@DanielMenjivar@mastodon.social
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DanielMenjivar

@DanielMenjivar@mastodon.social

Retired musician. Now I sew things.

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DanielMenjivar, to FiberArts
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Over 60 video clips so far and not even halfway done yet…

DanielMenjivar,
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It feels great to be done #sewing my latest project, but now there’s what feels like a monumental task ahead of editing the video for #YouTube. @sewing

But before I get to that, I need to shoot #video of a new sewing project this week first.

If my health allows, this week I’ll be recording voiceover for a previous video, getting this latest one in queue and shooting footage for a new third video that may actually come first… At this rate, I may need to buy an additional hard drive soon!

DanielMenjivar, to FiberArts
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Hello @sewing community! Long time no hear from me… Thanks to everyone who sent me DMs asking if I’m OK.

Due to ongoing health stuff, I’ve had to make hard choices about prioritizing how I spend my time, which meant spending a lot less time on Mastodon.

Last month, I was invited to test a new (upcoming) #sewing pattern for which I created a 21-page report.

And this month, I’ve been busy setting up cameras, lights, microphones, etc. for some upcoming #YouTube videos… https://www.youtube.com/DanielMenjivar

DanielMenjivar,
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Just released today! A new #sewing pattern by Thread Theory, Bamberton Shorts. @sewing

https://threadtheory.ca/products/bamberton-shorts-pdf-mens

Available in a huge selection of sizes for both men & women.

DanielMenjivar, to FiberArts
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I got lucky today!

I machine basted these pyjama pants for my wife. (Ever since she’s seen mine, she’s wanted a pair. “Doggies!”)

The pattern was one I copied from a pair of fleece (knit) pyjamas, so I was expecting that it would require fitting adjustments if I made them out of woven flannel. No adjustments required, I got lucky!

She wants them as is, (no pockets) but they have no waistband, no hems and are only basted with a 5mm stitch length using orange thread. @sewing

Lpm1, to FiberArts
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Trying my best to get a neckline sewn on my t-shirt. Having a hell of a time. I’ve looked at videos etc. but it doesn’t seem to come together. I have too much material —I’ve measured , done the math but it seems the neckband is still too short. I’m using a jersey knit but it also only stretches so far. What do I do???

DanielMenjivar,
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@Lpm1 @sewing I use a formula for determining knit neckband length according to the amount of stretch in the fabric, which you can see explained here if you scroll down: https://dmblog.com/copying-pyjamas#pyjama-top

As others have said, you want to cut it so that it stretches more horizontally than vertically. Offset the neckband so the join is not at centre back, then mark quarters and pin. Stretch only the neckband as you sew; make sure not to stretch the shirt.

DanielMenjivar,
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@Lpm1 @beverly_gardner @sewing A tell-tale sign of “homemade” t-shirts is when the collar seam is visible right at centre back.

Home sewers often do this probably because it’s easier to use the seam & centre back as reference points when dividing in quarters, but it doesn’t look nice there.

RTW and factory-made shirts offset this seam 1” away (towards the back) from the left shoulder seam which looks much nicer since it hides it better. (Not right at the shoulder seam to reduce bulk.)

DanielMenjivar,
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@Lpm1 @beverly_gardner @sewing I’ve also noticed many t-shirt patterns omit the crucial step of finishing the collar seam after it’s been serged. To me, it’s as ugly as looking at unfinished raw edges on wovens.

But it’s not just that the exposed serged collar seam looks ugly when the shirt is hung on a rack or folded; binding the rear portion of the collar seam also serves the practical purpose of reducing stretch there, and even stabilizing the shoulders when it extends that far.

DanielMenjivar,
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@valhalla @beverly_gardner @Lpm1 I think offsetting it makes it less noticeable because our eyes are naturally drawn to the centre of things? I don’t know for sure, I just know that when it’s offset, the seam is much harder to see, almost hidden.

The first couple t-shirts I made, I too made a huge effort to have it exactly at centre back until the correct way was pointed out to me. And now that I’ve gotten used to offsetting the collar seam, it sticks out to me a lot when it isn’t.

DanielMenjivar,
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@valhalla @beverly_gardner @Lpm1 @sewing Here’s a comparison of a RTW shirt next to one of the first t-shirts I made years ago so you can appreciate the effect of offsetting the seam.

I also included another shirt that does a good job of illustrating how ugly the serged seam can look when the collar is unfinished.

Last year I had posted a blind challenge to see if people could correctly identify my shirt vs RTW, here’s the photo from the final reveal.

See alt text for descriptions!

A raglan shirt with the collar seam at centre back, but more obvious is that the serged collar was not finished properly, so the collar looks very ugly from the front of the shirt when hung on a hanger.
The final reveal photo from a blind challenge from last year on Mastodon. The text on the photo reads: My shirt is A, the factory shirt is B. The factory collar seam was covered in a single step with a double needle straight stitch. It's a lot neater than mine! My shirt preserves more stretchiness by using a chainstitch for this, as opposed to the straight stitch on the factory shirt. My shirt collar was joined by a serger so the seam can't be pressed open making it noticeably bulky. It should also be off to one side instead of in the middle. The factory sleeve was hemmed before sewn closed to make it easier/quicker/cheaper, but my cuff was hemmed in the round which makes the sleeve seam much more comfortable on the wrist.

DanielMenjivar,
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@beverly_gardner @valhalla @Lpm1 @sewing I am not the t-shirt police! LOL You can show me your stuff, no judgment. 😉 I’m not perfect either and still learning. Always.

I share things I’ve learned with the hopes that others can benefit from it too. I worry that with the character count limitations and me trying to fit everything into a single post, my good intentions are lost sometimes? Or that my tone comes across the wrong way? I hope not.

DanielMenjivar,
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@beverly_gardner @Lpm1 @sewing It really is not as much work as it looks. Once you do it a couple times, you quickly get the hang of it.

What helped me get nicer looking results without needing to be fussy/perfect about it can be seen in this blog post: http://sansmedia.it/blog/2017/11/16/t-shirt-back-neck-binding-tutorial Basically, rather than trying to be a machine (since most of us don’t make 100 t-shirts a day), this method allows you lots of wiggle room while still getting clean results.

DanielMenjivar, to FiberArts
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Taking some time to plan my future projects in the short-term. It’s a bit challenging!

Balancing between things my wife wants soonest, things I need, seasons, what I’d prefer to be sewing, plus of course, grouping things together that will cut down on setup time between projects. (Like sewing multiple t-shirts, vs going back & forth between knit tops, woven pants and dresses.)

Then, of course, there’s family, schedules, life, health and other considerations that come into play. @sewing

kamikat, to FiberArts
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@sewing I have been participating in Me Made May since 2010. DAE participate in Me Made May?
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5OAoeXMK9d/?igsh=dGlmbDZ5NW0yNzVj
#sewing #meMadeMay

DanielMenjivar,
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@kamikat I think I sort of did participate in #MeMadeMay last year here on Mastodon?

I don’t use Meta stuff (no Facebook, no Instagram, etc.) so I haven’t really been on social media since I left Twitter back in 2020.

DanielMenjivar, to FiberArts
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Today is haircut day for my dog Miguel Ángel. As I was digging out scissors & clippers from the drawer, I found this hammock harness that I made a while back for clipping his nails. My wife saw it on TikTok then looked them up on Amazon and I made one based on product photos. https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=dog+hammock+harness

I did a decent job except for the binding and it works well, but he hates it so much (we’ve stopped using it) that he immediately ran away upon sniffing it! LOL @sewing

DanielMenjivar, to FiberArts
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Really glad I got this 700-colour Gütermann #thread chart several years ago (now discontinued); it’s made matching thread colours something I can do from home, which is especially helpful on days like today when I can’t go out. Plus, 700 colours is a lot!

Unfortunately Maxi-Lock doesn’t sell a chart like this for their serger thread, they just want to you to buy a pack of all 76 colours. #sewing @sewing

DanielMenjivar,
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@Brodyberg @sewing A pack of 76 × 1 is $350 CAD on Wawak: https://www.wawak.ca/thread/thread-by-brand/maxi-lock/maxi-lock-serger-spun-polyester-thread-pack-tex-27-3000-yds-76pack/#sku=spt4as and that would require the hassle of spinning thread onto 3 additional spools at a minimum, provided I have 3 empty spools per colour. Who does? So 76 × 4 would be $1400. Yikes! I wouldn’t use most colours anyways.

The problem is that these days, I’m sewing a lot of knits with 4-thread serging then a 5-thread flatlock/top coverstitching, so I need 9 spools if I don’t want to keep rethreading!

DanielMenjivar,
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@effika @sewing Wawak still sells a 400-colour thread chart, but on their website it says the 700-colour chart is discontinued.

DanielMenjivar, to Toronto
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I am out of the house today, for the first time in over a week. Two weeks? More? It’s been so long I can’t remember!

Stopped by Tacos Moras on St. Clair West in #Toronto for a delicious #Mexican Torta. The bun! So good. #food #lunch

Lightly toasted bun with melted cheese, beans, guacamole, carne asada, onions and cilantro.

DanielMenjivar,
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After going out all day yesterday, I really shouldn’t be surprised that I’m so exhausted and unable to do anything today. This is . Plus, I stayed up late last night since my wife was working (from home) until midnight, which always happens the night before she takes a vacation day.

It took me all morning & afternoon just to put through an order for thread! I’m too tired to serge fabrics for pre-washing, so I’m tempted to pay for the sports channel for a day so I can watch …

DanielMenjivar,
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I bought thread and stuff online from Wawak on Thursday while I was stuck at home recovering from going out the previous day.

Yesterday was a holiday so everything was closed, but I wouldn’t have been able to go anywhere yet, anyways.

Now today on Saturday, my order from Wawak arrives in the morning just as we’re having breakfast! If I wanted to buy this stuff locally, I wouldn’t have even had a chance to leave for the bus stop yet. That was much quicker than I expected! @sewing

DanielMenjivar,
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I got this promo card with my order from Wawak. Most people likely throw it away, but I joked with my wife that I need to buy a frame so that I can put it up on my wall…

The funny thing is, I really do need to do a better job of decorating my sewing room. Maybe we can make a trip to the dollar store this weekend for cheap frames and I can put this up, along with some sewing-related photos? Past projects? @sewing

How do you decorate your sewing room?

Undecorated sewing room seen from the entrance door. A large morkie rests on a dog bed on top of the ironing station in front of the window.

DanielMenjivar,
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@KnittingMittens @sewing I know a lot of people love pegboards, (they’re practical!), but I’m the type of person who likes everything hidden away, unless I’m actively using it (no appliances on our bare kitchen counters, ever.) I think that’s also why I always “forget” to decorate: my natural tendency towards simple, uncluttered living spaces.

I’ve been thinking about installing some shelving though, but I would want it to be covered with doors, like cabinetry.

DanielMenjivar,
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@Stoffsuchti @sewing 🤩

DanielMenjivar,
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@Stoffsuchti @KnittingMittens @sewing Though you can’t see it in the photo, I have three cabinets of drawers as a base to my ironing station, more drawers under my machines and under that large cutting table, not to mention the large closet that’s full of sewing stuff.

The storage I’m most in need of now is for fabric and thread. (I have tons of large thread spools and keep adding.)

DanielMenjivar,
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@donkeyherder @sewing I grew up in a home full of so many plants that it resembled a jungle! My mom had a green thumb so people would constantly ask her to revive their plants.

My wife and I did have several houseplants a while back, but then we started getting paranoid about aphids, pests and bugs, so she made me get rid of them. They were healthy plants, we were just paranoid. I miss the decorative aspect of plants, though.

DanielMenjivar, to FiberArts
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For my next pair of linen (pyjama) pants, I’ve narrowed it down to 4 choices for topstitching thread… @sewing

L to R:

• the darkest grey provides contrast; tex 45 is almost “heavy duty” for garment construction seams but on the thin side for topstitching thread

• sew-all Gütermann is tex 30 so I'd have to double it up for topstitching (a bit annoying)

• lightest grey is tex 80 so best to use it for topstitching only (and something else for construction seams)

• white is also tex 80

DanielMenjivar,
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Finally put this thread into a blog post! @sewing

https://mastodon.social/@dmblog/112182429556730366

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