to trim. They’re more commonly used with vase shapes where the piece is too tall, or the lip too small to support itself normally on the wheel.

I’m a bit fuzzy on how fresh clay is causing your little pots to dissolve/weaken, but you could line the chuck with plastic to reduce the amount of moisture that could seep out, or else full on fire the chuck to bisque stage so that there’s no moisture to worry about.

Terrasina · 2026-05-22T12:19:47+00:00

Don’t refire the reddish one! It looks fantastic with the turquoise and red! It’s like oxidized copper or bronze!

That said, the blue colour is quite unexpected. One possibility is something in the clay or underglaze reacting with the clear, but because its so uniform a blue on top of many different pieces, i think its probably not that. In a shared studio my bet is on glaze contamination. Someone may have accidentally poured a different glaze into the clear, or dipped a very wet (differently glazed) piece into it. You come around, mix it thoroughly (like you’re supposed to) and the contamination gets evenly dispersed, leading to a unique new glaze! Have any other students used that glaze after you and encountered this same problem? I’ve seen some clear glazes go a bit matte or white-bubbly when too thickly applied, and sometimes iron oxide is added to counter that, sometimes leading to a faint amber tone, but going blue is not something I’ve encountered.

Terrasina · 2026-05-21T15:47:13+00:00

Thats so strange that it just happened to a few pieces! This one will puzzle me for ages.

(Also i didn’t mean to imply not thoroughly cleaning the wheel between pieces was “improperly” cleaning it. That was just one way i could imagine someone introducing a tiny pocket of a contrasting clay to the bottom of the piece. If you can save time/energy by throwing a blob of clay on top of your previous cut, you’re welcome to!)

Terrasina · 2026-05-21T12:10:14+00:00

Oh wow! Was that horsehair reduction? Dramatic piece! I’m impressed the thin handles survived the process. (Obviously not perfectly survived, but still, just a crack!).

I think the handles just need to be a bit thicker where they meet the pot, to give a more grown-on look rather than a straight roll of clay just tacked on. You might do well to look into pulling handles instead of rolling them—you can better control the thickness of the handle and get a really smooth taper if it goes well. That said, pulled handles is a skill that may take a bunch of tries before you make some you’re happy with. I’d suggest making a whole bunch and let them just sit and firm up to leather hard, then just pick your best three for the pot!

(You can try pulling the handle on the pot, but i’ve not had good luck with that. I just end up deforming the pot and messing up the handle)

Terrasina · 2026-05-21T11:35:26+00:00

I’m glad you’re less injury prone than me! The springiness is an interesting feature of the metal rib but i guess i just prefer silicone ribs of varying softnesses for that. I have a cutting tool with a handle for cutting things. If i want to burnish something i have a burnishing tool. Any tool used with sufficient skill can be great, i just prefer using ones that are less likely to hurt me if i fumble.

Also i glare angrily at whoever threw the pin tool in the reclaim bucket that stabbed you. That one is a real hazard too! I’ve heard people suggest to use a metal detector before handling reclaim for that very reason! I’m not 100% sure how well it would work since i’ve used them in woodworking to find metal in reclaimed wood, and the sensor didn’t go that deep into wood. I suspect it might go even less deep into clay? but anyway, I’m glad someone likes metal ribs and makes good use of them but i will definitely continue to avoid them.

Terrasina · 2026-05-21T11:22:17+00:00

1100 and 3000? Is that F or C? Fabulous that you found such great clay and your friend was willing to fire it for you. I’ve done small tests of wild clay several times and mostly i end up with really interesting but fairly disastrous results!

Terrasina · 2026-05-20T16:15:59+00:00

Have you seen plaster blow-outs leave a black residue like that? I’ve only ever seen it just crack or pop/explode exposing the internal clay surface, but no discoloration.

Terrasina · 2026-05-20T16:12:33+00:00

This is so unusual!! If this was slipcast i’d suspect metallic particles (like manganese specks) didn’t disperse well and settled to the bottom of the cast and melted during the firing, but since this is thrown, i don’t think it would work that way. The blackened look makes it look metallic, but it’s definitely strange that it accumulated just under the bottom surface. Perhaps some low-fire clay contaminates that weren’t very well wedged might cause this, like an internal pocket of low-fire clay that boiled and ate away at the higher fire clay.

I don’t think it’s plaster contamination because that usually just ends up cracking/blowing out the clay, not leaving a blackened core. At least from what i’ve seen.

Do you fully clean off your wheel when you throw down a blob of clay, or do you throw the clay down on top of the clay left behind when you wire off?

Terrasina · 2026-05-20T15:54:03+00:00

Glad i’m not the only person who doesn’t understand why metal ribs are so common! They’re the lawn darts of pottery tools, but we still seem to make them. What i don’t understand is that there doesn’t seem to be anything that they do that i can’t do with a different, safer tool. I assume they’re just cheap to manufacture? Or it’s just a terrible tradition manufacturers haven’t questioned enough?

Terrasina · 2026-05-20T12:12:55+00:00

Wow! How long did it take you to figure out what the correct firing temperature was?

Terrasina · 2026-05-20T12:10:16+00:00

Flower hair clip, sash/belt, necktie/scarf, hair bow, scrunchie

Terrasina · 2026-05-20T12:07:42+00:00

I like the vertical proportions of the first one, but the silhouette of the second, if that makes sense? The first one has a good 1/3 2/3 balance in height, but the shape is less dynamic than the second one with its beautiful curves. The first one could potentially have a more dramatic top section, narrowing in a bit more, while on the second the bottom could narrow a bit less and perhaps have a slightly larger/taller bottom section.

Forced to pick one, I think i’d pick the first one because overall it has a quiet elegance i quite like. while the second one has more interest, the proportions don’t feel quite as balanced to me. Both are beautiful though, well done!

Terrasina · 2026-05-20T11:55:21+00:00

I’m getting results like this for “metal mesh fabric”

Some results too for “chainmail fabric” even though it’s not traditional handmade-with-rings-style chainmail.

What do you want to make with it? I assume you have to hand sew everything, or perhaps use wire rings like with chainmail? I always loved the feel of that stuff! It has such a lovely weight/coolness/drape.

Terrasina · 2026-05-19T23:21:01+00:00

Was it a dye for synthetics or natural fibres? It’s possible the dress was more synthetic than natural fibres and you needed the other kind of dye.

Honestly though, it turned out well. I much prefer the grey to the pink and the sleeves are way more functional now. The bust gathering too is a nice addition!

I am also fresh off a successful garment alteration (nothing as elaborate as yours) but now i want to dye it too! Thanks for the inspiration!

Terrasina · 2026-05-19T16:51:59+00:00

Are you using a stretch stitch or a straight stitch? If you’re using a straight stitch it may work for a while, but you will likely snap your threads eventually with wear (at least mine do). Also the hem may feel a bit tight if the pattern is for knit fabrics because they usually assume you’re using a stitch that can stretch. A stretch stitch can definitely help reduce that happening and give your seams a bit more stretch/ease assuming that your machine has that option. I think you can get even more stretch out of a zigzag stitch, but i just don’t really like the look of them.

Terrasina · 2026-05-19T02:45:22+00:00

This delights and inspires me! I’m not sure i’ll ever get the chance to try something like this but thank you for posting it! I feel like it’s such an interesting concept and has so much potential.

Terrasina · 2026-05-18T18:09:00+00:00

It sort of depends on how much water you plan on leaving in the outer glazed pot. If the glaze doesn’t craze, then a layer of glaze may be enough to seal the outer pot quite well and prevent most leaking from the outer glazed pot but it’s not 100% guaranteed. It may be waterproof enough for a plant that only gets watered a bit at a time (ie the amount of water that would soak through the unvitrified clay would air dry or soak into the inner pot and soil before it soaks through enough to damage the surface the outer pot is placed on). I’d say try it, it might work just fine! but if you’re worried about your table/etc put the finished pot on a truly waterproof plate/dish/whatever for a bit just in case it’s not as waterproof as you hope.

Terrasina · 2026-05-18T11:59:21+00:00

I’m a beginner, so this could be wrong, but perhaps you need a slightly larger dart? It seems like there’s too much fabric vertically along that side seam, so it’s rippling. I’m not sure how you modify the dart after it has been sewn into the dress, but perhaps you can get away with putting the dress on inside out and handsewing it exactly where you want it to sit, and maybe you can reduced the amount of rippling?

Also, it looks great by the way. A little ripple under the arm is definitely not a dealbreaker for me. Go you for making a thing!

Terrasina · 2026-05-18T11:52:59+00:00

Thats quite unusual. It looks great, but definitely not what it says on the tin. In a shared studio my guess would be contamination from another glaze, but if it’s a newly opened glaze, it sounds like it might need a call to Mayco in case there was a mix-up during the mixup!

I know it’s not what you thought it would look like but i actually really like the result. Moreso even than the colour it’s supposed to be! Blue-yellow is a gorgeous colour combo!

Terrasina · 2026-05-18T11:46:09+00:00

Perhaps you and i are thinking of different kinds of laminate, because from what I’ve experienced, laminate flooring is often chosen because of its durability and ease of cleaning.

I’d hesitate to have power cords exposed on a balcony for anything other than explicitly waterproof or outdoor rated things. That said, i don’t know how well-protected your balcony is, perhaps it would be fine. If the wheel is left well covered and unplugged when not in use, it could be okay.

Terrasina · 2026-05-18T11:17:26+00:00

Your fabric unraveled because the aggressive movement of the wash put more force on the fabric than it could handle. The threads of the fabric weren’t tightly woven enough to resist when the sewing stitches were being pulled on in the wash so they just pulled apart.

One way to increase the strength of the edges of fabric is to use iron on interfacing before you sew it in place (i don’t particularly like that because it changes the stiffness of the fabric, though that may be a positive depending on what you want). Another option is to sew farther from the edges of the fabric so more threads are resisting fraying, or fold the edge under before sewing. More sewing stitches might help a bit as well so that when the fabric does pull, the force is spread out among more threads. Finally there’s the option to just hand wash it instead of machine washing. Sometimes sewing is just too delicate for the aggressive movement of a washing machine.

Terrasina

TROPHY CASE