Category:Sewing Zone
| Zone Information | |
|---|---|
| |
| Zone Name | Sewing Zone |
| Status | Active |
| Zone Slogan | We're so punny, we'll have you in stitches |
| Zone Coordinator(s) | Jan Henry |
| Zone Slack | #sewing |
| Zone E-mail | sewing@i3detroit.org
|
| Zone Color | PowderBlue |
| Paypal Button | Pay money to Sewing Zone |
Contents
Table of Equipment
About
A place for i3Detroit members, at all levels of sewing ability. Open to space members and the greater community. The zone will have scheduled events and classes, etc. The point is to share information, expertise and encourage project creation and completion by having a place to make it possible.
Food and drink policy and room cleanliness
- No food or open drink. No cans, takeout cups, beer bottles, teacups, etc. Nothing disposable or open.
- Food attracts mice and ants and these are a thing at i3 so food is a no. The sewing room is a clean space but the good thing is Commons is right outside the door.
- Lidded, leakproof/no-spill reusable water bottles/Thermos are good. Use the cupholders at the tables and desks. Label your bottle with your name, and take your bottles home! In the event you forget, the name helps us let you know where it is. We will see how this goes! We're not going to be sniffing your water bottle to see if it has coffee, soda or cider in it, but if we end up suffering spills and sticky messes, (especially abandoned ones) we may have to limit it explicitly to water only.
- Clean up threads, scraps before you leave, including sweeping/swiffer of the floor.
- Take out the trash if it's full.
- Put zone-owned materials, tools and equipment away where it belongs.
- Leave machines and irons in a clean state for the next person. Clean lint out of the bobbin areas, if iron soleplate is dirty, use iron cleaner.
- Turn irons off and unplug. Take care to make sure the irons are positioned correctly. The commercial iron rests on its soleplate! Never on the heel! The domestic iron is opposite, it sits on the heel. This difference is why we have the training for the commercial iron.
- Take care with using rotary blades on the large cutting mats. Use the green mat on top of the table to avoid slicing gouges into the large mat surface. It does not heal, so any deep cut will remain. No knives or other blades, see the Craft Room for work involving X-acto blades.
- Sewing room is not for paints or dyes. Fabric dye and paints etc will be hosted in the craft zone. This includes Sewing-based classes using dyes/paints.
Classes, events and room use
- The sewing room is for the use of everyone for sewing activities and is not reservable or rentable for private use/parties/classes.
- Members hosting guest instructors and students are to make sure all assist with the cleanup effort before departing, and the member is responsible, the same as the i3 guest policy.
- Sewing classes and events must be made open to all members. If outside groups and instructors are hosted in the room, it is understood that our members are also invited to register or are allowed to use the room during said class for personal projects during the class. Classes in the room must not exclude others from using the room at the same time. It is expected that classes and members will work together to share the space fairly.
- That being said, it is also understood that anyone not participating as a registered class attendee will not solicit help from the instructor or interrupt the proceedings.
- A class may reserve a table or a machine to ensure it has accommodations for the class.
- It is the responsibility of everyone using the room, to check the calendar before they arrive so they have some advance warning if they'll be needing to work around a group that day.
- Reservations: one cutting table will have a reservation calendar, one will be first-come first-serve. One embroidery machine will have a reservation calendar, and one will be first-come first-serve.
- Class sizes will be limited to make sure all have space.
- Be excellent. It's natural to spread out in available space, but if others join you in the room, make space for them if you can spare the room on a table.
- Projects cannot be left out for when you return (hours or days) later to finish. Pausing to eat in the Commons is fine. If you need to make an emergency store run to pick up a missing supply, leave a note that you're shopping and will be back soon (in an hour, for example).
- Leaving everything out, or the machine hooped and going home to sleep and finish the next day, is not permitted.
Fitting Room
- Cosplay projects like armor and helmets being created in other zones are very welcome to see how things are coming along! The fitting room idea was hatched in part, by watching armor builders coming in to see themselves in the mirror. I promised a tri-mirror in the new space, so they can see all sides.
- If changing, use the curtain. The zone has a camera and anyone needing to use Zoneminder doesn't want to see more than we need to.
- When not in use, the curtain should be pulled back so people know it's vacant.
- Fitting room is not a phone booth or napping spot.
Storage in the zone
- Pattern drawers for temporary storage (no more than 7 days) are available for your use if you get pattern pieces cut but want to sew another day. Like other storage in the space, it must be labeled with your name, date and contact info.
- Shelves marked for personal machines are available. Machines must be labeled with your name and contact info. You may share it with the zone if you like, otherwise, please mark it for your personal use only. Member machine storage is MACHINE ONLY. Toolkit boxes, bags of materials etc must leave with you or be stored in your member plot outside the room. The reason for this limitation is space.
- Member fabric storage is available in the alcove space above fitting room, accessible outside the room by Genie, stairs or ladder. It is recommended you wrap bolts in plastic, as we cannot guarantee that mice won't pee or poop on your fabric. Fabrics must be marked with a tag that lists your name and contact info and the date it entered storage. If the space fills up, fabric that appears forgotten and abandoned will be the first requested to go home.
- Member project storage is available on hooks/bars high on the room walls. You may hang up your works in progress using stairs or ladder, or the shepherd's hook but note that if space fills up, older dated unfinished projects will be asked to be taken home. Do not hang projects on the slatwall as it is not the reinforced kind and may be damaged/broken by inappropriate objects.
- Ask about displaying a finished work! Show people what we do.
Training and Authorization programs
- Embroidery
- Serging
- Sewing machine 101
- Industrial sewing
Classes and Events
- Fabric Scrap n Swap
- Dyeing fabric
- Tutu workshop
- Once Upon A Tuffet workshop
- Field trips to fabric store
- Sari, Not Sari 5-way wrap skirt workshop
- Globe Hugger globe pillow workshop for Earth day
- Machine Shop day
- Tour the costume depts of Greenfield Village, Detroit Opera House, The Parade Company
- Those Darn Buttonholes
- Repair Shop (bring all your mending!)
- UFO day (bring an unfinished project)
- Body Doubles personal mannequin workshop
- Crinoline Cage workshop
- Corset support group (open sew, share what you know)
- Laser cutting fabric
- Sew all the aprons
Members
Primary Contact: User:Jan.m.henry.3
Sewing topics to explore
Costumes, naturally. Get help if you need it or contribute what you know to help others create fabulous costumes.
Make fabric! Er, make embellished fabric. Designer embellished fabrics can run in the hundreds or thousands of dollars per yard. (for real) We can take two plainer fabrics, laser cut a layer, and bond them together to make one embellished panel. This can be a possible class. Take it further by beading it. I (Jan Henry) am looking into beading tools (after watching videos of a costume department) and flocking tools.
Fabric design! You can create an account on Spoonflower and create your own fabric design. There are graphic design programs you can use, and a design meetup day can cover what to do and how to do it. As the creator of your design, you get a little discount on your fabric purchase. If you make your design public, others can buy it and you get points you can collect and redeem for your fabric purchases. See resource links below for the site link.
Make a body form! Dress form or also torso for men. Everyone is invited! The method most commonly used, per YouTube tutorials, is the duct tape form. A partner tapes your bodice/torso in circular and diagonal patterns until you have a shape, then you're cut out and you use one of several methods to fill it. However, these have a questionable lasting power so there are other, possibly better methods. In our workshop we may use casting to make a mold, then mix up a foam form using the mold. See resource links for the tutorial to read up on it!
Have a serger day. Demo of i3's sergers, and bring your own. They're great for knits, but there's so much more you can do with them. You can create a Katwise-inspired sweater coat, you can do decorative stitching, etc.
The Husqvarna Viking embroidery machines offer us the ability to customize apparel and other projects. A goal is to get more members comfortable with their use.
Sewing goes beyond daily apparel and costumes. You can make small furniture! Such as a tuffet.
Sewing 101 class: Instruction covered may include store visit to purchase appropriate fabric, pattern size choice, project items and return to the space to cut and sew, with helpful tips along the way.
Pattern library? Commonly used, easy fit patterns like cloaks. There is already one on the shelf in the old craft room.
Action Items
- Finish room
- Sew machine covers for Evolve, Singer industrial, Juki, Singer domestic, Singer serger
- Tuffet class. Jan Henry to make class description and whenisgood, and schedule.
- Serger practice. The Henrys plan to figure out its use and schedule lessons and authorization.
- Acquire rack shelving for storage above work stations
- Make machine table extension/surrounds for main machines at workstation
- Build a table 5x10' table w/storage underneath and permanent bolt holder (mat acquired 6/21/21)
- Acquire/build desks and storage underneath for machine tools and accessories
- Build ironing table
- Sew cut pieces into blue/white awning for zone doorway
- Join our Facebook group for the SIG! Link under Online Resources.
Shopping List
Vendors
- [1] - really great fabric store with helpful staff, classes
- [2] - many choices at various price points
- [3] - SouthStar Supply, a source for professional-grade sewing and patternmaking equipment
- [4] - a source of silks
- [5] - wide variety of competitively-priced fabric
- [6] - outdoor and activewear/sportswear fabrics
Pattern Library
- Simplicity 8286 6-14/32-40 knit and woven jumpsuit and leotard
- McCall's M6420 S-XL cape and renaissance gown
- Simplicity 8192 10-14/36-40 renaissance gown
- Simplicity 5582 12-20/38-46 renaissance costume
- Butterick 6197 16W-20W historical costume
- Simplicity 9454 14-20/40-46 fairy costumes
- Simplicity 8399 10-14/36-40 "Titanic" costumes
- McCall's 4111 20 80's dress, top, skirt
- Simplicity 1517 14-22/40-48 "Downton Abbey" costumes
- Simplicity 5726 14-20/40-46 historical corset, chemise, petticoat
- Simplicity 7157 6-12/32-38 Edwardian inspired undergarments
- Vogue Elements 9810 xs-xl dress/chemise
- McCall's 7004 S-XL pet costumes steampunk
- Simplicity 7436 12-16/38-42 2pc 90s dress
- Simplicity 8276 S-L animal jumpsuits
Brindille & Twig preemie to 5-6T baby leggings
Books Available
- Claire Schaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide
Online Resources
Pages in category "Sewing Zone"
The following 29 pages are in this category, out of 29 total.
H
- Hot Steam gravity fed iron
- HOWTO Baste Fabric Using the Husqvarna Designer SE
- HOWTO Change the Thread on the Husqvarna Designer SE
- HOWTO Execute An Embroidery on the Husqvarna Designer SE
- HOWTO Hoop a Piece of Fabric for the Husqvarna Designer SE
- HOWTO Use the Husqvarna for Embroidery
- Husqvarna Designer 1 Sewing Machine
- Husqvarna Viking Sewing Machine Emerald 116
