hand sewing would make things more dear to me.

I just don't know what to focus on first. I don't know the names of the stitches, how to do them, or what you use the stitches for. All of the how-to-sew things I've looked at are fairly disorganized, at least to someone who doesn't know what's what. I'm not so good at paying attention to one thing in the middle of a bunch of others for very long, either.

If you could put sewing stitch information in list format with the basics of what they do, I could probably find something from there, but everything I found just lists different things with a link and no description. I don't have the attention span to sift through the links to find out what I need; I'll feel like I'm trying to take in too much, take a break to look at something else, and completely forget about the sewing pages for long enough that I'll have to turn my computer off without going back and actually looking at them.


Let's make a simple list, 'cause I feel like I was rambling.

• I would like to know basic stitches and what they're recommended to use for. I don't think I can look videos up until I can get a simple list, but my brain does not like how the sites I've looked at organize things. I'm sure there's a decent site somewhere, but I get overwhelmed by my 13+ open tabs. (It's a bad habit, yes.)
• I would like to start from the bottom up. Learn the basics, sew simple stuff first, work up from simple things like round purses and non-detailed plushies (stars, hearts, etc.) to more detailed things like fancy blouses and skirts.

I'd ask about other things, but I should probably stick to learning one thing at a time.



As for my future project, it'll probably take a while. I still have to draw it out and be sure I know what I want. I also don't want to mess it up by being an amateur. It's going to be kinda detailed, so I don't want to waste money on too many failed attempts. I'd like to think of this as a long-term, several year project until I have a better sense of what I'm doing and how difficult it will be.

It'll probably be a high quality cotton. That's usually the best material to use for lolita dresses, from what I understand. I'm willing to use other strong, smooth, comfortable (non-scratchy) materials if I must, though. I'd need to dye smooth-edged black lines onto an orange background, so I could probably purchase an orange fabric if it'll still take dye.

Originally Posted by hummy

hand sewing would make things more dear to me.

Yeah, I get what you mean there. It would definitely make the clothing (and other projects) seem more personal.


I'm going to post before I change what I wrote again.

Originally Posted by Concerto

Yeah, I get what you mean there. It would definitely make the clothing (and other projects) seem more personal.


I'm going to post before I change what I wrote again.

especially if it is a gift for someone.

Originally Posted by Concerto

...

Ah, excuse me? May I..?

I'd like to recommend this site in particular for information on sewing by hand. I don't use a machine and this is from a quick search online but if this doesn't provide you with the basic information that you're asking for I'm sure I can find other resources for you.

Straight stitches are a good basic stitch used for a lot of things and back stitches are great for reinforcing seams that take a lot of stress - like at the shoulders. Whip stitches are mostly used for connecting pieces of fabric together at the seams - like the front and back piece of a dress (or sideless surcoat, which is what I have experience with).

I don't do well with descriptions of how to do a certain stitch so once I know the name of it, I look it up on YouTube or find someone offline I know that can show me how to do the stitch in person.

Now I don't use a machine at all and if I have work that can be done on the machine, incredibly long side seams (those surcoats again!) for example, I often have my partner run it on the machine for me just to make it quicker but we're a two man team and you may not have that option. So my recommendation is to get familiar with a sewing machine even if its just enough to get a really long side seam done without having to spend 4 hours doing it by hand when you could have it done in 20 minutes.

It'll help because your hands won't be as cramped up and you'll be able to spend longer working on the hand stitches where your work will show and matter.

Love your hands! Keep 'em warm and limber with exercises and you'll have less pain after long bouts of hand stitchery.

Originally Posted by hummy

especially if it is a gift for someone.

Yes! I remember we did a hand-sewn project back in home ec., and I gave the deer I made to our senior piccolo/flute player. She was a good friend, but I don't really see her anymore. :c I wonder if she still has it?

Originally Posted by [Geek]

Ah, excuse me? May I..?

............

Love your hands! Keep 'em warm and limber with exercises and you'll have less pain after long bouts of hand stitchery.

That... is actually so much better than the pages I ran across. Granted, I probably should've made sure I had absolutely no other windows/tabs open before searching. That doesn't happen very often, though, so I start getting overwhelmed every time I try to look up something new.

I'll try that site's information and some matching videos out over the weekend, and then I'll be able to tell you if I need any more help.

So.... Would back stitches be good for the waist on a skirt? I'd like to think that clothes resting on the waistline takes a lot of stress.
I'm also guessing a whip stitch would work well for pulling something in at the seams on the sides, if it's meant to hold those pieces together in the first place.
Please do correct me if I'm wrong, 'cause I know how likely it is for that to be the case.

I suppose I can try to use the sewing machine a bit if I absolutely have to, but I'll probably be avoiding it as much as possible. I don't have anyone that I feel comfortable asking to help me out, whether they know how to sew or not, either. I'm just not comfortable in social situations to begin with...


Do you have any recommended exercises to keep my hands from rebelling against me while sewing?

If you get a new sewing machine, most of the time they actually come with dvds that help you out. Anyways, you always have this thread! The sewing machine is so much faster and you still get the satisfaction that you put your energy and effort into your project. There are a lot of videos on youtube to help you out, even videos just for a certain sewing machine. And it's definitely easier on your hands compared to hand sewing. I probably would have been shy about a sewing machine but then I decided to take a class at school, maybe you can find something in a community college or a nearby craft store that offer classes.

Concerto~~i bet she does still have it.
sentemental things are keepsakes.

Originally Posted by Concerto

...

This is a video with three exercises for the hand and wrist to use while sewing.

This is a video with stretches for the hand used by guitarists. Yes, guitarists, but you take what you can get and I'm not seeing how this could hurt.

This link is to a website with ergocise exercises for the wrists.

Sorry about not getting back to you sooner!

Those are some great links! I might just have to bookmark them fr myself.

This knitting needle/crochet hook wrap is what I'm currently working on; in the directions they clearly expect you to use a machine since it's suppose to be a "quick" project but I'm sewing it by hand. The fabric for the project came from the red tag clearance aisle at my local JoAnns but since I've started this project a friend of mine has expressed an interest in sewing and since she's filing for disability/unemployed, I went through my box of scraps to find pieces she could use for making doll clothes. I ended up finding several scrap pieces of the right size to be able to make 3-4 more of these wraps than the original two I thought I was going to be making.

I did end up deciding that shoelaces would have a neat look and would be more durable than the ribbon used in the instructions so that's my own personal variation.

I'm hand-sewing some trim onto the corset I've been working off and on, on for 2 months. The Steampunk fundraiser is on oct 6th. I think I'm in good shape for it so far.

Corsets are above my paygrade but that sounds awesome, Nephila.

yeah me too, That's why I'm making (trying) to make one myself. I'm thinking about putting in lining as well.

I'm still working on that bear... I had to rip out and reknit some rows, but it's finally getting somewhere! o__O

I'm also working on designing a crocheted pink Yoshi for a friend. lolwhut, Mai, finish your bear. -_-;;

Hah! I'm pretty sure I'm incapable of finishing one project before starting another. It's not uncommon at all for me to have two or three different projects going at once.

Originally Posted by [Geek]

Hah! I'm pretty sure I'm incapable of finishing one project before starting another. It's not uncommon at all for me to have two or three different projects going at once.

THIS! It's one of my mother's banes of existence, my inability to finish a project.

It may take me a while but I always finish my projects. It's really that I get bored of working on one project for too long and want to switch it up with something else to keep me motivated and amused. Even if both projects are sewing, sewing different pieces is enough of a change for me.

I really wish I was able to craft things. My Nan taught me to knit as a child but sadly i've forgotten everything. I'd love to be able to knit all the little toys and things she used to, as a kind of tribute. Sadly, the best I can do is cross-stitch. I'm currently working on a Dratini cross-stitch I bought at an anime convention. I find it very relaxing and cures boredom. [:

Yeah, cross-stitch is nice too. :) Knitting and crochet actually aren't that expensive to start learning... you just need a standard-size pair of needles (7 or 8 US size) and some craft store yarn (like Red Heart, Caron, I Love This Yarn). Scissors help too, haha. :) And then you youtube the heck out of "how to knit" videos!

I might have to try it at some point. I can see this year being very boring. . . Learning to do new stuff might help some.

Youtube was how I taught myself to crochet. I love youtube for that kind of stuff.

I wish I could learn that way - I have to have someone show me how to do new things in person. Videos are lovely but they can't answer questions when I make mistakes and don't understand what I did wrong. The things I did wrong when learning to knit.. I bewildered the hell out of my friend who taught me.

Well that's the great thing about the videos. You can start them, pause them, rewind them, over and over again as much as you want. I had to replay one video six times before I understood how to do a particular crochet stitch.

Now, when it comes to learning a particular technique for doing artificial nails, I need a professional, in-person tutoring.

But for craft stuff, youtube is great!

XD Pausing and rewinding don't do much for me. I have zero patience and my normal reaction to "this is upsetting me - why can't I stitch this correctly?" is "... set it on fire and it won't be a problem anymore."

If I really want something done and only have videos to go off of, I have my partner watch the video and figure it out so he can show me how to do it properly. Otherwise we don't discuss his freakish ability to learn anything through videos on the internet.

That sounds like a handy ability your partner has! :) I had some small success with a knitting video from youtube that was from a show geared for children. Though I wound up having to mute it because the woman in it was using an exaggerated "cute" voice and had silly names for everything she was doing. "Loop and scoot" yerself, lady.