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Hello! My name is morg, and I'm gonna show y'all baby punks a few tips when it comes to crustifying ur shit >:] Before we get into the tut, tho, you need to know something;
Punk DIY and culture is all abt individuality, and doing your own thing and being whoever you wanna be, and ignoring the regular rules of beauty standards and normal society. There's no "rules" for looking a certain way in the punk scene, aside from lace code n shit. All that matters is what you believe in and what you're willing to do to stand for it. Punk culture is steeped in political history, and if you're not aligned with punk culture's beliefs, then this isn't the culture for you.
Now, on to the tutorial shit.
How the fuck do I sew shit on??
Pretty straight-forward, but I do see new punks worry abt if there's a "correct way" to do it, or sometimes ppl just don't know bc they were never taught (dw, it's common for ppl to not know how to sew but we're here to fix that :] ).
We're gonna be using my recently started pair of crust shorts as an example in this tutorial post.
As you can see, I've already got a bit of a headstart on these. Every patch is painted by hand with help of a stencil (also made by hand, there will be a tut on that later).
These are the things I will be using to sew on our example patches today. Not all of these are required, but they can be helpful :] Note how I have a lil tin box to keep my sewing supplies in. Also not required, but it does guarantee that I can't lose my stuff and that loose needles wont poke through the case. If you want one, you can find Altoid's mints in most stores (my box is from a dab cart I bought like 4 years ago lol) ((also, don't use the type of floss in the pic, it rlly rlly sucks lol it's just what I have)).
The 1st step is getting your needle and thread ready. Lick one end of the thread to make it wet, and then sorta pinch and roll it so it doesn't fray when you get it in the needle eye. Push one end of the thread through the eye of the needle (the lil hole on the non-pointy end). After you do that, take both ends of your length of thread (I use 2 arm's length) and make them meet. Then get ready to tie a knot near the end of the thread ends, the same way you'd tie off a water balloon. Roll the ends of the floss/thread together so it's easier to tie a knot. I personally like to tie the knot 2-3 times to make sure it's big enough to not get pulled through the fabric of the patch and the thing the patch is being sewed onto.
For visual learners, here's some pictures below, step-by-step on how to tie the knot. (they're upside down, but I think it'll be okay);
Now to start sewing the patch on (finally).
Sewing on Patches
As you can see, this spot has started wearing thin in the crotch area from how long I've had these shorts. (This is one of the most common spots where holes show up.) Let's fix that.
Lay the patch over the hole, try to center it if possible. I don't usually use safety pins bc I've gotten pretty good at sewing stuff on without them, but I will be for the sake of this tutorial. Put the pins on the corners, so they don get in your way while you sew.
Some ppl worry abt how to stitch it on and if there's a "correct" way to do it. Nope. As long as it stays on, it doesn't rlly matter. But there's some easier and some harder ways to stitch patches on. I kinda adapted my own way of doing it, so if this doesn't work for you, try to find a way to do it so it's easy for you. There's no wrong answers. Here's how I do it;
Pick any old place to start on the patch, it doesn't matter. Just remember to keep the patch as flat as possible against the fabric of your DIY clothes. If you don't, the patch might "wander" away from the spot it's supposed to cover.
For sewing, I do this "tuck" thing. I don't know how to word it at all.... BUT! It's a helluva lot easier than the usual method of pushing the needle through one side, then reaching under the fabric and pushing the needle back through that side. This tucking method makes sewing faster, and usually results in flatter stitches that don't curl up the edges of the patch (I'll show an example of that later). Here's some more step-by-step pics;
Now just sew your patch on the rest of the way, and you're done! Some ppl might worry abt placement and what'll make your crust-whatever's look cool. Just stick em on, dude! Put em anywhere, it doesn't matter bc eventually the whole thing is gonna get covered in patches, and eventually those'll wear down and you'll cover em with new ones. Just have fun with it. Again, if this method doesn't work for you or doesn't make sense to you- find your own way to do it. Whatever works easiest for you and has the results you want is best!
I rlly hope this was helpful for some ppl! If anyone has questions abt anything, go for it, I'm happy to help.
The next tut I'll be posting will be abt maintenance of your DIY crusties :]
We're gonna be using my recently started pair of crust shorts as an example in this tutorial post.
As you can see, I've already got a bit of a headstart on these. Every patch is painted by hand with help of a stencil (also made by hand, there will be a tut on that later).
Getting the Needle/Thread Ready
Now, arguably the 2nd most important thing abt sewing is "anchoring on" and choosing the right length and type of thread. Usually, I use floss as thread. It's much stronger, easier to find, and much cheaper for more compared to if you bought a sewing kit. It's also a lot easier to get through the eye of a needle, imo. But I do keep regular thread just in case I run out of floss.These are the things I will be using to sew on our example patches today. Not all of these are required, but they can be helpful :] Note how I have a lil tin box to keep my sewing supplies in. Also not required, but it does guarantee that I can't lose my stuff and that loose needles wont poke through the case. If you want one, you can find Altoid's mints in most stores (my box is from a dab cart I bought like 4 years ago lol) ((also, don't use the type of floss in the pic, it rlly rlly sucks lol it's just what I have)).
The 1st step is getting your needle and thread ready. Lick one end of the thread to make it wet, and then sorta pinch and roll it so it doesn't fray when you get it in the needle eye. Push one end of the thread through the eye of the needle (the lil hole on the non-pointy end). After you do that, take both ends of your length of thread (I use 2 arm's length) and make them meet. Then get ready to tie a knot near the end of the thread ends, the same way you'd tie off a water balloon. Roll the ends of the floss/thread together so it's easier to tie a knot. I personally like to tie the knot 2-3 times to make sure it's big enough to not get pulled through the fabric of the patch and the thing the patch is being sewed onto.
For visual learners, here's some pictures below, step-by-step on how to tie the knot. (they're upside down, but I think it'll be okay);
Now to start sewing the patch on (finally).
Sewing on Patches
As you can see, this spot has started wearing thin in the crotch area from how long I've had these shorts. (This is one of the most common spots where holes show up.) Let's fix that.
Lay the patch over the hole, try to center it if possible. I don't usually use safety pins bc I've gotten pretty good at sewing stuff on without them, but I will be for the sake of this tutorial. Put the pins on the corners, so they don get in your way while you sew.
Some ppl worry abt how to stitch it on and if there's a "correct" way to do it. Nope. As long as it stays on, it doesn't rlly matter. But there's some easier and some harder ways to stitch patches on. I kinda adapted my own way of doing it, so if this doesn't work for you, try to find a way to do it so it's easy for you. There's no wrong answers. Here's how I do it;
Pick any old place to start on the patch, it doesn't matter. Just remember to keep the patch as flat as possible against the fabric of your DIY clothes. If you don't, the patch might "wander" away from the spot it's supposed to cover.
For sewing, I do this "tuck" thing. I don't know how to word it at all.... BUT! It's a helluva lot easier than the usual method of pushing the needle through one side, then reaching under the fabric and pushing the needle back through that side. This tucking method makes sewing faster, and usually results in flatter stitches that don't curl up the edges of the patch (I'll show an example of that later). Here's some more step-by-step pics;
Now just sew your patch on the rest of the way, and you're done! Some ppl might worry abt placement and what'll make your crust-whatever's look cool. Just stick em on, dude! Put em anywhere, it doesn't matter bc eventually the whole thing is gonna get covered in patches, and eventually those'll wear down and you'll cover em with new ones. Just have fun with it. Again, if this method doesn't work for you or doesn't make sense to you- find your own way to do it. Whatever works easiest for you and has the results you want is best!
I rlly hope this was helpful for some ppl! If anyone has questions abt anything, go for it, I'm happy to help.
The next tut I'll be posting will be abt maintenance of your DIY crusties :]
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