The Sewing Place
Reception => Hi, I'm new... => Topic started by: ScubaGirl on June 06, 2021, 12:06:21 PM
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Hi,
I'm Kristel and super excited to find a sewing community not of FB.
A bit about me: I have been sewing most of my life on and off. Taught by my Mom. <3 I'm an international teacher, and when I started abroad I didn't sew much. But then I became a scuba instructor and found the rash guards and bathing suits to be super expensive, so I bought a machine :sew: and started sewing again. But now I make all my work (teaching) clothes and my swim/diving attire. I've really been upping my sewing game over the covid times. Anyway, I'm currently in Switzerland moving over the summer to Malaysia for a new job and will get to set up a new sewing space. I'll be looking for all the advice I can get.
Anyway, so thanks for the approval and I look forward to meeting y'all. :toast:
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Hello and welcome :)
We love to see pics of anything you make 0_0
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Hello and welcome @ScubaGirl I am sure you will find lots to interest you here.
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Hello there...
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A very warm welcome from me too. :)
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Welcome! That sounds like an exciting life. I'm impressed by anyone who can make swimwear.
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Welcome @ScubaGirl :flower:
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Welcome to TSP. Impressive making that sort of thing!
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Thanks for all the warm welcomes. Really great to be here.
It's funny how we see our own challenges. When I decided to make my own rash guard (first time sewing swim, and 4 years living abroad without a sewing machine), it never occurred that it would be any harder than anything else. Haha...I tend to go into things blindly...but I think for that reason I'm rarely intimidated by much.
I was living in Singapore and didn't know anything about the pdf pattern world, so didn't bother looking into patterns...I just took a rash guard I had, traced out the basic shapes onto craft paper, cut out the fabric, and sewed it. It's the one I'm wearing in my profile pic. Not perfect, but totally wearable. After that I never looked back.
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Hello and welcome from me too. It sounds like you lead a very exiting lifestyle, I'm a bit envious :thumbsup:
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Welcome from me too @ScubaGirl :vintage: :drink:
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Yes, @ScubaGirl, when we don't know what we don't know we can achieve wonders!. At 16 I made a velvet cloak out of a pair of jumble sale curtains. I didn't know velvet was difficult. At 20 I made a corduroy jacket, I didn't know a jacket was difficult. At 20- something I made a satin evening dress on my grandma's 1897 hand cranked machine. I didn't know satin was difficult. Keep on sewing your way!
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@ScubaGirl welcome to TSP. What a lovely attitude to sewing you have. Keep going.
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Welcome to TSP.
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Hello and welcome @ScubaGirl from me too :toast: your sewing sounds seriously impressive to me, I wouldn't know where to start!
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You guys are super great. So great to meet you.
I'll try to post some things I've made in the attire section. I've been focussed on work clothes lately (my short time in Switzerland) since I haven't been able to go scuba diving since March 2020, and swim fabric here is very expensive. But hoping to change that when I get to Malaysia.
EDIT: Actually it seems I can't attach photos...I guess I'm still figuring this out. :)
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Hi :)
Subscribers can attach photos, but even without being a subscriber, if you use Lunapic you can put images into your posts. Instructions can be seen here. (https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,9742.0.html)
I think an awful lot of sewing happens because nobody has told us that something is difficult, or needs special handling. I made my first couple of t-shirts as though they were woven, and they are still going strong - but I want to make a swimming costume and (having read far more now) I am so scared of the fabric and the fit that I'm not sure I'll ever get there.
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Hi :)
Subscribers can attach photos, but even without being a subscriber, if you use Lunapic you can put images into your posts. Instructions can be seen here. (https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,9742.0.html)
Oh, thanks for this. I'll try it out.
As for the swim. I guess my only advice to help encourage you is find inexpensive/on sale swim fabric, like a plain solid. That way if you mess up you're not out a ton of money. And then start with a pattern you already know. So I did a rash guard as my first swim. I could easily us a raglan or basic t-shirt to make it. Also I used a basic leggings pattern cut short to make my first swim bottoms. I think you should just go for it. :hug:
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@ScubaGirl :flower:A huge welcome to TSP :sew: look forward to seeing what you make
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Welcome @ScubaGirl. I'm not much into swimwear but applaud your attitude to just have a go. I had to buy a new swimsuit when my friend treated me to a spa day and I found the previous one I owned had perished from disuse!! think this may happen to the new one as well :P
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Welcome @ScubaGirl. I'm not much into swimwear but applaud your attitude to just have a go. I had to buy a new swimsuit when my friend treated me to a spa day and I found the previous one I owned had perished from disuse!! think this may happen to the new one as well :P
Haha, fair enough. And I was like that in my previous life (aka, pre-tropical living). I was not a water person and was lucky to find 1-2 occasions per year to wear a swim suit. But then I moved to South East Asia, and now that I teach diving in salt water, I go through quite a few of them. And actually more the rash guards and swim pants than the actual swim suits.
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hi @ScubaGirl from another newbie to the group!
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@sewminds thanks. I'm loving the community here so far. :)
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They do seem a lovely bunch. I just need to knuckle down on a few things...like stop testing things with the two sticks and hooks elsewhere and actually make use of the books I've borrowed from the library and sew something!
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Welcome welcome @ScubaGirl ! I miss southeast Asia. I loved the food in Malaysia!
I have some swim fabric in stash thats been waiting around for me. I'm inspired by you, to make an attempt to sew it up!
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@whofilets thanks. Definitely go for it! My latest 2 swim suits haven't even seen water yet. :'( I hope to change that soon, being close to tropical waters. I am looking forward to Malay food for sure. I lived in Singapore for 5 years and could live on Massaman and Penage curries and nasi goreng....haha. I actually am going to have to look into where I can buy swim fabric there.
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Nice to meet you @ScubaGirl . Good to meet someone else who makes swimwear! I reckon the only thing to be careful about is the right elastic. I have only made 2 scuba wet-suits - the making wasn't very hard, however getting the things on and off was always a challenge!
Where will you be in Malaysia?
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@Catllar thanks. I've never had issues. My bottom patterns don't require elastic and although I use some elastic in the straps on the top, it's pretty minimal. And of course rash guards and swim pants don't use elastic. If I'm honest, I sometimes don't even use swim elastic. LOL. It's not always easy to find depending where I'm living.
I'll be going to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.
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Excellent - we were there a few years back for a few weeks and we are often in Penang ( Or we were before all this stuff started!)