Category: Bath & Body Craft

Key Points in Sewing Pattern Making
Clothing Design

The first consideration in clothing design is the function of the garment. Upon establishing the purpose you can develop the specific design. The design idea may be inspired by haute couture shows, street fashion, window shopping, lookbooks, or catalogs. Many designs are created by combining various elements.

Decide on the function of the garment you are making:

Formal wear

Casual outfit

Work/business clothing

Sports/active wear

Convert the design idea into a sketch.

A sketch helps to visualize and evaluate the design.

Analyze the design while keeping in mind:

special qualities in the shape of the wearer;

matching the garment elements (eg. sleeves matching the collar, etc.);

characteristics of the fabric being used (in some cases, a garment is designed for the fabric that is already purchased).

Add final touches.

Purchase the material appropriate for the design, or adjust the design for the existing fabric.

Pattern Drafting

Pattern drafting is simply altering the fabric to fit the shapes of the body.

Three Ms of pattern drafting:

“Mode” or style of clothing reflected in the sketch.

“Material” or fabric that is chosen for the garment.

“Measurements” of the person who will be wearing the piece of clothing.

Before starting the draft

Understanding the contours of the body and learning how to shape the flat fabric to fit these three-dimensional contours is essential for pattern drafting.

Determine such things as seam and dart placements, as well as the types of openings for the garment (eg. lacings, buttons, hooks, eyes, zippers, etc.) Examine the material for its properties of draping, weight, and flexibility.

Fitting

While drafting establishes the basic location of the seams and the darts, the fitting establishes their exact location and makes it possible to compensate for the individual contours of the body. Before the garment is complete, it should have two accurate fittings.

With the first fitting, adjustments are made and secured by pinning.

The second fitting is done with the garment basted together and is a recheck of the first fitting.
Once the garment has been carefully fitted, it is ready for the final sewing operation.

Fabric and the Body

The body has three dimensions: height, width, and depth.

Shaping Fabric

A fabric, just like paper, will bend smoothly in one direction at a time. The contours of the body bend in many places in several directions at once. Therefore, the fabric must be shaped to follow these contours. The shaping tools in garment construction are known as darts and seams.

Pattern drafting is the process of locating these darts and seams so that the fabric would lay flat where the body is flat and bend where the body bends.

Darts

A dart is a “V’ shaped wedge that is removed from the fabric so that the fabric will bend in two directions at the same time.

Joining Seams

Three types of joining seams:

A flat seam (as in patchwork quilts) is a seam that is added to fabric without changing the shape of the fabric at all as in two flat pieces of fabric sewn together (e.g. decorative seam)

Seams may be used instead of darts to bend fabric in two directions simultaneously (e.g. princess seam)

Seams may be used to shape fabric so that it will bend in more than two directions at a time as shown in the illustration of a mandarin collar.
Crochet Cast On Tutorial for a Flatbed Knitting Machine
Table of Contents

What is a crochet cast on?
The Process:
Step 1. Set up your knitting machine.
Prepare the needles: push the needles into the holding position.
Prepare the carriage: place the carriage to one side of the working needles with the holding cam lever in the normal position.
Step 2. Crochet cast on: cast the yarn on the needles with a crochet hook or a latch tool.
Method 1.
Begin with a slip knot on the crochet hook.
Start crochet cast on by making a chain with each stitch wrapped around each needle.
Wrap the yarn around the last needle.
Method 2
Make a chain using a crochet hook with the number of stitches equal to the number of working needles.
Place the last stitch onto the last needle with the working yarn on the side of the carriage.
Move the chain links from right to left onto the needles with a transfer tool.
Pros and Cons of Method 2.
Step 3. Thread the yarn through the yarn feeder of the carriage.
Step 4. Knit the first row by moving the carriage across the needles to the left.
Step 5. Attach the cast-on comb to the work and knit as usual.
Crochet cast-on edge looks like a braid.

What is a crochet cast on?

Crochet cast on is a very simple way to create a neat and professional border of your work on a flatbed knitting machine. The border looks like a braid rather than a rope. A crochet hook or a latch tool can be used for this cast on, thus the name, crochet cast on.

In this tutorial, you will learn two ways to do a crochet cast on. I am using a crochet hook for this tutorial.

Let’s go!

The Process:

Step 1. Set up your knitting machine.

Prepare the needles: push the needles into the holding position.

As usual, the first step is to engage the working needles. For this exercise, select 30 needles. They become your working needles. Use the blunt edge of the needle pusher to move the working needles into a holding position (all the way forward). (D position on Singer/Studio, E position on Brother/Knitking.)

Blue Cat makes sure that the working needles are in E-position.

Prepare the carriage: place the carriage to one side of the working needles with the holding cam lever in the normal position.

The carriage can be on either side* of the working needles.

* Usually, the carriage is on the right for the right-handed person and on the left for a left-handed person. In this tutorial, the carriage starts on the right.

In this tutorial, you will see two methods of crochet cast on. With the first method, the cast on starts at the opposite side from the carriage. With the second method, the cast on begins on the same side as the carriage. The working yarn, however, always ends up on the side of the carriage.

If the carriage ends up on the wrong side somehow, you can switch the holding cam lever to the holding position and move the carriage to the other side. Another way to do it is by removing the carriage all the way out of the machine and inserting it on the correct side. The nice thing is that you don’t have to remove your stitches from the needles.

Step 2. Crochet cast on: cast the yarn on the needles with a crochet hook or a latch tool.

Method 1.

Begin with a slip knot on the crochet hook.

Let’s begin the cast on. Make a slip knot around the crochet hook (or a latch tool). Insert the hook between the first and second working needles on the opposite side from the carriage, just like in the photo below. Use your right hand to hold the crochet hook and your left hand for the yarn.

With the slip knot on the crochet hook, slide the hook between the first two needles.

Start crochet cast on by making a chain with each stitch wrapped around each needle.

Reposition your left hand so that the working yarn is above the needles and in front of the crochet hook.

Working yarn wraps the first needle running in front of the crochet hook. (My talented assistant is pulling on the knot tail to make this picture clear).

Use the hook to slip the yarn through the slip knot below the needles.

The crochet hook is pulling the yarn down and through the slip knot.

The first stitch is created. Now the crochet hook is back between the next set of needles. The working yarn needs to be moved in front of the hook.

Pull the yarn down through the next loop.

The yarn is pulled down through the loop.

Next, move the crochet hook upwards between the adjacent set of two needles.

For the purpose of this picture, I removed the hook from the last loop on the bottom right. You can see here how the yarn runs down through the loop between the needles.

Keep going in the same fashion until you reach one needle before last.

Wrap the yarn around the last needle.

When you reach the last needle, slip the yarn down between the last two hooks and cast the last loop onto the last needle.

The crochet cast on is now on all working needles.

The next picture shows better the last stitch and the yarn behind it.

The last stitch is looped around the last needle with the yarn under and behind it. The carriage is on the right.

Method 2

You will need a crochet hook and a transfer tool.

Make a chain using a crochet hook with the number of stitches equal to the number of working needles.

This fabulous set of crochet hooks is made of Sorbus or mountain ash. Aren’t they beautiful!? They are also very ergonomic and easy on your hands. And they create very uniform stitches.

Crochet hooks.

Make a chain using a crochet hook. Make sure, it is reasonably loose.

The crochet chain looks like a braid on one side.

The crochet chain looks like a braid.

And it looks like a chain on the other side.

Crochet chain.

Place the last stitch onto the last needle with the working yarn on the side of the carriage.

Normally, a cast on starts on the opposite side of the carriage and moves towards it. This cast on is unique with this respect. It starts on the same side as the carriage with the last stitch looped around the last needle. by doing this, the working yarn stays next to the carriage.

The first step is to loop the last stitch onto the last needle with the working yarn behind the stitch. With the carriage on the right side the cast on starts on the right with the last loop of the chain. So, the working yarn is on the right side as well.

Crochet stitch on the last needle.

Move the chain links from right to left onto the needles with a transfer tool.

Next, use a transfer tool to move the chain links onto the needles from right to left

The transfer tool has an eyelet at its end, which will be hooked onto each needle to transfer the stitches (individual loops of the crochet chain).

Below is a close-up photo of the transfer tool threading through the stitch and hooking onto a needle tip.

Transferring the stitches.

Transfer the chain loops one at a time. The braid side of the chain stays out.

Transferring the chain loops one by one.

When all stitches are transferred, you can thread the carriage and start knitting as usual.

The crochet chain is transferred onto the needles of the flat bed knitting machine.

Pros and Cons of Method 2.

This method has its pluses and minuses.

The plus is that if you have a tendency to over-tighten your cast on, this will help you avoid the problem by using a large enough crochet hook to make a chain that is relatively loose.

The negatives are, first, it takes a little longer because you have to prepare the chain separately; and second, it’s easier to make a mistake and skip a needle just like I did. Do you see a skipped needle in the photo above?

Step 3. Thread the yarn through the yarn feeder of the carriage.

Whether you used the first of second method, the crochet cast on is accomplished. Now you can knit your project.

Run the working yarn under the carriage and through the yarn feeder. Close the yarn feeder. The holding cam lever is in the normal position. The needles are in the holding position.

The yarn feeder on the carriage is threaded and closed.

Step 4. Knit the first row by moving the carriage across the needles to the left.

Below is the first row created by moving the carriage to the left.

The first row is knitted by moving the carriage from right to left.

Step 5. Attach the cast-on comb to the work and knit as usual.

The cast-on comb is attached to the first row. This photo came out with high contrast. The comb is on the bottom. It’s white on the left and black metallic on the right.

Knit as usual.

The swatch is ready to be removed from the machine.

Crochet cast-on edge looks like a braid.

I put my swatch onto a hand knitting needle for this demo and blocked the sample with a steam iron to demonstrate the border created by a cast on with a crochet hook. As you can see, this border looks a lot like a braid similar to that of a manual cast on or bind off.

The crochet cast-on border is ready.

I hope, you found this tutorial helpful.

Blue Cat is really tired after all this work. Whew!

Blue Cat resting.

Soap Making Oil Properties Chart for Balanced Handmade Bar Soap

Oils / Fats	Bar Quality	Properties	Recommended Amount	Best Practices
Almond Oil, Sweet	Soft bar. Stable medium lather. Mild cleansing.	Recommended for dry, irritated skin.	15-20%
Apricot Kernel Oil	Soft bar. Medium lather. Mild cleansing.	Emollient properties.	15%
Argan Oil		Soothes problematic skin (?), great for shampoo bars.	10%
Avocado Oil	Soft bar. Medium lather. Mild cleansing.	Recommended for dry and sensitive skin. High in vitamin E.	15-20%
Babassu oil	Hard bar. Large bubbles. High cleansing.	Milder than coconut oil.	15-30%
Canola Oil	Moderately hard bar with creamy stable lather similar to olive oil. Can be prone to rancidity & DOS due to high linoleic/linolenic acids.	Moisturizing, conditioning, and skin-softening benefits.	15-40%	High-oleic canola is more stable. Chelating agents help. Budget-friendly alternative to olive oil.
Castor Oil	Soft bar. Stable lather. High cleansing.	Drying if used in high amounts.	10% (higher amounts in shampoo bars)
Chicken Fat	Hard, long-lasting bar with creamy lather. High in unsaturated fats (like oleic acid) that can make the soap softer, prone to rancidity and DOS.	Cleansing and moisturizing.	10-15%	Blend with beef tallow, lard, coconut oil, or olive oil for a balanced bar.
Cocoa Butter	Hard-to-brittle bar. Creamy lather. Long lasting bar. Strong scent.		15% (can use more, but may cause cracking)
Coconut Oil	Hard bar. Abundant lather. Large bubbles. High cleansing.	Saponified coconut oil is drying. Unsaponified coconut oil softens the skin. Experiment with a 100% coconut oil soap with a 20% superfat. Add after saponification in hot process.	30% (higher than that can be drying, so be sure to superfat)
Grapeseed Oil	Soft bar. Medium lather. Mild cleansing. Shorter shelf life.	Recommended for acne soaps.	8-12%
Hazelnut oil	Soft bar. Medium lather. Mild cleansing.		5-8%
Hemp (Seed) Oil	Soft bar. Medium silky lather. Mild cleansing	Emollient properties. Keep oil refrigerated.	15%
Jojoba Oil	Stabilizes and suspends lather if used in small amounts; it can kill lather when used in high amounts. Extends shelf life of soap.	Conditions skin & hair, excellent for shampoo bars.	5-10%
Tallow (Deer)	Hard bar. Mild stabilizing creamy lather. White.	Rich in palmitate. In modern times, tallow became replaced with palm oil.	25-50%
Lard	Hard bar. Mild stabilizing creamy lather. White.	100% lard soap with no superfat makes great laundry soap.	25-50%
Mango Butter		Emollient properties.	5-10%
Meadowfoam Oil	Creamy leather. Increases shelf life of soap.	Conditions skin.	10%
Neem Oil	Strong scent.	Skin healing (?). Antiseptic, repels fleas and ticks – good for pet soaps and traveler soaps.	5-10%
Olive Oil	Starts out soft, but cures hard. Creamy lather. Small bubbles.	The low cleansing properties of olive oil make it very mild. Soap for sensitive skin, elder skin or baby skin should include high amounts of olive (60%). Castile soap is made with 100% olive oil.	100%
Palm Kernel Oil	Hard bar. Large bubbles. White.	Similar to coconut oil, but less drying.	15-30%
Palm Oil	Hard, long lasting. Mild stable lather.	Used instead of lard or tallow.	25-50%
Peach Kernel Oil		Excellent for skin (?).	15%
Rice Bran Oil	Soft bar, medium lather, mild cleansing. Gives soap a sheen making it look less dull.	Similar to olive oil.	5-12%
Safflower oil	Soft bar, medium lather, mild cleansing.	Similar to olive oil (?).	5-12%
Shea Butter	Medium hard long-lasting bar. Mild creamy lather.	Emollient properties.	15%
Shea butter	Medium hard long-lasting bar. Mild creamy lather.	Similar to cocoa butter	5-20%
Soybean oil	Soft bar, medium lather, mild cleansing.	Similar to olive oil (?).	5-12%
Sunflower Oil	Soft bar with silky lather, mild cleansing. Slows down time to reach trace.	Emollient properties.	15-20%

Simple and Luxurious Homemade 1-2-3 Lotion
Homemade 1-2-3 Lotion is Gentle and Nourishing, Easy to Make, and Loved by the Entire Family

Do you use lotion on your face, hands, or body? I rely on hand lotion several times a day. Every time my hands come in contact with soap and water, I reach for it. And that’s often! Between working on my hobby farm, gardening, playing with my pets, washing wool fleeces, and handling all sorts of materials, my hands are constantly exposed. This homemade 1-2-3 lotion is a real life saver!

Working with wool, in particular, can be tough on the skin since wool naturally absorbs oils. As I work with it daily, my hands need extra care. So, lotion is a must for me.

If I expose myself to commercial lotions and cremes in such amounts every day, I would be absorbing so many carcinogens, irritants, endocrine disruptors, toxicants, allergens, etc. Additionally, all this chemistry washed down the drain would eventually accumulate enough to disturb the ecosystem.

As Easy as 1-2-3

So, my approach to skin care is very straightforward. My lotion must have moisturizing and emollient properties, and must be slightly acidic. Such modest requirement can be achieved with three simple ingredients. Water (moisturizer), oil (emollient), and wax (surfactant – the agent that homogenizes oil and water). The key to this recipe is in the proportion of these ingredients. Too much oil will leave oil residue on the skin. Too much water will cause the lotion to separate and form water puddles on the surface (that part is easy to fix, just drain away the excess water).

My mnemonic for this magic formula is very simple: remember the magic of 3. The recipe consists of 3 basic ingredients. You will need 3 quarters of a cup of each main ingredient (oil and water). And you will need 30 grams (1 ounce+) of the “supporting” ingredient (scientifically called excipient) – the beeswax.

The simple Homemade 1-2-3 Lotion recipe
1. 3/4 cup oil (coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil work very well);
2. 30 grams beeswax;
3. 3/4 cup water (rose water, herbal or green tea are optional).
Notes:
- You can use one oil or any combination of oils as long as the total amount is ¾ cup.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of glycerin to enhance moisturizing quality.
- Your favorite essential oil can be added as an option. It should be added as the very last step in the making process.
- Add 2 tablespoons of nano-zinc oxide for sunscreen lotion.
- Citric acid or fresh lemon juice can be added to the mixture to lower the pH and work as a preservative. The normal pH of our skin is slightly acidic (low).
- Vitamin E can be added as a preservative.
Directions

The magic 3 likes this recipe. The process also consists of three steps: 1) weigh the ingredients; 2) melt oils and beeswax in a double boiler; and 3) homogenize with an immersion blender. That’s it. Let’s make 1-2-3 Lotion.

Step 1

Weigh beeswax and place it into a vessel for double boiler. The mild honey fragrance of beeswax will give your lotion a hint of honey smell. Yam!

I cut slivers from a beeswax brick purchased from an apiary. This beeswax smells like honey.

If you use coconut oil, it helps to pre-melt it on a low power in the microwave. Add 3/4 cup of oil in your double boiler.

I added 3/4 cup of melted coconut oil into the glass measuring cup.

Step 2

Place the cup containing the wax and oil into a double boiler and keep until all wax is melted.

I used a veggie steamer this time, which I filled with water above the steaming tray to keep the cup immersed above the oil level.

Keep in the double boiler until the beeswax is completely melted.

The beeswax and oil mixture looks very yellow because of the wax floating on top.

If you look at the mixture from the side, you’ll see that the layers are still separated.

The beeswax is floating on top of the oil.

In the next step, add 3/4 cup of boiling water into the mixing cup.

The oil, beeswax, and hot water are in the cup ready for mixing.

Some people boil a separate pot of water for this purpose. I simply dip three quoter measuring cups into the water used in the double boiler. My double boiler war perfectly clean to begin with. The mixing cup was clean inside and out. The water is perfectly fine for the lotion. Besides, it has been boiling for a long time — it does not have anything living in it.

Step 3

The final step in making 1-2-3 Lotion is to blend the mixture with the immersion blender.

I wait for the mixture to cool a little and start blending when the temperature becomes tolerable to the skin.

When using the immersion blender, make sure the mixture is not too hot to avoid burns.

Move the blender up and down to introduce some air into the mixture. It’s ok to pull the blender all the way out and let the air get trapped in the dome. Keep in mind that for the beeswax (surfactant) to work and homogenize the oil and water mixture, it needs air bubbles.

Blend for 3 minutes at a time and let the mixture rest and cool for about 15 minutes. Come back to it every 15 minutes and blend for 3 minutes at a time. You will start noticing that the mixture is becoming more and more white. It may never be completely white if you are using dark oils like olive oil, for instance.

Continue in this fashion until the lotion reaches room temperature and looks completely homogenized.

Your lotion should be thick and completely homogenized.

At this time, you can add other ingredients as described in the Notes above. It is not very important when in the making process you introduce any of your additives listed in the Notes. But it is imperative that your essential oil be added at a lower temperature. Otherwise, the fragrance of the oil can evaporate, and the lotion will not have your favorite fragrance.

The natural additives will make your 1-2-3 Lotion even better.

That’s it, your 1-2-3 Lotion is ready to go into jars. Keep it in the refrigerator for longer storage. Make sure your kids don’t get a hold of it. It looks like a desert and, sometimes, it smells like one.

Homemade 1-2-3 Lotion in the jars.

Sometimes, I place a large jar of lotion in the fridge (my stash :)) and a small jar on my nightstand or vanity for use.

If your homemade 1-2-3 lotion is used and kept at a room temperature it should not separate. But separation may happen if you keep it in a console of your car in the heat, for example. Simply reheat your separated lotion and re-mix with the immersion blender. The cooler the temperature, the less likely for your lotion to separate.

Try it. It’s as simple as 1-2-3 and very good for your skin.

Stay safe and healthy,

Kimberly