#Tape and Needle and Scissors and Thread And

[cereovo]

DIY notebook/junk journal tutorial for people on a budget

I found myself watching a lot of bookbinding videos recently & had the realization: I could probably do that at home, for free. And I was right. So before an influencer convinces you to drop 50 dollars on a book press and a fancy bonefolder, here's how:

STEP 0: MATERIALS

Cardstock - This can be any slightly thicker paper. I've been using postcards and blank greeting cards, because they're already around the size I want, but you can even use the cardboard from a cereal box if you want something sturdier.

Scissors/Xacto knife - You need at least the scissors, but the Xacto knife makes things a lot easier. If you have an actual paper cutter, use that instead.

Glue - your choice, I've been using modpodge but you can use a glue stick, etc instead.

Sturdy tape - duct tape, electrical tape, masking tape, etc. It needs to hold up to wear and tear; washi/scotch tape will not work.

Binder or Paper clips - binder clips are my preference but large paper clips work in a pinch

Ruler(s) - If you have them, I recommend using two rulers: one metal (if you're cutting paper with an xacto knife), one plastic or wood (this will be your bonefolder).

Pen or pencil

Paper scraps - These will be the pages of your notebook. You want them to be the same size or bigger than your covers. You can use literally anything; I've been using the last blank pages of old planners and notebooks, end pages of old books, and various scraps that would otherwise be thrown away.

Safety pin - Awl substitute

Needle and thread

ADDITIONALLY you should have a) a surface to glue on and b) a surface to cut on. A piece of scrap cardboard works well for both.

--

STEP 1: DECORATING THE COVER

Take the cardstock you want to use for your cover, cut it to size if you need to, and fold it in half, using the side of your wooden/plastic ruler to flatten the crease. If you want to decorate it, take a magazine clipping or paper scrap of your choice and glue it on one side ( shown below). Avoid gluing anything onto the crease.

Flip it over and trim the sides down. Cut off the corners, then glue and fold the sides over. Use the ruler on anything you need to crease.

Flip back over and repeat for the other side! Make sure to leave a gap at the 'spine'.

STEP 2: CREATING A SIGNATURE

A "signature" is a stack of folded papers, aka, your notebook's pages. Take the papers you wish to use, fold each of them in half, and nest them together. I've been using 10 sheets of paper for mine, which will become 40 pages total. It might be harder to fit more than this into a small-sized notebook. Also, I try to arrange the sheets so that the CLEAN EDGES line up at the BOTTOM of the stack, with the rough edges at the top. This way you'll only have to trim 2 sides instead of 3.

Line your cover up with the signature's bottom edge, making sure everything inside is aligned neatly. Then slap on a binder clip and trim off some of the excess material with scissors, if needed.

Use a ruler to mark where the edge of the cover is, then remove the cover to avoid damaging it (but keep the binder clip). Hold the ruler firmly in place slightly to the left of the line you just made. Carefully make repeated, even strokes with your xacto knife along the side of the ruler to cut straight through the layers of paper. Repeat with the top of the signature. A metal ruler is recommended for this step because a sharp xacto knife WILL CUT THROUGH PLASTIC AND WOODEN RULERS. I learned this the hard way, but if you're careful it should be fine. If you have access to an actual paper cutter, skip this step and use that instead!! it's way faster and safer!!

The finished signatures should be the same size as your cover now.

STEP 3: PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Stick your signature into the cover, align everything, then open to the center page. Clip the pages to the cover at the top or bottom, one on each side, in this 'open' position. Make a few marks along the center crease with even spacing.

Awl time. Using your marks as a guide, CAREFULLY push your safety pin through your signature and out through notebook's spine. You might want to use a thumbtack to make things easier on your fingers.

The next step is to sew the sheets together through the holes you made. Unfortunately this is not a sewing tutorial, so if you don't know how to thread a needle you might want to pause here and look that up. I'm using a simple saddle stitch, keeping the knots on the outside. There are many ways to do the actual book binding, including just stapling it, but this is how I do it.

You can remove the binder clips at this point. The only thing left to do is reinforce the spine. Trim the thread and fold your Sturdy Tape of choice over the spine, leaving some excess at both ends. The goal here is mainly to cover up the loose thread. Split the excess along the dotted lines shown below...

...Then stick it down on the insides of the front and back cover.

And you're done!!!!!

Enjoy your cool new handmade notebook!

[jasperthehatchet]

I upgraded my altiods tin sewing kit! (More details are in the image ID)

I added more needles, safety pins, thread, and a sharp pair of thread scissors just small enough to fit inside the tin. There's usually two needle threaders in here but one is in use atm. And there's enough stuff inside to fit perfectly so that the lid can close all the way and nothing slides around so that's nice

I am gonna post my little altiods tin emergency chronic pain/migraine kit within the next few days as well so keep an eye out for that if you're intrested

[ID: various pictures of a metal altoids tin, about 3.5 inches by 2 inches, with sewing supplies inside. A little bag of silver safety pins, varying colors of thread on 5 small spools, more colors of thread wrapped around two small rolls of paper and inside a small plastic bag, a folded piece of paper measuring tape, a small pair of orange thread scissors, a needle threader, and some buttons inside a little bag. There are varying sizes and types of sewing needles that are stuck in a small rectangular piece of green felt that fits on top of everything inside the tin. It has sharps, darning needles, embroidery needles and one curved needle.

The colors of thread included are: light pink, a muted rusty orange, white, a few shades of light brown and off white all wrapped around one piece of rolled paper. The other paper rool has more vibrant saturated colors including red, blue, yellow, dark green, and orange. The little bag had extra recycled pieces of thread i salvaged from other projects that are long enough to still be used. And the colors on the 5 small spools are black, dark mossy warm green, dark brown, light brown and white. End ID]

[trollbreak]

Yall can’t even see how before the tape, I had used thread to hold these things together lmao

Hey did yall know I have a pair of scissors I use for crafting that I refuse to let die

They’re dull from chopping up scrap cloth into fluff and the all the tape is bc the handle broke into multiple pieces. And now the cloth is bc where my thumb rests the tape shifts and I Don’t like the sticky feeling lol

[badassindistress]

Cloaks for all! A cloak sewalong for beginners

Step 0: gathering supplies

We're starting this cloak in January, but let's give ourselves the time to gather supplies.

What you are definitely going to need:

Fabric

Thread

Needles

Fabric scissors

Sewing pins

A measuring tape

Some type of closure to close the cape

Tailor's chalk or some other way to mark the fabric

A sewing machine (optional if you have more time and handsewing experience)

Bias type in a colour matching your fabric for binding (not necessary if you intend to finish your cloak in a different way)

 What will make this project a lot easier:

An iron and ironing board  - everything will look much neater

If you’re used to inches, keep a converter handy because my brain is used to centimeters

How much fabric do I need?

A lot. 3 meters (of 1.50m width fabric) for a half circle cloak, double that for a full circle cloak. If you're shorter or you want a shorter cape, it'll be less.

Necessary measurements:

Lenght of cloack = from neck across shoulder and arm down to where you want the cloak to end

Neck circumference = measuring tape goes around the neck

What kind of fabric?

Something that feels nice on your skin and isn't very light or terribly heavy. Wools are great for historical looks, velveteen is great for fantasy, silk is great if you have money to burn, etc. For your own sanity, pick something that doesn't fray too much.

[the-merry-otter]

Beginner Sewing Equipment

So! I’ve seen enough of you in my notes now going “ooh I wanna take up sewing”, so I thought I’d start giving some tips for how to do that. And the thing that comes first with any hobby is equipment. It can be a bit of an outlay at first, which is daunting when you’re not even sure you’ll enjoy it. However you honestly can get away with the bare-bones amount of equipment - further tools make it easier, but aren’t necessary straight up.

If you start on a small project, the only things you’ll really need are:

Pack of basic needles

Dressmakers pins

A spool of thread

Seam ripper / unpicker

The fabric/material you’re working with (for the love of all that is holy don’t start with velvet or faux fur they are the devil incarnate in textile form).

Then once you go “yeah ok I’m kinda enjoying this”, I recommend adding:

An iron!! This is not only to keep fabric flat, but to press seams, and help with edges. Hopefully you already have one as a household item. (If you don’t have an ironing board, lay some towels down on a table).

A pair of fabric scissors. I cannot stress enough that if you can you should buy the expensive ones it makes such a difference. (In the meanwhile, paper scissors can *technically* work they just don’t work WELL).

Dressmakers tape (before you have one of these, use a piece of string and a common ruler to do the measurements)

Tailors chalk / some kind of washable pen (a normal pencil can do the trick at first - the area where you’re marking often ends up on the ends of a seam, and can’t be seen on the finished garment).

A thimble (good for hand sewing thick wools or other dense fabrics)

A long ruler for patterning (a broom handle is an acceptable substitute for a while though)

That’s it, those are the items I use for 90% of my projects! Any other equipment will likely be specialised, which you can then buy on a needs-basis.

(The only other thing is a sewing machine, but that’s going to be a personal means thing; they are not a cheap piece of equipment! See if you can borrow one from a friend or family member to start with).

[maximilliansblog]

How to build your first fursuit head for ~$100 USD (2023)

What’s good furries? I’m sure a lot of you have a fursona and want to make your first fursuit. I recommend starting with a partial just in case you mess up or fall out of the hobby. It’s also less expensive!

This tutorial will only cover the head. I haven’t made any of the other stuff and I’m probably going to buy it online premade because I’m lazy.

1.) Have a reference sheet for your fursona.

If you are an artist, draw (the best you can) a reference sheet of your fursona from the front, side, and back. I made a little turnaround animation for mine, but this is not necessary.

Not an artist? Don’t want to draw? Commission someone to do it for you. I recommend Etsy, but you can find furry artists with open commissions all over the internet.

No money for commissions? You might be out of luck. Ask a friend or draw it the best you can. Alternatively, you can edit someone else’s fursona reference sheet to make it look like your fursona. Yeah, it’s stealing. Just don’t post it and act like it’s yours 👍

You can also go into the Roblox game, Catalogue Avatar Creator, and assemble something that looks kind of like your fursona. Take a screenshot of it from the front, side, and back, then go into a photo editor (I recommend IbisPaint or MediBang Paint, they are both free) and add in your special details.

I recommend not making your first fursuit super complicated or some kind of rare species. But you do you. It will just be really hard.

Also determine what style of fursuit you want. Toony? Kemono? Realistic? (I don’t recommend realistic for your first fursuit but you do you). This will be important later.

2.) Find Shit to Build It With

Once again, I recommend Etsy. You’ll need:

+ all the fur colors you need (try 2-3)

+ eye mesh

+ 3D printed mask

+ hot glue gun and hot glue sticks (dollar store)

+ needle and thread (dollar store or Walmart)

+ balaclava

+ styrofoam head

+ fabric scissors

+ extra foam pieces for ears or horns

Assemble all of that. It should be around $80-120 USD.

Your 3D printed mask is the most important thing. Another reason to get a relatively common species. Mine was a dragon. Remember the fursuit style you picked earlier? Search on etsy “3d printed [style] [species] furry mask” and you should be able to find one. You can also get pre-made foam heads. I don’t recommend trying to make your own head base, because A) it’s hard and B) those materials cost more money.

This shit will take a while to come in so don’t get too excited about it. My mask took like a month because it came from Germany.

3.) Mark the Color Spots on your Head Base

Basically just take a sharpie and outline the different color regions on your headbase. You can also use a pencil if you’re a pussy /j

4.) Uhhhh Eyeball That Fabric Pattern and Hot Glue the Pieces to Your Headbase

Some people use duct tape to make a pattern. That did not work for me! So I eyeballed it. Made some mistakes. That’s okay.

5.) Trim Down the Fur Length

Most people use clippers for this but I didn’t want to buy any and I didn’t know how to use them so I did it VERY CAREFULLY with scissors.

6.) Fill in the Cracks Between Your Hot Glue Seams With Loose Fur

Look at all this damn fur on the floor! If only there was something to do with it!

Put hot glue between the super visible seams where you hotglued different pieces of fabric next to each other, then pack in some of that loose fur. Cut it down if it’s too long. The seams will be less visible.

7.) Hot Glue the Eye Mesh Behind the Eye Holes

VERY CAREFULLY hot glue this so your character isn’t cross-eyed. You can try follow-me eyes but I didn’t do that with mine.

8.) Add Your Extra Details

You know like whiskers or plastic teeth or a tongue or anything else you want to put on there.

Now you’re done with the mask part.

9.) CAREFULLY Hot Glue Your Balaclava to the Inside of the Mask

The eye hole should be where your eye mesh is so that you can see out. Also make sure some of the balaclava is glued to the top of the mask.

10.) Weigh Down Your Styrofoam Head With a Heavy Rock

Or put it on a stand. Or hot glue it to the table. Whatever works.

11.) Put the Balaclava that you Glued to the Mask on the Styrofoam Head

Pretty simple. The reason we weighed down the styrofoam head is because the front of your mask will be heavy and make it fall over while you’re trying to work.

12.) ????? Put Fur On the Balaclava

You’ll also need to like add some fur connecting the sides of the mask to the balaclava. Hard to explain. You’ll probably figure it out?

13.) Trim that Fur and Put the Trimmings in the Seams Like Before

14.) Take it off of the Styrofoam Head

You may need to cut a slit in the back of the neck of your fursuit head. Not only will it help get the styrofoam head out, now your head can get in and out too!

15.) Put it on

Edit it if something is wrong. It might feel crooked but it’s probably not.

16.) Enjoy!

Hopefully this was helpful! This is how made mine.

[kryptid-writes]

Chapter 7 - Secrets Secrets Are No Fun

Coping with the new development of wings, Y/N must hide her secret from the Winchesters, but the veil falls during training when things get heated with Dean.

(2.2k)

TW: This chapter has to do with binding wings that may be viewed as similar to chest binding. If you practice chest binding, please do so safely my friends. <3

Call (1 - 866 - 488 - 7386) or visit TheTrevorProject.org for more resources.

“Disgusting.” I mutter under my breath, gazing at my back, topless in the mirror. 

The little protrusions between my shoulder blades have doubled in size since the morning light just hours ago. Reaching nearly 6 inches in length, they adorn sporadic white feathers with a golden glamor sprouting from the bone. They look frail and weak, like the feathers of a baby bird, but without a doubt, they were undeniably the early stages of wing growth. 

A single tear rolls down my cheek as I'm unable to control the rush of emotions, frustration, sadness, disgust tearing me apart from the inside out. 

This is wrong. This is all so wrong! Why me? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS!

My thoughts run a thousand miles per hour, clattering around in my brain. However, the sound of knocking on the bathroom door quickly pulls me out of my head. 

“Hey, Y/N?” Sam’s sweet muffled voice comes through the other side of the door.

“Yeah, uh, just a minute,” I reply in a panicked tone, picking up my flannel from the floor and wrapping it around my body. Unsurprisingly, the flannel did little to disguise the problem,  the fabric stretching and poking out awkwardly around the appendages. 

Great. The last thing I need right now is the Winchesters to see the freak show that is my newly sprouted wings.

“Dean and I wanna talk to you when you have a minute.”

“Sure thing!” I put on a fake chirpy voice, immediately cringing at how fake it sounds. I can practically feel Sam purse his lips and furrow his brow in reaction to my odd tone on the other side of the door.

“Right,” Sam clears his throat. His footsteps fade in the distance as he walks away. 

I let out a sigh of relief that doesn’t last long as I remember the problem at hand. There must be something in this bathroom I can use to conceal my little problem. I stumble over to the white cabinet on the wall that hangs just above the sink and fling the door open. The cabinet is practically barren with the exception of a half empty bottle of over the counter pain medication and a small plastic container with the words, FIRST AID, scribbled on it in sharpie. 

“Of course.” I say through gritted teeth, swiping the kit and slamming the cabinet shut. The flimsy white plastic cracks open under my touch, the contents spilling on the floor with a clatter. I drop to my knees, paying little mind to the bruise that will likely form from the impact, and rummage through the supplies around me. Gause, scissors, bandaids, needle, thread, and, “Hah!” I proudly exclaim as I grab the medical wrap from the pile.

Pushing myself up onto my feet and in front of the bathroom mirror, I unravel the tape and begin wrapping it around my wings. I struggle as they resist and flutter against the fabric. If they would just hold still, the process would go alot faster, and time is certainly of the essence. I bite my lip, swallowing down the pain from my sensitive wings crunching under the tape, painfully immobilized. After several wraps, I was finally satisfied and tore off the end of the bandage with my teeth, tucking it securely away. Although it wasn’t perfect, they were successfully binded flat against my back.

I pull my flannel back on, buttoning it all the way up and turn to the side to admire my work in the mirror. It’s still rather lumpy in the back, but not very noticeable unless you really squint.

I take a deep breath, regulating my emotions, wiping away the tears, and putting on my best poker face. I exit the bathroom, closing the door behind me with a quiet click.

------------------------------------------------------------

Sam and Dean sit in the library, each lost in their own worlds.

 Sam, lounging in a chair, thumbing through the pages of an old biblical book. 

Dean sits on the table, a leg resting on the arm of Sam's chair as he repeatedly sharpens a long silver blade.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I ask, grabbing their attention. I fold my hands behind my back, slowly rocking back and forth from the pads to the heels of my feet, trying to calm my nerves.

“Well, we’ve been talking it over and we think it’s best to give you some training. You need to be prepared for what’s to come.” Sam gives a reassuring smile.

“Kick the devil's ass and send him back to his maker,” Dean chuckles, playfully pointing the blade in my direction.

“Oh.” I scratch the back of my neck, conflicted at the idea of assassinating the man I have developed mixed feelings for, but also excited to learn some self defense. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, Sammy here can teach you how to exorcize demons. You can bet your ass there will be dozens guarding Lucifer. And me? I’m gonna teach you how to gank that feathery son of a bitch.” He turns the blade in his hand and plunges it into the wood of the table. It wobbles slightly before falling perfectly still.

“Okay...” Is all I can say as I struggle to process the information. 

I have no problem with exorcizing demons, the less that crawls this earth, the better. But Lucifer? Sure, I hate his guts for completely uprooting my life and turning me into some hybrid angel freak, but do I really want him dead?

The brothers give me an odd look, clearly expecting a different kind of response.

“So, where do we start?” I smile, trying to save the awkward interaction.

“I figure we start with some simple exorcism incantations.” Sam jumps up from his seat, rummaging in his jeans pocket for a folded piece of scrap paper. “This is your study guide.” He hands the slip to me.

I unfold it and written in neat handwriting is a series of Latin words. Beneath each word is the phonetic pronunciation, which is quite helpful considering I don’t know the first thing about reading Latin. I stare at the hefty paragraph, feeling rather intimidated.

“Don’t worry, I’m gonna help you,” he reassures me.

I give him a polite nod and a quick smile, trying my best to stow away my doubt.

“Repeat after me, Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,” he says, slow and clear, making sure to over pronounce each syllable. 

“Exorcizamu… Exorcizamus te omnis immu… Immundus spiritus,” I repeat, butchering almost every word. I stare at the paper, replaying each word over and over in my head til it sticks. “ Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,” I say with confidence, smiling at my correct pronunciation.

“Excellent!” He smiles, squeezing my arm with pride.

For nearly 2 hours, Sam and I read through the incantation over a dozen times until I have the pronunciation of every word down to a T. Although my brain feels fried, I can’t help but glow with pride at my improvement and Sam's relentless praises.

“Alright, I think you deserve a break for today, but I want you to practice this as much as you can. This is very important,” Sam says, clasping his hands together.

“You got it big guy,” I reply playfully.

 He gives me a disapproving look at the nickname, but smiles as he turns his head and walks away.

------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright sweetheart, you ready for some real training?” Dean says gleefully, raising his eyebrows in question.

“Born ready,” I reply with a grin, looking around the training room he had led me to.

 The walls and floor are covered in thick black padding, the fabric worn and torn in certain places. Scattered throughout the room are half a dozen training dummies, many of them riddled with stab wounds and bullet holes. An array of weights and weapons are displayed along benches and tables in an orderly fashion.

He picks up the largest blade from the table and strolls over til he’s about a foot from in front of me. 

“This here is an angel blade.” He turns the long dagger in his hands, the light dazzling off the reflective metal. “This is the only thing that can kill an angel.” He looks me in the eyes, very serious this time.

My eyes fall from his to the angel blade in his calloused hands. Anxiety and doubt plague my mind, but I swallow down my emotions and nod in understanding.

He flips the blade with ease, passing it to me with the handle end exposed. 

I take it from his grasp, the metal still warm from his body heat. It feels heavy and powerful in my hand. I’ve carried a pocket knife with me for years in self defense, having only had to use it once when some drunk guy at a bar followed me to my car, but nothing compared to a weapon like this. 

He steps behind me and wraps his hand around mine, moving my fingers to the correct placement. “Your grip on the handle is very important.” He gives my hand a light squeeze. “These fingers need to be wrapped around one side of the handle and your thumb should be pressed against the other side,” he explains. “Grip it tight.”

I do as I'm told, feeling my grip strengthen, pleasantly surprised at the difference.

“Good,” he praises. 

I can feel his warm breath on my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. He guides me to the dummy in front of us, stopping when we're all but 6 inches away.

“Now, I’m gonna teach you how to wield it, okay?” He says in a deep voice. 

“Yes, Dean,” I reply in a hushed tone. Butterflies flutter around my stomach.

He steps closer, til he’s barely an inch behind me. He wraps his warm hands around mine and I can’t help but close my eyes and relish the feeling.

“Okay, you’re gonna bring your arm back to your side, bending the elbow,” he says, pulling my arm back. 

We stay there for a minute, just savoring the moment. The tension in the room is thick, but far from unpleasant.

“Now you’re gonna use the momentum of your body to push it forward.” 

Following his directions, I force the blade forward in one swift movement.

“Straighten your elbow sweetheart,” he purrs in my ear. 

I briefly close my eyes, trying to fight the heat rising in my body, and do as he says. The sound of the blade cutting through the air breaks the silence.

“Good job,” he praises. “Okay, when you’re attacking, you’re going to want to aim right here.” He points his finger to a spot on the dummy just below the sternum, where the vital organs are most exposed.

I nod, focusing on each of his words. 

He guides my hand back, then up, just as we practiced, plunging the blade right under the rib cage until it’s buried deep inside. 

I can’t hold back the gasp that falls from my lips.

“Good, very good!” He spins me around to face him. “See you’re a natural,” he chuckles. “A little more practice with me and you’ll be a pro,” Dean winks.

“What can I say? I learn from the best.” I blush with a smile.

He thoughtfully tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes flicking back and forth between my own adoring eyes and my lips.

 I can’t help but return his interest. 

He leans in close, pressing his forehead to mine. 

My heart swells, as my pulse quickens. I hold my breath, waiting for his next move.

He leans in and ever so slightly presses his lips to mine, silently asking for my permission.

I close my eyes and lean in, claiming his lips with mine. 

Our lips move together in harmony like they are made for eachother. The kiss is soft and loving, as if we are just testing the waters, and my god it just feels so right. 

I sigh with content into his mouth as he places his hand on the small of my back, pulling our bodies together. I feel lost in the moment, wishing it would never end as his hands slowly travel up further until it reaches my bandaged wings poorly disguised under my flannel. 

He pulls back slightly, now looking at me with a mix of confusion and concern.

My eyes shoot open and my breath hitches in my throat as I realize what’s happening. The euphoric high of finally kissing Dean fades and the horror of his discovery, sits in my stomach like a ball of lead.

“Wha-,” he starts to ask.

Before he can utter the word, I forcefully push him away and rush out of the room. The world becomes muddy as my eyes blur with hot tears. I run and run until I reach my quarters and throw myself into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I toss the angel blade aside, not even registering the loud clatter of metal meeting tiles and sink to the ground, pulling my knees into my chest, not even bothering to fight the sobs that rack my body.

Series Masterlist

Full Masterlist

[untitled5071]

Oh my gosh, that AU you wrote where the roles are reversed was so cute! Do you think we could get a small followup? Pretty please? *does the best impression of Puss in Boots eyes*

Thank you so much! I hope this is adequate, thank you so much for the request! I hope you enjoy!

(Read the first part here)

🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦

“Close your eyes, okay? It’s a surprise.”

The corpse looked at him with an eyebrow raised, suspicious smile on her pale lips. They were standing outside of his bedroom door, having returned not too long ago from their limb retrieval mission. The hand of the girl who had come onto him at the party on Saturday when he was too high to consent was now sewn onto the corpse with green thread, and after a quick trip to the tanning bed it was working perfectly with the rest of her body.

They had been so excited by the successful transplant that they had danced in the backyard, but then the corpse got an idea and dragged them both inside, gesturing to the piano in the living room and silently asking him to play for her. He did, plucking out the rendition of “I Can’t Fight This Feeling” that he had been learning for his dad, and while the corpse played with the piano keys to test her new fingers, he had snuck upstairs to prepare the surprise he had been planning since he discovered her messing with his mom’s sewing supplies the day before. 

Now, he smiled back at her, anticipation and excitement coursing through his veins at the thought of her reaction to what lay on the other side. He nodded towards the doorknob, and she got the message and opened it with her newly attached right hand, peering into the bedroom as he turned on the light switch. 

There on his desk sat a sewing machine, one that had come with them from the old house and didn’t see much use anymore, save for simple repairs. Next to it lay piles of fabric; old dresses his mom would never miss, scraps of fabric from abandoned projects and even clothes of his he was willing to part with. The set up was complete with scissors, a rainbow of different thread colors, pins, extra needles, anything he could find. He had even set up his Walkman with some of the tapes he thought she would like best so she could listen to music while she worked. 

Judging by the rapid, excitable squealing from the woman next to him, the gesture was appreciated. 

She raced over to the desk, settling herself in his chair and examining the sewing machine from all angles, hands hovering over it while she attempted to figure out how it worked. He grinned, walking over to her and leaning down next to her ear. 

“You like it? I don’t know if they had anything like this while you were alive but I didn’t want you sitting at home all day with nothing to do, especially since you have two working hands to sew with now.” 

She beamed up at him and he tried not to get lost in the adorable way her eyes crinkled, so instead he began to explain how the machine worked, having just learned himself a few minutes ago. He showed her the foot pedal and the dial for the different stitches, as well as how to thread the top needle and the bobbin in case the string got caught or lost. He saw her eye flick to the different fabrics hesitantly, like she wasn’t sure if she could use them or not, so he patted the pile and handed her the topmost piece, letting her run her new fingertips over the fabric to get a feel for the texture. 

“Here, these are all for you. Do whatever you want with them, they’re yours. No one will miss them, anyway.”

She smiled again-a radiant, toothy thing-before turning towards her new craft station and getting to work. He watched over her shoulder for a moment as she felt the different fabrics and started pinning pieces together before he decided to get changed into something he didn’t kill someone in. He took his new clothes to the bathroom, calling out to her that he would be back in a moment, but he wasn’t sure he heard him over the whirr of the machine. 

That was fine by him, though, he was just glad she was enjoying herself. 

When he emerged a few moments later, he saw her working with some dark fabric, sewing long strips of it together. As he watched, he noticed her brush her unruly hair (hair that somehow got bushier with every trip to the tanning bed) out of the way several times, attempting to tuck it behind the ear they had taken from his stepdad Brad, but to no avail. It kept falling into her face, and eventually she let out an exasperated huff, stopping her sewing so she could gather her auburn locks into her hands. 

She started braiding it, and he was entranced by the nimble way she managed to separate and weave the sections with her thin fingers. Eventually, she reached the end, and started looking around for something to tie it up with. He looked around too, and finding nothing in his room he told her to hang on as he sprinted towards the master bedroom. He grabbed one of the scrunchies his mom wore to pilates and brought it back to the waiting corpse, handing it over so she could play with the elasticity of it. After a moment of fascinated inspection, she handed it back over, looking at him from the corner of her eye with a smile, holding her hair up for him. 

“Oh, you want me to…?”

She nodded, and turned back around to give him better access as he took the braid from her hands, careful not to undo any of her hard work. He wound the red scrunchie around it as gently as it could, letting it fall out of his hands when he was done before taking a step back. 

“Better?”

She grinned at him, inclining her head in thanks before hunching back over her sewing.

He grinned back at her, unseen, and decided that observing her in her element would be more comfortable on his bed, so he laid down with his arm under his head, watching her work. A slight blush dusted his cheeks as he listened to the steady and soothing sound of the mechanical needles and her quiet humming and mumblings. 

He hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep until he was being gently shaken awake by a stitched-on hand. 

He blinked, vision slowly swimming into focus and locking onto the fond blue eyes of the corpse standing above him, her braid dangling over her shoulder. The hand not being used to rouse him was behind her back, hiding something from his view. He sat up, yawning. 

“What do you have there?”

She was bouncing on her heels, giving him a smile that made his heart swell before presenting him with a vest, made from the same dark green fabric she had been working with before. She held it out to him, and he took it almost reverently, running his hands over the expert stitchwork. 

“For-for me?”

She nodded vigorously, smile so bright it was almost blinding. She gestured for him to try it on, and he obliged, standing up and slipping his arms through the sleeves. To his delight, it fit perfectly, and the corpse flitted around him, making minute adjustments to it and smoothing the shoulders down. He watched her, dumbstruck. 

“How did you even get my size?”

She pointed to the pile of his old shirts that lay on the table, and he noticed one that had been cut up and clearly used for measurements. She held up a hand and plodded over to his closet, rummaging around for a moment before emerging with a pair of light blue jeans and his Joy Division t-shirt. She nodded to the vest he was wearing and he got the hint to take it off. She took it, folding it nicely before putting it on his dresser, giving him a look that clearly conveyed that she wanted him to wear it to school tomorrow. He nodded, utterly bewitched by her. 

“You got it. Thank you. That’s just, you’re just…thank you. Really.”

She looked down, playing with her braid sheepishly as her cheeks darkened. 

If possible, it made him fall in love with her even more. 

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway outside snapped him out of it, and after another grateful smile in her direction, he brushed past her to get to the door. 

“I’m going to go downstairs and play family for a bit, okay? If you want you can get changed for bed or keep sewing until I’m done, the machine should be quiet enough for them not to notice, especially if I turn on Bob Ross. And when I get back we can figure out some new sleeping arrangements, if you want.”

She blushed again and nodded before heading to the closet to select some sleepwear, closing the folding doors behind her as the front door opened beneath them. He watched her go with a lovesick smile before heading downstairs, ready to pretend like everything was normal and that he wasn’t utterly in love with the undead lady he was willing to kill for.

[21stc3nturyd1gitalb0y]

Hellooo! How do i make patches? I want to make some very badly but I have no idea how to make them

the only things you really need are scissors and fabric! other things like glue, tape, thread/floss, needles, hardware (any kind of chains, safety pins, added objects) are great but optional.

i start by cutting the shape i want from my fabric. this can be any scrap fabric; canvas and denim are good if painting on a flimsy layer bothers you, but a thinner or silkier fabric may help you achieve more detail and a cleaner look. depending on your fabric, you may need to seal edges with glue so they don’t fray.

i use masking tape to secure the fabric to a surface as i paint it, and then freehand my design. you can also sketch out more complicated patterns with a white jelly roll pen, but i am lazy and usually don’t. i do touchups with black acrylic paint since my fabric is black.

hope this helps :)

[demonpikmin]

MASTER SHAKE'S STRAW FOR COSPLAY

EVA foam (I used 6mm thickness) first time using Eva foam? https://youtu.be/dN3NHy7Asqc?si=xw5WCLOEKci1tYAp

Contact cement (for EVA foam)

Respirator and/or a well-ventilated area like outside

Heating gun or an iron

Exacto knife/Hobby knife

Kwik seal

Clear Plasti dip

Acrylic Paints

—————————————

Pink structured baseball cap (Velcro backing works best imo)

Lipton ice tea bottle

Needle and thread

Scissors

—————————————-

If you have prior experience with using Eva foam this is relatively a light project. Eva is great for armor and prop cosplay, it’s light and durable. If this is your first time using Eva foam I highly recommend watching KamuiCosplay on YouTube she goes over the basics and what you need to know about Eva foam, heat sealing it and priming it.

This is my first time making a step-by-step thing, i don't have every photo for each step due to being in a time crunch.

EDIT: for cosplay something called like the 5 foot rule (someone please correct me if I’m wrong) where it’s you make something big enough to be noticeable from a couple of feet or more because thats how far away people are going to see you at a con.

____________________

Inside of hat

1 Empty Lipton iced tea bottle (using the neck up from the bottle)

Extremely important to not lost the cap and to keep the rest of the lid and twist part intact along with the long neck of the bottle (cut the neck just above the body of the bottle) The circumference of the cap will be used to measure the circumference of entirety of the straw. I am not good with math so what i did was tape the edge of a piece of paper and gently rolled it until it met with the paper again

The neck of the bottle will be cut into 4 sections length wise; these flat sections will lie inside of the hat and on top of your head. This is where to use a heating gun or an iron. In my case I only had an iron available to me. So, I took parchment paper between the iron and the plastic and heated it and bending them back one by one. Be sure to either sand or heat the cut corners so they don’t cut into you or the hat. I was under a time crunch so most of this prop was half assed

The flat parts will be used for support and keeping the straw upright

The twist and cap part of bottle will be used as a base to hold the straw in a “up” position

Very important to have a structured hat, it will help give support.

The button on the hat will be cut out, It seems small BUT this is where the bottle will be pushed through the hole in the hat.

After a hole is cut, much smaller hole than the circumference of the cap. This will be so the hat will be fitted around the neck of the bottle. Push the top of the bottle through so it’s just the twist part showing. KEEP THIS IN WHILE SEWING. Start to stitch below the cut to keep the seams of the hat secure and together.

heres how to start a knot: Basic Hand Sewing - Tying a Starting Knot (youtube.com)

heres how to finish off with a knot: Basic Hand Sewing - Tying a Finishing Knot (youtube.com)

i did the blanket stitch so the hat was fitted around the neck of the bottle. like the picture above the plastic support is now fitted onto the hat. So, if the hat gets knocked off of you or anything the prop will still be in one piece!

Building the straw

The foam will shrink a bit due from the heat making make a snug fit on the cap. When this happens, after the contact cement has been applied and the foam has been shaped to your desirer Kwik seal is good for filling those cracks in. when the whole thing is glued together there will be some spaces where the bendy part meets the top straw, i honestly filled it with a bunch of Kwik seal and painted it over. Once it's all glued this is where Plasti Dip comes in, it help seals in the foam from the acrylic paints. it takes a few layers of Plasti Dip i think i used 2-3 layers with 30 mins in between dry time. I also diy some metallic paint with eyeshadow to make it glisten in the sun.

Below are the mesuments of how long the bottom and top straw should be. (8 inches and 3/4ths) 9 inches basically VVVVV

this is the bottom half of the straw (7 1/2 inches to make it easier)VVVVVV and the bend of the straw, it will be 2 pieces. I really struggled with the bendy part. if anyone else finds a better way to make it please tag me ill add it onto this

the top half of the straw is short so when the straw is glued inside the "bendy" part of the straw so it may seem shorter when all put together. I don't remember much of putting the straw together to due outside stressors and con crunching

After the foam has been cut heat it up, you should see it seal itself. when its hot get it into a round tubelike shape, it make take a few times depending on what tool you're using (heating gun or iron) MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT MELT THE CAP!! while its still warm fit the cap in one end of the straw so it keeps that shape. i did not glue the straw to the cap. the foam will be tight enough for it NOT to need glue and now if needed it can be broken down for easier storage.

but it was basically heat shaping the bend of the straw, it was 2 sperate pieces that were beveled inward, heated and shaped and then glued. after that the upper straw piece was inside and when it was ready, it was heated and then glued finally. I glue some scrap pieces of foam on the bend to give it more wrinkles,,,i honestly don't know why i did that i was already mentally checked out

Sooo i think thats it for the tutorial. Hopefully i covered everything best I can. Feel free if you guys have found better ways to build this prop, all i ask is that DONT put it behind a paywall and please tag me/credit me when sharing and reposting.

It’s not required but is appreciated if you leave a kofi for me https://ko-fi.com/zimvatt

[thoughtsonhurtandcomfort]

Tiny Whumpee vs...

Craft and Office Edition

hot glue gun

sewing needle

tape

yarn

thread

ruler

clay

paper mache

jewelry wire

mandrel

scissors

hole punch

paperclip

stapler

beads

pliers

wire brush

knitting needle

binder clip

X-Acto knife

laminator

pipe cleaners

popsicle stick

rubber band

palette knife

push pins

ruler

Bonus: tiny whumpee used as a posable mannequin for reference

| Household Edition | Kitchen Edition |

[redfoxtail26]

DIY Desmond Miles Jacket

Hey folks! I've been wanting to make this jacket as a gift for my boyfriend (🤫), and noticed there really aren't a lot of good resources online, so... I suppose I'll be the resource!

I'll try to make this as beginner-friendly as possible, since I know this might be some of y'all's first project :)

(Just the materials for now! Check under the cut :])

Materials:

A pattern! This is the first thing you'll need, since it might give you an idea of what fabrics to look for. A few features don't exactly matter, since we'll be editing them anyway. For instance, I'm using this free hoodie pattern, which includes a large front pocket and slim hood, but no zipper. I'll explain later how to edit the pattern toward what's needed, but as long as it's the right size and has a hood, you should be okay.

Fabrics. You'll need a white fabric for the outer shell (mine is knit), a ribbed knit fabric for the cuffs and hem (also white), and a red fabric for the lining (I'm using some ITY — also knit, but it's light and stretchy). Hoodies generally take 2-3 yards of fabric for adult sizes (each layer), and you may need a second layer of white fabric so the red doesn't show through. You'll probably only need about half a yard of your cuff fabric, but if you (like me) can only find it in multi-yard precut rolls, it's okay to use the rest as your middle layer. Just keep in mind that using a knit fabric will make the jacket warmer, as will using rib-knit. (Texture traps heat!) [If you're making the version from Revelations, use black for your shell and cuff fabrics, and anything (or nothing!) for the middle layer. Where this guide says "white", remember you'll need black instead.]

Zippers. You'll need a white zipper for the front, two short metal zippers for the pockets, and a zipper of your choice for the hood. (You can also forgo the zipper here if you wish.) As for lengths, it won't be one-size-fits-all, so make sure to measure your pattern in the zipper locations. (You may want to wait until your pattern is done to buy your zippers!)

General kit! You'll need scissors, clear tape, needles, white thread, white embroidery floss, and pins, as well as a measuring tape (the ribbon kind!), a straightedge, and a pencil. These sorts of things are good to keep around if you sew regularly, and experienced sewists may have most of these already. If you don't, most of these can be found in prepackaged sewing kits, and the rest are relatively cheap.

Go forth, my pupils! Gather your materials! I'll be back with another post soon :)

[takemetoyourl3ader]

Hey if you want to get into diy, mainly sewing, or just want some tips you should totally read this awesome post 👽

sooo I see a lot of people on the internet who don’t really know where to start when it comes to stuff like this and im bored and want to yap so im making this post instead of doing my math homework!

DISCLAIMER: I am not saying that you absolutely have to follow these word for word, and I am not a master at diying/sewing/whatever else and there’s probably more efficient ways out there, so if there’s anything here that’s wrong or i should change, please lmk!

materials:

needle(s)+thread - for sewing (by hand!) usually these are dirt cheap at any craft store or the dollar store, or you can ask your friends/family for any they can give you. if you’re gonna buy some, any polyester thread will do. for needles, i recommend sharps because they’re great if your just starting out and for general use as well.

fabric - i started out on whatever fabric i had, google recommends cotton but if you don’t have that, it’s fine. to obtain said fabric, you can sacrifice some old clothes or ask around for unwanted clothes from people you know. thrift stores are also great, you can pick out a random shirt and cut it up

measuring tape - for measuring of course, great if you’re making clothes or tailoring them

seam ripper - change my life forever! way way easier than using scissors, saves a lot of time

fabric scissors - to cut fabric

fabric pencil - to mark your fabric for where you wanna cut/sew/anything else

box cutter - cutting boxes/cardboard, i also use these for paper to make stencils for patches. this is great for a lot of projects but scissors work just fine too!

YOU DONT ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE ALL OF THESE (except a needle and thread, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to sew) you can use whatever you have, these are just items that might make your life a little easier.

you don’t have to break bank on all the fancy stuff, whatever you can obtain works

how do i learn?:

the internet is your best friend, youtube tutorials help a bunch when you’re learning, as well as for learning how to do certain projects

maybe someone in your life likes to diy, you could ask them to teach you a couple things! my mom taught me how to sew, embroider, and crochet, learning from other people really helps!

and of course, practice! you don’t have to practice for hours everyday, just whenever you have time or whenever you feel motivated is fine! obviously you’re not going to be perfect immediately, I struggled a lot when I started but eventually you will get the hang of it. patience is key, don’t give up!

some basic stuff to learn: back stitch, running stitch, ladder stitch, blanket stitch

these are all some very common stitches that you will probably use at least once, they’re also pretty easy so i recommend starting with these

and that’s all I have as of right now! like I said, if there’s anything at all I should change/add/remove, let me know! i hope some people find this helpful, and have fun!

[costumesexpalined]

First things first, basic materials for basically any cosplay.

No need for sewing machines or even embroidery hoops, they’re pretty new in the grand scheme of things and people made insane stuff without them for millenia after all.

(I actually recommend learning hand sewing FIRST, it lets you learn how to fix your stuff in a pinch and is way easier to get into. It’s slower, sure, but it also lets you make finer, more consistent seams and if you have sensory issues tied to sound it’s FAR less likely to set you off. Plus, it’s calming and frankly impresses the hell out of people at competitions and the like and some groups (like re-enactments) do not count machine made things at all in their competitions and standards.)

All you need to sew clothing is a needle, thread, scissors, a measuring tape, a pencil and sharpener or chalk to mark things in a washable way, fabric and time.

If you aren’t totally confident in being able to track seams or keep them even, straight pins or clips helps hold stuff together. You also want these if you don’t want to transfer a pattern from paper to the fabric with drawn lines, but that’s also not exactly needed since I go off the base shapes and measurements. If you aren’t confident with holding material extremely taught while you work on embroidery or bead work and the like, a good embroidery hoop can be found second hand for pretty cheap and you can usually find a really good one for under $10 usd at a craft store with an embroidery section (with $10 being a MASSIVE one, I recommend getting a 6 inch or less unless your doing something at a standing one, which is overkill most of the time).

I’ll explain how to use the materials later, but everyone has trouble with fabric and I’ve had people balk at the cost before, so here’s where to start (or if your on a tight budget)

- broadcloth: cheap cotton, comes in a whole array of solid colors and a staple of cosplay. Be sure to make certain you don’t make something too tight with this, it isn’t the best at holding up to extreme strain. Typically about $5 usd a yard… full price.

- quilting cotton: slightly more enxpensive and usually patterned in some way broadcloth. If you go to a fabric store they will have TONS of this. Averages about $6-8 usd a yard full price, depending on the brand and store.

- old linens: a cosplay classic. Go to goodwill or Facebook marketplace or a garage sale or something and buy up a bunch of old bed sheets and stuff or some curtains and be ready to get dirty with dye, bleach, and a lot of prayers. Best to aim for solid white, makes it easier, unless you want that specific color/pattern. Upside is that these make bigger pieces easier to make. Think cloaks, super big skirts, “Aladdin” pants, things that have a high depth AND width to the piece you need. Lowers the seam count, at least.

- Muslin: I will have an unhinged rant about historical vs modern muslin later on, but this is a fabric you can get for as little as ¢50 a yard in some cases used for a pattern making method called “draping” that will also be explained at a later date. It’s thick, completely undyed/unbleached, and sturdy enough to take some abuse and doesn’t gray too bad. It’s shit compared to historical muslin, but it does its job as a cheap canvas in a pinch. Be warned: these come on VERY short bolts and often aren’t “double wide” like other fabrics, which can be an issue and lead to TONS of seams.

Again, muslin is used to make patterns usually. Will explain “draping” later but it’s pretty self explanatory based on the name.

[knotty-et-al]

Isometric dot grid stencil tool DIY

Do know when you are getting sad because you want to draw nice shapes on a blank piece of paper - but there is no helpful grid - and you have difficulties drawing straight lines - the isometric dot grid stencil tool is there to help!

Today I created an isometric dot grid stencil tool with scrap metal. And I want to write a bit about how easy it is to make. (Beware: You still need a lot of patience to punch all these damn holes into a thin slice of metal.)

[The distance between the dots is 0.5cm btw. [yes, I'm a metric system supporter. ])

Tools I used to create that tool:

- needles (one thinner and sharp needle, and one thicker needle (to dilate the holes afterwards wlth a rotating motion)

- hammer (for making the thinner needle go thru the scrap metal like a knife thru butter (but with more force... ))

- wooden/bamboo/whatever tray with a not too large hole [~ 1-2cm will suffice] (so the needle does not go into the wood, which is annoying and makes the needle unsharp very fast) - For the wooden tray I used a simple cutting board normally used for food preparation - it has a very helpful handle (just a hole with 1.5cm diameter)

- a printed piece of isometric dot paper and sticky tape (to form a tube with the sticky tape, so you can use it as double-sided tape. Add the printed paper to the sticky tube-thingy. Then attach it on the scrap metal. [It will be removed afterwards. (Removing the sticky tape afterwards is still very annoying. Thats why I left a rest on my tool. I put a looot of thought (slight exaggeration) into considering to remove it, but in the end I was too lazy to remove that part of aesthetical annoyance - It has no effect on the practical aspect. I might remove it anytime in the future when it annoys me too much and when I have more nerve to do so. )]

- a lot of patience to make whatever number of holes you want to have in that stencil. [I find this routine work calming actually.]

For the one depicted above I made approximately ~200 holes [I am too lazy to calculate and/or count the holes rn. This approximation might suffice.]

- garden scissors (to cut the scrap metal)

- pliers (to rounden the sharp edges of the cut scrap metal) [last step]

- - -- --- -----

What could you do with the stencil tool, you migt ask:

One can use it to draw an isometric dot grid on paper (for furtherly drawing shapes in the dot grid.)

One can also draw circles with it.

And one can also attach a piece of paper or other material and make holes into it with a needle or safety pin.

In the photo depicted above I made a cube pattern (with a mistake). I could continue to sew these holes together, so the cube illustration becomes more visible - and if I use a large enough thread so one could feel the lines - it could also be a card/art a blind person could "see" - alias feel.

Also: It is calming to punch holes in paper with that stencil tool.

Maybe I might also consider doing the stitching activity afterwards... Hmmm.