The Garage: A craft-y type thread for handypeople

Incidentally, I can get a test swatch (8"x8") for $5.00, or a fat quarter (18"x21") for 11.

edited 3rd May '12 11:50:34 AM by Madrugada

How many yards are you looking at? My concentration was on fabric modification because I heart chemicals.

Spoonflower doesn't print in "true" black because of technical reasons, so dying over it would indeed make it muddy looking.

Spoonflower does allow you to upload custom fabric designs though. So you could just take that pattern, make the background green, and submit it.

Speaking of Spoonflower, this person has to be my favorite designer on there.

'Cat: 4 or 5 yards. One jacket worth.

Shima: I read their homepage. Why did I not think of that? I may need to sit down with Shea and draw up his fabric...

Corset is underway.

And Part 2 of the corset.

So, I've added yet another "project around the house that's going to be done piecemeal instead of properly" to my repertoire. I've started the process of painting and rearranging the living room/dining room area.

I've started with one of the front corners, that had a small table in it, holding my stereo/turntable system. That piece of electronics is currently living on the lounge, the table is on the front porch awaiting the move to its final home in the spare bedroom/office, and I've painted the walls in that corner, so that I can move the corner cabinet from the other end of the room in there.

Before◊ and after◊.

edited 6th Oct '12 3:28:48 PM by Madrugada

Last year, my son wanted to be a pirate. I ended up hand stitching the complete deal: balloon sleeve lace front, white shirt with black vest (ended up looking like Han Solo), and then I even made folded, knee high boot covers to go on his legs to look like pirate boots.

Now he wants to be a bat...I'm making the full jumpsuit and wings with the head cowl coming over the shoulders. I am so grateful to finally own a sewing machine now...

I'm sewing babesie her first costume too—a little grey mousey suit.

Aweseome! How old and big is your Angel?

5 months, pretty tall and kinda slender. All the online mouse costumes look like a buncha silliness, especially the mickey and minnie ones. So, it's DIY time.

Fun! I figured out how to work the jumpsuit so I can give him a larger wingspan. The ribbing will be easier than I thought.

I bet your mouse is going to look awesome!

edited 6th Oct '12 8:35:31 PM by Gabrael

Okay, this might be a silly question, but...how would one go about making a domino mask? Superhero style. I've got my halloween(and convention) costume all done and ready, except the mask. I don't want to cheap out and use face paint, but I also don't want it to look like some hastily cut out vaguely mask shaped piece of fabric(which is what I currently know how to do).

You can buy a plastic form at any craft or big box store and cover it as you like. With Halloween around it shouldn't be hard to find one.

Otherwise, if it were me, I would make it from layers of fabric, depending how stiff you wanted it.

Honestly? A cheap domino mask at a halloween store is probably going to be cheaper than you can make something. They only cost a couple of bucks for a plain one.

You can buy them? Well...that's news to me then. Sorry for bothering you folks. ^^;

They should have it at your local store too, not just online.

Yeah, the odds are good that one of the Halloween superstores has pooed up somewhere nearby. And even it there aren't any of those, anyplace that sells Halloween accessories (K-Mart, Walmart, Target, toy stores...) will have a few. (Heck, even the Walgreens on the corner by my house has a rack of inexpensive domino masks of varying colors.)

Well, I feel more than a bit dumb now. Thanks, guys.

Don't feel dumb.

Random woodworking tip; I don't know how common this knowledge is, but you can pop dents out of wood with an iron and a damp rag. We use this all the time at work to get rid of the inevitable dents and dings that come with handling.

To do it, you need a wet rag (soaked but not dripping, wring excess water out) and an iron tuned to its "steamiest" setting; you want as much steam as possible. fold at least two layers of the cloth over the dent and place the iron on top of it. Check it every couple of minutes. If the iron has one of those cool "extra steam" buttons, work that. Again, more steam is good. Make sure the rag stays damp, and choose a piece of cloth you don't care about, as it will probably get singed by the iron.

Eventually you will end up with the dent being swollen slightly outward. At that point, either wait for the wood to dry...or if you rack disciprine, use a hair dryer on a medium setting to evaporate the water. After all the water is gone, use either a sanding block or a power sander to clean up the swelling. Remember, you want the wood dry before you start sanding; wet wood is flexible (that's the whole point of this technique) and as such does not respond well to being sanded.

This works best when the dent caused the wood fibers to bend rather than break; it'll still work if the fibers were broken but you'll have an impossible-to-remove blemish line where the broken fibers are. If the surface is finished you'll have to strip the finish off before this technique will work.

This also works with small holes (such as those left behind by pins or staples). You might not even have to sand after.

With veneered surfaces (a lot of furniture uses veneer), use as little water as you can get away with and test this technique in a non-visible location; heat and moisture can attack some kinds of glue bonds.

edited 11th Oct '12 12:40:23 AM by drunkscriblerian

Is there any way to get rid of the white ring that a lamp made on the table? It's a veneer so sanding is not a good option.

Depending on your wood, and these are tips I tried and worked:

Buffing with pure mayo

Ironing over the spot through a dishtowel, not directly on the wood at low temps in a circular motion

I've heard that the white ring is mainly moisture caught between the finish and the actual wood, so you use heat to draw it out and the mayo to condition it properly. It worked for me on oak and pine.