Let's Talk Velcro!

Let's talk velcro, shall we?

Some people are going to only put their doll clothes together with snaps, or buttons, or hooks and eyes, or fairy wishes and moon dust, and that's fine, but for you and me, we velcro our stuff together. Having the right kind is important. Let's discuss what is the right kind.

Anything labeled "sticky back" is NOT. the right kind. For one, don't get fooled, it won't stick permanently to doll clothes. For two, you can't sew it. The glue on the back makes this stuff thick and impossible to sew. I've tried ... even with pliers, it's way too hard. Don't run it in a machine. The glue will get into your machine cogs and ... no. Just no.

Watch out, because sticky back velcro hides in the wild!

Look really close. This is sticky back velcro.

First of all, you don't want to be associated with anything "fusion." You're sewing. You sew. Get that fusing web out of your head. Second of all? Sticky back.

THIS is the correct stuff. It's thinner than normal velcro, very similar to the kind AG uses. It'll run through a machine. Perfect!

They changed the label on it, though. I know it says it's for cables, but they meant doll clothes. Trust me. This used to be branded as thin velcro for sewing. I guess it sells better this way?

National Craft Month

Did you know it was National Craft Month? I had no idea!

Of course, it's sponsored by JoAnns, so far as I can tell, so it's likely a commercial holiday, but I'm not sure I care. It's awesome.

Anyone else Pinterest obsessed? You can check out a National Craft Month pinboard here:

CLICKY CLICKY

... yeah, it's sponsored by JoAnns too. Don't hate, they're where I get all my cloth anyway.

Anyway, crafts are pretty much all I use Pinterest for, so this is awesome!

Bean Stalk Updates!

There's a LOT, too! Let's do this.



First up, hot off the press, there's a Pictionary update: click HERE! I've gotten the stuff to add to the entries for #6, #13, #27 and #50.

As always, feel free to send me more pictures for the Pictionary. You know I'll always credit you. I need, well, anything and everything, but if you've got Marie Grace and Cecile pictures, that's even better!

Then, I've updated the sewing table with two finished projects: one and two. I don't want to take up too much space on the page, but I'll at the least put up a picture of my favorite:



Oh, and! I was sick today, and also quite a bit bored, so I sat and made Monster High icons. Here's 16 fresh icons from Season 2, Episode 27. It's the latest one, the one with Spectra. Go check them out! I'll post a few teasers:



Hey! Don't forget that you can grab super fast updates by following @beanstalktweets! I always try to follow you back.

September is National Sewing Month!

Like the title says! I didn't know. I gotta get on this!

Someone was asking me today for my best sewing tip. I'd say it would have to be to PRESS YOUR STUFF. Don't go hacking at it all willy nilly with your machine. Press it before you cut, press all the hems into it, and enjoy how much easier your project is.

Oh, and don't use starch.

Inspiration

Where do you get your sewing inspiration?

Honestly, a good lot of the time, I ape mine from people who make girl's clothes. I tell myself that copying them makes my pieces more historically accurate. Pretty good line, right?

I don't know why I go to Old Navy's website a lot, but I do. They don't always offer useful things, but I was there today, and looking down the page made me think I could sew:

• Pleated tops
• "2-in-1 Baby Doll Tops" -- the gathered shirts with the fake sleeves. Tres cool!
• Those "smocked" short sleeve tops. I don't think they're really smocked, just sewn with elastic thread. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's the same thing.

I don't think I'll be trying another gather-top tank this late in August. It'll have to wait until next summer. I'd saw my arm off for a decent heart print or colorful plaid small enough for AG scale!

But, that's a huge amount of inspiration for the week. Last week, I was upset with myself because I could only think of bottoms to make. Now, I just have to hope I remember what all those bottoms were!

Bad Week

You ever had a day that wasn't your day? I had that WEEK last week.

I have this purple shimmery cloth that I've had for a long time -- no idea what I bought it for, but it's lovely. So, I devised a pattern for a tank in my head, fuddled about, got it cut out, and got to work.

First, I hemmed the wrong end of my cloth. Oops. Then, my thread wouldn't quit breaking. (At this point, I got so mad that I went away to tie yarn onto a wig, but in true form, I started tying the yarn to the inside of the wig instead of the outside.)

So the next day, I went back to my machine, bucked up, rethreaded everything, adjusted X, Y, and Z, only to have the thread break every couple of stitches again. Fie. I stormed off.

It took me a while to convince myself to hop back on the horse, but by God I did. That's what you're supposed to do, right? I limped along in my project, thread breaking every which way, until I got it all sewn up! But, after putting it on Jess, I discovered:

IT WAS TOO SMALL.

I am going to put the pretty purple cloth away, walk off, and on Monday, sew something else all together. The purple cloth, it is cursed.