#and then put that piece of fabric on top of my other piece of fleece

[tj-crochets]

Giant manta ray of caution!!!!

Sometimes you just want to make a giant plushie to see if you can and the only fleece you have that’s big enough is neon orange and yellow

Featuring a mini manta ray made using @firesidetextiles space fabric for scale. And also me, for scale lol

[sofiasfanartcollection]

Hi! ^^ I thought it would be fun to share some pics of my Hypno and Warren inspired plushies :]

The hippo is a weighted plushie from the Etsy shop, CuddleCalm. I spool knit the worm with soft yarn and used a pipe-cleaner to make him pose-able and sewed him a tiny outfit. I also made the top hat and jacket for Hypno :]

(Note: my version of Hypno has a top hat not a turban since it was confirmed canon Hypno was not wearing a turban for religious reasons. His turban is a costume, and that is culturally insensitive to put it mildly.)

I gave Hypno’s jacket lapels; though they’re hard to see when he’s wearing it so here’s a picture of the jacket (and hat.) Also here’s a couple close-ups of Warren and a picture of them with me.

Watched various videos by Lixie Pig Crafts on YouTube to help figure out how to make the jacket and assorted videos on collars and lapels, plus lots of puzzling together pieces of paper while making a pattern. Watched a video called DIY mini top hat tutorial by Fleece Fun on YouTube for the hat, but I sewed instead of glued.

Also, if you happen to be interested in weighted plushies, I definitely recommend the plushies Stephanie Edmonds makes for her Etsy shop, CuddleCalm <3 The ones I’ve bought seem like high quality and are super soft. There is a long wait time though, usually a couple months. But they are hand made and she offers a bunch of different kinds of animals (and blankets too) plus lots of fabric/color options and other customization options. (She is dealing with some medical issues in her family, so I’m sure she could use the support.)

[legendaerie]

Free Numby Sewing Pattern!

This is a collaboration with Hologramo (Instagram and Etsy) and is of moderate difficulty, intended for people with some understanding of sewing patterns, fabric grain, etc. The pattern can be used for a plushie or for the muppet-style puppet shown above!

FABRIC: I used shiny performance stretch fabric for all elements except the shell, which I made from white cotton knit and heat transfer vinyl. Fleece also worked well in testing, so minky and other similar fabric should work as well. I do NOT recommend cotton weave (muslin, quilting cotton, etc) because that test was much too rigid for my purposes as a muppet. You'll need about 3/4ths of a yard of black fabric, 1/2 yard of white, and 1/3 yard of gold and purple each.

STUFFING: If you're doing a plushie, you will only need Polyfill or other stuffing, but if you're doing a puppet I used a bit of Polyfill for the throat/ears/legs plus upholstery foam in 1/4 inch and 1 inch thicknesses.

The pattern:

Scale the above image to whatever size you need (Paint, not Paint 3D is an easy tool to print at 150% size or more) and print it out on your computer. (Mine I think scaled to six pages?) Cut out each piece, taping pieces that printed on multiple pages together, and lay it as so on FOLDED FABRIC with the salvage edge at the bottom of the image.

Cut out each of the shapes above (giving you two mirrored pieces of fabric) and a second set of two for the teeth and ears. You'll also want a second set of shell fabric if you're making this a puppet or want more dimension in the back.

Side, belly, and both legs should be in black fabric, teeth and ears should be in gold, and shell should be white.

THE BODY

Begin to line up the seams by matching up the colored lines - deep blue is where the belly and the side meet, for example - with the right sides (the pretty sides) of the fabric together. I recommend sewing the front and back pieces of each leg together first (leaving the large hole at the top) then one belly to one side as illustrated below (rough sketch).

Now, you'll want to ease the front and back legs into the green and blue holes illustrated above. You might need to just barely snip along the fabric of the legs, or gather them, but the end result should give you legs that are not quite flat. If you're having trouble, I recommend watching a tutorial on sewing puffed sleeves - it's a very similar process.

With your arms sewn in, you can now sew the two belly seams together! Leave a large gap in the center of the belly (between the legs) if you're making a puppet - this is where your hand will go.

PUPPET STEPS ONLY: Now is when you will need to stuff the legs! Fill with Polyfill or other fluffy stuffing to the desired density, then cut a circle of scrap fabric and sew it on the other side of the leg hole to stop the stuffing from slipping out. You need to do this to keep the body cavity empty, while also ensuring the legs look properly filled. Here is a picture of what the 'bottom half' of Puppet!Numby looked like with his legs fluffed:

The white are the circles of scrap fabric that keep the leg fluff contained.

You can do the ears and teeth now, too; just put two mirrors pieces together, right sides together, sew most of the way through then turn inside out. I stuffed my teeth with upholstery foam cut into pyramid-like shapes and my ears with a front piece of 1/4 inch foam and backed with Polyfill, but it's up to you how to do these. Set the teeth and ears aside for now.

THE SHELL

The reason I did the white shell in cotton was because I wanted to iron on the decals for Numby, and polyester glitter stretch does not want to take HTV (heat transfer vinyl) very well. Sew the two pink seams on the back together, leaving the keyhole open.

Sew your shell pieces together first, then make your HTV pattern of it of paper and make sure things line up. Unfortunately, due to image limits on Tumblr (and losing the pattern pieces) I can't put the pattern for his markings here. Iron on the decals (on one shell side, if you cut out two sets) before moving to the next step!

PUPPET STEPS ONLY: Now is when you make your first cut with foam! Cut two pieces of the back pattern in 1/4 inch thick upholstery foam and glue the two middle seams together at an angle so that the foam forms an arched/dome shape. (Mine looked like a horseshoe crab.) I used the E6000 fabric glue. Trim any sharp edges smooth, then use the foam as a 'filling' for a sandwich of the shell pieces. If you need more advice on working with foam, I recommend looking up fur suit head tutorials or videos from drag queens discussing how to make padding. You need foam, not Polyfill, to make a shape that holds together when the body cavity is empty.

THE FILLING

If this is just a plushie, now is when you can sew most of the shell to the lower half of the body, add the teeth and the ears, and stuff like most any plushie. For the puppet though... your work is just starting.

If you want to make this a puppet, you'll need to make a mouth out of cardboard with a scored hinge, and straps for your fingers and thumb out of duct tape. There's tutorials elsewhere for how to make a Muppet-style puppet elsewhere and this is already HILARIOUSLY long, so check those out. I recommend adding a little narrow piece of cardboard on the top, just past where the pads of your fingers sit, to help 'grip' the puppet mouth when manipulating it. This can just be taped on.

Once the mouth is assembled, sew 3/4th of one side of the shell to one side of the belly/side piece we made earlier, leaving space but the nose for the mouth to be glued in. It'll look almost like a clam, with the white shell piece as the top hinge and the belly/side/legs as the bottom hinge. Cut a ~5 inch wide strip of your 1 inch thick foam and form a large 'ring' inside Numby right around where his front legs sit. It needs to be a continuous piece because we'll be relying on the tension of the foam wanting to lay flat but being forced into a ring to give us structure. Trim the sharp edges, glue the ends together, and pin the legs to the foam to help it dry in place.

Above is an image of me grabbing the foam circle - note that the 'throat' and 'belly' are totally empty.

Use more foam to fill out the sides of the puppet, again placing the pieces behind the legs to coax them to stick out. I also put a little bit of foam under Numby's chin where the fabric sticks out - glue that piece to the cardboard just past where your thumb rests on the lower jaw mechanisms. Hand-sew the other side but leave the snout open. Below are some more photos of the hollow inside, showing the upholstery foam (white and green)

For the ears on the puppet, I cut a single long piece of heavy-gauge wire I had laying around into a U shape, carefully bending the cut ends so that they were no longer sharp. Cut tiny slits in the white shell fabric at the front of where you want your ears to sit. Thread this wire into one ear, then through the hole in the shell. Glue/tape the bend of the U to the outside top part of the cardboard jaw, then repeat on the other side with the other ear.

Handsew the ears to the white shell, the teeth to the lower jaw of the puppet, and attach the puppet mouth to both top and bottom. Glue on the purple fabric to the ears and the inside of the mouth, and there you go!

Please feel free to reach out with questions! Happy sewing!

[bevanne46]

Can You Make a Quilt Without Batting?

Quilts are usually sewn from multiple layers of fabric, each layer being stitched to the next in a sandwich effect, batting is one of these layers. Batting is a type of material used to provide stability, support, weight (depending on the type of batting you use) and warmth to your finished quilt.

There are several types of batting available: cotton, polyester, fleece, wool, silk, bamboo, foam and blended battings. Each one offers its own benefits and drawbacks. Learn more about each of these different battings in the link at the end of this post.

I have found polyester batting to be the least expensive but it can be puffier than cotton so many people don't like to use it because they want their quilts to lay flat. Cotton batting is the most popular but may shrink and fall apart over time. Fleece batting works great when using the Quilt-as-you-Go Method. Wool batting is expensive but very durable (check it's washability). Silk batting is softer than cotton and polyester (check it's washability). Bamboo is considered eco-friendly and biodegradable but isn't always cost effective. You can also use old blankets, flannel sheets or foam as batting. Some people like to cut their own batting from bolts. Others prefer to buy pre-cut batting (cut to the size quilt you are making. ie: baby, twin, queen, etc.) These precuts are often found in cotton, wool or bamboo.

Whatever method you choose, there are pros and cons to each option. So, Yes, you can make a quilt without batting.

On many occasions I have made quilts with a heavier weight top, ie. polyester fabrics instead of cotton fabrics (Memorial Quilts from clothing, or Military Quilts from uniforms). When making these quilts I will sometimes forgo the batting and use a thick fleece backing instead. The fleece gives the quilt it's warmth so the batting isn't necessary, however, if using fleece for a backing you will want to quilt your quilt (do your top fancy stitching) before adding the backing because the fleece may bunch when trying to quilt it. I also like using flannel for backing which is less thick than the fleece but still warm and soft.

I have also used a flat fleece batting for the Quilt-as-you-Go method then used a Flannel backing to make the quilt light weight but warm.

How Does Batting Work In Your Projects? When you sew two fabrics (a top and a bottom piece) together with batting, it creates a sandwich effect. The batting in the center of these two fabrics helps to hold the fabrics together (clinging effect) and helps to stabilize the whole quilt and the edges. This clinging effect helps to prevent the seams from being pulled and thus coming apart over time due to wear and tear.

The batting adds loft, softness, weight and warmth to your quilt. You can find batting in a variety of styles, sizes and thicknesses.

Is Batting Necessary in Quilting? No. Some people prefer not to use batting in their projects. They think that batting makes quilts too heavy and bulky. It all depends on what fabrics you are using for the quilt, what kind of look and what level of thickness you want to achieve in your quilt. If you’re looking for a lightweight quilt, then you probably won’t need batting. If you want your quilt to be thick and sturdy, then you’ll definitely need batting.

Washability Also keep in mind how you will be "Washing the quilt", when picking your batting. Check the washing instructions on your fabrics and your batting. If a fabric is Hand Wash Only, do you really want to put it in a quilt that will be used often? Hand wash fabrics are fine for Wall Quilts or Decor Quilts but not ideal for baby or kid's quilts where they may need to be washed more often.

Different Fabrics Shrink at a Different Rate A lot of quilters prefer to prewash all their fabrics before they measure and cut. Honestly, I don't prewash my cotton fabrics (unless it is red or hot pink, as those colors may run) but I always prewash my flannel before cutting because flannel shrinks at a different rate than regular cotton. After your quilt is complete, I Always Recommend: Machine Wash your quilt in Cold Water on Gentle Cycle Do Not Bleach, Tumble Dry on Low Heat or Hang to Dry

Cost You will find that some battings can be very costly. This is another reason I prefer to use polyester batting, it's less expensive than cotton or wool. However, if you need an even cheaper way and want batting in your quilt, pick up an old blanket from your local Thrift Store. It can be a polyester, fleece or wool blanket. Just be sure to wash it before putting it into your quilt.

Quilting your Quilt (Fancy Top Stitching) The thickness and puffiness of your quilt will determine when or if you can actually Quilt your quilt. Some battings and thicknesses of the sandwiched quilt can make quilting more difficult but not always impossible. If would plan to do Long-Arm Quilting on your quilt you will need it to be flatter so will want to use a small loft batting like cotton or bamboo. However, if you are like me and don't have a Long-Arm machine or can't afford to pay for this I do my own quilting. The Top Quilting doesn't always have to be a Fancy-All-Over Stitch. I will often just do a Straight-Line Fancy Stitch (zig zag or such) following my seams.

And, I have found an alternative to the Quilting process when using thicker materials.

When making my quilt tops with fabrics other than regular quilting cotton (polyester, jean, silks, nylons, etc.) or when using a fleece backing, I have found it's best to do my quilting before I add my backing. Fleece will often bunch when trying to do fancy stitch work on it because it slides more. This is how I do this:

The sandwich process (like mentioned above) is done by putting your top piece together then adding a layer of batting and a backing. My method: 1st layer is my top quilt piece, 2nd layer is my batting, 3rd layer is a plain cotton sheet (100% cotton often purchased from a Thrift Store). I then do my fancy quilt work on my top. Once this is complete, I add the backing. Then all I need to do is sew a few strategic lines (often just stitch-in-the-ditch lines) to hold the backing to the top sandwich piece.

Alternative to Quilting You don't have to do a Fancy Top Stitch to your quilt. Many people prefer to Hand-Tie their quilts instead. Hand-Tying is the process of using a large darning needle, yarn or embroidery thread and sewing in a few strategical places through your layers then tying these threads leaving a tuff like piece on top.

An Alternative to Batting Do you have a favorite duvet, maybe a Down filled duvet you love but want a quilt top? You can create a beautiful quilt without batting and add an open end backing to create a quilted duvet cover! Just be sure when doing your measurements you add extra space for the button or zipper closure at the bottom of the cover.

Tips For Making a Quilt *Measure twice before cutting then measure again just to be sure! *Use a needle size appropriate for the type of fabrics you are using. You may want to use a large eyed needle when sewing through multiple thick layers of fabrics. *Change your needle when starting a new project. A dull needle will cause lots of issues. *Use Fabric Chalk to mark your lines before cutting is using scissors. Although, I highly recommend using rulers, squares and a Rotary Blade when cutting for a more accurate cut. *When sewing multiple rows of blocks together, match up your inner corners not your outer edges. You can always trim excess off the edges if needed. *Use Pins to hold your fabric in place but remove as you come to each pin. Sewing over pins can break a needle. FYI: I prefer the 1 ½ - 2” pins, especially when pinning several layers together. *Sew slowly. Don’t rush yourself. Take your time and pay attention to detail. *Keep your quilts away from direct heat sources like radiators, fireplaces, and hot water pipes. These things can cause your quilt to shrink and the fabric will become brittle.

Best quilt batting, types of batting and how to choose batting for a project By: Author Olga Balasa https://www.ageberry.com/best-quilt-batting-types-how-to-choose-batting/?epik=dj0yJnU9RjhJZWU1YWVYRHBuUGtjN3c2UElIVkl5YnpER21wT0wmcD0wJm49cTRtcE5PVmJpaW9MUU90b2lUNGR2dyZ0PUFBQUFBR1pjempr

[sergeantsporks]

Hi sporks! This is kiiinda a weird ask but do you have any ideas/resources for beginners learning to sew?

I know you've been at it for awhile, and idk where else to look lol

Oooo, okay, so I have Resources for Free Patterns

CholyKnight has a bunch of free patterns, and they're also rated by difficulty, so you can find ones that work for your skill level. There's also some explanations of how to do sewing stuff like darts and whatnot. Definitely great for beginners.

Mood Sewcity, more free patterns

Free Sewing, Patterns, these you can adjust with your measurements

Fleece Fun, these are relatively simple. It's where I got my cloak pattern. You do have to sign up for emails, but lots of patterns for free, and fleece is relatively inexpensive. Fleece is pretty good for starters, too, because it's a relatively strong fabric that doesn't fray but isn't too thick to sew through

As far as actual resources for learning, I don't really have much because I was taught to sew by my older sister and my mom, and I figured most other stuff out on my own. So I made some short things of basic stitching stuff

This one is called a running stitch. It's the first one I learned, and is really easy. Just back and forth through the fabric. I made the stitches pretty big here and in opposite colors from the cloth for visual reasons, but you want to pick thread closer to your cloth color, and the smaller your stitches are, the stronger they'll be. There is an exception to this, it's called "basting" and it's basically doing the running stitch but really big and loose. It's supposed to be temporary and just holds pieces in place until you do something else

This is just a way to anchor your running stitch with a knot. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do this, but I'm paranoid about my stitches coming out, and when you're doing it by hand as a beginner, they probably WILL come out, so. Yeah.

This one's called a "whip stitch" (I learned recently. I've been doing it for ages, didn't know the name). You're basically popping the edges together and sewing in little circles around them.

This one is a ladder stitch/slip stitch/invisible stitch, and I'm doing it kind of messily here, but the objective is to make your stitch invisible when you pull it tight. You're sort of sewing on the "inside" of the fabric, folding it over and making the thread go behind the fold so it's hidden, then pulling it over to the other side. I use this one to close up my plushies mostly.

Other Random Tips and Stuff:

A "seam allowance" is how much extra cloth you can put on the other side of the seam

You don't need a special cutting board/table for your fabric, I literally just use the floor or the kitchen table

Tacky glue is great for tiny pieces you don't want to sew, like eye shines. It does take some time to dry, though. I put books on top of the fabric to press it together. It will wash out, though, so don't use it on things you intend to throw in the wash

Get pretty good at hand sewing before you try messing with a sewing machine

Fabric scissors really do make a difference in cutting from regular scissors

If you look up "free fabric samples" a lot of cloth places will send you a few little squares of fabric. These are great for practicing and also figuring out different materials, and you don't have to pay for them

Felt is also pretty inexpensive and you can get it at most craft stores, even if they don't sell fabric by the yard. It's also good for details on plushies, like eyes. It is scratchy, though.

Pins are very helpful, but watch out because they will stab you

Little details and things are usually easier to sew by hand rather than machine, especially if there's curves on it. It's just not worth the hassle.

If you're making a plushie, pull the stuffing apart before you stuff it, or the stuffing isn't as soft/it clumps up.

Don't start with a huge major sewing clothes project. My first sewing stuff was making dresses for my barbies when I was 10 and they were literally just tubes with straps on them. I was pleased with this. Trying a big project first will probably just be frustrating, so get used to basic sewing stuff first.

Yeah, I think that's most of it! Let me know if you have any other questions or let me know what you end up making! Other sewing people feel free to add on

[starstruckpurpledragon]

I've decided to make some crafty things as Christmas presents this year which means starting early so they all get done on time.

I'm making a few tie blankets - take two different polar fleece fabrics (about 2 yards each), put one on top the other, trim the sides as needed, remove the corners as 4x4 in squares, cut 4 in long, 1 inch wide strips into the fabric (leave them attached) and then tie the strips from one piece of fabric to the other in order to create a tassel type border that holds the two fabrics together.

They're fun to make, not too difficult, and there are a few variations on the knot choices for tying it all together. I'm partial to the overhand knot (makes a very nice tassel) but there are options for braiding too which I haven't tried but does look like a pretty border choice.

Also doing some jewelry making, which I haven't done in a long while. Right now I'm sticking to some very easy earrings - stick a charm directly onto earring hook - just to get back into the feel for using my jewelry tools again. I'm also planning on making some fancy metal and bead bookmarks, so that'll be fun.

Not everything'll be handmade gifts, but it just seemed like a fun thing to do that would be received well.

[dippedanddripped]

CLOT x THE NORTH FACE COLORED BY NATURE

CLOT is pleased to announce its first collaboration with the world-renowned outdoor sportswear expert The North Face. Seeing outdoor exploration as our dialogue with Mother Earth, the brands take us through the mountains and towards the misty peaks, introducing a collection that brings together elements of nature and stylistic aesthetics that aim to add colors to your journey.

“The core person that I am, it hasn't really changed over time, but my curiosities have, what gives me a successful feeling has. My mindset is actually exploration. Allowing yourself to see new things, allowing yourself to experience with clouds, sunset and sunrises, is a story that I've never told. I feel like The North Face was the perfect conduit for that story to be expressed,” shared Edison Chen, Founder and Creative Director of CLOT.

Reshaping outdoor wear with eminent style, the collaboration delivers a perfect combination of design and functionality. Nature-inspired elements encountered along the journey are translated through colors with hints of oriental charm, topped with technologically enhanced materials and creative layering ideas for maximized practicality. Edison Chen has also invited fashion designer Kazuki Kuraishi to participate in the project, integrating his unique fashion understanding into The North Face's outdoor pieces, creating more possibilities for outdoor wear.

“When I design, I normally think about the details first. I don't think too much about the concept, but Edison does. That's why we work together. I always think of good design as it is, but even beautiful design needs good function,” explained Kazuki Kuraishi, Fashion Designer.

EXPLORE THE COLORS OF NATURE,

FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE SEA AND THE CLOUDS

Taking in the beautiful colors of nature while trekking through the mountains, The North Face and CLOT have put together a collection featuring captivating landscapes and sensual gradients. This new collaboration features a breathtaking sea of clouds above mountaintops, along with natural shades of lunar slate to lupine, reef waters, and macchiato for a unique aesthetic.

Thanks to DRYVENT technology, the CLOT x The North Face Shell Jacket features an all-over cloud print, topped with color-blocking sleeves and side seams to create a stylish outdoor look. Meanwhile, the new waterproof Poncho can be adjusted with the hidden buttons on the hem, ensuring a perfect fit. In addition to outerwear, the extensive The CLOT x The North Face collection also includes Fleece Pullovers in different colorways, each with a detachable hood and Chinese button knots signature to CLOT. Wear it with the matching Fleece Pants for extra warmth and comfort. Crafted from translucent materials, the Shell Pullover comes with a detachable hood and diagonal placket, designed for laying over the Fleece Pullover. All jackets can be styled with translucent Shell Pants or Fleece Pants for a solid look.

PERFECT YOUR LOOK

WITH ACCESSORIES OF COLORS

Discover the hidden gems in the mountains and cherish every moment. CLOT and The North Face have expanded their creative offerings to a range of accessories and footwear, so you can coordinate your outfits from head to toe. With a mesmerizing sea of clouds print, the Camping Blanket is made of heat-retaining fabric to protect against sudden temperature changes. Thanks to The North Face’s patented VECTIV™ and FUTURELIGHT™ waterproof technology, along with the high-traction SurfaceCTRL™ outsole, the VECTIV™ TARAVAL hiking shoe can provide exceptional stability and drive on any terrain. The collection also includes the ThermoBall™ Traction Mules and other outdoor-dedicated footwear, creating more possibilities for all kinds of exploration.

SPICE UP FAMILY TRAVEL WITH

CHILDRENSWEAR COLORED BY NATURE

The CLOT x The North Face collection also debuts with childrenswear, offering more options to fashion and outdoor-loving families. From Shell Jackets to Fleece Pullovers and Fleece Pants, these children's dedicated creations present little explorers with a piece of the ingenious design and care of the collection.

The CLOT x The North Face collection is set to pre-release at select JUICE selling doors on February 23, 2023, opening a new chapter in the combination of artistic expression and outdoor functionality.

[jakes-jules]

I do have the pattern pieces I used- for skyfish and the birds! I'll put this under a read more with as much of a walk-through as I can do. Fair warning that this is not a full blown tutorial and I'm not incredible at explaining things but I'll do my best (ง •̀_•́)ง

The little guys are pretty straightforward.

They're 2 pieces of fleece sewn together and stuffed, and they have 3.6mm seed beads for eyes. I traced the pattern onto my fabric and sewed along the line, leaving that little gap in the left wing for turning and stuffing. Progress below:

I ended up not marking where the eyes go on the face, so they're all a bit different, but I personally think it makes them cuter!

Skyfish, on the other hand, was a pain and a half, and I neglected to take any progress pictures.

His pattern comes to about 45.75" in length, and tapers from that taped section (≈3" wide, about 23" past the tip of the nose) to 1" at the tip of his tail. He has a 3/8" seam allowance throughout.

(Body is 2 pieces of fleece)

The wings and tail I cut from an iridescent organza (32 pieces for the wings, and 2 for the tail)- this was A Choice™️, as I had to fray check every single piece lest they disintegrate on me. They were sewn together, turned, then top-stitched to help keep their shape. They're spaced ≈4.5" apart along the body.

I'll note here that the tail shape was supposed to ruffle, but I'd never made those before and kinda goofed the pattern. There's still a bit of a wave, but it's puckered quite a bit at the tip of the tail. I'd workshop this but this was supposed to be a two-day project and I couldn't be bothered.

Once his wings and tail were basted on, I sewed up most of his body by machine- after going down one side of the body, I curled up the wings and stuffed them inside so I could sew down the other side. I left the bottom open as noted below, though I'd recommend leaving another opening closer to the head for easier turning and stuffing

The rest of the body was ladder stitched shut, and I stuffed the tail as I went. The tail started spiraling at this point from what I assume was inconsistent thread tension, but I'm not completely sure.

He has those same 3.6mm seed beads for eyes

And uh, there he is!

I was able to get eight little birds and one skyfish out of a 1/2 yard of fleece and 2/3 yard of organza, and what was probably a 32oz bag of polyfil (very rough estimate- I used leftovers from another project)

If there are any further questions anyone has, I'd be happy to answer them!

Made some little guys!

[20dollarlolita]

Hi! I’ve been eying Lolita fashion for several years and want to start putting together my first coord. However I have sensory issues and know that sheer or light synthetic fabrics can often be itchy. Do you have any advice for finding cute tights or light blouses that I could actually wear?

All reference images are going to be my coords because it's late and I don't have time to ask other people for permission to use theirs. If you have things to share about this subject, please reply, reblog, or submit input to this blog.

So for tights, there's a lot of cool printed tights that are 80denier, which is about at thick as tights can be before they're fleece-lined or leggings. I have a few pairs that I got off ebay (My search term is just "80 denier printed tights"). I carry most of my weight in my legs, so I had a lot of concern about them stretching and distorting on my legs so that you can't see the pattern, but that didn't happen for me.

Here's two of the pairs that I have, from two different sellers, and I really love how they look. I feel like getting printed tights really allowed me to add detail in my coords that I hadn't been taking advantage of.

If 80den tights are still too thin or itchy for you, there are things like fleece-lined tights or velvet tights, which are pretty much leggings. Speaking of leggings, leggings paired with boots (ankle or taller) often read as tights. There's also a long history of using socks for lolita; we're used to seeing them as lace-topped, but plain ones are as well.

Also for non-printed tights, I often wear them inside-out so that the seams face away from my body (and especially my feet. I hate toe seams). I've got petticoats on, so there's no werid seam lines pressing through my clothes, and anyone who is close enough to see that they're on inside-out is also close enough to kick, so problem solved.

As for blouses, it's not uncommon to find things like cotton voile, which are both sheer and very soft. Older pieces more often used solid cottons for the blouses. The polyester ruffled crop tops that we love for their price and versatility are relatively new in the world of lolita, having been pretty much unheard of as recently as 5-6 years ago. I like to shop on Wunderwelt for blouses, because they very clearly post pictures and state fiber contents. They have a lot of older things and pieces from less over-the-top lolita brands, so it's easier to find something smooth and without lace. One of the really cool things about lolita fashion is that something being out of trend now doesn't mean that it can't be worn, as long as it was in lolita trend sometime in the fashion's history. Here's a shot of a coord I did with a sheer blouse, but it's 100% cotton. That blouse is by Emily Temple Cute, and I wore it because that meet was outside in the sun and I didn't want to roast. Sorry for using the same coord twice there.

I also sometimes will take out the elastic in something and sew back in a new strip that's significantly larger. I really hate things being on my upper arm, so the elastic in this blouse is actually larger around than my arm. The top of the sleeve poofs even though the elastic isn't physically holding the sleeve to my arm, because of where I put the elastic relative to where the sleeve hole is. The same effect could be done with just some bias tape or some careful gathering stitches, but I did elastic because it's faster and lazier. That's a blouse from Spirit Halloween, with some extra lace slapped on.

I would also like to bring up the very important "faking it" card concept that I've talked about before. If your coordinate is fabulous, and almost all of it is perfect, if you have a gap between where your footless tights end and your shoes begin, you're going to get away with it. You can fake your way through at least two elements of your coordinate, and make up for it in other ways. So, when you're finding that there's something that you cannot overcome, where no matter what you try you just aren't finding a lolita-specific blouse that works or tights that are soft enough, try to find something that's just good enough. If you can find something that doesn't specifically detract, something that's just good enough, and that lets you be comfortable enough to be happy, just stop there. Then, take the rest of your effort, and work on making every part of the coordinate that doesn't make the sensory gremlins get up in arms into part that's as perfect as you can make it.

Something you'll also see in practice a lot more than you'd expect is that not every coord someone wears looks as perfect as they put online. If you get the chance to participate in the EGL community in person, you'll find that there's some events where someone just knew they didn't pull out their best coord. Sometimes, you put on something that's good enough, that's far from perfect. You dress up enough to go out with the friends and have a good time, but you don't dress up enough to where you want to put that coord out all over the place as the epitome of your grace.

Here's me having a Grat Tim at the Farmer's Market, in a coord that barely holds things together, in a petticoat from Party City and a blouse from Target, and the same black ankle boot(s) that I wear everywhere. I woke up really not feeling it and opted for a comfy coord that I could change out of when I went to work, and here's where we got. I've been going through some crap with my right ankle for over a year now, and so my local community is very used to seeing those sparkly black ankle boots, regardless of if they match the coord. All my coords from 2019 had brightly-colored KT Tape on my right hand, and that shit's $1.14 a strip and I'm not about to change it to match my coord. Every time I posted a coord for review, I'd just say, "please ignore the medical tape", and everyone did. I've found that a lot of people are understanding when you ask not to be heavily critiqued in certain specific areas.

Sensory issues impacting how we dress is more common in lolita fashion than we seem to talk about online. I have sensory issues, though they're not the same things you have. I know a lot of people in my comm do as well. If anyone has input they'd like to share, please do. Anon, please check the notes to see if anyone else with similar issues is willing to share their experiences, and see if they're able to help you.

[clownaroundtown]

How To Make Your Own Clown Doll ! (A Guide)

Hello good people !!

I have made a few clown dolls before, and someone submitted a question asking if I followed any guide for them or had a guide myself. I sorta made it up as I went for the first doll, but I have learned better methods of doing things since then!

Here is my guide on how to make some dudes for yourself!

You will need:

Fabric for the body - I used an off-white fleece for the torso and limbs for this one, but have previously used a thin off-white sorta cotton fabric, which works better if you want floppier/thinner limbs!

Fabric for the clothes - Use whatever you want, honestly! I used some cool stretchy silver-metallic fabric for mine but have previously used cotton and polyester patterned fabrics !

Polymer clay - I used Sculpey III for this one, but for my previous two I used some other kind of Sculpey that was very very light and airy, which made it hard to sculpt properly without squishing it! If you want to add any detail to the face shape, use some firm polymer clay !

Posca pens (optional) and acrylic paints - Acrylics are used for the base coat on the head. I used the paints for the details too previously, but used posca pens on this one which was much easier to do the face details with! Either works just fine, though : )

Faux fur - for hair! If you want a bald clown or one with just a hat without hair, you don't need this!

Decorative trims and such - I used some pink frilly elastic trim, blue dotted non-elastic trim, white elastic frilly mesh, buttons, a silver bell and some blue velvet ribbon for this guy! You can literally use whatever you want (ribbons, bows, pom-poms, lace, etc) to make your clown look cute!!

Varnish - Use spray varnish if you can! It'll help prevent the face paint from smudging (all 3 of mine have had this happen using varnish with a brush). It is possible to use varnish with a brush on them but be careful with it! I used sculpey gloss varnish.

Tin/aluminium foil

Basic sewing supplies (needles, thread, pins, scissors)

Steps

1. Make a ball out of the foil, a little smaller than the size you want the finished head.

2. Cover it in a layer of Sculpey and sculpt the face shape you want. Include a pretty thick neck with the base at the bottom WIDER than the rest of the neck. This will be how the head is anchored to the body!

3. Bake the clay, let it cool, and sand it down so that it is nice and even without any finger-prints!

4. Paint a base coat on it with acrylic paints!

5. Paint/draw on whatever face details you want using acrylics or posca pens! Let your creativity flow!!

6. Varnish it!

7. Draw out the body pieces (torso and limbs) on your body fabric. You'll need two torso pieces, four leg pieces and four arm pieces. Honestly there's no method to what shape to draw, just draw what shapes you want them to be! (Remember to reverse each second piece though so that they match up when sewing them together). I used a rounded rectangle for the torso, and chose to make the legs on mine very long!

8. Cut out all the pieces and sew them together with the CORRECT sides facing INWARDS and the WRONG sides facing outwards. Once sewn, flip them inside out. MAKE SURE TO LEAVE THE TOP SIDE OF THE TORSO UN-SEWN TO INSERT THE HEAD!

9. Almost fully fill the body with plastic pellets, and only partially fill the limbs (I filled them about 1/4 full)! If you don't have those, use dry rice like I did (or dry lentils) or sand! If you use sand, ensure sure you make your stitches REALLY close together so sand doesn't come out of any gaps! If you want the limbs to be chunkier, fill them with more pellets OR stuff the rest of them with poly-fill or cotton wool!

10. Insert the neck into the torso and sew the opening tight around it, like this! The wide base of the neck stops the head from coming out : )

11. Sew on the limbs! The stitching doesn't have to be perfect here since the clothes will hide it!

12. Make the clothes! You can make whatever kind of clothing you like; I just made a baggy little jumpsuit sorta thing for my guy! To do this, I laid the clown out on the fabric and roughly drew the shape for clothes around him based on what I wanted! Flip it, lay it down in the fabric again and then trace this to get the second jumpsuit piece!

13. Use the same method of sewing the pieces together with the CORRECT sides facing each other so the WRONG sides are facing outwards. Then turn the clothes inside-out so that the right sides are now facing outwards! MAKE SURE TO LEAVE OPENINGS FOR THE HEAD AND LIMBS TO COME OUT THROUGH!

14. Put the clothes on the clown!!

15. (Optional) Glue fake fur on the top of the head in the style you want it! I used hot glue because I didn't have anything else, but fabric glues and all-purpose glues would be good too! If you don't want hair, just skip this step!

16. (Optional) Hat!! Cut out a wide triangle shape, sew the opposite sides together and then sew a circle to the base if you want a pointy hat like my dude's one (I don't have photos of this sadly but I'm sure there's a tutorial out there of how to sew a cone)! Then glue the base to the top of the head.

16. And finally, add all the trims and extra bits you want to make them look super cute !!! I just sewed on some ribbon to the base of the hat and around the ankles, sewed some frilly elastic trims around the neck, added a little silver bell to the hat, sewed frilly trim around the wrists and ankles and then sewed two buttons onto the front of his clothes!

And then, your little clown is done !!!

I hope this comes in handy to anyone wanting to make their own clown dude!

I would appreciate any reblogs and such of this to help spread the clown joy !!

Have fun !!!

(Small note! I would appreciate if you didn't copy any of my clowns directly! Please use this as more of a guide than an exact tutorial to make this specific clown! Being creative with yours is much more fun!! :•D)

[tj-crochets]

Hey y'all! I was thinking about trying to share how I create my own plushie sewing patterns, and I'm sure I'll figure out more things to share, but the first thing I start with (once I decide what I want to make) is figuring out what the limiting factors are for the final product

Frequently, the limiting factor is minimum size; there is a minimum amount of width each piece has to have to be able to be turned right side out, so for things like the ant and the giant frog, the narrowest part of the ant legs and frog toes were drawn so that they could be turned right side out, and the rest was scaled to fit Sometimes, the limiting factor is maximum size. For me, this is usually because I have a specific fabric I want to use for the project and only have so much of it left, and must make the pattern small enough to fit the fabric I have. Occasionally, though, the limiting factor size-wise is the construction technique I am using for the plushie. If I am creating something with a fairly flat pattern made of the same pattern piece cut out twice, like the eel, Fred the Fish of Minimal Effort, or either of my frog patterns' bodies, where I am not using darts or gussets to create three dimensions, my size is limited by the stretch of the fabric. It's totally fine to use the stretch of the minky/fleece/other fabric to create the 3D shape, just make sure to take into account that it will only stretch so much, and that to get maximum stretch you'd need to overstuff it (making a plushie less soft). Also keep in mind that depending on your fabric, stretching it in one direction might make it smaller in the other direction One final thing to keep in mind is that your seams will not stretch as much as the rest of your fabric. With stretchy fabric, you can sometimes choose where to put your seams so that you can shape the finished plush as much by where it doesn't stretch as by where it does (this is a thing I know I have done but I can't remember off the top of my head which plushies I used it in, I'll take a look and share a picture of them if I remember)

[peter-pantomime]

Okay, lemme try to explain it in a way that makes sense! Apologies if I over-explain, but I figure too much detail is better than too little.

So, I think we both seem to use fitted sheets, which are usually made of cotton or some other washable material and have elastic to keep them secure under the corners of the mattress. They’re used to keep the mattress clean from our bodies, kind of like how a chemise protects a corset and outerwear.

But you didn’t mention using top/bed sheets, so that might be a layer we use that you don’t. Thats a loose sheet, very similar to the fitted sheet but without the elastic corners, and it goes between the sleeper and the blankets/comforters. Again, like a chemise, this protects the harder-to-wash layers from the body, and can easily be washed like a fitted sheet and pillow cases.

Then, the ✨Blanket✨. When Americans refer to a blanket or a “throw”, they usually mean something like these:

The first one is made of fleece, which feels like…velvet if it was soft in every direction, and the second one is wool or cotton with silky trim, and might be a little scratchy but usually is older and therefore has gotten soft with time. Sometimes people use these instead of bed sheets, because they can also be easily washed.

This is also what someone will use on their couch, either just while hanging out or, as you said, if you’re crashing there for the night. People rarely have more than one or two comforters (summer and winter weights) but people tend to have a fair few blankets.

And THEN comes the comforter. This is basically what you would insert into a duvet cover (the duvet, I guess (we do have them here, they’re just kind of a pain in the ass so we rarely use them)), or if the duvet and cover were sewn together. Basically, thick cotton or down sewn between pieces of fabric:

I…can’t find a good reference pic for how the full set-up looks, lol, so here’s MY bed as a reference (Fluffy here playing the part of the sleeper between the fitted sheet and bedsheet).

I think the big thing to note is that we really do not have body contact with the comforter. As you intuit, they’re a pain in the ass to wash, so we put layers between us and it, which function the way a duvet cover does, in that sense! Most people have one per bed, and use it year-round, the exception being that yeah, they’re bulky, but we store them in attics, basements, under the bed, or in linen closets during the hot months.

And last thing, on the note of American verbiage: you might see a comforter referred to as a quilt. That’s technically referring to something thinner and, as the name implies, quilted, but since it’s a bed furnishing that serves the same purpose of being the top layer, sometimes the names get swapped:

I'll admit I still do not understand what is the business with American bedding.

Like, in writing I use the word blanket, but to me it equals the slightly itchy thing preferably made of wool, like this:

and that, to me, is sensory nightmare to sleep under if close to naked. The itch! The woolen itch!

So blanket isn't a precise enough word to call the thing you sleep under.

Now, I think generally in Europe we sleep under duvets, which to my understanding are something like this:

I think this is the standard in hotels all over the world. It's made of cotton, comes in innumerable funky colors and patterns (I have the hay one, its's super cute), it has a zipper or buttons on the shorter side and is cheap and easily washable, because you rarely should wash the thing you put inside, this thing:

It's cotton, filled with goose/duck down, very breathable. It doesn't have any sort of zipper or buttons, it's sewn shut, and instead of washing it you hang it on a clothesline/balcony exposed to sun to air out whenever you change your sheets. These can be quite expensive and should last up to 10-20 years. You should wash them like every two years. Some people prefer this thing to be made of wool or bamboo (polyester not advisable, it burns).

Also, I don't know how Americans call this thing. Is that a duvet, and the previous thing is a duvet... condom? So many questions.

Now, the biggest question:

What the fuck is a comforter.

Is this the thing Americans sleep under? Please, it's been a huge source of confusion in my writing. Blanket is too vague, too... crashing on your buddy's the couch to convey the nice warm fluffy pile you should sleep under.

So blanket's out, duvets are EuRoPEaN, but comforters are just... alien to me. I've never seen a thing like this in my life, ever. Do you have several and swap them? Aren't they bulky? Isn't washing and storing them tedious, if you have a family and every bed should have 2-3 available? Is this why your houses and cars are so big?

At least assure me those have natural filling and are made of cotton. Please, I care about you guys.

[sugarmaplewings-fics]

Hoodie Headcanons

Pairings: BNHA Boys x reader

Warnings: None, just more fluff from me!

Characters: Midoriya, Bakugou, Todoroki, Shinsou, Amajiki, Kirishima

A/N: I highly recommend listening to Jacob Sartorius’s Sweatshirt song while reading ;)

                   ꒰ෆ❛ั ु▿❛ั ु꒱            ٩꒰• ε •꒱۶

Midoriya:

● I wanna start this off by saying that Midoriya unironically likes that song ^^^. There's nothing I can do, it's canon.

● That said, he's super chill about you stealing his clothes

● Already owns a crap ton of hoodies and loose t-shirts, so you have quite the number to choose from

● Understands completely how you like the way they smell

● It was initially his idea to offer you his hoodie one evening when you looked cold

● After you put it on, he just couldn't stop staring at you

● You were so cute !!! and wearing his hoodie !!!

● 100% a yes from him when you asked to borrow it for a while longer

● And any other time you so happened to want to snatch one

● Wearing some of his clothing is def a cuddle turn on

● Your relationship in general is just soft vibes and fuzzy sweetness, but Izu will get nearly twice as tender curled up next to you in his hoodie

● A forehead and cheek kiss simp all the way, just smothering your face in little pecks

● Fall and winter only gain more appreciation from him, since it's perfect sweater weather and time to share warmth any way he could think of with his cutie (that's you (*~‿~))

● Is also down to see you in his t-shirts when it gets a little warmer

● It makes him feel some sort of way when he sees you in one of his old All Might tees

● A good way, mind you

● Maybe it's the nostalgia of the shirt seen on his favorite person

● Literally two of his top three favorite people right there in front of him for him to hold (but only one in the flesh. Both would be weird)

____________

Bakugou:

● We all know Baku's fashion sense is on point

● A lot of his clothes aren't for comfort, but he does have some baggy tees to sleep in

● Actually, not anymore

● Because they're all gone

● He feels like he's going crazy, trying to figure out how he's misplaced so many shirts

● Until one day when he catches you in the act, rummaging through his closet for another t-shirt to add to your collection

● "So that's why I haven't been able to find any of my clothes!"

● His voice makes you jump, whipping around to meet his triumphant expression

● So he wasn't just a dumbass who couldn't keep track of his own pajamas. That was a relief

● But then . . . you'd taken his stuff, and acted like he was crazy when he'd mentioned it missing in passing

● Now he's a little pissed

Your back was to his closet, guiltily holding a black t-shirt. "Katsuki, I—"

"Where's the rest of them?"

"Huh?"

"I know what you've been up to. What have you been doing with my clothes?"

You sheepishly lead him to your room, opening a drawer in your dresser where you'd been storing your stolen goods.

Katsuki looks into the nearly full drawer, then back at you, and you can't help but notice a hint of respect flickering on his features.

"You're pretty good," he admits, putting a hand in the drawer and pulling a shirt out at random. "I didn't even realize I was missing this many."

"I was going to give them back," you try to explain, now attempting to hide your face with your hair, "but they still kinda smelled like you, and they're so comfortable to sleep in—"

"Oh, so that's what you do with them." Katsuki's frown deepened, letting the shirt fall back into the pile. "Why don't you just come see me?"

You averted your eyes, shrugging. "I don't know. You just go to bed so early and sometimes I have to stay up and study but I still miss you, so having your stuff is really nice because it's like . . . you're there . . . ."

Katsuki sighed and pulled you into a hug, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "I'm here for you, babe. You don't need a piece of cloth when you can just ask."

"But what about when you're not here?"

He paused, realizing you had a point. "You can keep some," he finally grumbled. "But for heaven's sake, not so many! I'm running out of things to wear. If you need another one, tell me."

"Thank you." You hugged him back and finally watched as he lugged an armful of t-shirts out of your room and back to his.

● Eventually Bakugou realized that seeing you wearing one of his shirts oddly boosted his ego; especially seeing you so often, now that he knows your secret, more than happy to wear his clothing while the two of you hung out together

● He starts to insist that you wear some of his t-shirts around the common areas, letting people see you in them

● But before you get the chance, he makes sure to wear it frequently so everyone knows it's his, and then gives it to you to wear so everyone knows you're also his. It's just one of his pride things

● You soon start to expand from just shirts, eyeing the singular hoodie at the back of his closet

● He doesn't think it really fits his vibe, only having worn it alone in the confines of his own room when he was cold

● You insist that you want it, though, so he grumbles and starts wearing it in secret so it can smell like him for you

● He has to admit you're freakishly adorable in it, even though it's not really oversized or anything

● This prompts him to wear it more often, just not in front of anyone other than you

● You finally buy him another hoodie for his birthday, although it's more of a gift for yourself than him

●And now we move on to: Bakugou's baggy pants

● Maybe our favorite explosive blond boy likes his tops to be a little more put together

● But dang, do he got those loose-as-heck pants

● You steal them out of spite mostly, just to see his reaction to your hips filling out his pants

● Boy does he like it

____________

Todoroki:

● "Why are you taking my clothes? Do you not have enough of your own?"

● Doesn't really own hoodies, per se, but definitely has a steady supply of jumpers, knits, and turtlenecks

● Or, he used to

● Until you came along

● Is kinda confused at first, completely baffled at where all his clothes were going

● Then he finally caught you, recognizing one of his sweaters on you while you made a quick trip to the kitchen for tea

● Legitimately does not know why you'd take it, surprised that you'd steal from him

● You hastily explain that it's normal, and that you only do it so you can have something that smells like him for when he's not around

● After that, he kind of understands

● Took you shopping with him once, just to see what you liked. He thought he'd be buying you some sweaters of your own, but instead ended up purchasing his first oversized hoodie (with a few extras to share) (who wants a quick Buying Hoodies with Shouto drabble?)

● Now you're both obsessed with the hoodies, Shouto being surprised at how comfortable they are

● Loves showing up for cuddle sessions in a hoodie, pulling you close to him so you sink into the soft fabric

● 100% Shouto's new favorite clothing item

____________

Shinsou:

● It started out when you took a nap together for the first time at his house

● You'd asked to borrow one of his larger shirts to sleep in, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the top you had worn that day (I for one cannot sleep in my day clothes. I don't know why, it just feels wrong. Does anyone else feel like that too?)

● He let you wear a large, gray tee, which was so big on you it fell around your thighs

● He thought you looked so cute in it, especially since it mostly covered your shorts

● Thus began your obsession with wearing his clothes whenever possible

● Pajamas, t-shirts, and hoodies are your prime targets

● Totally wear them to bed whenever you're not sleeping with him (as in sharing a bed, not that)

● The scent makes it feel like he's right there with you

● Shinsou noticed immediately what you were doing but never made any moves to stop you, thinking it was cute

● Absolutely loves seeing you in his clothes

● You look so cute but also it's low key hot, jus sayin 👀

● I've briefly mentioned this before, I think, but 'Toshi has some nice pajamas

● Nothing over the top expensive or anything, no

● I'm talking peak COMFY

● Ya ever see the pants with fleece lining and stuff?

● Mmm *chef kiss* do he have a pair of those fo sure

● Also, many with cat themes!

● Seeing you in his purple cat PJ pants only solidifies further for him that you're his Kitty

____________

Amajiki:

● Gets kinda flustered but at the same time is super flattered

● You actually ask to 'borrow' one of his sweaters, and he lets you, blushing as he watches you slide it over your head

● You're so frinking cute in it, and he feels this almost foreign sense of possessiveness wash over him because you're there and you're adorable and you're in his sweater and all of you is his

● Spontaneously hugs you and is even brave enough to press a few little kisses all over your face

● You wearing his sweaters and hoodies becomes a regular thing; asking every few weeks for a replacement top and him obliging, letting you pick something from his closet

● This doesn't stop you from occasionally stealing his clothes anyway, him sometimes catching you in one of his jumpers and briefly wondering if he'd ever actually seen you choose that particular one before shrugging and brushing it off

● He never fails to provide you with extras whenever you have to be apart for whatever reason, trying to help so you don't have to miss him so much

● Is 200% more inclined to hug you when you're wearing them. You just look so soft and warm, which he quickly finds out for himself that you are

● Definitely has thought about trying on one of your hoodies, but is a little too scared to ask

____________

KiriBaku:

● You alternate between wearing Bakugou's hoodie with Kirishima's sweats and then vice versa

● Neither of them can handle how cute you look practically drowning in hoodies that they bought oversized for them

● They're just that much bigger on you, especially Kirishima's since he's more willing to buy baggier hoodies than Bakugou

● If either one of them catches you wearing their clothes, they will literally just flop on top of you, overwhelmed by how much they want to hug you

● Even Bakugou will drop what he's doing just to go give you a hug, pulling you onto his lap for a minute and giving you a sweet kiss

● Eijirou will straight-up full-on tackle you, peppering kisses all over your face while he hugs you close to him

● If it's both of them at once though, get ready

● An impromptu cuddle sesh is guaranteed, most likely starting with Kirishima picking you up and carrying you to the bedroom while Bakugou follows close behind, ready to jump into bed with you

● Like I said way up top, Bakugou wasn't super into hoodies at first, but once you start stealing Kirishima's along with the one or two he does have, he starts buying and wearing them for the sole purpose of seeing you add them to your collection

● Bakugou's are better for going out in since they tend to fit you a little better, him opting to buy hoodies a little closer to his size

● Kirishima's are great for hanging out around the house, snuggling into the excess fabric and inhaling his scent while you wait for him to get home

● The two of them eventually start to just wear each other's hoodies interchangeably too, to the point of nobody really knowing who's hoodie is who's anymore

● E: "I'm pretty sure you got me this one for my birthday."

● K: "No, I bought it for myself, and then you decided to steal it on your birthday."

● Before all the confusion, though, you would rotate, having little hoodie parties where both you and Bakugou would wear one of Kirishima's hoodies while Kirishima wore one of Bakugou's

● Bonus: Kirishima has 100% decided to repay the whole clothing stealing thing and took your leggings, wearing them around the house just waiting for one of you to notice

● "Are those my leggings?"

● "Yeah."

● "What the hell."

● You just roll your eyes and go back to what you were doing

● Not ten minutes later, from another room—

● "EJIROU, WHAT THE FUCK!"

● "What?"

                  ꒰ෆ❛ั ु▿❛ั ु꒱            ٩꒰• ε •꒱۶

Author's Note:

I will be posting a quick Eijirou drabble about him catching you stealing his hoodie, so expect that soon (find it here!). Also I didn't do TodoDeku but that was because I ran out of both motivation and time so  ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭

Writing these made me realize how few hoodies I own. Also how single and alone I am.

*Waluigi voice* WAH

-Sugar

[seokmingiggles]

earmuffs.

Prompts: "I thought our anniversary was in August?" And, "No one's ever given me something like this before."

Pairing: Min Yoongi x gender neutral reader

Genre: fluff, established relationship, Valentine's Day.

1.18k words

No warnings; rated G.

Gift-exchanging can sometimes be awkward between you and your boyfriend, especially on February 14th when both of you want to play none-the-wiser that you have something secretly prepared for the other.

Alternatively, you and Yoongi know the best ways to stay warm this Valentine’s Day.

A/N: The prompts listed above come from this post! I decided on a whim that I wanted to write a little drabble for Valentine’s day. I was going through the notions of who to write for, ultimately deciding on Yoongi (clearly) since I haven’t written for him in a couple of months. Anyways, here’s some fluffy boyfriend Yoon for you! Happy Valentine’s Day ♡

•• "I thought our anniversary was in August?"

"What, that's the only time I can give you a gift?"

"Well, no," the boy shrugs, trailing off; lips pouted and eyebrows furrowed. He stares at the wrapped present you placed in his hands—it doesn't weigh very much. Roughly the length of his forearm and about the height of his hand tall, the pastel pink edges of the wrapping paper are pressed over each corner neatly. A thin twine string holds it together, tied in a clean bow on the top. It's a minimalistic look, nothing elaborate or overly fancy, yet Yoongi handles it like even a heavy exhale will make it shatter in his hands.

The boy blinks once, twice, then meets your eyes and blinks a few more times, remaining silent. His expression is hard to gauge; it's not quite a deadpanned look as he's softer around the edges than he realizes.

"Stop looking at me like that, Min," you cross your arms over your chest. "It's weird."

"It's Valentine's Day, and you're calling me weird?" Yoongi's falsely-stern expression fails when the corners of his lips perk upwards. "How romantic."

You roll your eyes, arms unfolding, "Okay, so you do know what day it is. In that case, stop being weird and open it already!"

"Okay, okay," your boyfriend complies and turns in his seat to set the gift on the dining table. He holds it steady with one hand while he slowly pulls the string with his other hand. It gives with ease, piling to the side of the rosy rectangle in a heap of twine.

Yoongi looks at you once again as if to ask for permission to rip the wrapping. Once you nod in encouragement, he tears the paper; the sound tingles your ears. Revealed is a cardboard box, rather plain, nothing out of the ordinary. Yoongi continues, lifting the lid of the box and peering inside.

"Slippers?" his eyes flicker back up to you.

Sure enough, a pair of dark tan, backless slippers lay inside the box. They have a cream-coloured fuzzy interior, squishy and plush to the touch.

"Good observation," you tease. "But look, there should be something else inside too."

The boy returns to the box, removing the shoes and tissue paper to find what lies beneath. "A pair of socks?"

"Thermal socks," you correct and pull out a chair, taking a seat next to the boy. With a smile reaching up to your eyes, you add, "I wanted to get you the slippers a couple of months ago, but they were sold out everywhere. You know, the holiday rush, I guess. But I finally found them, and the socks, too," you grab the soft bundle, thumbing the thick material. "You always say how your feet are constantly cold, and I have the proof when you put them to my legs at night. Little, demon, icicle toes, I swear."

Yoongi chortles, standing from his chair and taking your hands to pull you up and into his chest. You easily comply with him guiding your movements, securing yourself to his torso.

"No one's ever given me something like this before," he mumbles into your hair. "Thank you."

"They're just slippers, Min," you say. "It's not a big deal, really."

"Doesn't matter. They're from you," he places a small peck delicately onto the top of your head. "Anything from you is a big deal."

Yoongi squeezes you tighter; your hair smells like sherbet ice cream, somehow. He inhales deeply—sweetness in the form of you fills his lungs.

Your cheeks warm in his embrace. The two of you slightly sway from side-to-side as if dancing to some muffled music, materialized as the rain rhythmically pattering on the windows.

"I love you, Min," your voice is swallowed by Yoongi's chest.

Yet, the boy feels the vibrations—the hot breath of your words heating his soul—and responds, "I love you too, bubs."

You remain in Yoongi's embrace until he mumbles, "Now, would you like your gift?"

You pull back to look at him, "You didn't have to get me anything."

The boy removes his hold on you. With a gentle pat to the top of your head and a grin, he mutters, "Sorry, I don't make the rules," and moves to the adjacent room to retrieve your present buried in the pits of his dresser. He returns with a small box about the size of his hand, no more than an inch tall, and hands it to you with a shy smile, returning to his chair next to you.

The gift isn't wrapped, although instead housing a silky red ribbon keeping the lid secure to its base. The box is a deep, chocolatey brown colour. Little paisley patterns are etched and scattered around both sides, only visible when you turn the case in the window's lighting.

You give Yoongi a similar glance as if asking for approval to untie it. The boy rests his elbow on the table, chin placed onto his palm as he watches you loosen the ribbon, eyes tracing every inch of you as you beam with curiosity and anticipation. You wiggle the lid off and peer inside. There lies a pair of woollen gloves. Black, tinted a slight navy blue, and incredibly soft when you remove them from their casing and onto your hands; a perfect fit. (Although arguably not as perfect as how Yoongi's hands fit into yours.)

"It's 'cause you're so cold all the time, more-so during the winter. And your solution of sticking your hands inside my coat pocket isn't that effective. It just makes me cold, too," Yoongi fiddles with the ribbon. "Little, icy demon fingers—yeah, something like that."

You giggle and stand from your seat, moving to lean down and hug your sitting boyfriend with your gloved palms. His arms flutter over your back before connecting to you.

You kiss his temple, "Thank you, Min."

"Of course," he whispers into your figure. "Together, we'll have the warmest hands and toes of any couple."

You let go of your hug and cup Yoongi's face with the soft fabric. A quick peck to his round nose and then lips makes the boy's face heat.

"I'm glad I didn't get you earmuffs too," you tuck some hair behind his reddening ears, "you're already warm enough without them."

Yoongi continues to fiddle with the piece of ribbon, suddenly averting his gaze from you, yet his small smile remains evident on his face. He takes the ribbon in one hand and your fingers in the other, getting you to hold out your hand for him. He wraps the fabric around your gloved wrist, going through the bunny-eared notions to finish it in a dainty bow atop your hand; the bright red pops on the contrasting navy blue fleece backdrop.

You chuckle, "What, am I your gift or something, Min?"

The boy finally reaches your gaze. He stands with your hands in his, "Yeah," he mumbles. "Something like that," he repeats and kisses your cheek with a grin plastered on his rosy face.

••

[rainsongdean]

you’re always golden to me

post-mockingjay / pre-epilogue everlark healing together, appreciating the sunset, and maybe even falling in love

"We should head back before it gets dark." Peeta's words rang out in the open air between them, but they were not enough to pull Katniss from her trance-like state.

It had been a rough day. Not enough so to be classified as a bad day, seeing as Katniss had found the motivation to move from the bed to the couch at some point in the afternoon. Now, though, watching the clouds paint watercolors in the sky seemed to bring her back to life. She was encapsulated by the sight.

"Not yet," she eventually spoke, her voice somewhat hoarse from not using it for a while. "I want to stay until it's over. Besides, we could walk home blindfolded from here."

It was true. Katniss had discovered the hill nestled in the woods behind Victor's Village not long after returning from the Capitol. She found solace in being embraced by the wilderness rather than being suffocated in her old home, so when she accidentally stumbled upon the tall mount that overlooked the wide plains and open sky, she knew she had found what she had subconsciously been searching for.

It had taken a few months before she brought Peeta to her secret spot. He'd only returned to District 12 a few days before she had found the hill, and they both needed some time to warm up to each other again. But one day, after suffering through a particularly vivid flashback that ended with him handcuffed to one of Haymitch's spare cages for his geese, Katniss figured it would do them both good to escape into the forest for a while.

That was the first night they watched the sunset from the hill. It had been slightly uncomfortable, sitting inches apart on the dewy grass, no attempt at conversation made by either party. Eventually, Peeta suggested they return home to make dinner before it got too late, but Katniss insisted that she could tell by the shape of the clouds that they would put on an impressive show.

As usual, she was not wrong.

It was the most vibrant spectacle either of them had seen - far more breathtaking than any Capitol party or fireworks display. Sure, they had both watched the sun go down in 12 before, but their view had always been clouded by the thick layer of dust in the air from the mines or obstructed by the cluster of buildings stacked practically on top of one another. Here on their hill, nothing stood between them and the sky. Beyond that, the best part was they got to share it together, just the two of them. 

Since that night, the pair made an effort to hike the two-mile trek to the hill at least once a week, though they typically found themselves there more often than that. Katniss still liked to visit the spot alone, sometimes using the safe space to speak aloud to Prim or Finnick and imagine what they would say back. Other times she just enjoyed the silence.

Peeta, too, ventured to the hill a few times by himself. He had tried on several occasions to paint the landscape, and while he was able to perfect the morning glow and mid-afternoon sun, he couldn't capture the colors of nightfall that he most desired to paint.

Despite the significance that the holy ground held for each of them individually, neither one could deny that they preferred to visit the hill together. Katniss had been unofficially living with Peeta for weeks now, and they even shared a bed most nights, but there was a different breed of intimacy that came with being in the woods, nestled in their own little corner of the universe. 

"Fine," Peeta sighed contentedly, breaking the silence again. "We can stay as long as you'd like." With that, he leaned toward the picnic basket they had brought and reached in, shoving aside the empty containers that once held a selection of berries, cheeses, and breads to reveal a neatly folded fleece blanket he had stashed in the bottom. "I came prepared," he announced with a sense of pride.

Katniss briefly pulled her gaze from the view for the first time since the sun had begun its descent to offer Peeta a small smile of gratitude. The gesture warmed his heart with the blaze of ten thousand sunsets.

Taking care to wrap the soft cover around their legs, Peeta pulled the fabric up to their chests and then eased his back to the ground until he was laying horizontal on the hill. Katniss followed suit so they were both engulfed by the blanket.

Their new angle only served to better showcase the colors stretching endlessly above them. One hue in particular transported Katniss back to a seemingly ancient memory of the two of them.

"Orange. Muted... like a sunset." Katniss didn't break her eye contact with the sky but smirked to herself as she spoke.

Peeta nudged her shoulder playfully in response, easily picking up on what she was referring to. Their conversation on the train about favorite colors was one of the first to come back to him after he had been rescued from the Capitol. Shifting slightly toward Katniss, he reached out and twisted his finger gently around a stray strand of hair that had escaped from her braid. "You're so poetic when you quote me," he mused sarcastically.

"Well, your choice of favorite color is much more poetic than Effie’s choice of wig," she quipped. It was ironic how some of her and Peeta's best conversations had happened in the midst of some of the worst times of their lives. And yet, there they were: safe and relatively happy, just two kids trying to piece themselves back together with some pastel paints, cheese buns, and hidden hills. It may not have been anything profound, but it was living, and Katniss figured that, for time being, that would be enough.

She inhaled deeply, trying to absorb the moment. They had reached the peak of the sunset when every particle in the air seemed to glisten from the giant star's final attempt to remain on the topside of the world. There was only one word to describe it.

"Everything is golden."

And, for an instant, it was.

But as the sun succumbed to the pull of dusk, the raging reds and oranges that had scorched the sky swiftly turned to delicate pinks and purples, paving the way for the black of night.

It was then that Katniss realized Peeta had been uncharacteristically quiet, his sunset commentary usually being much more prolific than hers. When she turned her head to the left to face him, she found he was already staring back at her, still toying with her hair. His deep blue eyes twinkled like he knew a secret and was about to let her in on it.

When they first met, that kind of look from Peeta overwhelmed her. Sometimes Katniss would catch him staring at her like she carried the world in her hands, or spun threads of gold with her words. It puzzled her, annoyed her, and at times even enraged her. But after his hijacking, it had been so rare for that young, innocent Peeta to reappear and give her that look which spelled out his love for her so plainly on his face, and she had grown to cherish it.

"I change my mind." For the third time that night, Peeta's voice sliced open the veil of silence that covered them. 

Katniss abruptly rose to a sitting position, an expression of confusion clouding her face as she leaned over Peeta's resting form. "What do you mean?"

"I change my mind," He repeated calmly, shrugging as if the answer to her question was obvious. "The sunset isn't my favorite shade of orange anymore."

Katniss bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows, causing the wrinkles on her forehead to deepen. Peeta could tell she was trying to keep herself from challenging him, so he decided not to torture her any longer.

"You are my favorite shade of orange," he reached his hand up to caress her cheek, easing away the signs of worry that had risen on her face. "You, sitting here with the sun reflecting in your eyes, your skin glowing in the light." He lowered his voice to a whisper and retracted his hand, slowly guiding Katniss's head to rest on his chest so she could hear his heart beating. "The way you make me feel like I'm on fire inside, all the time."

Girl on fire. The words echoed in his mind and, although he did not dare speak them, he internally admitted they rang true. And it was in moments like those, as he held her under the night sky with millions of stars blazing above them, that he saw Katniss burn the brightest.

"Oh, shut up," she exhaled, turning away from him in an attempt to conceal the blush that had overtaken her smiling face, but Peeta didn't have to see it to know it was there. "You're so cheesy."

"Hey now," he feigned a hurt expression, "I thought you liked my cheese."

Katniss couldn't hide her outburst at his nonsense and they both fell into a fit of laughter together. They hadn't spoken much about what exactly their relationship status was at the moment, hesitant to put labels on anything, but he still wanted her to know how he felt about her. And while Katniss had never been proficient in using her words to convey her love, the way that she clung to Peeta, burying her head in his arm while gasping to regain her breath from laughing so hard, told him everything he needed to know.

"Come on, we should really head back before Haymitch gets worried." Peeta attempted once again to persuade Katniss to return home after they had both calmed down. His stomach was beginning to growl - the small rations of their picnic earlier weren't nearly enough to tide over his appetite until morning - and now that the sun had set, he'd much rather snuggle up with Katniss on their couch than on the cold, hard ground. And besides, while he didn't really think their mentor would be waiting up for them, he figured the argument might be enough to persuade her.

"Seeing as it's past 3 p.m., I think it's safe to say that Haymitch is passed out on his couch," Katniss countered, but her actions said otherwise as she began to gather herself up off the ground. Peeta knew she had a soft spot for the old man.

It took them a little over half an hour to walk home, leisurely following the path that their own footprints had created over time. Upon entering the house, Peeta made a beeline to the kitchen to heat up some leftover stew from the night before. While he ate, Katniss headed to Haymitch's house, opening the unlocked door to find him asleep in his living room as she had predicted. She pried the half-empty bottle from the arm that hung off the couch and set it on a nearby table before turning the lights out and closing his front door behind her.

She had recently made a habit of checking in on her friend, especially during the weeks when Effie travelled back to the Capitol for work. She knew he had done the same for her countless times. Haymitch never seemed to question why he would sometimes wake up with a blanket draped over him or a pillow propped beneath his head, and Katniss didn't plan on bringing it up. Like most things between the two of them, it went unsaid.

Later that evening, tucked under the covers of Peeta's bed - their bed - Katniss felt more at ease than she did most nights. Maybe it was the serenity of the particularly striking sunset, or maybe it was Peeta's roundabout confession of the feelings he still had for her. Either way, she was pleasantly content. 

On the other side of the mattress, as Peeta danced on the cusp of sleep, his mind dragged him back to something Katniss had said on the hill. Everything is golden. He knew what she meant; that the landscape had been blanketed by the radiance of the sunset. But he felt it was true in another sense, and that maybe this new phrase was an even more appropriate way to describe the true essence of Katniss Everdeen.

Before drifting off herself, Katniss heard Peeta mumble one last line of admiration, causing her to fall asleep with a smile ingrained on her lips.

"You're always golden to me."

[teaboot]

Hey I just wanted to ask you something I don't know if its personal so maybe I'll start with me, my psychiatrist told me that I have asperger's syndrome and like my mom keeps asking me like what does that means because I think she sees people with autism as stupid and I'm at the top of my class so she feels like it's a mistake, I personally go mute for months sometimes except for like oral tests, and idk I forget about having a body and so I hit onto walls when I'm focused on something but *

"...*is not so exaggerated like I'm pretty functional I just forget that there are walls and doors and that I can't just transport me to the other room or so,I mean I feel like I'm just trying to find what my "weird or autistic" traits are to justify the diagnosis,I didn't asked my psychiatrist to elaborate on that and so I was wondering, what would you say that your autistic traits are?Also just in case,I know that autistic people can be hella smart and I think that you are really wise I admire you"

Thank you so much, that's very sweet of you to say!

Honestly, I'm sort of in a similar situation- My parents' reaction was to say, "you're too smart to be autistic" or, "Everyone of ~your intelligence~ is a little weird in the head, anyways", and then. Expect me to live up to all the positive stereotypes without ever getting bogged down by the negative realities?

This might not be very helpful at all of me to say, but as an adult who grew up in a rather unpleasant environment, there really isn't much help for a number of things except getting old and independant enough to move out, and then just accepting that their perception of reality isn't open to negotiation. You can try debating it, or meeting them on common ground with scientific basis, but in my case....

....well. There's just some things I now know not to talk about at family gatherings.

I'm sorry, I know that's probably not very helpful or heartening to hear. 

As for my personal grab bag of symptoms? I tend to hyperfocus on personal projects. When I'm really invested in an art piece, I often forget to eat or sleep or drink, and the only way I've learned to snap out of that is that if my hands are shaking or I'm falling over a lot, I probably need to eat something and lay down for a while, because otherwise- and yeah, not the healthiest motivator- otherwise I might start fucking up my hard work.

I also get overwhelmed by overlapping noises- if two people are talking at once, even if one is on a radio or TV show, I can't hear either of them and it stresses the shit out of me. White noise, like in malls or assemblies, also tends to burn my energy pretty fast.

Things like leaf blowers, people whistling indoors, and emergency sirens are physically painful. Repetitive noises like a bouncing rubber ball, sniffling, dogs licking things, and low-frequency vibrations from massage chairs, earthquakes, distant bass music, and some fluorescent lighting systems are impossible to ignore, which ranges from irritating to distressing, depending on my headspace du jour.

I hate bland food with a passion. It tends to make me nauseaus. I like lots of spice, lots of sugar, lots of sour and hot and acidic. I love strong flavours, and if I'm cooking for friends and family I often have to remind myself to tone down the seasonings for them.

Some textures make me genuinely ill, too- most types of meat, fat, and other animal bits result in.... Bad times for all. Polyester towels suck ass. Microfiber cloth. Thick cotton knit material. Any fabric covering my forearms. Thin, elastic denim. Vinyl. Polar fleece.

On the flip side, I looooove woven cotton blankets. Cotton sheets, cotton bedding- cold, heavy duvets are good, too. Acrylic, so long as it doesn't get damp. I have.... Perhaps a little bit of a problem here, as I do... Maybe, possibly, get a little impulsive with buying rugs, throws, and blankets when I come across one that feels right.

All my cups and bowls are handmade out of clay. I'm OK with smooth ceramics, but stoneware feels happy in my hands. I think of it as a treat, like packing a bit of chocolate with my lunch, or eating a whole bag of popcorn by myself. Again, I.... May go a little overboard when I come across A nice-feeling piece of dishware.

Basically, from what I understand, a lot of folks on the spectrum are under and over stimulated by various sensory inputs.

Me, I gravitate towards taste, inertia, tactile sensation, temperature, and dark lighting, while I find myself avoiding, limiting, or minimizing sound, light, color, oral texture, and smell.

As for more stereotyped behaviors, I find organizing things such as legal documents, filing cabinets, paint swatches, hardware, coins, stones, or colors to be very soothing and almost meditative. I go through special interests fairly often, and have been 'into' things like animals, insects, natural history, and art since before I could walk. I can't explain why they're such alluring subjects, they just make me happy.

I didn't realize until recently that I do stim, as well- I rock, sway, growl, swish water around, hang upside-down, rotate my thumbs, rub fabric, twirl coins, and flex my hands. I also (rarely) seem compelled to jump up and down in circles very fast when I'm particularly excited, or flap my arms against my sides like a penguin.

When I'm overstimulated, I go.... I'm not sure if you could call it 'nonverbal'. I get the feeling I COULD speak, it's just.... Overwhelmingly difficult. Usually I find a dark space or a corner away from people, put a coat or something over my head, cover my ears, close my eyes... Sometimes deliberate eye contact is hard, or I can't say more than one or two words at a time, or I find myself relying more on a hum or a grunt to communicate that I'm listening.

It... Probably all sounds weird to a neurotypical who may be reading, but I'm perfectly happy with myself as I am. I wouldn't change it if I could, except perhaps to minimize some of the more irritating things.

Mostly, my biggest peeve is being treated like a cool new pet or accessory. "Oh, this is my person with Autism- they're great at cleaning, you should get one!"- yeah, that can fuck right off. I'm right here, I can hear you, I'm a person. A little respect goes a long way.

But, whoops, here I've gone on a ramble- you want the best advice I have, though? Become comfortable with the person you are. Accept and seek out what things bring you happiness. Don't get hung up on the negatives. Love your experience, if you can, and don't worry about validating anything- you are who you are, and the words we use to explain ourselves fall so, so short when faced with the complexity of our individual existence.

The way I see it, the day before your diagnosis is the same as today, you just have one more tool to understand yourself with. The decision of how and if you choose to explain this to those around you is entirely yours to decide! 

I know this kind of went off the rail of your question. My answers are a little limited. I hope I could help anyways! Good luck!!