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some of yall were dropping stitch/hem/alteration gems in the steve kream advice thread and rather than derail that more i made a new thread.

any of yall holding good online/pdf resources bout fundamentals of stitching/patternmaking/garment construction?

i'll prob get a used older edition of this http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Fashion-Sew ... 549&sr=8-1

and this: http://www.amazon.com/Couture-Sewing-Te ... 696&sr=8-1

this is dumb expensive: http://www.amazon.com/Patternmaking-Fas ... _7_russss1


but like i want internets/pdfs.

tired of waiting for these designers to get it right/make my bearskin tall tanktop with the nipple windows.

lol

Yeah links plz. I wanna taper these fucking jeans myself cause no tailors around here seem to speak english.

thats some next shit and will prob work out horribly but i encourage it. im gonna start blaming everything on no one speaking english.



but ya im just trying to make dumb looking shirts and shit.

deconstruct one of your old shirts that has the same shape and use it as a pattern. thats what i used to do, when i wanted to make dumb looking raver clothes.

but i wanna make new patterns. and i have no idea what to even do with a pattern.

i've been remixing older shirts/clothes for years but not very drastic alterations and not very well. i wanna go deeper.

If you want to make patterns, you need to learn how to use them.

Get something basic and relatively comprehensive - like this http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Se ... F8&s=books

It's going to be pretty chintzy, but will be a good grounding in the basics of sewing.

Then once you're pretty confident with all that, get that Patternmaking for Fashion Design thing and practice, practice, practice. The principles aren't that hard to grasp, and it's the kind of thing you learn by actually doing it a lot.

ive decided to just get ill with my hot glue gun

fair enough!

I altered a pair of jeans and dress pants myself (flare to straight) and they look pretty damn good. Here's a step by step (lay jeans flat, inside out):
1. before you do the actual sewing, you should get matching thread (often gold for outside seams, navy for inside seams), a seam ripper and some tailor's chalk
2. measure the jeans at the narrowest point (probably at or slightly below the knee) and measure the jeans at the hem
3. the amount you need to remove to make the jeans straight will be the hem width minus the narrowest width, experiment for tapered but make sure you can get your foot through the leg hole!
4. mark the jeans at the narrowest point, then mark the amount you're taking in with chalk at the bottom hem. If the jeans are more straight, you might be able to get away with taking the extra from the inside only. If you have flared or bootcut jeans, you will probably want to take width off both sides--it's easy if you have a single straight stitch, but for the classic Levis side seam, you will need to use a pintuck style to maintain the look of the original topstitch--you will break your sewing needle if you try to sew through it all!
5. use a straight edge to draw a line from the stitches at the narrowest point down to your new seam mark--you'll want to follow the old stitches down or you'll get a ripple
6. I like to seam rip the bottom hem a bit from the side seams and sew down through them--after you're done with the side alteration, just flip up the bottom and resew it--it looks more professional (you will probably have to use a needle and thread and a thimble or you'll break your machine's needle)
7. baste the new side seam JUST OUTSIDE the chalk line using long stitches (4 per inch or so)--this way you can easily rip the seam if you mess up or don't like it. Your sewing machine has a dial or knob that allows you to adjust for stitch length. A long, straight stitch is great for basting or "trial and error" type sewing because it's more forgiving and loose
8. try them on and see how they look, make adjustments accordingly--make sure they break over your shoes the way you want, make sure the side seams don't curve around your leg, make sure both legs match
9. change your stitch length to 10-12 stitches per inch and sew along the chalk line, matching the original stitches to the new ones (if you're concerned about stressing the side seams, you can choose a stitch like this =======)
10. when you are finally sure you are happy with the width, cut the surplus (allowing for a side hem in keeping with the original--usually 3/8-5/8 inch) and trim the seams, flip up the hem and sew it closed (make sure the side hem lays flat in the same way your old one did--otherwise it'll twist and be annoying)

Remember, measuring carefully and taking your time will spare you a lot of aggravation and a ruined pair of jeans. If you have concerns, practice on an old pair. Also: when you are sewing, make sure to go back over your beginning and ending stitches so they don't fray or unravel. Most machines have a "back" button, dial or lever for this purpose. When sewing denim, make sure you invest in strong machine needles--breaking needles is kind of infuriating when you're mid-project. Most of the stuff you need can be found at arts and craft stores or even Target/Walmart/Kmart.

Read these: http://www.sewing.org/files/guidelines/ ... _jeans.pdf
http://www.essortment.com/all/sewingstitches_rvrm.htm

this is a minor issue solved with some money

nippleless bearskin tank commission?

its a possibility. depends on how committed you are to it.

and would i have to source the bearskin?

im too lazy to do it, but someone search for the a preview of the Matrix 12 sewing threads from the past. I sewed two hoodies back in the heyday of this here board.

Thanks! Ok Here is my problem. I'm not understanding how to get the hem back the way it was, if that makes sense. I took the legs apart, and I undid the hem a little and realized this is going to be a problem. You don't sew the entire leg back, all the way, you stop at the hem.. but how do I get it back together? Im making no sense so if you know a site with good pics or a video .. I've been looking and can't find anything.

Also: I know how to sew, I'm not a super noob .. I can use patterns and have made stuff before. But somehow my mind has been blown on this hem thing.

Yes, you do sew all the way down--that's why you've pulled out some of the hem. After that, you press the side seam flat to one side, flip up the hem and sew it (by hand might be easier since you'll only need a few stitches). If your issue is that you're shortening the length as well as taking them in, use a pintuck or "Euro style" hem to maintain the topstitch. Here's a tutorial with photos http://www.figandplum.com/archives/Hemm ... %20Pro.doc

And a link to Youtube vids: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... o+hem&aq=f

Figured it out before you posted but thanks ...

Sewing is easy. Next I'm gonna figure out how to take in shirts w/ topstitching rather than serging.