*** The official and awesome DIY thread ***

[dizzy]

How hard would it be to add a piece of leather to the back of a coat collar? Not sure what the technical term for it is.

 

[boned]

Nice rack. Mind if I ask what camel coat that is? Been looking for one, and that one is right up my alley.

 

[OccultaVexillum]

It's a W+H camel mac coat from, I think, AW13. fwiw AMI has been doing great camel overcoats the last few years (although this seasons has same pretty lame lapels and is >1k)

 

[boned]

Ah thanks. Will keep an eye out for AMI and the W+H. Club Monaco has some on clearance, may check out their store this afternoon to see what they have.

 

[otc]

Is it stable? Those wheels don't look very far apart

 

[OccultaVexillum]

They are lockable wheels with 360° rotation. If was putting it on wood flooring I would have just used some more piping for the legs but on carpet the wheels are fine since they kind of "sink" in to the floor. But yeah it's stable.

 

[lyysander]

Hey guys, I have a pair of medium grey Levi's that I'm thinking about dyeing a dark navy blue. What dye would you all suggest would take the best?

 

[hayaoyamaneko]

Have a black London Fog trench coat and a vintage navy blue chore jacket that are boring me. Was thinking of dip-dyeing and/or bleaching them - is this even possible? I've never done anything like this. The trench is a polyester/cotton blend.

Currently reading through the thread from start to finish for tips.

Thoughts? I've seen lots of dip dye women's coats/trench coats but can't think of an example for men's fashion (Geller maybe?)

Edit: Or this Phillip Lim look:



Edit 2:

Bumping this. Here's one I did a while ago. I've since bleached the whole thing and am thinking about painting it black.

Is a pattern like this just luck? Really like it.

 

[Timbaland]

I don't think the it would work for the trench coat as it is a poly cotton blend. When dying or bleaching jeans it doesn't work on the thread which I believe is made of polyester. So if you bleach or dye blue jeans with orange stitching for example, the orange stitching will still be there.

 

[fireflygrave]

Has anyone got any experience re: mounting an old sewing machine into a table?

I've been practicing my sewing for about 6 months or so and a couple months ago I came across a very nice old machine which only needed a little bit of tuning up to be completely functional. It's this Pfaff 130 from 1952:

Straight stitch and zigzag only, but the stitches are incredibly strong (I watched one of the ladies at the shop sew through about a quarter inch of leather with this machine). Guess that's what you get when you buy a machine from the time when people actually made a lot of clothes instead of just doing occasional repairs

Anyway, sewing on the machine is great, but I don't like having to sew up to the platform, so I'm planning to router out an old desk I have so the machine can sit flush with the desk surface. However, I don't really want to have to fumble around under the desk every time I need to change the bobbin. (The desktop is also thick enough that it would be tough to get to the bobbin without moving the machine out of the hole anyway.) I know that most of these came mounted in tables originally, and there are two holes in the back of the machine with tightening screws, which I assume used to hold the machine to the hinges that let you tilt it back so you can access the bottom.

Has anyone here tried anything like this? Where should I look for the right kind of hinges? I'm planning to ask in my local sewing shop, but it's a good long drive away so I thought I'd try the very knowledgeable people here first. I will take a picture of the back of the machine and what I think are the hinge mounters in a few hours and post that as well if it's helpful Much obliged to anyone who can share info on this!

 

[snowmanxl]

I do not but that is a great looking machine man!

 

[fireflygrave]



I do not but that is a great looking machine man!

thanks! I was very excited to find it. Now if I can just get my hands on an overlocker I will really be set up

 

[hayaoyamaneko]

I don't think the it would work for the trench coat as it is a poly cotton blend. When dying or bleaching jeans it doesn't work on the thread which I believe is made of polyester. So if you bleach or dye blue jeans with orange stitching for example, the orange stitching will still be there.

Thanks for the advice!

To anyone: I've got a pair of indigo Naked and Famous jeans - I don't like the dark blue look anymore. Is there any way I can 'stonewash', bleach, distress them, whatever, to get them to look more this color:




?

 

[a tailor]



Has anyone got any experience re: mounting an old sewing machine into a table?

I've been practicing my sewing for about 6 months or so and a couple months ago I came across a very nice old machine which only needed a little bit of tuning up to be completely functional. It's this Pfaff 130 from 1952:

Straight stitch and zigzag only, but the stitches are incredibly strong (I watched one of the ladies at the shop sew through about a quarter inch of leather with this machine). Guess that's what you get when you buy a machine from the time when people actually made a lot of clothes instead of just doing occasional repairs

Anyway, sewing on the machine is great, but I don't like having to sew up to the platform, so I'm planning to router out an old desk I have so the machine can sit flush with the desk surface. However, I don't really want to have to fumble around under the desk every time I need to change the bobbin. (The desktop is also thick enough that it would be tough to get to the bobbin without moving the machine out of the hole anyway.) I know that most of these came mounted in tables originally, and there are two holes in the back of the machine with tightening screws, which I assume used to hold the machine to the hinges that let you tilt it back so you can access the bottom.

Has anyone here tried anything like this? Where should I look for the right kind of hinges? I'm planning to ask in my local sewing shop, but it's a good long drive away so I thought I'd try the very knowledgeable people here first. I will take a picture of the back of the machine and what I think are the hinge mounters in a few hours and post that as well if it's helpful Much obliged to anyone who can share info on this!

Hi Fire fly

What ever made you start sewing? Your new machine looks much like mine. Pictured in my avatar, But its much older than yours, built them to last back then.
the mounting of industrial machines from the front of the table to the front of the machine platform is usually about 3 1/2 '. leave at least 6 ' space from the right edge.
You need that for holding things handy that you need, thread clipper, bobbins, pins, coffee etc. The space to the left is to hold the bulk of your work.
Look at the back edge of the platform. If there are two holes drilled horizontal into the edge of the platform, they would be for the hinges.
There are a number of industrial sewing machine dealers on the internet that supply parts. Prices are usually fair but shipping costs are not.
Feel free to ask me questions. I will help if I can.

Good luck and have fun.
Alex

 

[fireflygrave]



Hi Fire fly

What ever made you start sewing? Your new machine looks much like mine. Pictured in my avatar, But its much older than yours, built them to last back then.
the mounting of industrial machines from the front of the table to the front of the machine platform is usually about 3 1/2 '. leave at least 6 ' space from the right edge.
You need that for holding things handy that you need, thread clipper, bobbins, pins, coffee etc. The space to the left is to hold the bulk of your work.
Look at the back edge of the platform. If there are two holes drilled horizontal into the edge of the platform, they would be for the hinges.
There are a number of industrial sewing machine dealers on the internet that supply parts. Prices are usually fair but shipping costs are not.
Feel free to ask me questions. I will help if I can.

Good luck and have fun.
Alex

I like stange clothes and strange construction methods, and figuring things out, and making stuff in general! Also being able to do my own repairs and alterations is a huge plus. Thanks for the tips regarding making the table. I think I've found some hinges that will work (asked around on a sewing forum), so with some luck the table will be a reality soon. Hopefully I can start making some good contributions to this thread in not too long.