Jump to content

Anyone make their own clothes?


fg0d

Recommended Posts

heh. there are kits out there that you can buy that use this process rather than a dark colored dye. don't know of any specifically though.

I actually just did this on a variety of materials as a test. My woodworking neighbor calls this witch's brew and uses it to ebonize wood. I was really happy with the results, tried it on suede, fabric, and plant fibers. It was all wadded up so I got a dark cloudy grey color with hints of navy in it, I'll post pics later. If anyone tries this, the tutorial leaves out that you need to mix the steel wool and vinegar long before you move the item you're dying into it to give the steel time to decay. Another thing to remember is the more you're dying, the longer it takes.

And if you don't have acorns near you, you can purchase tannic acid online as a powder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

very cool. post pics!

I actually just did this on a variety of materials as a test. My woodworking neighbor calls this witch's brew and uses it to ebonize wood. I was really happy with the results, tried it on suede, fabric, and plant fibers. It was all wadded up so I got a dark cloudy grey color with hints of navy in it, I'll post pics later. If anyone tries this, the tutorial leaves out that you need to mix the steel wool and vinegar long before you move the item you're dying into it to give the steel time to decay. Another thing to remember is the more you're dying, the longer it takes.

And if you don't have acorns near you, you can purchase tannic acid online as a powder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Have a question about linen.

Does it stay crinkly/"looking like its just come out of a washing machine" all the time, or does it smooth out once your body heats it up?

Depends, but good linen will still look good when its wrinkly. Good thick linen, depending on the weave, won't great wrinkly. Cheap thick linen will get hard sharp creases that are a bitch to get out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Question:

If I am to make something out of jersey, or otherwise fabric with a lot of stretch, and I put in a long zipper, the fabric scrunches up and makes big wavy ridges along the zipper. How do I solve this problem? Would adding a strip of heavy non-stretch material along the zipper relieve the problem?

Many thanks in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends, but good linen will still look good when its wrinkly. Good thick linen, depending on the weave, won't great wrinkly. Cheap thick linen will get hard sharp creases that are a bitch to get out.

i like the idea of it being wrinkly so i guess cheap shit linen is the way to go. thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i like the idea of it being wrinkly so i guess cheap shit linen is the way to go. thanks!

Well what I was saying though that good linen can still get wrinkly, the difference is it looks better because of the drape. Shit linen tends to be stiffer. Look for something nice and soft.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Question:

If I am to make something out of jersey, or otherwise fabric with a lot of stretch, and I put in a long zipper, the fabric scrunches up and makes big wavy ridges along the zipper. How do I solve this problem? Would adding a strip of heavy non-stretch material along the zipper relieve the problem?

Many thanks in advance.

You can adjust your seam length to have smaller stitches, it reduces puckering/gathering. It might not look good though.

Another trick I learned is using light tissue paper and putting it inbetween the fabrics you're sewing (or in this case, the zipper and fabric). This gives it some stability. After the sewings done just rip out the tissue. I've never done it for a zipper though, but it should work. Might be annoying to try to rip it out. You can also try using regular scotch tape and taping the fabric a half inch away from where you'd going to sew, this prevents the fabric from stretching out. (basting also works)

Depending on your machine, you can also adjust the foot pressure to let the fabric move a bit easier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well what I was saying though that good linen can still get wrinkly, the difference is it looks better because of the drape. Shit linen tends to be stiffer. Look for something nice and soft.

Ahh cool. Thanks for the follow up. Definitely want it to drape.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I based the pattern on another shirt.

for the coating/waxing, I used a mix of beeswax and paraffin. I didnt want to apply it as liquid because that would've been way too much (think shirt standing on its own with flakes of wax dropping off :o), so I rather let the wax cool down into a concrete form and then rubbed it on. I guess the contents of this wax is essentially whats in many candles, and when it dries it looks like a bar of some organic soap. after I had waxed the whole shirt, I sort of melted it in with heat. I believe this how many outdoor jackets are waxed, the wax is applied and then heated so it absorbs into the fabric.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...