Costume shops usually use homasote board to top the cutting table and make it a pinnable surface. Homasote is a soundproofing drywall product that is sold in 4'x8' sheets like regular drywall and plywood. Quilters and quilt stores often use it for large pinboards on the wall for quilt layouts.
Since our cutting table is more than 4 feet wide in both directions and we'd need to piece it anyway, homasote wasn't necessarily the best product to hunt down for our cutting table, especially since it's currently out-of-stock at local Home Depot and Lowe's stores.
So we decided to use office ceiling tiles - an easier to haul home option that I've seen used instead of homasote in a couple places I've worked. We bought an 8-pack. Here's what we bought - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Armstrong-Ceilings-Common-48-in-x-24-in-Actual-47-719-in-x-23-719-in-Fine-Fissured-Contractor-8-Pack-White-Fissured-15-16-in-Drop-Acoustic-Panel-Ceiling-Tiles/3299184
To make the pinnable top, just put pieces on the plywood base layer of the tabletop and use regular masking tape to tape the seams. In the pieces that need to be cut to fit, use a long metal ruler and box-cutter to score the topside (line it up with the plywood edge), and then score the bottom side along the edge of the plywood. After scoring, it's easy to push down to break off the excess, and everything should line up nicely with the plywood.
Once all the ceiling tiles were cut to fit (I taped all the seams as I went), I put a second layer of masking tape on the seams and taped the edges to the plywood base. Then everything was wrapped with brown paper taped in place, and finally covered with canvas duck cloth pulled tight and stapled on the underside.
And now we have a wonderful pinnable top cutting table at the studio! I plan to use the extra 3 ceiling tiles we had to make a top for my cutting table at home at some point, so if there's anything you'd like more detailed photos of, let me know and I'll take some when I make the next one.
#SewingStudioBuild #cuttingtable #tutorial
I spent the day priming things for paint and then I remembered to shoot a quick video. #SewingStudioBuild
I started cutting all the edges while Janet was away yesterday morning. When she got back after lunch, she pulled out a roller and started filling in. I'll put a pic below in the comments. #SewingStudioBuild
We broke for lunch and then came back with a portal ac unit plugged in to an extention cord from the house. Can't wait until they finished hooking up all the electrical and we have the mini split cooling the room for us - it was stupid humid today! #SewingStudioBuild
Not bad for a first attempt at English paper piecing. I deliberately used a contrast thread so I could see if I needed to do anything differently.
I have a crazy idea in mind and this was just a test sample. It's going to take forever, but this should be the perfect mindless project to keep my hands busy when I'm listening to podcasts with my husband at night.
Triangle is 4" equilateral.
#epp
My husband sent me a "funny clothes" compilation video, and I actually kind of like this one, lol! I'm trying to wrap my head around exactly how to construct this so you could still turn everything! It looks simple but it's actually really complex!
I don't think it has any seams - looks like one giant circle. But to clean finish those holes, you'd have to sew them in steps with some burrito action. Definitely have to sew one and then the other.
I might have to make a half scale version to see if I can.
I made a patriotic 18th Century style skirt for and indie film maker to wear to her documentary premiere. Unfortunately, it has been delayed (she and her husband are still working on the final edit) and won't be out today as originally planned, but she'll have a skirt whenever it comes out later this year!
In true historical style, the skirt back ties around the waist and then the front ties around the back. This creates side openings that allow access to any pockets worn underneath. Modern women are always complaining about small or no pockets - they used to be separate accessories and as big as you wanted! (Example photos of me modeling it over my jeans at work because my coworkers wanted to see it.)
I couldn't help myself and matched the stars on the seams and even managed to hide horizontal tucks on the bottom layer that don't interrupt the stars (it's two layers of skirt). It can be worn with or without a petticoat, and the top layer can be draped with loops of red ribbon I stitched ...
