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wastelesscrafts · 8 days
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Great post!
Note that when we say to treat the swatch the same way you'll treat the finished object, we mean it. Here's an example of why:
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[A green knit blocked swatch of a holey knit pattern featuring shells, unfelted.]
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[Close-up of a green scarf using the same pattern, knit in the same green yarn. The holes are less pronounced because the fibres are partially felted.]
This scarf was made with a silk/merino blend. When I blocked my swatch, I neglected to wash it the same way I was planning on doing with the finished scarf and just got it wet before blocking. The result was lace with pronounced holes and a very fluid drape.
I then made my actual scarf and washed it, and to my horror it had partially felted in the wash. I managed to block it in shape, but it's not what I was aiming for. The size is smaller, the holes are less pronounced and the drape is stiffer.
This scarf was a happy accident: size didn't really matter for this project, and I'm still pleased with the results despite the felting because the unexpected stiffer drape gives it an interesting effect.
If this had been an item in which size and fit were crucial however, I would likely not have been able to wear it because it would have been significantly smaller than anticipated.
Be better than me. Wash your gauge swatches properly.
Okay, I've made enough "blease knit gauge swatches. Swatchless projects killedy family" posts. This post is an informational post a out gauge swatches. It will mainly be written in knitting terms because that is my main craft but it applies to crochet too. Even if you're an experienced crafter, you might learn something from this post. I talk about different reasons to make a swatch and some reasons a swatch might lie to you.
What is gauge?
Gauge is the size of your stitches, ie how wide and tall they are. It can be affected by the way you hold the yarn, your tension, and your needle/hook size. In knitting the style you knit can affect this, with the tendency being that English style is usually, but not always, tighter than continental. When I went from knitting English style to knitting Norwegian style, my gauge drastically changed to be much looser.
What is a gauge swatch?
A gauge swatch is a small piece of work that you use to measure your stitches per inch and rows per inch gauge. "Standard" gauge swatches are 4in/10cm squares, but often you'll see different sizes, especially for lace patterns that have you test knitting a certain chart or stitch
Why do we make gauge swatches?
We make gauge swatches to check if our gauge is the same as the pattern designer's gauge. Because you want your gauge to be the same as the pattern designer's so you know your size XL sweater will actually be size XL or your six foot in diameter shawl will actually be six feet across. Or that your airy and beautiful lace will actually be airy and beautiful and not too dense or too loose.
We also might swatch if we are substituting yarns. For example, a blocked lace swatch of wool will have different dimensions than a blocked lace swatch of pure silk because silk is less stretchy than wool. So if you are substituting fibers, you want to know that you'll like the finished item and might swatch a bit of the pattern before starting in earnest so you don't waste your time making something you'll be dissatisfied with.
There's also some differences between yarns of the same fiber and same weight. Some lace weight yarn is categorized as lace weight while being 600 yds per 100g, and some lace weight yarn is 800 yds or 1000 yds per 100g. So you should knit a swatch when substituting yarn even if they are the same fiber and weight if they are different yardage per gram ratios.
Do I always need to make a gauge swatch?
I talk a lot about the importance of gauge swatches but the honest answer is no, you do not always need to make a gauge swatch. If you are making something that doesn't require a certain size or airiness of pattern, like a bag or a simple scarf, you don't need to do a gauge swatch.
How do I make a gauge swatch?
Most patterns have a simple gauge listed, such as 22 stitches by 18 rows is 4in/10cm square in stockinette. However, some patterns have an "in pattern" gauge swatch or a separate pattern/chart for their swatch. So you cast on however many stitches (I often cast on a few more than the swatch calls for, but you don't have to), and knit that many rows in whatever pattern is specifed. If it's stockinette, knit stockinette. If it's "in pattern," locate the repeating part of the pattern and knit the designated amount of rows. If there is a separate pattern/chart for the swatch, knit as directed. Bind off. Don't measure on the needle, it will lie to you.
Then, you want to treat the swatch how you'll treat the finished object. If you're not going to block the finished object, measure it as is. But if you're going to block the finished object (and most things you should tbh blocking hides so many sins), you get the swatch wet, pin it out to shape, and then leave it to dry.
THEN! And nobody talks about this step for some reason and it's been the reason swatches lied to me in the past. Unpin it and let it rest. Different people give different time amounts for this resting. I'd let it rest at least three hours but some people recommend up to a week. The reason for this resting period is that many yarns, especially wool and other animal fibers, have elasticity to them. They'll rebound back a bit. Cotton and linen will have less rebound than things like wool. I'm not 100% sure where acrylic falls on that scale since I hate the texture of most acrylics.
OK I made and blocked the swatch and let it rest, what do I do now?
Now you measure! Does your stitches/rows ratio match up with the pattern designer's? Compare your gauge to the listed gauge. If it is different, you need to adjust needle/hook sizes. If your swatch is larger than the given measurements, your gauge is too loose and you need to go down one (or several) needle/hook sizes. If your swatch is smaller, your gauge is too tight and you need to go up one (or more) needle/hook sizes. At this point you can say "it's probably just one size up/down" and start your project, or you can repeat the entire swatch process. If unsure, repeat.
That's cool, can we see an example?
Sure! Here are two swatches I have pinned out.
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I didn't follow my own advice about swatching and just started the Sapphira Lace Shawl on the recommended size 4 needles, but I got all the way through the first repeat of the body chart and then frogged the whole thing because my gauge was so loose you couldn't even see the pattern.
The Sapphira Lace Shawl has a separate pattern just for the gauge swatch and says "gauge is not important, swatch in lace pattern and use comfortable needle size to achieve airy lace that is not too holey." Too holey means that the stitches and yarn overs are so loose you cannot properly make out the pattern at all. That's what happened when I used size 4 needles.
The swatches you see here were knitted on size 2 (top) and 3 (bottom) needles. I knitted the bottom swatch first but was unsure if I liked the result so I went down another needle size and knitted a second swatch.
You'll notice the size 2 swatch is smaller and it's easier to make out the design. The stitches are smaller and denser, so the places where decreases and plain knit stitches are grouped together are easier to see. Versus the size 3 swatch where the stitches are looser and it's a bit harder to make out the design, though not impossible. On size four needled my stitches were so loose you couldn't really make out the design at all. With these swatches pinned out, I personally like the size 2 swatch better. However! That may change once I let the swatches rest for a while!
This yarn is an alpaca/silk mix. Alpaca is known for stretching out and not holding its shape. It's not ideal for lace. Silk is very good at holding its shape, but not very stretchy. I'm hoping together they make an okay yarn for lace because separately neither is my preference for lace. It was what I had on hand that was dyeable. Alpaca has some elasticity so it will spring back once I unpin it and let it rest. At that point, I may like the size 3 swatch better. I won't know until I get there.
I'll try to remember to post pictures of the rested swatches tomorrow to show if there's any difference. I might work up another swatch on size 4 needles to show what "too holey" looks like but that's more of a "how to knit lace" educational swatch than a "how to knit swatches" educational swatch so I might not bother.
That's it, that's the post. I'm sure my knitting mutuals will have comments and things to add so check the notes.
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wastelesscrafts · 1 month
Note
Any tips on learning to make buttonholes? I've been putting it off for.... *checks notes* like three years.... but better late than never and all that. I don't have any fancy machines so I gotta do it by hand but that seems right up your alley.
Thanks!
It IS up my alley, yes, I do most of my buttonholes by hand!
I'm actually part way through filming an 18th century buttonhole tutorial, but I expect it'll be a few more weeks before I finish that and put it on the youtubes, so in the meantime here's the very very short version. (The long version is looking like it'll probably be about 40 minutes maybe, judging by how much script I've written compared to my last video?)
Mark your line, a bit longer than your button is wide. I usually use a graphite mechanical pencil on light fabrics, and a light coloured pencil crayon on dark ones. (I have fabric pencils too, but they're much softer and leave a thicker line.) You may want to baste the layers together around all the marked buttonholes if you're working on something big and the layers are shifty and slippery. I'm not basting here because this is just a pants placket.
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Do a little running stitch (or perhaps a running backstitch) in fine thread around the line at the width you want the finished buttonhole to be. This holds the layers of fabric together and acts as a nice little guide for when you do the buttonhole stitches.
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Cut along the marked line using a buttonhole cutter, or a woodworking chisel. Glossy magazines are the best surface to put underneath your work as you push down, and you can give it a little tap with a rubber mallet if it's not going through all the way.
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I'm aware that there are some people who cut their buttonholes open using seam rippers, and if any of them are reading this please know that that is abhorrent behaviour and I need you to stop it immediately. Stop it.
Go get a buttonhole cutter for 10 bucks and your life will be better for it. Or go to the nearest hardware store and get a little woodworking chisel. This includes machine buttonholes, use the buttonhole cutter on them too. If you continue to cut open buttonholes with a seam ripper after reading this you are personally responsible for at least 3 of the grey hairs on my head.
Do a whipstitch around the cut edges, to help prevent fraying while you work and to keep all those threads out of the way. (For my everyday shirts I usually do a machine buttonhole instead of this step, and then just hand stitch over it, because it's a bit faster and a lot sturdier on the thin fabrics.)
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I like to mark out my button locations at this point, because I can mark them through the holes without the buttonhole stitches getting in the way.
For the actual buttonhole stitches it's really nice if you have silk buttonhole twist, but I usually use those little balls of DMC cotton pearl/perle because it's cheap and a good weight. NOT stranded embroidery floss, no separate strands! It's got to be one smooth twisted thing!
Here's a comparison pic between silk buttonhole twist (left) and cotton pearl (right). Both can make nice looking buttonholes, but the silk is a bit nicer to work with and the knots line up more smoothly.
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I've actually only used the silk for one garment ever, but am going to try to do it more often on my nicer things. I find the cotton holds up well enough to daily wear though, despite being not ideal. The buttonholes are never the first part of my garments to wear out.
I cut a piece of about one arm's length more or less, depending on the size of buttonhole. For any hole longer than about 4cm I use 2 threads, one to do each side, because the end gets very frayed and scruffy by the time you've put it through the fabric that many times.
I wax about 2cm of the tip (Not the entire thread. I wax the outlining/overcasting thread but not the buttonhole thread itself.) to make it stick in the fabric better when I start off the thread. I don't tend to tie it, I just do a couple of stabstitches or backstitches and it holds well. (I'm generally very thorough with tying off my threads when it comes to hand sewing, but a buttonhole is basically a long row of knots, so it's pretty sturdy.)
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Put the needle through underneath, with the tip coming up right along that little outline you sewed earlier. And I personally like to take the ends that are already in my hand and wrap them around the tip of the needle like so, but a lot of people loop the other end up around the other way, so here's a link to a buttonhole video with that method. Try both and see which one you prefer, the resulting knot is the same either way.
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Sometimes I can pull the thread from the end near the needle and have the stitch look nice, but often I grab it closer to the base and give it a little wiggle to nestle it into place. This is more necessary with the cotton than it is with the silk.
The knot should be on top of the cut edge of the fabric, not in front of it.
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You can put your stitches further apart than I do if you want, they'll still work if they've got little gaps in between them.
Keep going up that edge and when you get to the end you can either flip immediately to the other side and start back down again, or you can do a bar tack. (You can also fan out the stitches around the end if you want, but I don't like to anymore because I think the rectangular ends look nicer.)
Here's a bar tack vs. no bar tack sample. They just make it look more sharp, and they reinforce the ends.
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For a bar tack do a few long stitches across the entire end.
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And then do buttonhole stitches on top of those long stitches. I also like to snag a tiny bit of the fabric underneath.
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Then stick the needle down into the fabric right where you ended that last stitch on the corner of the bar tack, so you don't pull that corner out of shape, and then just go back to making buttonhole stitches down the other side.
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Then do the second bar tack once you get back to the end.
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To finish off my thread I make it sticky with a bit more beeswax, waxing it as close to the fabric as I can get, and then bring it through to the back and pull it underneath the stitches down one side and trim it off.
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In my experience it stays put perfectly well this way without tying it off.
Voila! An beautiful buttonholes!
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If you want keyhole ones you can clip or punch a little rounded bit at one end of the cut and fan your stitches out around that and only do the bar tack at one end, like I did on my 1830's dressing gown.
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(I won't do that style in my video though, because they're not 18th century.)
Do samples before doing them on a garment! Do as many practice ones as you need to, it takes a while for them to get good! Mine did not look this nice 10 years ago.
Your first one will probably look pretty bad, but your hundredth will be much better!
3K notes · View notes
wastelesscrafts · 1 month
Note
Any tips on learning to make buttonholes? I've been putting it off for.... *checks notes* like three years.... but better late than never and all that. I don't have any fancy machines so I gotta do it by hand but that seems right up your alley.
Thanks!
It IS up my alley, yes, I do most of my buttonholes by hand!
I'm actually part way through filming an 18th century buttonhole tutorial, but I expect it'll be a few more weeks before I finish that and put it on the youtubes, so in the meantime here's the very very short version. (The long version is looking like it'll probably be about 40 minutes maybe, judging by how much script I've written compared to my last video?)
Mark your line, a bit longer than your button is wide. I usually use a graphite mechanical pencil on light fabrics, and a light coloured pencil crayon on dark ones. (I have fabric pencils too, but they're much softer and leave a thicker line.) You may want to baste the layers together around all the marked buttonholes if you're working on something big and the layers are shifty and slippery. I'm not basting here because this is just a pants placket.
Tumblr media
Do a little running stitch (or perhaps a running backstitch) in fine thread around the line at the width you want the finished buttonhole to be. This holds the layers of fabric together and acts as a nice little guide for when you do the buttonhole stitches.
Tumblr media
Cut along the marked line using a buttonhole cutter, or a woodworking chisel. Glossy magazines are the best surface to put underneath your work as you push down, and you can give it a little tap with a rubber mallet if it's not going through all the way.
Tumblr media
I'm aware that there are some people who cut their buttonholes open using seam rippers, and if any of them are reading this please know that that is abhorrent behaviour and I need you to stop it immediately. Stop it.
Go get a buttonhole cutter for 10 bucks and your life will be better for it. Or go to the nearest hardware store and get a little woodworking chisel. This includes machine buttonholes, use the buttonhole cutter on them too. If you continue to cut open buttonholes with a seam ripper after reading this you are personally responsible for at least 3 of the grey hairs on my head.
Do a whipstitch around the cut edges, to help prevent fraying while you work and to keep all those threads out of the way. (For my everyday shirts I usually do a machine buttonhole instead of this step, and then just hand stitch over it, because it's a bit faster and a lot sturdier on the thin fabrics.)
Tumblr media
I like to mark out my button locations at this point, because I can mark them through the holes without the buttonhole stitches getting in the way.
For the actual buttonhole stitches it's really nice if you have silk buttonhole twist, but I usually use those little balls of DMC cotton pearl/perle because it's cheap and a good weight. NOT stranded embroidery floss, no separate strands! It's got to be one smooth twisted thing!
Here's a comparison pic between silk buttonhole twist (left) and cotton pearl (right). Both can make nice looking buttonholes, but the silk is a bit nicer to work with and the knots line up more smoothly.
Tumblr media
I've actually only used the silk for one garment ever, but am going to try to do it more often on my nicer things. I find the cotton holds up well enough to daily wear though, despite being not ideal. The buttonholes are never the first part of my garments to wear out.
I cut a piece of about one arm's length more or less, depending on the size of buttonhole. For any hole longer than about 4cm I use 2 threads, one to do each side, because the end gets very frayed and scruffy by the time you've put it through the fabric that many times.
I wax about 2cm of the tip (Not the entire thread. I wax the outlining/overcasting thread but not the buttonhole thread itself.) to make it stick in the fabric better when I start off the thread. I don't tend to tie it, I just do a couple of stabstitches or backstitches and it holds well. (I'm generally very thorough with tying off my threads when it comes to hand sewing, but a buttonhole is basically a long row of knots, so it's pretty sturdy.)
Tumblr media
Put the needle through underneath, with the tip coming up right along that little outline you sewed earlier. And I personally like to take the ends that are already in my hand and wrap them around the tip of the needle like so, but a lot of people loop the other end up around the other way, so here's a link to a buttonhole video with that method. Try both and see which one you prefer, the resulting knot is the same either way.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Sometimes I can pull the thread from the end near the needle and have the stitch look nice, but often I grab it closer to the base and give it a little wiggle to nestle it into place. This is more necessary with the cotton than it is with the silk.
The knot should be on top of the cut edge of the fabric, not in front of it.
Tumblr media
You can put your stitches further apart than I do if you want, they'll still work if they've got little gaps in between them.
Keep going up that edge and when you get to the end you can either flip immediately to the other side and start back down again, or you can do a bar tack. (You can also fan out the stitches around the end if you want, but I don't like to anymore because I think the rectangular ends look nicer.)
Here's a bar tack vs. no bar tack sample. They just make it look more sharp, and they reinforce the ends.
Tumblr media
For a bar tack do a few long stitches across the entire end.
Tumblr media
And then do buttonhole stitches on top of those long stitches. I also like to snag a tiny bit of the fabric underneath.
Tumblr media
Then stick the needle down into the fabric right where you ended that last stitch on the corner of the bar tack, so you don't pull that corner out of shape, and then just go back to making buttonhole stitches down the other side.
Tumblr media
Then do the second bar tack once you get back to the end.
Tumblr media
To finish off my thread I make it sticky with a bit more beeswax, waxing it as close to the fabric as I can get, and then bring it through to the back and pull it underneath the stitches down one side and trim it off.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
In my experience it stays put perfectly well this way without tying it off.
Voila! An beautiful buttonholes!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
If you want keyhole ones you can clip or punch a little rounded bit at one end of the cut and fan your stitches out around that and only do the bar tack at one end, like I did on my 1830's dressing gown.
Tumblr media
(I won't do that style in my video though, because they're not 18th century.)
Do samples before doing them on a garment! Do as many practice ones as you need to, it takes a while for them to get good! Mine did not look this nice 10 years ago.
Your first one will probably look pretty bad, but your hundredth will be much better!
3K notes · View notes
wastelesscrafts · 2 months
Text
Variations:
Coming back to this post, I wanted to show you all just how customisable this pattern is by sharing three different pieces I've made with it.
I'm sorry about the wrinkly photos.
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[A brown dress displayed on a red mannequin. The dress has a pointed collar decorated with beige lace, and fringes at the bottom hem. Beige strips of lace sit at the top of the box pleats at the sides of the dress. A short strip of lace extends down from the centre of the neckline, decorated with three brown buttons.]
You've already seen this brown summer dress in my Scarf to Dress post.
This version uses an (admittedly pretty messy) box pleat on the sides.
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[A flowy pastel purple top displayed on a red mannequin. The top has wide kimono sleeves, a square neckline, and gathered side pleats. The neckline and sides are decorated with white floral lace.]
This top is the one hour dress minus the skirt part. It's made with a very lightweight purple cotton fabric, making it perfect for summer.
This version uses a box pleat with subtle gathering at the sides.
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[An ankle-length red woollen dress with short kimono sleeves is displayed on a red mannequin. Plaid accents in red and green with white stripes have been sewn around the sleeve's edges, waist, and neckline.]
Lastly, this red woollen dress is an ankle-length one hour dress. I used second-hand red wool fabric for it, combined with an old woollen scarf I don't wear any more. Aside from the decorative touches in the front, I've also hidden a strip of the plaid fabric within the side folds which you can only see when I'm walking.
For this dress, I opted to simply fold the excess fabric towards the back of the dress, like shown in The Closet Historian's one hour dress tutorial. I then hid the top of my fold with a belt-like strip of fabric.
Note that none of these require a fastener, as the pattern allows for enough ease for the dress to be pulled over the head. If you do find you need one, snaps and buttons were commonly used back in the day. And of course, you could always add a zipper if you want. It's 2024, after all.
One Hour Dress and matching slip dress
If you're into vintage fashion, you've probably heard about the one hour dress. It was a simple style of dress that was popular back in the 1920's. While they rarely only take one hour to make, they're beginner-friendly and highly customisable thanks due to their simple shapes.
The dress:
The one hour dress is a simple dress that's usually made out of a woven fabric. It's nice and loose, which means it doesn't need any fasteners.
The top part is a simple T-shape while the bottom is a wide rectangle, extending far beyond the top's margins. This extra fabric would be gathered and sewn into a cut inside of the main dress to create room for the hips.
If you'd like to find out how to make these, check out these tutorials by The Closet Historian, Festive Attyre and The Vintage Dancer. They'll show you how to draft a pattern according to your own measurements, and how to put the dress together.
Check out this original 1920's drafting guide by Mary Brooks Picken to see how it was originally done.
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(Image source) [ID: a peach-coloured one hour dress with colourful floral embroidery and pearls.]
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(Image source) [ID: a page out of a 1921 edition of the French magazine "La Femme de France", showing instructions on how to sew a one hour dress.]
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(Image source) [ID: a hand-drawn diagram showing how to draft a one hour dress pattern from scratch. The torso is a simple t-shape, while the skirt part is a wide rectangle.]
The slip dress:
Sometimes, one hour dresses were made from sheer materials to create different effects depending on what slip dress was worn underneath them.
These slip dresses are even easier to make than a one hour dress. The principle's the same, but the top's a rectangle instead of a T-shape with sleeves. Check out this tutorial by Sew Historically to find out how to make your own 1920's slip dress. This tutorial by American Duchess shows you how to make a version without the gathered hips.
You can easily turn these slip dresses into a playsuit by adding a rectangle at the crotch, turning the skirt part into shorts. Check out my 1920's playsuit project to see an example.
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(Image source) [ID: off-white silk slip dress with gathered hips, lace decorations, and a flap at the crotch.]
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(Image source) [ID: page out of a 1922 edition of the French magazine "La Femme de France", showing instructions on how to sew a dress and a matching slip.]
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(Image source) [ID: pattern drafting instructions for a 1920's slip dress as shown on a piece of green fabric. Text: "1920s slip. www.sewhistorically.com".]
Conclusion:
This type of dress is a lot of fun if you're looking for an easy, highly customisable project. Add whatever trims you want, mess around with the neckline, make a sleeveless version or one with longer sleeves, turn it into a mini- or maxi-dress,... There's plenty of options.
Check out my post on 1920's sewing patterns for more inspiration. If you know how to read French, Gallica makes for a very useful resource, too.
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wastelesscrafts · 2 months
Text
simple tutorial on how to make those bottlecap buttons you see everywhere
you'll need:
bottlecap•soda tab•safety pin•pliers•sandpaper/file•paint/paint markers/smth to decorate with•clear nail polish
remove the print on the buttons using a file or the sandpaper
(if you wanna keep the print skip this step, use a cloth to protect the print from scratches when folding down the sides of the cap)
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fold down opposing sides of the cap, to help add in the safety pin
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bend the tab at a slight angle, insert it into the cap. make sure the side of the safety pin that can not open is the one stuck under the tab
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fold down one side of the cap to lock the tab in place, then try and press the tab as flat as you can, to lock the safety pin in place (prevents the buttons from moving on the safety pin, if you like rattling buttons, skip this step)
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fold down all other sides of the cap
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cover the button in one or more base layers of paint
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add ur design (i use paint or paint markers for good coverage and vibrant colors)
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cover that in one or two layers of nail polish, it will protect the button from rain and the paint from cracking
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thats it, lemme know if you want tutorials on anything else, i like making em.
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wastelesscrafts · 7 months
Text
youtube
How to build a wardrobe for a changing body (Leena Norms)
For more ideas, check out my post on fluctuating sizes.
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wastelesscrafts · 9 months
Text
Not to sound like a 90s shallow prep, but how you dress can affect your self esteem, and putting energy into wearing things you actively like and projecting an ideal of yourself through fashion instead of seeing clothes as things you have to put on out of obligation helps.
It also can give you a sense of control over your appearance that you otherwise wouldn’t have lmao
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wastelesscrafts · 9 months
Text
I'm seeing a lot of people say that punk fashion is expensive and inaccessible, which is very wrong. here is a list of some ways you can make punk fashion easier, cheaper and more accessible for you, since that's... kinda the whole point.
others are encouraged to add onto this!! (just don't recommend corporations like amazon. not cool.)
1. patches!! you don't need to buy them. DIY patches are not ugly or boring. in fact, they are encouraged here!! DIY, in my opinion, is always the best thing to do when it is an option and is safe to do so.
2. speaking of DIY, spikes!! you can make them!!
cut the top and bottom off of an empty can. cut down the middle of the cylinder and flatten it, so it's just a flat rectangle of metal.
cut out a shape that is kind of a third of a circle, but around 3/4 of the curved edge is taken up by triangle shapes. (I'm not very good at describing, so here's a badly drawn picture)
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roll it into a cone, leaving the 4 triangles sticking out at the bottom. this bit is optional, but you can fill it with hot glue to make it more sturdy, just be careful touching the hot metal. I tend to hold the cone by one of the triangles with a bit of fabric wrapped around my fingers for this bit. cut 4 small holes in your fabric in this kind of shape:
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and put the spiky bits of triangle through the holes. fold the triangles in on themselves to secure the spike in place. boom. spike obtained. this is one I made and attached to a little piece of fabric to test this method out:
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3. battle vests!! (like the base jackets). the best places to buy these are charity shops and second hand websites in my opinion, but if anyone else knows any better options, please reblog with those!!
a good trick I find works well on eBay is to filter search results to your country (or state? can you do that in the US? idk) so that a: fast delivery because local, and b: all the sellers of everything that shows up are in YOUR TIME ZONE.
why is this important? when people sell something for really cheap, it goes FAST. check eBay at like, 2am or something. all the scalpers in your area are asleep. grab the cheap stuff while they can't.
4. sewing!! want patches, but can't sew for whatever reason? I've heard of a lot of people with joint conditions like arthritis complain about the inaccessibility of patch stuff, and that does sound extremely annoying, however:
safety pins!! while they are still a little fiddly, they're much less work so you don't have to fiddle about for long. if you can, you could even ask a friend to help, since it doesn't take long at all I'm sure someone will be willing to help out!! (I know I would, but that's just me, and I love this kind of thing). safety pins on clothes are also widely considered to be a symbol of solidarity, so if anything, you're adding some extra love and meaning to your patch pants/battle jacket.
if that's still too fiddly, fabric glue is always an option. unfortunately this means you won't be able to remove/reposition patches, at least without leaving a massive patch of residue, but if you're ok with that then fabric glue is probably your best bet.
for people who prefer sewing: as for where to get the thread, I've heard a lot of people recommending dental floss, as it's apparently much cheaper and works just as well. I haven't tried this myself so can't confirm that, but I thought I'd share it regardless.
5. where to get fabric!! old clothes. rip em up. you don't need any kind of fancy fabric from the craft store. my patches are made of old jeans that I grew out of.
don't have any old clothes and you don't want to waste any good ones? I'm not sure about other countries, but in the UK, as long as you're not on private property (trespassing), dumpster diving is perfectly legal.
I definitely ;) do NOT encourage ;) trespassing rich people's land ;) to steal from their dumpsters ;)
or tbh it doesn't matter too much how rich the person is, since it's all going to landfill anyway. if it's in the bin, it's free game, but you didn't hear that from me. ;)
please add onto this where you can!! and if I missed something or got anything wrong, add that on too!!
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wastelesscrafts · 10 months
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Beating the Heat while Fat: A Summer Survival Guide
Summer is (almost) here and it’s going to be hotter than ever. If you’re fat (like me), you know how much hot weather sucks. Specifically, we get to deal with fun issues like underboob sweat, chub rub, skin fold sunburn, and more. And while I like to take a body neutral approach to everything, this can be hard in summer thanks to exclusion and neglect.
The thing is that not a lot of people really… talk about these things, though, because that would interfere with our image of summer. Not a lot of companies are marketing their stuff as a solution to fat people’s problems, because that would be acknowledging that fat people might actually want to go outside during summer.
Having been fat for many a summer now, I want to share some of my resources for enjoying summer! These are all based on personal recommendations and things I have directly experienced. Please feel free to reblog and add on with your experiences and recommendations!
However, if your commentary is even remotely fatphobic, you will be blocked and your comments will be deleted. This post is not for you, and nobody is actually interested in what you have to say!
Back and Underboob Sweat
Two words: Gold Bond. Gold Bond fixes this. It comes in powder, stick, and spray form. I’ve used the powder in shoes, but not on my body. They’ve recently released an invisible form of the spray, which I’m very excited about.
Spray this under your breast tissue or other skin folds, or on flat areas of skin like your lower back that tend to sweat. Some of their powders have aloe in them, which is delightfully soothing for the skin.
Make sure that if you’re sensitive to scent, you buy one of the unscented versions. The “fresh” scent is nice, but it is a scent!
When you’re using this type of spray, do it clean but dry. Don’t do it right after a shower- give your skin a chance to dry off. Lift your breast or skin fold, spray underneath, and then hold it for a couple of seconds to let the spray dry down.
You can also use other types of powder, like body powder or baby powder. There’s mixed evidence about talc-containing powder and its link to cancer, but some people do find talcum powder more irritating than talc-free powder, so whether or not you use this is up to you.
Do keep in mind that this is NOT sunscreen! Apply your sunscreen first for areas of exposed skin.
Chub Rub
Dealing with the tops of your thighs rubbing together is extremely unfun. There are a couple of ways I like to deal with this!
Slip Shorts
I actually reviewed a bunch of these a few years ago. Slip shorts or bike shorts are perfect for wearing under dresses or loose-fitting rompers as a way to stop your thighs from rubbing. As a bonus, if you’re using bike shorts, sometimes they come with extra pockets to stash stuff in.
Friction Sticks
If you’re wearing a swimsuit and don’t want to wear shorts, or just don’t want to wear shorts, period, then a friction stick is another good way to avoid chub rub! I have a couple, Bodyglide and Gold Bond.
If you’re buying Bodyglide, they have one that’s just as good, Bodyglide Outdoor, that is sometimes cheaper. There’s a Bodyglide “For Her” which I’ve never tried, but that’s usually more expensive and let’s be real, do you really need to moisturize your inner thighs? I think not!
There’s also creams you can use but I find those messy and less effective than the sticks. You might like them, though! Experiment with products to find the one(s) that work for you.
Friction sticks can also stop foot blisters. Rub a little on your heel, toe, or wherever you get hot spots. 
Dealing With Sweat
I sweat, you sweat, we all sweat. Humans were meant to sweat. Sweating’s a good thing. But that doesn’t mean it’s fun, and frankly I hate being sweaty. Typically, fat people sweat more than thin people, for several reasons related to the way we thermoregulate.
Fortunately, there are lots of ways to make summer sweating less annoying. I’ve written about this before, so you can check out that post for some of my favorite tips for dealing with sweat. Here’s some of the highlights.
Evaporative Cooling
A bandanna or other wrap filled with water crystals can do AMAZING things. You can make this yourself really easily- if you can’t find water crystals, you can just use Orbeez. They sell little 99 cent packs of those in the checkout lines at some stores and at the dollar store, and you can make several cooling wraps with one packet.
You can also get evaporative cooling towels, like Frogg Toggs. I don’t like those as much because they tend to start smelling a little funny, but they’re great for larger area coverage.
Using these will help cool you down and will do the same thing that sweat does– without being sticky.
Hair
If you have long hair, get it off the back of your neck. I used to put it up in a bun with a bun former, but now I just use claw clips. They’re cuter and easier! Seriously, this will help you so much. Get the hair up and away from your skin, you’ll feel so much better.
Hand Fans
I always have a hand fan with me, but not one of the little battery operated ones. I’ve tried a lot of those! I even took one up a mountain once, and it was the only reason I survived. But they never provide the same level of breeze that my folding fan does.
I use this one because it’s cute, and you can get cute ones for a couple bucks on Amazon. I do prefer fabric to the stiff paper ones, just because they’re a bit more durable- I’ve had mine for years now. It’s good.
I’m also not a huge fan of those fans that go around your neck, but I’ve seen many people enjoying them. If they work for you, great!
Hydration and Electrolytes
Carry water with you when you go places, and if you’re gonna be out for a while doing anything strenuous, take some electrolyte tablets with you. I like Nuun because I think they taste good, but there’s lots of brands out there.
There’s no one mineral called electrolyte, just so you know. Electrolytes are a group of minerals that includes sodium, potassium, and chloride as the primary (or significant) electrolytes. Electrolytes are important because they have a natural positive or negative electrical charge when dissolved in water. This electricity is how your nerves transmit information and how your cells make your muscles contract, so low levels of electrolytes can cause some serious issues. Different electrolyte imbalances have different symptoms, but common symptoms include nausea, fatigue, confusion, tremors, muscle spasms (cramps), and dizziness.
If you’re feeling those as you’re moving around outside, get somewhere cool, drink some water, and either eat some food or add electrolyte tablets to your water. This will help stabilize you quickly!
Skin Fold Sunburn Prevention
Everybody should wear sunscreen, period. End of story.
But if you’re applying sunscreen by yourself and you have skin folds, it can be a pain to reach them! This is especially true for any folds that form on your upper back or around your upper arm.
These areas can burn and be very painful, especially if you’re in swimwear or a sleeveless top. It’s also VERY easy to forget that these areas need sunscreen!
If you don’t want or don’t have someone to help you apply those areas you can’t reach, spray sunscreen can be a way to get those areas. If you don’t like the spray or want heavier coverage with a cream, then use a lotion applicator!
If the stick style doesn’t work for you (like if you have shoulder mobility issues), the strap style asks for a different range of motion. If you can’t find one that works for you at a big box store, look at a pharmacy. These are often sold as disability aids or for elderly people with a reduced range of motion.
But honestly, one of the most important things about this is just knowing your body. Know where your skin folds are and think about how they move as you’re applying sunscreen. Get underneath them- as you move, those areas can be exposed to the sun, too.
So yeah, that’s my best advice for beating the heat while fat. If you’ve got other tips, feel free to share them!
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wastelesscrafts · 10 months
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Sustainable fashion for the Solar Punk
If you enjoyed this, consider checking out my Ko-Fi for a printable zine version (or just to support my art :))
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wastelesscrafts · 11 months
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youtube
Lies to unlearn about making your own wardrobe (Leena Norms)
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wastelesscrafts · 11 months
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[ID: a before and after photo of a gray couch that has been scratched open by a cat. The gash in the fabric has been mended with floral embroidery. Text below photos: "Someone in this group showed a person embroidering their couch where the cat had damaged it and it inspired me to fix my own couch with embroidery. So I thought I would share the end result :) A massive thank you to the person who shared the idea originally :)."]
Thank you for the tag!
That's an amazing example of visible mending on a couch.
The origin of these photos seems to be a post by Stephanie Louise in the Facebook group Tips4Home. An account by the same name has uploaded a YouTube tutorial for this project.
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wastelesscrafts · 11 months
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Mending a rather obvious rip in the butt of my dad's jeans, so I'm embroidering a dad joke on the pocket to make ironic
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wastelesscrafts · 11 months
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Tried my hand at mending a massive rip in my favorite shorts recently and I love how it's turning out even though I'm 100% winging it with scrap denim and embroidery thread.
It's my first real sewing project and I wouldn't have tried it without your blog so thank you for helping me to finally find a use for those 6 pairs of worn out jeans I was keeping for some reason :)
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[ID: two close-ups of a light coloured pair of denim shorts that's been mended with red, yellow, blue, pink, and white embroidery thread.]
That looks lovely! Congrats on your first mend!
Remember to wash your shorts in a gentle way to make your mend last as long as possible.
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wastelesscrafts · 1 year
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Project: crocheted top
Thanks again to everyone who gave me good crochet 101 resources last year! I've been having a blast learning how to crochet.
Introduction:
I finished this top a while ago. It's kind of improvised, containing various stitches and squares I found in library books. The yarn's a beige cotton I had in my stash.
I used this project as a challenge to try out as many different techniques and stitches I could think of, making it a great learning experience.
The project:
The shape's a very simple T-shape, with buttons at the shoulders to make it easier to slip over my head. It's basically a tube body with a rectangle at the top for sleeves.
I started out by making enough squares for the bottom lace to fit around my hips. Once those were attached together into a circle, I evened out the edge with (US) single crochet stitches while also adding a tiny bit of shaping. I then started my tube for the body, which consists of a strip of lace and a double crochet flower pattern.
Once the tube reached where I wanted the sleeves to begin, I made enough squares to fit the width of the tube plus four extra squares (one for the back and front of each sleeve). I wanted to try and see if I could turn a square into a triangle, so two of those squares ended up being triangles in the front of the top.
Once all that was attached, I built up the rest of the sleeves and the neckline and worked buttonholes into the final rows.
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[ID: a crocheted T-shaped top with short sleeves hanging from a wooden hanger in front of a white background. The top is made with beige cotton yarn and consists of multiple different types of floral lace and and squares. Four beige buttons sit at the top of each shoulder.]
Conclusion:
I fell in love with the versatility of crochet! It's such a cool craft if you love improvising as much as I do.
When I struggled making my first chain a year ago, I never thought I'd be creating something like this any time soon. Now when I look at this top, I can already see multiple things I would do differently next time.
That's the beauty of learning new things. If you allow yourself the time and kindness needed to practice and to learn from your mistakes, you'd be surprised by what you can do.
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wastelesscrafts · 1 year
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Thank you for the tag! That's such a lovely way to cover up holes in fabric.
The original link leads to Pinterest, so here's a direct link:
Simple fabric moth and butterfly sewing pattern (by Sew Modern Kids)
Idea: sew some cute little moths with scrap fabrics and sew them on holes you have on your clothes so you can keep wearing them :)
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wastelesscrafts · 1 year
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New IPCC report (March 20, 2023)
The newest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was published on the 20th of March 2023.
Read the synthesis report, or check out the IPCC's YouTube channel if reading isn't your thing.
Climate YouTubers Zentouro and ClimateAdam have also released a short summary video of the report.
(If you're currently dealing with climate anxiety, you may want to skip these reports.)
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