Posts tagged crafting
Makin' Latex
KINK ENGINEERING: The life and times of a latex saleswoman...
More info for the person who asked about GLOVES
I recieved an email from a reader with the following info:
re: the person who asked about making gloves out of sheet latex. Point her towards this link, might help a bit.
http://latexcrafters.livejournal.com/206127.html
Keep up the good work! And thanks for introducing me to YLNT, those
guys are great!
Scott
Thank you Scott! That’s very useful stuff.
May the Razzledazzle be with you.
@ therubberroom (add on to an earlier post)
To see what I mean by “off the table with hand in reverse prayer position” check out the curved shoulder seam work that I’m doing in this video at the ~3:00 mark.
I have left hand under the bottom part and right hand guiding the top part into place. I work about 1” of seam at a time then re-adjust. You need to be careful not to leave a ton of wobbles in the seam, so a really consistant curve and pressure are key.
Practice, practice, practice.
This technique is super important if you want to do some really sharp bends like in the nose/chin of a hood. It’s not beginner stuff… but it’s always good to start trying it out before you need to use the skill.
Making a bathrobe - Kink Engineering (by kinkengineering)
therubberroom asked:
I absolutely love your work and really enjoy reading your blog here but this isn't the place for me to gush over it. I recently got into latex clothing making but I am having a horrid time working with curved seams. Are there any tips you can offer to a new crafter that would make this process easier?
Sure! Start here:
http://makinglatexclothing.com/2009/02/how-to-glue-straight-and-curved-seams-tutorial/
Some of the information (about glue especially) is different from how we do things. There are regional differences between North American rubber crafters and European.
There are a lot of different ways to work on a curved seam, some people stretch the top part while the bottom layer is laying flat on the table. I personally like to run the curved seams off the table with the seams running along my index fingers of each hand and slowly rolling them into each other with my hands in a reverse prayer position. (see my next post for a video of this)
In the end, you’ll need to try a bunch of curved seams and discover which technique works best for you.
Short tips:
- Mark your seam allowance with gel pen. This helps keep your seam from varying in width. I do dots every 1/2” or so.
- Aim for a seam allowance mark at least an inch away from where you are currently sticking down your seam. This will help steer your curve.
- Remember that one layer will end up stretching as you make the seam. This will ultimately shape the final part (with a concave or convex shape depending on if you stretch the top or bottom of the garment)
- If you stretch one part as you make the curved seam, it’s seam length will increase… you may need to account for this in your pattern, or try to stretch both top and bottom equally.
- Take your time and work on latex when you are in a good mood. If you are tired or frustrated it will show in your work.
There are workshops by Ego Assassin clothing… and they are also working on a series of video tutorials (coming out about one every 2 months).
Best of luck, and welcome to the latex crafting club! It’s fun.
~Matt.
www.sheetlatex.com - For all your latex crafting needs
Snatchy McBighty!!!! RAWWR!!!
I made a special outfit for Kink Engineering’s all latex party WET a few weeks ago. I don’t have any photos of the dress yet but I can share this photo of the appliqué I made for it. I thought a shark dress seemed fitting for a pool party :P
Latex Crafting Corner:
What a lovely workspace for your latex crafting! Watch out that you don’t leave your projects out in the sunlight though.
The latex is suceptable to sun damage when it is “fresh”… once a garment is complete, you can treat it with Armor All or another rubber conditioner to help protect it from sun damage, but you can only do that when all your seam work is done - silicone based stuff in your seams will make them very weak.
Store your latex in a cool dark place, and don’t leave projects out “overnight” as the morning sun sometimes will give them a whiteish stain before you remember to put them away.
I can’t wait to see what capsulecouture starts making!
Set up the studio today and low and behold the first shipment arrived! Also Skippy seems to think it’s his studio as well, lol!
A nice article about getting started in making latex by Mistress Calico: Visit her Blog for the full article
I started making latex clothing out of stubbornness. Surprise, right? I didn’t like its expensive, impractical and finicky reputation. In particular I took offense to the notion that it could only be made by skilled craftspeople working in top-secret European laboratories…
She is working with sheeting from mixed sources including www.sheetlatex.com (pictured: Metallic Mocha 0.45mm and Transparent Natural 0.45mm dress)
Another one joins the www.sheetlatex.com crafting army!!!
I made a latex shirt for my first project! I cut up a shirt I didn’t like for a pattern and gave it about a half inch extra for seam allowance. It came out ok for a first try, and I think the hardest part was probably a toss up between cutting out the shapes with the rotary cutter and gluing the sleeves on.
Thanks KE for the latex and making it easy to try my hand at something new!
~boy nico
Exciting! Let us know if you need any tips on getting it just right! We’d love to see the final result.
I’ve just ordered an a3 Prat presentation book for my illustration portfolio… but here’s the twist… I’ve just ordered some sheet latex from Elastica Engineering, and I’m going to make a cover for my book out of latex, to give it that visual edge. If I’m feeling extra adventurous I might actually build in a zip around the edge.
We now have more TRIM STRIPS available on our online latex store! They’re super useful for saving time when adding trim to hems, zippers, collars, and more. Plus they make for great reinforcements, and accent strips!
Now available in Black, Trans, White, Pewter, Blood Red, Medical Red and Yellow.
soverypicturesque asked:
Hi, I'm new to working with latex and I was wondering how I clean any excess glue off it? Will some kind of white spirit do? Thanks :)
Good question. I am unfamilliar with white spirit… so I can’t say yes or no on that particular product.
We use Bestine Rubber Cement and Bestine Rubber Cement Thinner for our production needs. The thinner is great for cleaning the seams in advance of applying glue, and for cleaning up extra glue once the seam is placed and rolled.
You can order that stuff from Bestine, or find a local art store to purchase your glue. This is good advice for people in North America. Glues differ in Europe/Australia/etc. We do not sell glue through www.sheetlatex.com because 1) It is very difficult to ship as a flamable material and 2) It is usually available locally. The exception to this is the small amount of glue/thinner available in our crafting starter kit product.
I always clean the extra glue away and allow for a little drying time BEFORE I powder the seam. Otherwise the talc ends up stuck in the excess glue, and you’ll have dull bits, or white residue around your seams.
Always clean along the seam instead of across it. That way you will not tend to flip your seam up while cleaning and create a weakness. (think of it like carving with the grain of wood) Flat, smooth, bubble-less, flawless seams are strong and will last.
Best of luck!