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An Attempted Artist

Month: May 2020

Making Masks

May 30, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Right now is probably the best time to learn how to make a mask! We are in an epidemic and that is why making masks is the first sewing tutorial I want to post about!

Image from https://unsplash.com/

First and foremost I would like to say you do not need to sew for every mask, here is a tutorial on how to just make a mask with a bandanna, elastics, and sometimes a coffee filter. Here is one link with a bottom down view and here is a link with a front facing view! And here is another by Jan Howell to show you how to no sew one out of a shirt!

A lot of the posts I have seen for sewing masks have been on my Facebook, and I know there are many different tutorials and many different types of masks that can be made! One of the first posts I had seen was this one by Kaitlyn where she actually adds wire into the mask- something I had not thought of before or seen in other tutorials yet!

When making masks, you need materials! The materials I specifically use is some cotton I bought from Walmart (wash the fabric first! It can bleed and shrink so just get that out of the way!), some interfacing that my friend suggested from this site (this is just an extra layer to put in the middle), and some sort of elastic, fabric, or ribbon. I bought this because it’s not very thick and doesn’t hurt my ears as much so I recommend it!

So there are many ways on how to make masks, some are very easy and some can be more intricate like Kaitlyns. Here are some tutorials on sewing with and without a machine!

Hand Sewing

  • Treasurie shows two different styles of one mask type, one with a pocket and one without.
  • Titiz makes another style of mask.
  • Jess Dang shows how to make two different masks. MOM DOES DIY also does a version of the first mask.
Image From https://unsplash.com/

Machine Sewing

  • Machine sewing is very similar if not exactly the same as hand sewing but a little bit faster. Melanie Ham does a mask that you tend to see more often.
  • Erica Arndt also makes another simple face mask style close to Melanie Hams style.
  • Sweet Red Poppy makes a mask that you can tie around your head. She adds a few extra steps so it looks a bit more complicated.
  • Sew Much Moore In Store makes the same style as Sweet Red Poppy but it’s a bit easier.
Image From https://unsplash.com/

An Introduction to Sewing

May 28, 2020 / / 0 Comments

For this blog, I will be linking many tips on how to hand sew as well as sew with a machine. I personally do not hand sew very often, but I do know the basic steps.

I do want to also add to be careful when sewing. You are using a needle. I have seen many YouTubers and friends poke themselves and get hurt or even sometimes drop the needle on the ground and fear possibly stepping on it!

Hand Sewing:

Sewing with a needle can be fun, it’s something you can do while watching television and the outcome of the piece tends to feel more personal. – Image From https://unsplash.com/
  • How To Thread A Needle

Threading a needle can be hard, I know I always find it difficult especially when I start to get stressed. I found this YouTuber called Stitch My Style which she has multiple videos on beginner sewing videos! There are also needle threaders that Red Ted Art made a video for. Needle threaders often come with small sewing kits you can buy for cheap at places like Walmart.

  • How To Tie A Knot

After threading a needle the string needs to be cut and so the string doesn’t fall out, you need to tie a knot! Having the string fall out would be frustrating considering how annoying threading it already is. Again Stitch My Style gives a good example of how to tie some knots in the thread.

  • Finally Sewing!

There are many different ways to sew, my personal reference is always the invisible stitch that OnlineFabricStore.net the YouTube channel shows quite well. Here is another video by Easy Sewing for Beginners if you need another view! There are other stitches besides just the invisible that you can do, here is a short video by Thaitrick as well as a longer video by Homedit!

  • Ending a Stitch

Ending a stitch is just another knot that you add at the end of sewing, just something that keeps the hard work you just did all in place. It’s fairly quick so here is a video by Shuryanie and these are the types of stitch endings I do all the time!

Sewing With a Machine:

A sewing machine can look pretty scary at first, and often sound pretty scary, but once you figure it out sewing becomes much quicker! – Image From https://unsplash.com/
  • Work With the Bobbin

A bobbin holds some of the thread, which putting thread in it is something you have to do manually. Before I link a video, I just want to say to make sure to always check and see how much fabric is left on your bobbin! I’ve sewn before just to find out my bobbin has run out and have had to redo it! Howcast has a video on How to Wind a Bobbin and How to Load a Bobbin. My personal sewing machine does not have a bobbin loader like hers, but I still recommend the video!

  • How To Thread a Sewing Machine:

There are a few more steps to threading a machine, it confused me a lot when I first started sewing but you get used to it after a while. Also know that different brands of machines have slightly different setups, so if you do have a specific machine and these videos don’t make sense, look up that machines brand for better instructions. Howcast also has a Threading Your Machine video that I recommend watching.

  • Sewing With the Machine:

Most sewing videos are pretty long, so here are two that I found that are shorter but still cover the topics that needed to be covered! Coolirpa goes through all the steps as well as suggests items that you should have when you start sewing. Tock Custom also goes through all the steps that were listed before this so you can view them setting up their machine as well!

I hope that these steps helped with learning how to sew and that you will follow along with them!

May 24, 2020 / / 0 Comments
Star Butterfly Photos Taken by Lexi Stiller

Sewing for me started out because my group of friends talked about things called anime conventions, places where nerds could meet up, dress up, and talk up about their favorite series, characters, or video games! I quickly found that is was a positive and helpful community that convinced me to sew more than I ever thought I would!

Pulling an all-nighter to make a baggy shirt with your bestie.

The first thing I ever learned how to sew was stuffed animals, I still have the one I first made all those years ago! It was thanks to the online sewing community that I learned how to think in a three dimensional way. An online community like Cosplay Amino is a place where you can share, ask questions, and learn from the wide amount of people who also love to sew and create (this one specifically is usually just for cosplay creations). I have also joined many Facebook groups like Cosplayers of New Hampshire where we would discuss what was going on in our sewing lives.

Sometimes you go through Starbucks painted pink.

I personally think that it’s important for people to learn how to sew. It doesn’t have to be with a sewing machine specifically for those can be pricey and sometimes tough to start learning (I know I had a hard time learning to how use one by myself), but I think it’s important. I don’t think people should have to go to a seamstress and spend a ton of money to fix a rip or hem some pants when those could literally take seconds to fix at your own home not wasting as much money. My roommate asked me to re-sew her button on her clothes one time, I happily did it, but I wouldn’t have had to if she knew how to do it herself.

It’s not even hard to look up how to do some of these simple tasks, people use the internet to search so many things why not this? I understand that people are busy, but that’s why this is a hobby and then something that could help with the tear in your pants later on in life.

Off to go to a formal cosplay ball in a blue wig with your purple friend

I’m not saying get into sewing so you can get into cosplay and such, those are very big steps. Those are steps I chose because I am a nerd and I loved dressed up on Halloween and thought hey, why not be able to dress up more often than just on Halloween? And found out there were tons of people who felt the same way. That was a risk I was willing to take, I get strange looks but I also get compliments from strangers and often random little girls getting pictures taken with me by their mom who doesn’t know who I am but I am wearing a fancy dress so I must be some character their child loves. I do think it would be cool if more people tried this, but I am not at all saying “get into sewing so you can get into cosplay”, getting into cosplay was just my reason for learning how to sew properly.

I’m saying learn the essentials of sewing. If you like it? Great! Keep at it and make it a hobby! If it extends to more like it did for me? Great! Go find that community you can fit into! If you learn the essentials of sewing but don’t like it? That’s great too! You tried! That’s what matters. You now know how to sew kind of and can fix things if needed.

2015 me trying to participate

Some of the people I watch when it comes for just entertainment now and not educational sewing tips would be someone like Micarah Tewers, a youtuber who will literally see a couch on the side of the road and make a dress out of it. Another would be AnyaPanda, someone who often gives storytimes of her cosplay experiences, reviews cosplays she bought online, as well as shows behind the scenes to her photo shoots.

These people inspire me to want to create more when it comes to sewing and making outfits, and that’s what I want to do with these blogs for other people.

First Post For Blog Project

May 22, 2020 / / 0 Comments

The ideas that I have come up with for my blog project would be drawing, sewing, how to teach a dog tricks, and cooking. These four things I have interest in as well as some knowledge about and are the only things I could come up with at the time being but I also think would be interesting for readers.

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