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Topics - Francesca

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16
As @Manuela is away in lovely Thailand with her school, I'm pleased to announce the Scraps Sewalong WINNER!

Congratulations to @BrendaP who JUST pipped Sandra to the post with 24 votes to 23!



Please contact @Iminei with your address and ye shall receive a very special badge in the post!




17
Previous sewalong entries / Floral's Rule Sewalong WINNER
« on: June 26, 2018, 10:09:54 AM »
As @Manuela is away in lovely Thailand with her school, I'm pleased to announce the Florals Rule Sewalong WINNER!

Congratulations to @Greybird with 26 votes!



Please contact @Iminei with your address and ye shall receive a very special badge in the post!



Special mention to @Helen M our runner up with 18 votes!


18
Tech Know How / Smiley Audit!
« on: April 27, 2018, 11:47:39 AM »
As I'm sure you all know we have a nice range of little smileys  0_0 :* :cake:

I often get requests to add more. The reason we don't have a whole tonne is they take up a lot of real estate on the page and I'm often concerned about having an overwhelming number of smileys which can often mean you can't find exactly what you're after.

So I'm looking to do a smiley audit. What do you want? What current smiley can you not live WITHOUT. What do you think could go?

19
Tech Know How / Forum Downtime in April
« on: April 20, 2018, 14:53:14 PM »
Hi everyone,

As some of you may know, yesterday we had some downtime in the morning. Thank you to members who contacted the admin team about it, we know we were missed  0_0

We were unaware of anything that could cause the downtime and began investigation of our own logs and records and could see no fault, when we received an email from our host:

Quote
Last night, as a result of our ongoing efforts to strengthen and consolidate our network, we undertook some planned and scheduled maintenance, which should not have resulted in any customer disruption.
 
However, we became aware that some customers were unable to reach their websites. Upon investigation, it became apparent that some websites and servers were inaccessible for some time. The problem was fully resolved as quickly as possible.

This was solved fairly quickly and mistakes do happen, but we'll be considering it for the future. We currently have no plans to switch host as they've been good so far but I guess you could say this is a point to remember.

Thanks for your patience!

20
Tech Know How / Inline Images testing
« on: March 18, 2018, 16:42:20 PM »
Please report any issues with the new "inline images" feature in this thread to keep the Tech Tutorials post tidy.

21
Tech Tutorials / NEW FEATURE: Upload inline images
« on: March 18, 2018, 16:39:22 PM »
This feature is for Subscribers only, as the "image attachment" feature is a subscriber perk. (Sign up for as little as £1 a month!)

You can now upload/attach images via the forum as usual, but insert them at intervals in your post. No more having a stream of images at the bottom of your post only with no context.

This is a bit of a techy one, so if you would prefer not to worry about this you can carry on as before attaching images to your post and they will show at the bottom.

Instructions

1. Create your new post and click the "+" Attachments button below the post, as usual.
2. Choose your picture attachment



3. Once the picture has been selected, after a few seconds you should see an option "Insert Attachment X"



4. Place your cursor in the post box where you want the image to show
5. Click "Insert Attachment X" for the attachment you want, and a piece of BB Code will be added to your post



6. Click post, and the image will show where the code was placed in your post.

  [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  

Notes for consideration

Images put inline will show at the size they are saved on your machine, or at 100% of the page width whichever is smaller. Therefore images uploaded in this way might look HUGE and you are encouraged to resize them to a more pleasant size before uploading. Picresize is good for this: http://www.picresize.com/ 600px is a nice width.

Also, clicking the "preview" button will show a message "attachment has not been uploaded yet". This is OK. The image will only get uploaded once you click "post" so use this message to check you have the picture in the right place, and then click "post" and it will show.

23
In the wardrobe / Changes to "In The Wardrobe"
« on: January 09, 2018, 14:31:31 PM »
Hello everyone!

We recently did a bit of a survey to find out what people liked about the forum, and what needed to change.

We took the ideas to our subscribership and asked for opinions on how the boards should be structured. There were lots of great opinions on the "In The Wardrobe" board and we now seek to improve it.

New child boards

We are pleased to introduce two new child boards: Technical Help and Members' Diaries.

Technical help is a perfect place for asking questions regarding techniques, the best way to achieve something, fit problems and more.
Members' Diaries should hopefully prove popular for those who are keen to wardrobe plan, SWAP, or even just post long blog-like threads discussing their regular sewing achievements. We encourage you to create a diary as your personal space on TSP!
Pattern Discussion is the newly renamed Patterns & Fitting child board, ideal for posting pattern releases, assistance searching for patterns or questions regarding patterns you have.

Hopefully everyone enjoys the new changes. We will run like this likely until the next survey in 2019!

24
Hello everyone! As discussed in our suggestions thread over Christmas we now have a list of a few things we'd like to implement, fix up, change about et cetera.

Here is a list of all suggestions that we plan to carry out. The forum will be one year old in March so we're really happy with how the forum has changed since then, but we hope to have these items in place for our one year anniversary!

Technology Upgrades

  • We plan to upgrade our server with some additional security software including increasing our back-up schedule. - We are currently taking twice-daily backups of the site.
  • Improve the experience for viewing photos that have been attached to a post with some small style changes
  • Working to improve how the gallery works to encourage more use
  • Investigate why some users don't receive their confirmation email once they've been approved and providing easier contact to administrators so no one is locked out!
  • Improve the code that runs the forum behind the scenes - this is an ongoing task and won't be immediately obvious to all members but instead allows us to build in new features in the future.
  • Purchase an SSL certificate to offer even more security to members - done!

Forum Workings

  • Patterns and Fitting board to become Pattern Discussion only with all wardrobe projects sitting in the main In The Wardrobe board. - Done!
  • Add labels to the For Sale boards for easier filtering.
  • A feature to @mention members (which will send an email, optionally, to the mentioned user) - done!

New Moderators
  • We will be shortly appointing new moderators - Done! Welcome Lowena and Roger
  • We may also have a new member of the admin team joining us, which we're very excited about! - Done! Welcome Manuela

Things we won't be implementing at present
  • Unfortunately we cannot add an empathy button as requested, the software doesn't allow it, but we have put in a request for it to be added possibly in the future, though we can't say if it will.
  • Email notifications for "liked" posts - again not something we can currently do but has been requested

Thanks for all your suggestions, and here's to a fab 2018 for The Sewing Place!

25
Welcome Lounge and Information / Call for moderators!
« on: January 05, 2018, 17:24:51 PM »
Call for moderators!

As TSP's first year nearly draws to a close, we'd like to consider adding a few more volunteers to the administration. We're looking for three moderators to go forward with in our second year of running.

Global Moderators

What is a global moderator?
A global moderator has the ability to moderate on any part of the forum, rather than being limited to just particular areas.

What are the duties of a global moderator?
The duties include making sure members adhere to the membership agreement and use best judgement when dealing with those who break it. As per our membership agreement we'll defend to the death your right to make your point, however unpopular it may be.  However, you do not have a right to flame other members - this is an important aspect of an open and fair forum so moderators need to keep cool and remain above the topic.

Do I get anything in return?
You will gain full access to all perks that subscribers receive without the monthly/annual fee as thank you for your service.

What do I have to do/be to qualify
  • Be present on the forum regularly. A few times a week is great. Daily is ideal. We understand sometimes life gets in the way.
  • Be willing to talk to the admin off the forum as well as on (e.g telephone calls when required)
  • We ask that you have been a member of TSP for at least 3 months

If you think you'd like to be a moderator, please send a message to me with a short paragraph about why you think you'd be a great moderator. We will only be appointing two moderators at present, but as the forum grows we will need more and you will still be considered even if you are not appointed this time.


Sewalong Moderator and Organiser

What is a sewalong moderator and organiser?
One of the suggestions for the following year was more consistent sewalongs. This is an area of the forum we would really like to improve on but it is quite time intensive. Therefore we are looking for a moderator who can run the sewalongs. You will be in charge of running the sewalongs yourself, but assistance will be provided.

What will I moderate?
The sewalong moderator will only have the ability to moderate forum content within the Sewalong and Competition forum.

What are my responsibilities?
  • Help develop the sewalong calendar with input from the membership
  • Post the sewalong threads and voting
  • Answer all questions relating to the rules of the sewalong (also developed by you) to make sure that the entries are fair to all
  • Compile pictures of entries and upload them (advice and direction will be given)

Please note, this role means you will no longer be able to win a sewalong due to conflict of interest but you will be able to "play along" should you choose to.

Do I get anything in return?
You will gain full access to all perks that subscribers receive without the monthly/annual fee as thank you for your service.

If you think you'd like to be a sewalong moderator, please send a message to me with a short paragraph about why you think you'd be a great sewalong moderator.

26
Previous sewalong entries / Official 'Winter Glitz' Sewalong voting
« on: January 05, 2018, 12:15:50 PM »
Apologies for the long awaited Winter Glitz Sewalong. Unfortunately we had only a handful of entries but we will still do voting! Apologies for taking so long to put this up. We will be changing the way we handle sewalongs in the coming months to aid this...

A little different from last time... this time we will have instead a secret poll with the winner being announced in one week from now! We'll see how this goes this time and we can always revert to the old way if we prefer it.

So please vote above!

Tamnymore's Special Shirt from Silk Scarf Pieces

"Adamley is one of the last silk printers in Macclesfield, the town which was once the centre of the silk industry in NW England. Every year they hold a sale and it's an opportunity to pick up wonderful pieces of silk for a song. Because the colour and designs of these pieces are so vibrant they tend to languish in a cupboard until one finds an appropriately glamorous use for them. The Winter Glitz sewalong provided a perfect opportunity to put a number of these silk pieces together for a special outfit. I chose Butterick 6138 for the pattern as I'd used it before and I knew it fitted, wasn't too difficult and, most important, it is constructed from lots of pieces (I added sleeves from another pattern and just managed to get them cut from the bottom piece of a scarf panel as you can see).  The buttons are heavy 'gold' and were a whole £1 for seven of them from a local charity shop.

I chose predominantly orange and blue pieces of silk, with some yellow. I had to move things about a bit to make the pattern fit onto the silk  pieces. The fabric was easy to cut but it frays! I overlocked all the pieces but had to stretch the overlocking out a bit as it tends to bunch. I used a ballpoint needle (a 70) and this was fine. I did have to  unpick a few bits - it's very easy to catch in slippery silk, but, luckily, the needle didn't leave holes in the fabric. The hem was tricky although it looks better now it has been ironed (it was easier last time round as I was using a stretchy fabric). Now, I have a confession to make. I didn't have time to finish the buttonholes so I just sewed the buttons along the right hand side and pinned the garment together but having got this far I wanted to send in my entry!"




Bodgeitandscarper's Sparkly Tartan Coat

"After a little pondering, and rejecting one pattern cos there's no way it would go round my hips and bum, I chose a tried and tested Vogue 1494.  I'd bought blue and red lining, but decided to go with the blue, as I want it to be a mainly blue coat.  The lovely blue tartan has red glittery bits in the red checks, so more red may have been too much.

Cutting out and pattern matching went well, and a bit easier as I did away with some princess seams and the centre back seam.  I cut the back yoke and the under sleeves on the bias for a bit of variety.

I did wonder why I sewed red buttons on with blue thread, but then realised that it's a "design feature"!

Hopefully the finished article will be judged on the coat itself and not the lumpy, fat body modelling it :-)"


27
Previous sewalong entries / The Official Winter Glitz Sewalong
« on: October 30, 2017, 10:49:17 AM »
Prepping for Christmas parties, New Year's Eve and more with this formal/glitzy/fancy outfit competition. Sew a garment worthy of a festive fiesta!

Introduction
In this competition you can produce any type of sewn garment. For example: dresses, jackets, skirts, trousers, shirts etc. The only rule I'm going to put in place on it is that it must have a formal or sparkly or otherwise occasion-wear feel. That's a bit of a loose rule, so make your own mind on whether it fits in. E.g, it might be a nice glitzy t-shirt to wear to a work do or it might be a ball gown! But please nothing that is just an every day sort of garment.

Dates
The competition will run from Saturday 11th November - Sunday 10th December. You have until 23.59 on the 10th to complete.

Rules
Your garment must include some element that we can consider as "winter glitz". That doesn't mean it has to have sparkles, it's a more loose meaning of getting dressed up for something special. Even if it's just a festive night out at the pub, but of course we'd encourage you to use this opportunity to make some gorgeous outfits! Please be reasonable in your selection so as to be fair to your other sewalong participants.

Your item must be sewn. No knitted garments or upcycles.

You MUST NOT cut your fabric until 11th November. You may construct a toile prior to cutting your fabric.

You must post at least 5 times in this thread to qualify. Please be involved and post updates! However posts in-thread do not constitute your entry. They are simply for enjoyment and participation. You will need to submit your project as below.

You must submit THREE pictures; one of your uncut materials, one of mid-construction, one of the finished item as a whole. (These pics needs to be submitted at the end, so they don't have to be posted in-thread unless you want to share).

How To Enter
Please send your finished make pictures (three required, as above) to sewalongs@thesewingplace.org.uk by the deadline, along with a title and short description of the project and how it went (no more than about 300 words please).

How To Win
Winners will be chosen by public vote.

Prizes
All winners receive a very special TSP Winners badge and forum badge. Runners-up will receive a special virtual forum badge.

28
Welcome Lounge and Information / Coinhive issue
« on: October 06, 2017, 11:06:07 AM »
I thought I would make a separate thread as way of an announcement to explain what happened where some users saw their virus software flagging TSP as having issues.

One of our add-on providers was comprised and we had a script called Coin Hive added to our site without our knowledge. Coin Hive is a legitimate script, which uses your CPU power to mine "bitcoins" which are a type of currency. Essentially, the script is using your computer power to process lots and lots of mathematical sums which can be converted into money.

Coin Hive is legitimate, but it was added behind our backs and therefore is malicious. Coin Hive isn't going to steal personal information, install software etc it's just using your processing power unbeknownst to you (and us).

We are in the process of removing the script from the site, and then the next stage will be finding out exactly how it was added to prevent it happening in the future.

Hope that helps to explain! Here is an interesting article:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/09/25/showtime_hit_with_coinmining_script/

It's also quite useful to know as there has been a lot of discussion about this sort of thing becoming the norm in the future. In essence, instead of seeing banner adverts everywhere, a bitcoin miner would simply use a little of your computer's processing power to mine some bitcoins which would pay for things in place of advertising, so it's interesting to read up on!

29
Previous sewalong entries / Official 'Face Your Phobias' Sewalong
« on: August 31, 2017, 10:12:03 AM »
Tell us your phobia and get help from the forum in tackling the project. Whether it be buttonholes, collars, free motion embroidery, or sewing with a particular fabric, this is your chance to get on with it once and for all!

Introduction
In this competition you can produce any type of sewing project. For example: garments, baby clothes, quilts, bags, hats etc. The only rule I'm going to put in place on it is that it must have a strong element of sewing e.g making stitches to bind two things together (so for example millinery especially if you're glueing elements to a hat wouldn't count). Hand-sewing is permitted for part or entirety of project.

Dates
The competition will run from Thursday 7th September - Wednesday 4th October. You have until 23.59 on the 4th to complete.

Rules
  • Your item must include some element or technique that you consider  difficult, complicated or have been putting off!
  • You can have attempted the element before, but hopefully your previous attempts will not have been perfect. This sewalong is about focusing and improving techniques, not about sewing something up that you know inside out. Please be honest in your selection so as to be fair to your other sewalong participants
  • You MUST NOT cut your fabric or start work on your phobia element until 7th September. Usually we allow toiles to be constructed before the date. In this instance I am going to allow toiles EXCEPT for the element you're facing up to. E.g if your phobia is a button placket please do not sew a button placket on your toile until after 7th. This is so that you can focus on the learning throughout the sewalong. The sewalong time has been extended to a 5-week schedule to allow extra time for this rule.
  • You must post at least 5 times in this thread to qualify. Please be involved and post updates! However posts in-thread do not constitute your entry. They are simply for enjoyment and participation. You will need to submit your project as below.
  • You must submit FOUR pictures; one of your uncut materials, one of mid-construction, one of the finished item as a whole and one detail-shot. (These pics needs to be submitted at the end, so they don't have to be posted in-thread unless you want to share).

How To Enter
Please send your finished make pictures (four required, as above) to sewalongs@thesewingplace.org.uk by the deadline, along with a short description of the project and how it went (no more than about 300 words please).

How To Win
Winners will be chosen by public vote.

Prizes
All winners receive a very special TSP Winners badge. Runners-up will receive a special virtual forum badge

30
Previous sewalong entries / Which competition next?
« on: August 18, 2017, 11:49:14 AM »
Hi all,

Apologies for being away for most of August. I need to get the next competition up.

We had two on the calendar but I think it may be best to only do one, and to run it from now-ish (give you some time to prepare and think) until end of September.

Which would you prefer? The losing one can be added to the end of the schedule so it will get done eventually:

Pick My Project
Not quite sure what to sew? You've been umming and ahhing over a few different projects but you just can't decide! In this competition, you'll present a couple of pattern and fabric combinations to your fellow forumites who will then put their word in on what you should sew. After you've got your verdict, you'll sew the garments over one month. A perfect chance to "push" yourself to pick up something you can't get started with.

Face your Phobias
Tell us your phobia and get help from the forum in tackling the project. Whether it be buttonholes, collars, free motion embroidery, or sewing with a particular fabric, this is your chance to get on with it once and for all!

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