How to get needles out of a pincushion

Joy asks:
I can feel that needles have disappeared inside my pincushion. How can I get them back out?

I've had this happen to me too. The bad news is that the eye of the needle isn't sharp enough to make a hole in the fabric of the pincushion so you're not going to get it back out easily. If you used an incredibly strong magnet you might be able to pull it through. Worth a try.

When this happened to me I was not able to get them out so I cut the pincushion open and retrieved them. Then I bought a new pincushion that doesn't allow me to push the needle in too far if I keep the needle at an angle. (It has cardboard sides- it's a teapot.)

To keep from getting in this bind again what I suggest is always leaving some thread in the eye of the needle. Then if it does start to go inside you should be able to pull it back. Makes for a messy pincushion at times but you don't lose needles. Or you could keep your needles in a needle case instead of a pincushion. Even an old medicine bottle.

Hope this helps,
Judi

The heat tool that looks like a hairdryer

Connie asks:
What is the heat tool that looks like a hairdryer?

Ah, that's the Heat It Craft Tool from Ranger Industries. It reaches about 400 degrees Farenheit. It has a lower heat and a less powerful fan than the others.

You can get paint strippers that look like hair dryers too but they are too powerful for general craft use.

Hope this helps,
Judi

How to build your own doll finger turning kit

Anne asks:
I need to buy some rods and tubes to turn doll fingers. Although I could buy the finger turning kits through mail order doll suppliers; I wonder if the brass rod and tubes that are available at my local Ben Franklin work just as well. If so, what size rods and tubes should I buy?

The brass rods and tubes will work fine. The hobby shops usually sell these in about a 12" length. You can cut them in half if you want and you'd have two sets. You can get really long tubes from the hardware store and you can get 3 sets out of those. You can cut them with a Dremel or use a little tubing cutter. But you have to bevel the edges and get rid of any burrs. A grinder works well for this. But it's more trouble than it's worth if you ask me (I used to make and sell these). So just buy the shortest length you can find. The 12" would be okay without being too unwieldy.

Anyhow - here's the sizes I would buy to make my sets: 5/32, 3/32, 1/8, and 3/16. Those are the hollow tubes. You only need one rod to turn the fingers with. Just find the thinnest, strongest rod that will fit in your smallest tube. I recently bought one that was 1/16" if I recall correctly. These sizes work great for 22" inch dolls and smaller.

Hope this helps,
Judi

What is the best tool for cutting Dupont Tyvek Soft Structure

E.L. asks:
I'd like to know Which would be the best (since I am lazy & don't know anything about sewing) to use on Dupont Tyvek Soft Structure, Pinking Shears or Burning Tool? I bought a new Dupont Tyvek Soft Structure car Cover for my Classic Car, and I want to use the old one in various sizes to make some Japanese Painting Scrolls.

I have only had hands-on experience with hard structure Tyvek, such as what is used in envelopes. The Soft Structure is more fabric like. But since it is essentially all spunbonded olefin the physical properties should be similar.

After taking a look at some Japanese Scrolls it seems that the actual painting is mounted onto other materials to form a 'frame' of sorts. The sides of the painting are straight so I think that neither of those choices would be the best for cutting your car cover into 'canvases'. The Tyvek shouldn't fray so you can cut it and use it without applying an edge finish (such as hemming). My recommendation would be to use a rotary cutter, which is basically a rolling razor blade. You can buy these in your craft store in the quilting notion area. You would lay a straight edged ruler on your cutting line and roll the rotary cutter against it. But to answer your question .... between the pinking shears and the burning tool, I would use the pinking shears. When you apply heat to the Tyvek it could curl the edges, as Tyvek tends to shrink away from the heat source.

Now for some technical information, straight from the horses mouth (ie. Tyvek Corporation):

Soft Structure Tyvek is designed specifically for applications where drape, hand, and soft feel are of prime importance. Made from very fine high density polyethylene fibers, Tyvek® offers all the best characteristics of paper, film, and fabric in one material. This unique balance of properties, which cannot be found in any other material, makes Tyvek® Soft Structure lightweight yet strong; vapor-permeable, yet water, chemical, puncture, tear, and abrasion-resistant. Tyvek® Soft Structure is also low-linting, smooth, and opaque. Can easily be sewn. It is a high opacity material with excellent whiteness and good surface stability that can be glued, sewn, and, to a limited extent, ultrasonically seamed and heat-sealed in fabrication. It can also be printed, although it is more demanding than hard structures.

Here are the hazards of working with Tyvek and heat (copied from the MSDS):
When exposed to temperatures at or above its melting point of 275F (135C), Tyvek(R) tends to shrink away from the heat source. If the heat source reaches the auto-ignition temperature of 750F (400C), Tyvek(R) will burn and ignited droplets may fall or be blown away from the ignition source, which can cause fire to spread. Gases/vapors produced in fire from complete combustion ofTyvek(R) are CO2 and water. Incomplete combustion yields hazardous gases/vapors including CO, acrolein, other aldehydes, ketones, fatty acids and short-chain hydrocarbons.

When we melt the Tyvek with the burning tools we are faced with the gases/vapors from incomplete combustion so proper ventilation and/or the wear of respirators is essential.

Hope this helps,
Judi

How to use burning tools as fabric scissors

Rhianon asks:
I have heard that you can use a burning tool as scissors with fabric butI don't understand what that means. Thank you.

Oh, more pyro stuff! One of my favorite things to do. Yes, you can use a burning tool as scissors although you aren't really cutting with them, you are melting the fabric instead. You can use a fine-tip soldering iron, a hot knife (specialty tool), or a woodburning tool. You can use it on nylon and polyester to cut and finish the edge, all in one step. The fine tip allows you to draw graceful curved designs freehand, and the heat-finished edge prevents fraying. For instance, it is great for making holes in fairy wings (organza) and for creating shape. If you have an art quilt that has many layers of sheers you can burn through the different layers to show different colors - or just for the texture and embellishment aspect of it all. There are quite a few art quilt books that teach how to do this.

There are two safety issues here; 1) fumes 2) red hot tools. Melting synthetic fabric can release fumes and/or chemicals into the air so you should do this in a well ventilated area or wear a respirator. Naturally your tool must be hot to melt the fabric and therefore it can also burn your skin. Be very careful with these tools and never leave them unattended.

Hope this helps,
Judi

How to unclog a gel pen

Deena asks:
How do I unclog my gel pens, and then how do I keep my gel pens from clogging?


Ah, good question! First of all make sure you are buying a good brand of pen - the better pens have reformulated their inks so they clog less. Don't buy your gel pens from the dollar store. Try Sakura or Pentel. One of my very favorites is the Gel Xtreme by Yasutomo (Y&C). Although I only use the black and white - their other colors are metallics.

First thing to do is start scribbling in a circle. The tech help at Sakura says "The motion makes the tip (ball) roll and causes the gel ink to be pulled into the ball tip chamber. It might take a few tries, but this might work. There is no guarantee though that this will start it again.

It is very important to put the cap on the pen between uses because unlike regular ballpoint pen ink, gel inks need to be kept sealed away from air. Prolonged exposure to air will cause the gel ink to dry-out in the tip/ball chamber. There is a tiny silicone ball in the cap that "closes" or touches the tip and prevents any air from drying out the gel in the ball chamber when the cap is on."

When that doesn't work I tend to hold the tip over a heat gun for a few seconds. This has usually worked for me. I also scribble on my skin as the oils seem to help unclog the pens too.

It's important to store your pens laying down (horizontal) rather than in a vertical position also.

Best of luck!
Judi

The Embellisher: What is machine needle felting?

Marianne asks:
I would like to know what the difference is between an "embellisher" and my good old Singer sewing machine? On a lot of my blog tour people mention this "embellisher", what can be done with it? How does it work?


The Embellisher is a specialty machine that doesn't sew with a needle and thread. It uses felting needles to 'mesh' fibers together. The Babylock Embellisher uses 7 needles to do this. Some machine manufacturers have come out with an accessory that needle felts. Bernina has one called a Decorative Needle Punch Accessory - it uses 5 needles and has a special throat plate. Brother has a machine felting accessory and Janome has a stand-alone machine. There is one more I have heard of called a Pierrot but I don't know if you you can get that in the US. All have special guards to keep your fingers from the needles.

What can be done with it? You can decorate existing garments, you can add 'trim' to existing fabric and make something from it, you can make unique fabric, art quilts, appliques, and I'm sure there is a lot more. But you can't sew two pieces of fabric together with a needle and thread. It doesn't sew.

So how does it work? The felting needles are extremely sharp and have little barbs or hooks at their base that pull fibers from the top layer through to the bottom layer and they embed together. You can use wool roving or yarns or even certain materials. It's all an experiement. As long as you don't break a needle on it you can probably felt with it.

Paula Scaffidi was one of the pioneers of fiber art using the Embellisher. If you visit her site you'll find most of your questions answered in depth, plus galleries and even a tutorial or two. One tutorial has a short video clip where you can see her machine in action.

I have the Decorative Needle Punch Accessory and it's fun to play with although I don't use it too often.

Hope this helps,
Judi

Cleaning Paint Brushes and Paint Brush Quality

Susan asks:
Does the quality of a brush make a difference when you are cleaning them? I used a cheap craft brush to paint some gesso on wood and it took forever to wash it clean. I was thinking maybe the cheap brushes are more porous or something. Thanks!

The quality of the brush can make a difference in a lot of ways. Some of the REALLY cheap brushes, the kinds that come in a set of 20 for $3 or come in kiddie paint sets, are made of some really cheap natural animal hair. Animal hair is more porous than synthetic hair. Really cheap brushes are certainly more difficult to use and get good results because they are more difficult to control. They are also more likely to shed. These qualities could make the brush more difficult to clean depending upon what you are trying to remove.That is the short answer.

While we are on the subject, however, I would like to point out that there are some inexpensive brushes that I would not necessarily classify as cheap (inferior, poor quality). As an example, both Royal & Langnickle and Loew-Cornell have a line of brushes that sell for $2.99 regardless of the size of the brush. These are pretty good quality brushes. In fact, I use them for my acrylic painting because they are reasonably well made, inexpensive and I don't feel bad if one gets ruined. Decorative painting can be very hard on a brush because you are using so many different surfaces that are not necessarily smooth. If you don't clean your brush properly and leave paint in it, acrylics will ruin your brush in a heart beat. For my watercolor work I use white nylon brushes and for my Genesis oils I use the Royal Majestic brushes. These brushes all have qualities that suit the medium I am painting with. I prefer the synthetic filiment because it will hold its shape and is easier to control. This is what I recommend to my students as well.

The bottom line is, use the right brush for the job. If I were applying gesso, I'd probably use a cheap foam brush and throw it away when I was finished.

Hope this helps!
Judy Leasure, TDA

Heat It Craft Tool

Donnie asks:
You mention that you like the Heat It craft tool do you know the temperature that it reachs. I need it for paint that cures at 275 farenheit. and would like to know if it would do the job.

Patti from Ranger Industries says this tool reaches approximately 400 degrees Farenheit.

Hope this helps!
Judi

All about heat guns

Shoshanna asks:
I want to buy a heat gun for general craft use and I'm not sure what type to buy. Any advice?

I think you can break down heat/embossing guns into these categories: Commercial heat guns, crafting high temperature heat guns, and crafting low temperature heat guns.

Commercial heat guns (paint strippers) are overkill. The air flow is too strong for most applications, they get way too hot for what you would probably need to do, and they are also very expensive.

If you go to your craft store (in person or online) you'll see that there are a few brands of high temperature crafting heat guns. They don't look like your standard hair dryer heat gun - they look like long straight tubes. Two brands that come to mind right off the bat are Darice and Marvy Uchida. The Uchida heats up to 680 degrees Farenheit and the Darice to 650. These are great for general use and I have one that I use mainly for melting fabric and felt. My husband just stole it from me to melt wax to rub into some leather knife sheaths.

One that I really like is the Heat It tool - it is a lower temperature/lower air flow gun. This one looks like a hair dryer. I don't like it for fabric melting applications because it doesn't get hot enough but it's great for embossing because it doesn't blow your powder all over the place. I prefer to use this one for any rubber stamping project.

Here's my recommendation - if you can afford it - get one of each! A high temp and a low temp.

Hope this helps!
Judi

Vises and woodburning safety tips

Anne asks:
I have a Versatex tool, which solders, as well as burns wood and which I plan to use for doll making projects.I would like to burn some "faces" on some 1 1/2 -2 inch diameter beads; but am wondering what is the safest way to do this.Do people use a certain type of glove to hold the bead while doing this fussy work? I plan on using a heat proof ceramic tile under my work. I would be interested in safety precautions for any type of wood burning or soldering.

Ah, pyrography ... anything with pyro in it sets my heart on fire! I love to burn and melt things. First lets address the safety precautions. Because you don't know what chemicals or other additives may have been used in the process of creating the beads I would recommend wearing respiratory protection. There are a lot of woods that release toxic fumes when burned. You can buy a half-mask respirator at your local hardware store or online. I bought mine (for toxic fumes) from ULine - it was recommended to me by some folks on an art quilt list. You should work in a well ventilated area and have a fire extinguisher nearby (although I doubt your tool will burn hot enough to cause a fire). Never leave your burning tool unattended and make sure your work area is uncluttered and free of hazards.

The other part of your question concerned how to hold the bead while you work on it. I would recommend a mini bench vise. You can buy tabletop vises or clamp-on types. A lot of the mini vises don't open very far so be sure to read any labeling when you shop. The Pony light duty clamp on vise opens to 2.5 inches. Dremel makes a nice one that opens to 4 inches but it is more expensive. To keep a tabletop vise from moving, mount it to a piece of wood and then clamp the wood to your work surface.

If you do buy a mini vise be sure to use some leather inside the jaws so you don't end up with marks on your beads (either drape it in a 'U' shape or glue a piece to each of the jaws) . You should be able to find mini vises at your local hardware store. If not, there are some on eBay.

Hope this helps!
Judi

Why can't you find small pinking shears?

Mickey asks:
Where I can buy a pair of teensy tiny pinking shears, for cutting out incredibly small doll parts? Mine are huge. Thank you so much.

Sigh. I wish you could find teensy tiny pinking shears, I'd be first in line to buy a pair! Pinking shears are thick bladed, sawtoothed scissors. If you look closely at them you will see that their edges are turned under 90 degrees to the blade. It is this design that makes it near to impossible to reduce their size. I wrote to Mundial, Gingher, Fiskars, and Cooper-Wiss and asked why these scissors aren't manufactured in smaller sizes. David Wolff, President of Wolff Industries (who make Mundial scissors) said: "The process used to make pinking shears would be very difficult to use to make something that small. The teeth stay the same size no mater what the blade length is, this is because of the limitations of the grinding equipment and the lapping process used to make the pinking scissors cut." Meredith from Gingher added that a small scissor would have to have a thin blade and that wouldn't support the type of blade used in pinking shears.

You can buy pinking wheels for rotary cutters and they might work for some of the body parts, such as legs and arms. Unfortunately they only seem to come in the 45mm size. Other than that I think you might be stuck with clipping your curves with your small straight-edge scissors.

Just for fun I looked up the history of pinking shears. According to Wikipedia:

Louise Austin of Whatcom, Washington, received United States patent number 489,406 on January 3, 1893 for "Pinking shears". The patent describes how "pinking scissors or shears" are superior to the existing tools at the time, "pinking irons" and "pinking cutters". The operation of the shears are described as "pinking" or "scalloping". There are references to "cut ornamental openings in the body portion of fabrics" but no references to the more utilitarian function of preventing fraying.

Hope this helps!
Judi