"Hey, in thinking "outside the box", it also occurred to me that you might find some commercial fishing line "plastic" or nylon that would give you the stiff effect while avoiding the metal problems of wires."

"You can also fill a bias strip (for piping) with any twine, string, yarn, or crochet thread. Think about how you will want to clean the finished item. If you use any version of "wire", it could interact with the cleaning fluid or soapy…"

"I believe the substantive difference between a layout that is "with nap" and one that is "without nap" is very simple. Fabrics "with nap" look different when viewed from opposite ends of the length of yardage.…"

"Why are you considering any product other than "pins" for this temporary holding task? Do your pins snag the slippery knitted fabric or fall out? Maybe you need ball-point pins (specficially for knits) to go with the ball-point sewing…"

"To get a sense of how much circumference "ease" any company (Butterick, Simplicity, McCall's, Vogue, etc.) builds into their patterns, you need to start with the company's basic fitting shell pattern and the chart of measurements…"

"For the "gathering-challenged", here's the easiest tip ever: Stitch with a zig-zag over a piece of string (or dental floss or button thread or crochet cotton). Don't change your tensions -- it isn't necessary. Just be sure…"