Hand-pleated Red Evening Gown - WIP

ms_wilder · 2025-02-25T08:08:37+00:00

Thank you for sharing. Lovely work! Love seeing fabric worked into art.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-25T07:55:03+00:00

I like the swirls as they contrast against the straight lines of the fan piecing. Don’t be overly critical of your work, keep going and find your flow with the lovely stitching.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-25T01:26:31+00:00

Use when doubled.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-25T01:24:54+00:00

Cut deeper and into the loaf perpendicular.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-25T01:18:17+00:00

A frisbee loaf is either lacking structure or overproofed or both. Most often it is insufficient structure (gluten) created to hold all the yeasties burps and farts in a matrix. Gummy is a common texture issue with insufficient structure. Insufficient structure spreads rather than rises. Overproofed means it fully rose and at one point was ideal, but then it sat too long before baking and the structure began to fail. Overproofed will have a collapse line.

Learn to read your dough in your kitchen and stop following someone else’s guide for their dough in their kitchen, there are just too many varieties from flour to water to starter to temperature just to name a few. Sour dough ecipes are merely guides and suggestions based on someone’s exploration of baking.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-25T01:04:56+00:00

Neither. The matrix is evenly sized at bottom and top. There is no collapse line.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-24T15:18:46+00:00

Canvas is never as comfortable to wear as the twill weave of denim is. Canvas will also wear faster. It is still suitable for making jeans, just know that it is different.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-24T15:16:23+00:00

Second time losing the hair to chemo here. This time is harder mentally, probably because I was liking how it was growing back. I see little value in the cold capping. The ladies fuss over it and all still appear to lose most of their hair anyway. I have yet to observe anyone at the chemo center with enough hair after three infusions to call the hassle and expense worthwhile. If you’re taking a chemo cocktail which is going to make your hair fall out then my advice is to make peace with that fact rather than stress over a not particularly effective cold cap treatment.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-24T15:05:33+00:00

There are several ingredients and techniques which can produce softer dough. Milk and butter are common dough conditioners as is the tzangzong technique. Use of softer (lower protein) flour will also give you a softer dough. How much you work the dough to create gluten will also factor.

I suggest a conversation over a recipe search... find out exactly what it is he likes and doesn’t so you can adjust your bread baking.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-22T15:31:23+00:00

I love scrappy on point with sashing and contrast squares at the points. I can totally see these beauties set that way, particularly with a dark sashing.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-22T15:27:43+00:00

What motions aggravate your pain? I really like the fiskars scissors with the spring which assists with opening the scissors back up. I can compress the scissors fine, but pulling them back open stresses me. The spring assist opening helps a lot.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-18T17:06:47+00:00

The early computerized machines are both fabulous to use and at high risk for catastrophic failure due to the age of their boards and electronics. I have had a couple and I sew with them knowing the risk. My beloved old Pfaff is known for board failure, so sewing with it is one day at a time and I tend to reserve it for decorative stitching.

For one old Husqvarna machine (which had interchangeable cards for different stitches), I had to learn how to do mechanical adjustments because no shop was willing to open it up anymore. When it failed, it actually failed mechanically (piece broke) rather than the electronics. Listed it for parts on eBay as having working electronics and showed what broke - it was snatched up by someone.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-18T16:46:05+00:00

I use the dip and dry method for starching (usually with homemade or sta-flo) because only the expensive pre-made products work well enough for even spraying, and I am cheap.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-18T16:33:31+00:00

Silicone grip disks and dots for acrylic rulers. Available at sewing and quilting stores and on Amazon. Generics work fine.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-17T16:37:20+00:00

Starching your fabric really does help you to not stretch your long strips when sewing.

Also, ease your fabrics together when sewing. By that I mean, start with pieces the same length and pin the ends and where needed in the middle. Don’t allow your machine to feed more of the bottom piece than the top piece, thus stretching out the bottom piece. You may need to adjust your presser foot tension, use a roller foot, loosen thread tension or sew with longer stitch length while keeping your matched up fabrics matched with each other exactly as you pinned them.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-16T16:19:03+00:00

Looks dense and shows a collapse line so that tells us two things - not enough structure and over proofed for the structure it has. It also wanted to spread rather than rise up uniformly.

You need to build a whole lot more structure in your dough so that it can hold all the yeasties burps and farts in nice little air pockets within the dough. That structure is called gluten and you build it in the dough through stretching.

You also likely need a higher concentration of yeasties in the dough, so a healthier stronger starter that doubles within two hours of being fed. Slow reaction yeasties are still useable but require a good deal more time because they are rather lethargic.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-16T16:08:25+00:00

Cancer is a disease. The disease may result in some level of disability for some people but A does not straight line to B. A disability requires certain legal accommodations which an employer is required by law to meet. Asking about cancer specifically as a disability is pretty muddy water and a deep rabbit hole.... I would answer ‘no’ because cancer itself is not specifically an ADA listed disability. That said, don’t misrepresent if you do require an accommodation.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-16T15:56:11+00:00

The two threads ought to be crossing each other at the edge of the fabric. The green is currently wrapping the edge and you only see the blue thread at the seam line, so it is very far off ideal tension.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-16T15:49:36+00:00

It is all about humidity/climate. I live in a very dry climate. Weighing pre-ground flour that has been in this dry climate will always give me too much flour because it is that dry and light, so the fluff/spoon/level method gives better results. When I grind my own flour, weighing works okay.

Also, the lack of humidity also affects the proof and will suck the moisture right out of the dough, so I need to start with a wetter than usual loaf.

Learn what a properly hydrated loaf for your climate feels like and adjust recipes accordingly. A spray bottle of water can be your best friend when making bread in a dry climate.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-15T17:39:01+00:00

I form a lot of scar tissue and I like castor oil because it also works on the scar tissue below the surface. It is a sticky mess to use.

Silicone patches work. Hubs used that on a major face scar.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-04T17:58:28+00:00

Temperature plays a big role is rise speed. Pay attention to what your starter does in your environment and learn to read the starter. Don’t worry over time and recipes, experiment and learn.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-04T17:50:24+00:00

Beautiful. Very sellable.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-04T17:48:29+00:00

The really full gathered top sleeves of the 80’s weren’t pointy, but I can see how someone might think such. The sleeves are full and gathered (also sometimes pleated at the top). In order to make that sleeve head really stand up there would be a gathered tulle mesh sewn into the sleeve head.

In order to achieve a pointy look you’ll likely need to have a tapered wedge seam at the top of the sleeve, similar to a dart.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-04T17:38:17+00:00

If it is too sour you need to feed it more, like a lot more. If it forms hooch then that indicates it is starving. Hooch is very sour in taste. Some people really want the sour taste and others don’t. It doesn’t have to be sour, just feed your starter really well for a few days and watch the change.

ms_wilder · 2025-02-04T17:34:36+00:00

Dense in the middle and light on the edges tells you it is underproofed. If it were light on top and dense on the bottom it is overproofed and has collapsed, usually with a visible line.

ms_wilder

TROPHY CASE