fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2354 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2354 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

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02.

[Kodomo no Jikan]

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03.

[figure skating/Brian Joubert]

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04.

[Stargate: Atlantis/ Sesame Street]

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05.

[K project]

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06.

[Teen Wolf]

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07.

[Married...With Children]

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08.

[Homestuck]

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09.

[One Piece]

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10.

[Game of Thrones]

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11.

[Pokémon Black & White]

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12.

[Phantom of the Opera 2004]

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13.

[Iron Man 3]

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14.

[Neverwinter Nights 2]

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15.

[Almost Human/Total Recall 2077]

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16.

[Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer]

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17.

[Fire Emblem: Awakening]

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18.

[A Bag of Hammers]

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19.

[Without a Trace]

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20.

[Big Bang Theory]

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21.

[The Three Investigators]

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22.

[Team Fortress 2]

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 043 secrets from Secret Submission Post #336.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - personal attack ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I might be shattering a few illusions here...

1) This isn't from firsthand experience, but I've heard the cheap sewing machines tend to be crap. The one you cited looks like a couple notches above a toy; it's not meant for heavy duty sewing like what you're planning. Chances are good you'll end up with a cheap hunk of plastic junk with cheap parts. Buying a decent sewing machine for $40 or less is probably not realistic unless you get really, really lucky at a yard sale or something.

2) Saving money by making your own clothes might also be unrealistic. Making your own clothes is difficult, and even if you find cheap/free patterns, the fabric is NOT cheap.

Honestly, you'd be better off hitting thrift stores to save money on clothes. But if you want to do it for fun, then go for it. I'd start small and simple, though.

Or--you might want to look into altering clothing rather than making it from scratch.

Is there anywhere nearby you can look for used sewing machines? You might get a better deal.

Sometimes craft stores might sell refurbished sewing machines. Sometimes the older ones are better made than new, but they weigh a fuckton.

Yeah, this. A sewing machine that will likely last more than a year or two is probably going to cost over $100 unless you get really lucky and find one used that someone REALLY wants to get rid of. Fabric that is actually remotely comfortable to wear (and not so thin as to be transparent) is generally not cheap, though you can sometimes find decent deals - and if you have Jo-Ann Fabrics where you are, you'll never have to pay full price for anything if you sign up for their email and snail mail fliers. But then there's the thread, buttons, zippers, snaps, elastic, interfacing, etc... If you're good at math and measuring, you don't need patterns (I've bought about two in my entire life, and none in the last ten years), but they're often the cheapest part of the whole sewing process anyway.

Meanwhile stores like Walmart and such sell articles of clothing for under $20 not because they're marked up, but because they're made in bulk, most often by people in foreign nations working for way less than minimum wage.

These days, sewing one's own clothing, at least in the US, is not a way to save money AT ALL. It's more like a fun, creative, incredibly expensive hobby.

I completely agree with your #1, Anon. A cheap sewing machine is not going to hold up, it's going to frustrate OP, and ultimately OP will have wasted time and money and effort.

I disagree to a certain extent with #2. There's definitely a learning curve to making your own clothes, but if OP is willing to shop around, OP can find cheap fabric and a lot of my friends would make stuff out of sheets they bought for cheap. OP could repurpose fabric s/he already has.

Ehhhh... I suppose cheap fabric is possible, but even if you scored decent fabric for a measly $2/yard (which is NOT going to be the norm) and you add in the cost of zippers/elastic/buttons/thread, patterns, the rest of the tools you'll need and the time and effort... that's still not going to be an inexpensive outfit when compared to buying something off the rack.

*nods nods*

It's all gonna depend on what OP wants to make.

I'm just in awe of all of you who have sewing skills. Nobody is going to want me on their end of the world survival teams. LOL

[ SECRET POST #2354 ]

Re: Sewing Machines

Re: Sewing Machines

Re: Sewing Machines

Re: Sewing Machines

Re: Sewing Machines

Re: Sewing Machines

Re: Sewing Machines