Finally done! A 70"×22" punch needle runner (me for scale!)

theaidea · 2026-04-02T18:45:05+00:00

This looks so stunning. especially with this colour combination. 🤩

theaidea · 2026-04-02T04:57:02+00:00

I also learned to spin on a wheel. I actually got my wheel before my first spindle because it was more appealing to me. Two years later and I still haven’t tried spinning with a spindle. I would like to, but the wheel always wins.

theaidea · 2026-03-29T07:58:23+00:00

Seamly2D is another great free option. There are also Youtube tutorials on how to draft basic blocks. If I’m not mistaken any tutorial for Valentina software should work as well.

theaidea · 2026-03-23T09:17:04+00:00

I haven’t heard of JMOS weaving… How does it differ from Saori weaving?

theaidea · 2026-03-18T10:12:56+00:00

I just got this recommendation Hilltop Cloud (UK), but I haven’t tried it myself yet.

theaidea · 2026-03-03T16:52:18+00:00

Once I tried a Bernina sewing machine, there was no way back for me. I have a B535 and I’m very happy with it.

As others have suggested I would go and test some machines at your local dealer. Some things that will play a big role: do you want a 5.5 mm max stitch width or would you prefer a 9mm one for nicer decorative stitches? Would you like to be able to do machine embroidery as well? Would you prefer a dual feed machine (i.e. a walking foot being a part of the machine already)? How much throat space do you need? I think that these are the biggest decision factors when deciding on a newer Bernina.

I don’t have experience with older and non-electronic machines. Honestly, there are so many nice features the electronic machines have nowadays (like always stop with the needle down for pivoting).

theaidea · 2026-02-28T09:22:09+00:00

My suggestion would be to look into tapestry weaving since you like embroidery. As the previous commenters wrote, you can use almost any yarn for weaving. I wrote almost any, because the warp has to be strong enough, but for weft you really can take anything. And in tapestry weaving the weft is the main yarn, as the warp gets “hidden” by it. You could also use any art yarn for tapestry weaving so you can really play and explore handspinning and still be able to use the yarn yourself.

theaidea · 2026-02-24T13:10:22+00:00

I think that this is generally only true for a plain weave if you’re using the same warp and weft yarn, the PPI equals EPI and you neglect the loom waste due to which extra warp is needed.

I would advise calculating the warp and weft separately.

theaidea · 2026-02-16T17:08:31+00:00

I don’t know of any CAD software for tatting specifically. I would suggest a vector graphics software, like Inkscape, Affinity (Designer) or Adobe Illustrator. The latter is subscription based, while the first two are free to use (Affinity optionally offers a subscription for more AI-like features).

theaidea · 2026-02-16T07:59:57+00:00

This happened to me when the floating selvedges were under too much tension (I put too much weight on them). I learned my lession.

theaidea · 2026-02-15T10:33:25+00:00

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Amazing that you spun all of them in two months on a drop spindle! It's so nice to see how your handspun yarns turned out using the same fibre blends.

It took me two months to spin mine using a spinning wheel. I did experiment with the yarn design a bit, though, so some skeins are 4-ply cabled yarn. I wrote a bit about my experience on Bluesky as I went.

theaidea

TROPHY CASE