Sewing lesson of the week: if you are sewing a garment, having the table you are laying the garment in another room about 25 feet away, the ironing board up stairs and another 50 feet away, makes for a LOT OF EXERCISE while sewing. #sewing

Tonight's sewing mystery: decoding what the heck this all means. (Back vent of a men's blazer) Might go figure out how to use a grain mill for beer brewing to separate out coffee cherries while I ponder this. #sewing

"Embark"
Teableau for 08/15/25

A nice English Afternoon black tea suits me to a...er, a T... as it's more mellow than a breakfast tea.

Betwixt and between a run to LAX and pre-washing the fabric for Nick’s banded collar shirt, I agonized over the tangram that is choosing the right cut for the front of Lisa’s #TulleTShirt. These seem to be the two best options. Now waiting on Lisa’s opinion. #sewing #fashion #ElfkinCouture

Hmm, okay, that's the first time I've done one of those. It's helpful to see some of these done, there's a lot of terms that mean nothing to me LOL.

Professor Pincusion: How to Sew an Understitch for a Facing or Lining

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INrThrnXm3A

Possible present for a friend of my parents' who wants to give me her late husband's pen set.

I practised making zipper pockets today, since I really want some for my bags! Took some trial and error, but I got there in the end.

(Only pinned the zipper on cause I didn't want to have to unpick it.)

Two new nightgowns, made from the (free) Orchard dress from Helen's Closet's
#sewing

It's not perfect, but I am happy with the welt pocket here. Lessons on this:

1. double/triple check the cut instructions. I had cut the wrong size for the pocket flap.

2. Adjust flap size to the welt hole. The flap has to be inserted into the hole, and measurements need to fit exactly. The other pocket flap is slightly too big, this one is ever so slightly too small... more care needed.

3. Need to decipher the need for basting stitches. I did this without (pressed everything well) but the instructions talk.about basting, no idea how/where.

4. This says to serge/overstitch the edges on the pocket. No can do with a straight stitch machine. I just double stitched it, but perhaps there is a pre-Serging/zigzag technique... #sewing

This is what I’ve been up to today, whilst also watching MotoGP. It’s beginning to look like a little like a garment. #sewing

I'm putting my upcycled/ reworked jeans on Depop.

I only have one on there atm but there is more to come. All the jeans I get from charity/ thrift stores. I work at a charity shop and get lots of jean scraps from jeans we can't sell.

Tryna finish more jeans and really get into sewing.

https://www.depop.com/teksclothes

Lisa’s baby doll t-shirt is first to the needle in the coming cavalcade of couture. Step 1: translate the must-cover areas to the pattern in order to locate the right cut on the rose chenille tulle I’m using. (Lisa wants to be able to wear this to sans bra.) #sewing #fashion #ElfkinCouture

Hm, is there anyone here who has some ideas about tweaking this dresses belt?

I love the dress itself, however, the belt buckle is... cheap: It's very light aluminum(?) wrapped in the same cloth. Of course, a heavy buckle would probably weigh down the belt too much (it's just cloth too), but something built *slightly* would be nice.

Also, of course it wasn't my best day when I put it in the washing machine with the results of the second picture. I did manage to get a replacement belt, so there's that.

But maybe someone on here has an idea how what kind of belt buckle would work well with this and whether there are... idk, colored metal buckles? Or other kinds of buckles that fit the theme of the dress (third picture), maybe something like the Zara dress in the last picture? Or something like this: https://www.ebay.de/itm/123935522345?

Since I have some spare cloth I could also wrap the buckle again, but I'm afraid of me derping again.

Just finished crafting one of my first original patterns! I crocheted this tote bag with a lovely design, and sewed a lining from water-repellent fabric and patterned fabric for a better finish and durability! I think it came out peachy! ^-^

Working on a DRM-free digital pattern under CC-BY!

The original pixel art was illustrated by someone who wishes to remain anonymous.

It took me ages to get the time to finally hem this, but it’s done. And it really looks great on. #sewing #haori #kimono

I was literally doing the last stitches on the waistband, and she sat on BOTH my hands (I had to quickly move the needle so she didn't stab herself) #GarlicTheCat #ChronicCrafting #sewing #catstodon

I just caught myself daydreaming about what I would tell my younger self if I could go back to my first year of university. Hindsight is funny, it’s so easy to think “I should have done this,” but the truth is, it's honestly really hard to tell.

So, if you’re in the same boat I was back then, here are a few things I wish I’d known:

1. Read widely. Not just textbooks but stories, essays, and perspectives outside of your own bubble. Reading has helped me build empathy in a way nothing else has.

2. Being “too cool to care” is actually not cool at all. Care about the things that matter to you, even if others think it’s cringe. DON'T BE SCARED OF BEING CRINGE. (tbf I still struggle with this, I couldn't get myself to press the post button because I think post is going to be cringe)

3. Talk to people ahead of you. Ask your seniors what they wish they’d done differently. You don’t have to make every mistake yourself, learning from theirs can save you so much time and heartache.

4. Take notes for future you, not just for exams.
   Build your own personal knowledge repository that you’d actually want to revisit in 5 years. (I wish I would have done this better because I keep wishing I had my notes from some of the classes but they have now disappeared into a void.)

5. learn to count!!!!!

All of this has me wondering what future me would tell me right now.
So, if you’re further along in the journey (I’m in my mid-to-late twenties, just started my PhD, cat mom, and recently took up sewing) I’d love to hear what do you wish you’d done differently? Or done the same, but better?