Marcusstratus

I'm currently not accepting custom work/commissions.

Not seeing any thorough videos on YouTube about waxing flat fabric, I decided to make my own. This shows techniques I've learned through the trial and error of previous projects. I discuss how to wax uncut fabric but most of the techniques can also be applied to premade items, it will just be harder to control consistency.

A couple items I forgot to include are:

1, Don't drag the squeegee across unmelted portions, you will just remove wax that would otherwise have melted into the fabric, giving you thin spots when you go over that portion with the heatgun.

2, Also, you can take the wax you're using, solidified, and rub it onto the surface of the fabric to add a little bit more to those thin spots where you didn't get enough fabric in the first place. Better than going over the thin spots with a brush because then you get too much wax.

Other methods include using solvents to get the mix absorbed into the fabric (but those smell and take a long time to get the solvent evaporated) or to thoroughly wax the fabric and then place it in the oven and the wax melts into the fabric once it gets up to temp. The way I present controls burning better and still provides super consistant results. My method probably takes longer than the other two, but you wont mind after you're all finished because of how well it's done. 

Cheers all,
Mark van Weerd

I'm currently not accepting custom work/commissions.

I haven't bothered to be on social media much because it hasn't been convenient enough. Now I have an iPhone 5 and can quite conveniently post updates to Instagram and Facebook, and I've been doing just that. With this Winter Coat I'm currently working on I've taken several shots of my workspace and the progress I've done on it. More of what I post is random updates and insignificant steps, leaving the best stuff for dA... 

I also want to do more tutorials, through Instructables and YouTube, so I'll mention when that starts to happen.

Cheers all,
Mark van Weerd

I'm currently not accepting custom work/commissions.

Late last year I suggested to the folks at work that they put my mechanical skills to use and allow me to take care of the various machines we have. So along with new responsibilities, they also want to make sure I'm well versed in the workings of our various types of sewing machines. This means that I also get some specific training through work.
At first it was quite difficult finding locations in the USA that offer sewing machine repair training at an industrial level (lots of rinky-dink places to learn about domestic machine repair) Eventually I found several and narrowed it down to the maintenance and repair school offered by Union Special in Illinois. Union Special www.unionspecial.com/ is an older machine company that has produced several kinds of machines in the past but the current line is quite specialized. Even so, they offer a variety of courses even if they don't make those specific machines currently. Other places I looked into, like JUKI or Brother only offered training on their particular machines.
So even though I have mostly been a maker/sewer in the past, I do enjoy tinkering and so I'm definitely looking forward to this. I'll be there for a couple weeks and am currently trying to decide what to do with myself while I'm not at school. If any of you are in the Chicago/Huntley area, let me know! We could have a mini devMEET.

Cheers all,
Mark van Weerd

I'm currently not accepting custom work/commissions.

Since there probably aren't very many people interested in the mechanical aspect of sewing machines like myself, this group is mostly about sewing machine appreciation. I have photography and illustration folders and members can be anyone who enjoys sewing machines at any level. There are also folders for work spaces, using machines and restoration/rebuilding.

Cheers all,
Mark van Weerd