10
votes
Accepted
How can I pre-wash/dry bolts of fabric in a way that will prevent the cut ends from unraveling?
To prevent fraying, use a z-stitch (zig-zag stitch) with a standard sewing machine or serge the ends of the fabric before you wash it.
I've recently read a lot of guides about washing fabric before ...
- 3,496
7
votes
Efficient cutting and preparation of fabric for sewing clothing
I would hesitate to cut my fabric into smaller pieces for storage, just because I can pretty much guarantee that as soon as you cut your fabric, the universe will send you the perfect pattern for that ...
- 1,576
7
votes
Accepted
Is there a way to unclump dryer lint?
I think what you need to do is carding the lint.
Carding is a process used in spinning fibers like cotton or wool and it disentangles the fibers and arranges them (mostly) in one direction.
(Image ...
Elmy♦
- 11.5k
6
votes
Accepted
How to take the measurements of a plus-sized woman?
Guides for measurements are frequently extremely limited; most commercial patterns are sized by bust, waist, and hip alone-- perhaps inseam if you're lucky. However, measurements for fitted garments ...
- 216
5
votes
How to clean neodymium magnet spheres
I'm revising this answer after further research.
Considerations
Neodymium magnets are made from an alloy of neodymium and other metals. The magnets are typically plated with nickel. Pure ...
- 11.4k
5
votes
Accepted
What would happen if I machine laundered dry clean only fabric before making it into a garment?
I think it really depends on the fabric.
If the manufacturer of the fabric states that it should be dry cleaned, that's probably a signal that they're serious about it. Silk and wool can often be hand-...
- 3,496
5
votes
How can I pre-wash/dry bolts of fabric in a way that will prevent the cut ends from unraveling?
It is best to wash every fabric you use in the same method you would use to wash it after you use it. You don't want to spend time making something that shrinks to unusable proportions after cleaning ...
- 71
4
votes
How can I effectively remove the coating from woodless colored pencils?
I wish I could test this personally but I do not have those pencils. Have you tried plastic or steel wire brushes?
Image from Amazon
The steel(metal in general) ones might remove too much material. ...
- 11k
4
votes
Can you use acrylic gesso for oil paint?
The short answer is yes, you can.
Longer answer is that there is a some uncertainty around using an acrylic gesso for oil, but it's clear that doing it right makes a real difference here. If you take ...
- 3,433
4
votes
Accepted
How do I prepare a plastic mold to easily release beeswax?
Sounds like you're looking for a mold release agent.
Some examples of release agents are:
Pam Cooking Spray
Olive Oil applied with a spray pump
Industrial Mold Release Agents such as McLube
All of ...
- 2,946
4
votes
Efficient cutting and preparation of fabric for sewing clothing
Don't cut your fabric until you know what you're making out of it.
While it is possible to "piece" fabric when your pattern pieces are larger than your fabric, it's a pain in the neck, and the ...
- 1,818
3
votes
How to take the measurements of a plus-sized woman?
There's a lot of related considerations for how to apply the measurements, not just the locations where you take them. But I'll limit this to just where to measure.
Regardless of the person's ...
- 11.4k
2
votes
Efficient cutting and preparation of fabric for sewing clothing
I always use my cutting board wherever the cutting takes place: table, bed, floor. The boards have numerous markings on them and helps amazingly to keep things aligned. Nothing worse than having ...
- 61
2
votes
Efficient cutting and preparation of fabric for sewing clothing
You should keep your fabric in sizes that are at least at big as the "average" size for the type of garment you'll make out of it. Take a look at your patterns or browse a few online to get an idea of ...
- 2,385
2
votes
How can I pre-wash/dry bolts of fabric in a way that will prevent the cut ends from unraveling?
I was searching for the article that shows you how to wash bolts of fabric without fraying or getting all tangled up. It involved folding a certain way and then pinning the ends with safety pins.
I ...
1
vote
How can I safely prepare bones for crafts?
Any bones which are obviously clean and free form any residual soft tissue shouldn't be too much of a problem. With skulls you obviously have more cavities to work about but if the outer surface is ...
- 1,969
1
vote
How can I effectively remove the coating from woodless colored pencils?
Sandpaper is the best way to go. The Art Stix are square, just lightly drag the side you want to use along a flat piece of sandpaper, medium fine grit (~200?) The sandpaper will clog up immediately if ...
- 3,019
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible