#heart stitch markers

[gay-ppl-real]

Did y'all know I have a pair of absolutely ancient jeans that I use as an embroidery canvas.

No, you didn't, because turns out I've apparently never shared my Layton or Encanto patches on here I guess??

Well, I made a Welcome Home patch on them!! My buddy was kind enough to help me take some pics wearing it while I was in town today.

What symbols for which characters under the hood :)

Wally: apple, eye, his lil face! Barnaby: his pawprint and his hat Julie: pink and purple flowers Frank: their tie, butterflies (plus hearts) Eddie: a multicoloured letter (plus hearts) Howdy: a caterpillar Poppy: the little wings she draws next to her signature, and a cupcake Sally: Stars!

Having more things dedicated to a specific character doesn't have any significance, it just means I had more ideas for them or they fit nicest to fill in a space haha

[aku-crochet]

Started off this month making this super cute heart shaped holder! A really cute place to store my stitch markers in💕💕

🍄 Pattern Credit - gratiaproject_crochet on Instagram / GratiaProject on YouTube

[kisskiss-slashslash]

Can I request jason voorhees, bubba sawyer, Thomas hewitt, and Vincent sinclair and how they would react to finding a message on the inside of their mask that says "rember, I♡U ~ Y/N" from their S/O other, and maybe another angst version where the find it after the reader died but for now just fluff please?

Yes you can <3 and I did both for all of them. First fluffy, then angsty

So yeah content warnings: Death

Masked Slashers when they discover that their s/o wrote a message on the back of their mask

Jason Voorhees

If he discovers it during your lifetime, he becomes downright giddy. He knows what it means, despite being unable to read. He has seen the same thing carved into way too many trees around camp. But this isn’t harming a tree or defacing the camp, it’s just you reminding him that while he is out there killing people, you are at home, waiting to lovingly welcome him back. And to return the favor, he may carve or write the same thing on something of yours, so you will also always know he loves you. Should he not discover the message before then, however…

-

His days have become so dark since you left. And since then, he also stopped taking off his mask so much. While you were alive, he had made it a habit to not wear it around you. After all, you loved all of him; there was no way to hide. So now, if he needed to eat or drink, he usually just lifted it a bit and put it back in place immediately after. So it took him a few weeks to discover your message.

Jason never learned to read, but he sees the little heart scribbled next to the message and that says just as much. His heart breaks all over again. For a good while, he just stands there with the mask in hand, bitter tears dripping onto the rough plastic.

Bubba Sawyer

You make this particular mask for Bubba, after watching how he maskes the masks himself many times. It really is a bit gross, but you’d do anything for him, so there you are, carefully stitching the flaps of skin together and finally using a permanent marker to write the message inside. Once he discovers it, he is over the moon. He will immediately drop anything he is doing and come to you to wrap you in a bear hug. Depending on the time of day, Drayton may chase him back to work with some choice words, or just roll his eyes and tell you to get a room.

-

Bubba has many masks, for every one of his moods. But he rarely swaps them out anymore, now that you aren’t around. While your body has been treated like the rest of the Sawyer-family’s deceased loved ones, sitting upstairs as well-preserved as possible and treated as if still alive, it is just not the same. You aren’t laughing and smiling anymore.

This mask that he wears now has been your work; you had insisted on making one for him a while ago.

When family bath day finally rolls around, he finds himself forced to take it off, and that’s then he finally notices it. A message for him, written inside of the mask, right on his cheek like a loving kiss. The other Sawyers can only watch in bewilderment as Bubba breaks down, sobbing and clutching the mask to his chest.

Thomas Hewitt

Making his human masks is grizzly business, and one he normally wouldn’t want to involve you in. But he remembers you sneaking downstairs not too long ago, citing simple curiosity as the reason.

He will most likely find the message fairly quickly, while washing up after a hard day of work. Once he sees it, he will smile to himself. While his reaction is fairly subdued, he will definitely be extra loving with you for the rest of the day, causing Hoyt to tease him about it.

-

Now that you’re gone, Thomas just tries to move on with his life, as painful as it is. He still has the rest of his family to provide for, after all.

During his work, he briefly takes off his mask to wipe off the sweat that gathered underneath, only to find the message inside. His heart cramps up at the sight, and he bites down on his lower lip to stop the tears flooding his eyes from making their way down his face.

Carefully, almost reverently, he puts the mask back on a dummy head, now deeming it way too precious to wear. Instead, he grabs another one, but before he can put it on, he freezes, realizing that his one also has the same message from you. Holding back the tears becomes even harder. Another mask. Same thing.

He finds that every single one of his masks has the same message scribbled on the inside. Overwhelmed by it, he sits down at his desk and buries his face in his hands, hoping it will conceal the hot streams of sorrow pouring from his eyes.

Vincent Sinclair

Leaving this kind of message in a wax mask is a bit difficult, but possible. You got yourself some gold foil from a craft store during your last trip to town, and while Vincent sleeps peacefully next to you, you quietly get up and carefully work the message into the wax with the foil. When Vincent wakes up and discovers it, he will look over to you and smile. That day, he works with even more vigor than usual, and come evening, presents you with a small wax figure he made especially for you.

-

Vincent considered himself almost immune to grief for a long time; even his mother’s death had made him determined to continue her legacy more than anything. But then you suddenly pass away, and he feels like the ground underneath his feet is crumbling.

Then he discovers the message, and he just… shuts down. It takes days for his brothers to coax him out of bed, and even then, he only gets up to stop his brothers from pestering him. Should any victims come to town during that time, he will go after them with the ferocity of a wild animal. In his head he is screaming “Why should you get to live?! With what right are you still breathing while they are gone?!”

[kisskawa]

— in love and war cw alcohol, intoxication, reader has bad friends and a loving ex

oikawa’s already frowning when he pulls up next to you, hazard lights highlighting your face in blinking orange. the apples of your cheeks seem softer in this light, bunching together and causing your eyes to curve into happy crescents as his name tumbles easily from your lips.

“why are you by yourself?” oikawa demands as he nears you, outstretched hand meeting yours.

“‘m not,” you grin at the contact, letting yourself tiptoe closer to oikawa until you’re leaning against his chest. “my friends are over there,” you point up the road where oikawa can only just make out a gaggle of people, “see?”

a hand sits on your shoulder, heavy and grounding and serious. you look awfully pleased under its warmth. “why aren’t they with you?”

you look up at oikawa with a thoughtful hum, genuinely trying to remember as your brows furrow. “didn’t want to be with them,” you exhale, shrugging. your friends have never been as kind as they should be, you know oikawa doesn’t like them. you lighten up again, “’sides, was waiting for you.”

it feels like a punch to the stomach when oikawa shakes his head at you. and suddenly aching, you let him tug you back to his car and settle you in, having precariously parked in all his concern.

the drive back is quiet, nothing more than the mindless rattling of a late night radio host and the gentle purr of the engine. oikawa can feel you staring at him, trying to gage whether or not he’s mad at you.

the passing streetlights make your head swirl, a little dizzier than out in the street where fresh air filled your lungs. but you’re not alone now, and the leather seats of oikawa’s car are worn and familiar. your fingers run across the thick stitches and you use them as markers to count the flickers of orange that dance across oikawa’s face one by one. they make him look handsome, drawing long shadows across his sharp features and warming his eyes.

by the time oikawa’s pulled in, you’ve fallen asleep, chin tucked into your chest with your last thought being the driver beside you. it could’ve been worse, oikawa muses, you could’ve been sick.

he allows himself a moment. a sliver of peace to watch the way your chest rises and falls, air punctuated only by soft exhales. you really did look pretty, routine of dressing up for a night out long since perfected. oikawa can’t forget the way you’d shone when you’d caught sight of him. he leaves the car before the thought can stick any longer.

he’s only away for a split second, rounding the bonnet to get to you. the door opens and suddenly he’s surrounding you, leaning close to pull at the seatbelt, fresh linen and vanilla. 

oikawa freezes when your fingers curl around his wrist. “i miss you,” you murmur. his heart stutters painfully.

you half think you’ve imagined the mumbled confession, oikawa continuing to work at the seatbelt until you’re free and easing yourself into his arms. you stumble a little as you get out the car, it’s ok, oikawa’s got you.

“let’s go inside first,” he finally responds, voice taut.

oikawa’s flat is just as you remember, down to every last detail. the framed picture of his high school volleyball club that greets you at the door, and the blue umbrella that he never remembers to take by the shoe rack. the slightly wonky kitchen cupboard door that houses mismatched mugs collected over the years, and the blanket you’d made together on the arm of the sofa, his fabric intertwined with yours. knowing it all like the back of your hand, you walk a familiar path to his room.

“i miss you,” you repeat, firmer this time as you perch on the end of his bed, trying hard not to get overwhelmed by the comfort of his sheets. it’s so much stronger here, fresh linen, vanilla and the faintest touch of the ocean air.

oikawa shuts his eyes, “you’re drunk.”

“i’m not,” it’s true, you’d sobered up quickly on the ride back, “i had a few drinks but i’m not drunk. i mean what i said, i swear i wouldn’t lie to you.” you wouldn’t be this coherent drunk. and under the effects of alcohol, you’d never approach such a serious topic as you and tooru like this. you both know that.

“i know you wouldn’t, but you’ve still drank, you wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t. and i can’t listen to you say you miss me when i can’t tell you how i feel in return, knowing your head’s all hazy and your judgement’s wrong.”

your fingers wind in oikawa’s sheets. “you don’t have to believe me right now, i’ll tell you in the morning and every day after if that’s what it takes. but you can tell me,” you urge, “you can tell me anything.”

the floodgates open.

“you can’t keep doing this. you can’t keep calling me and asking me to pick you up, because you know i will, you know i care,” oikawa’s voice is low, defeated, as it expels the truth, “it’s not fair.”

the wobble in his words makes your heart hurt and you rub at your chest, hoping the pressure will ease some of the pain. it doesn’t. instead, it comes out in your response, more unfair than anything, “i only ever call you, i only ever want you. and it’s the same reason why you still care.”

a call of your name shuts you up, sternness stopping you in your tracks. oikawa’s never once said your name like this, always honeyed and warm and fond. the ache swells.

you crawl into bed, pulling the covers up tight to your neck and trying to hide the glassiness in your eyes. you wouldn’t cry, you couldn’t cry. oikawa was right, it wasn’t fair. because you had broken things off, you hadn’t been able to deal with the drowning comfort of oikawa’s love, and yet, you were the one calling him when you needed someone to rely on. each and every time. “’m sorry,” you whisper, the thickness in your voice comes through anyway.

“i know,” oikawa sighs, tucking in next to you, one hand around your waist and the other running through your hair, the position you’ve always liked, “i’m sorry too.”

when oikawa wakes in the morning, the glass he left on the bedside table is empty and a single painkiller has been punched out of the foil packet. the bed too is cold, a collection of wrinkled sheets and pooling blankets. your presence in the room is barely there, only evident by a trail of absences.

oikawa curls up, bed suddenly too big, too lonely, as he tugs the duvet up and over his head. he lies there for a long time, a lump as he reprimands himself. it was true, what he said last night - this wasn’t fair, he couldn’t keep doing this routine. and yet, he couldn’t do anything but care for you, its like he was programmed to. you can’t keep waiting forever, his brain commands and the twinge in his heart pulls his knees closer to his chest.

“oikawa?” the gentle call of his name forces him out from his mind and underneath the covers. his head pokes out from the duvet, brown hair messy and eyes bleary. you notice the downturn of his lips first at the sound of his surname on your tongue. it seems clunky, awkward.

your stomach churns and your hands grip cruelly at the cup inbetween your hands. it’s coffee, half milk with two heaps of sugar and caramel syrup. not the way you like it at all. you hold it out and oikawa’s kind not to mention the tiny tremble of your arms. “if you’ll let me, i owe you something,” you pause, “i miss you, tooru.”

tooru beams. not forever at all.

[skyrim-forever]

Beading: A Year's Progress

Hi everyone, I thought I'd do a little retrospective as I began learning to bead 1 year ago! Here is a timeline of my progress and projects :)

June 2023 Pomegranate 1st project -This was the first project I tried, design freehanded by me. I practiced a few stitches and then just started! Figured it out as I went, still proud of this turned out way better than I expected. Materials 6/10 seed beads, glass pearls, and glass semi-transparent beads in 4 different sizes for the seeds; polyester backing and thread.

July 2023 Twin Snakes -Project number two is where I decided to play with a more complicated design and use colour. This was definitely a learning experience but it gave me confidence to try more intricate designs. Materials 6/10 seed beads, glass gemstone beads for the eyes, polyester backing and thread.

August 2023 Scared Heart and Eyes -For project 3 I decided to try working with more different types of beads, design inspired by adobe stock images of scared heart tattoos :P Materials 6/10 seed beads, glass pearls, czech crystal beads, and semi-transparent glass beads.

September 2023-Janurary 2024 La Pietà di Neravar -A lot of developments! I decided to try working with smaller beads, 10/0 seed beads and began my most ambitious project. Taking over 50 hours, spread over 3 months, it was wonderful to document this process on tesblr. I also decided to combine my love of TES with beading, a theme that would continue. Materials 10/0 seed beads.

February 2024 - March 2024 Mask of Almalexia -Something about Morrowind just inspires me so much and for my next project I decided to do Almalexia's mask as she is my fav Tribunal member. This was complicated and I ended up colouring the background with markers to make sure I put the beads in the right places. This isn't my fav but I learned a lot and it didn't turn out too bad. Materials 10/0 seed beads, czech crystal beads, and metal cones with rinestones on the tusks.

April 2024 - July 2024 Ayem -More of her <3 I love my wife :P I decided I wanted to learn portraiture, in fact the reason I started beading was because I was so inspired by artist Rachel EllenBogen and her stunning beaded portrait purses. I hope to make this into a purse as well! Quite proud of this as it's not bad for my first stab at portraits.

Thank you everyone for your support, in particular I'd like to shoutout @thequeenofthewinter @throughtrialbyfire @ladytanithia and @your-talos-is-problematic for the incredibly kind comments on my wip wednesday posts <3 Many weeks I made progress because I wanted to show you all :)

[ghoulie-67-baby]

Tally- Doctor Who.

Summary: You’re running from the silence. You’ve been separated from the doctor and the Ponds and life seems to be slowly coming to an end. What if the madman doesn’t come to save you?

Warnings: Fear, pain, mentions of death, dehydration, exhaustion, pet names, mentions of hallucinations, crying.

Pairing: Eleventh Doctor x GN!reader. (Platonic or otherwise.)

Word count: 1,151.

The rushing of blood echoed in my ears and my limbs ached with exhaustion. I had been running for god knows how long and I just seemed to get more lost. I allowed myself a break, falling to my knees in the fine, desert sand, chest heaving as I caught my breath. Dizzying pain ripped through my ribs from the stitch I had; I knew I couldn't stop for long. I didn't know what I was running from, but the fear that had acclimated forced me to run. Whatever it was, my body was in fight or flight and my senses told me it was something life-threatening.

An assortment of tally marks stained my skin, and though I knew I was the one who put them there, I couldn't remember why and that chilled me to the bone. The marker pen in my pocket seemed to dig into my flesh as my ears caught a gurgling sound behind me. My head turned slowly to face the noise as my hand grappled to pull the pen from my jeans as the creature came into view. My body felt as though it was sinking into the ground as I scrambled against the ground.

The wind seemed to pick up out of nowhere as it lumbered closer to me, kicking sand into the air around us. I groaned in pain as it blew into my eyes, blinking furiously.

My mind felt fuzzy as the sand finally cleared and I sat up, shaking my head to clear it before standing. My heart was beating a million miles an hour, but I didn't understand why. Fresh markings littered my skin and I stared at them, questions and fears rolling around in my head. My eyes watered as I scraped through my mind to work out what was happening but all I could work out was I was terrified and whatever I was terrified of was causing me to lose my memory.

I let out a few sobs as I fought off my panic before huffing out a long sigh. Now wasn't the time to break down, now was the time I needed to run and find someone who knew what was happening. I had to keep moving. I was in a desert with no food or water and was constantly moving. I wasn't stupid, I knew I had days to live in this condition and I didn't know how long I had been running for.

In the past hour, I had gained a total of 11 extra tallies despite the empty desert around me. My legs were barely holding me up, knees trembling with exertion but I forced myself to keep going. I longed for the wheezing of that beautiful blue box to fill the dry air, desperate to feel the cold metal of her interior on my scorched flesh. And that madman's voice to just tell me everything was okay, that he had fixed everything and I was safe but I had slowed to a stumble.

I didn't have the energy to run anymore and soon I would collapse, the sand would cover me and I would be forgotten to the world. There was no TARDIS on the horizon, no Doctor to save me and no Ponds to make me feel better.

Precious tears streamed down my face as my body gasped for breath, pain flaring through my body as my knees buckled beneath me. I didn't want to die, not like this and not in such a beautifully dangerous place but as hope drained from my body, I was slowly coming to terms with it.

"Y/N!" My head snapped up at the voice and my eyes zeroed in on the gorgeous blue monument ahead of me. "Don't give up, keep going," I scoffed at the hallucination of the Doctor, of course, it was him my dying brain would imagine. "You're nearly there now, Love." I clambered to my feet unsteadily, if I was going out then I might as well use every ounce of energy.

The sun glared into my eyes as I trudged along, feet slipping against mounds of sand. The TARDIS seemed to get closer and I had a horrible feeling that as soon as I reached her, I was going to die. She was like my light that people warned you not to walk into. So be it, I'd die happy if they were my afterlife.

"Nearly there, come on, you can do it." He coaxed me closer, holding open the door as I kicked up sand in my fight to reach him. I held my hand out towards the Timelord, his hallucination blurred by tears as I closed my eyes to welcome death.

But death never came. Instead, my hand was met with the calloused skin of another as fingers curled around my own. He was never a hallucination.

My eyes shot open as the hand pulled me forward, the familiar creaking of the TARDIS door behind me, as I all but fell into the police box and into waiting arms. The pen in my pocket clattered to the floor as I gripped the tweed jacket and buried my head against the time lord.

"I know, you're safe, Love, just breathe." My sobs echoed through the console as my body became overwhelmed with relief and pain, dragging me through a tidal wave of emotion.

I gasped as we sunk to the floor; pain, exhaustion, confusion, fear, relief, and happiness all at once. The chest beneath my head vibrated as softly spoken words carried me through the feelings.

"I've got you, you're safe," he whispered into my ear, my gasps settling to shuddering breaths. "I'm so sorry Y/N," my body leant against him bonelessly as his hand smoothed over my hair, the other rubbing gentle circles into my back. "That's it, good job, Love." Silence followed as I clung to him, the ambience of the TARDIS comforting me. After a few minutes, I tilted my head to look into those beautifully old eyes and smiled weakly.

"Knew you'd find me," I whispered, ignoring my hoarse throat. "Cutting a bit short weren't you." I teased, his green eyes glazed with tears as he smiled down at me, wiping my cheeks gently.

"We had some trouble," he chuckled, "Someone didn't want us to find you but I couldn't let that slide now could I? Not for one of my favourite humans eh?" I forced my arms to wrap around him, gripping the back of his jacket in a hug and buried my head in his neck as the past few days caught up with me.

I was safe now, my body had clocked on to that fact. I couldn't help how my eyes slipped closed as I relaxed into the Timelord's grip, finally letting my body and mind shut down to recover from the ordeal.

He would always save me, no matter what.

[crochet-the-night-away]

Enoch (Over the Garden Wall) Crochet Pattern

Disclaimer:

This pattern has a lot of sewing. You've been warned! I couldn't find a way to minimize the sewing and still have the same color changes and composition I wanted.

Materials

Two different greens (Green 1 and Green 2) and orange yarn (I used a Medium sized yarn) Appropriately sized Crochet Hook (I used a 3.5mm hook) Black, soft brown and off-white felt to make the face details (If you can't find off-white felt, like me, buy white felt and paint it off-white with acrylic paint) Stitch Markers Tapestry Needle Fiberfill Scissors Sewing Pins

Techniques

Magic Ring (mr) Chain (ch) Single Crochet (sc) Increase (inc) Decrease (dec) Skip a stitch (skip)

Head

----- Using ORANGE Round 1: 8sc into a magic ring [8] ----- The next two rounds are worked on the stitches from Round 1 Round 1.5: FLO 8sc [8] ----- Attach a stitch marker to the first stitch of Round 1.5 for later Round 2: BLO 8inc [16] Round 3: (sc, inc) * 8 [24] Round 4: (sc, inc, sc) * 8 [32] Round 5: (3sc, inc) * 8 [40] Round 6: (2sc, inc, 2sc) * 8 [48] Round 7: (5sc, inc) * 8 [56] Round 8 - 16: 56sc [56] Round 17: (5sc, dec) * 8 [48] Round 18: (2sc,dec, 2sc) * 8 [40] Round 19: (3sc, dec) *8 [32] Round 20: (sc, dec, sc) * 8 [24] ----- Stuff ----- The next two rounds are worked on the stitches from Round 20 Round 20.5: FLO (sc, dec) * 8 [16] ----- Attach a stitch marker to the first stitch of Round 20.5 for later Round 21: BLO (2sc, skip) * 8 [16] Round 22: 8dec [8] ----- Stuff

Fasten off and leave an extra long tail. It should be able to wrap around your head 10 times.

Pass the yarn under a stitch from round 20.5. Wrap the yarn over and around the pumpkin and divide it in two. Pass the yarn under another stitch from round 20.5. Pull the yarn tight and secure it with a knot. Repeat this two more times until your pumpkin is divided in 6 parts.

Pass the yarn through the pumpkin from bottom to top to work on his top embellishment.

Starting from the stitch marker on the head's round 1.5

Round 1: 8inc [16] Round 2: (2sc, inc) * 5, sc [21] Fasten off and weave in the tail.

Body

----- Starting with GREEN 1 from the stitch marker on the head's round 20.5

Round 1: (sc, inc) * 8 [24] Round 2: (sc, inc, sc) * 8 [32] Round 3-24: 32 sc [32] Round 25: 32 sc [32] Round 26: (sc, dec, sc) * 8 [24] Round 27: (sc, dec) * 8 [16] Round 28: 8dec [8] Fasten off and weave in the tail.

Arms (x2)

----- You can crochet around a wire to give the arms more structure ----- Using GREEN 1 22ch (Skip the chain if you're using a wire) Skipping the first chain from the hook and 21 sl st Leave a long tail for sewing

GREEN 1 Stripes (x9)

----- Using GREEN 1 27ch Skipping the first chain from the hook and 26 sl st Leave a long tail for sewing

GREEN 2 Stripes (x11)

----- Using GREEN 2 27ch Skipping the first chain from the hook and 26 sl st Leave a long tail for sewing

Assembly

Using sewing pins, attach all the stripes and the arms and stripes alternating greens. Once you're happy with the placement, sew everything.

Using felt, cut the following shapes: 2 soft brown circles 2 black circles (smaller than the brown ones) 1 skinny black heart that will serve as a nose 1 soft brown oval 1 off-white oval (smaller than the brown one) ----- To make the teeth, I just cut the smile and then vertical lines. When it was time to glue it on the brown oval, I separated them a bit for that teeth effect. Glue everything and you're done!

[gradientdescent-does-it-all]

Sewing Journal: In Which My Embroidery Projects Become Increasingly Unhinged In Scope, Scale, and Content

Oh boy oh boy, I’m really excited about this one, y’all. After that series of smaller-scale experiments, I’ve finally pulled it all together to set up this fabulously visceral, gory panel by @barbatusart into the embroidery project that I’ll be doing off-camera for the next 2 months of Zoom calls.

In case it’s not clear from the picture, this thing is BIG. Like, 2 feet tall “big”. And although I can generally fit the embroidery frame onto my desk just off-camera, my coworkers have gotten used to knowing I’m always sewing just-offscreen and are in the habit of asking me to show what I’m doing. So I, uh, may need to keep a decoy project on hand to show them. Showing this one to my colleagues may qualify as ‘oversharing’.

If you wanna watch the daily progress pics of this one, I’ll have ‘em up over on the side blog @gradientdescentthreads . And if anyone’s interested in the combination of quilting and applique that went into setting this up, check it out below the cut!

Ok so this project started by slightly editing the original comic panel to pull out just the black and white line art into one layer, and the geometric color blocks into another. The original image used color sparingly so this wasn’t a very difficult task. I then printed both out to the exact same scale; these form the basis for the 2 layers of patterning that went into the overall composition.

Cutting up the print-out of the background was an easy route to a quilting pattern.

…And then, heart-breakingly, I cut up that nice quilt panel, using the paper print-out of the foreground as a template. Taking the lessons I learned from my smaller test projects, I used double-sided iron-on interfacing both to reinforce the fabric as well as attach it to the white underlayer cleanly. Then I got busy with a washable marker and a light box to trace the design. Finally, since the colored fabric was too dark for me to see through the light box, I printed out one final version of the design onto Stick-n-Stitch and overlaid it onto the red and black areas.

Why not save the time and just use Stick-n-Stitch for the entire design, you ask? Well, purely personal preference, but I feel like hand-tracing a complicated design helps me understand it better, kind of a dry run for rendering it in thread next. And also drawing those big gnarly teeth is just FUN.

[schemmentisjacket]

Chapter 5 - First Day pt 2

Authors Note: Little something something about non binary queer new teacher coming in, leading to Melissa finding the one.

The thing about kids is, as much as they’re interested in something, that interest moves on quickly. They’re also open minded and untainted by the world.

So when Charlie tells them they can call them ‘Dr Flinn or just Flinn, no need for Mr or Miss’ they do. When they’re interested in the gloves Flinn wears and they say ‘They keep my hands warm’ thats also enough.

And like that the lessons pass, some kids wrangle them into a ball game during break, Melissa and Barbara watching from their spot on duty.

Jacob calls you over to sit with him during lunch exchanging more details of the potential first date with Ant and his excitement about that.

The day seemingly uneventful until story time, two periods before the end of the day. The four graders are quietly invested in reading to themselves when a shout echos from across the hall. Suddenly a student bursts through your doors ‘Miss Schemmenti is hurt!’ They exclaim, eyes tearful in that way kids get when they’re faced with something unexpected.

You’re immediately on your feet, directing two of your pupils, ‘Fetch Mrs Howard and Mr Eddie,’ you instruct them calmly, knowing they’re the closest classrooms to yours and Melissas.

‘Everyone keep reading, I’ll be back.’

You walk briskly across the hall, despite your heart pounding in your chest, you hide the panic from the children. Heading into Melissa’s classroom, you spot a board pen on the floor near to the front desk, and the fiery hair on the back of Mel’s head just above the surface. You head towards the desk quickly and drop down behind it next to her away from the kids view.

Melissa was looking at you with slightly unfocused eyes, blood running down the side of her face from a gash in her hairline.

Without thinking you pull off your gloves and toss them on the floor, followed by removing your jumper, that you bunch pressing it up against her head carefully. ‘You know I’m not this kind of Doctor?’ You chuckle to her quietly, as her eyes run across your exposed arms and hands, with your jumper off you were left in a short sleeve shirt, your heavily tattooed flesh exposed to the world. She reached out to touch you. ‘I just wanted to get your top off,’ she chuckled breathily, before the classroom door bursts open and Barbara and Gregory enter.

You carefully pop your head above the desk, ‘Mrs Howard if you could take Melissas class and Mr Eddie if you could take my class please, that would be wonderful, could you let Ava know that Myself and Miss Schemmenti will be unavailable for the rest of the day.’

You turn your attention back to Melissa as the students file from the room.

‘Well it worked. You want to tell me what happened?’

You could see the shock off the fall wearing from her face as she looked at you intensely ‘Kid must’av dropped a marker and I slipped, caught my head on the desk on the way down.

You careful moved the jumper from her head to access the damage. Stitches would be needed. You took her hand and used it to hold the jumper back in place.

‘Looks like you get the rest of the day off and a trip to the accident room with me.’ You smile and stand, tucking your gloves into your back pocket. ‘Stay there and keep that pressure on, I’ll go grab my coat and bag and then we’ll get out off here.’

You sprinted out of there returning a moment later. Coat and backpack on.

M:

You couldn’t believe the last five minutes. Going from teaching to being on the floor bleeding. Then the new teacher you’d began to crush on comes running in like a knight in armer. Whipping off their jumper without a second thought other than making sure you were okay. And they were even hotter than you had imagined beneath those hoodies and jumpers. Tattoos running from their finger and hands all the way disappeared beneath the tight short sleeves of their dress shirt.

Your head was throbbing, but you were subtly aware of a dull throb stirring much lower down.

[smallpotatoknitwear]

The Valentine's Day Gradient Heartigan!

Wow, that's a bit of a mouthful, huh!? As I continue my quest to make sweaters for all of my favorite holidays, I'm so excited to have finished my Valentine's Day cardigan--partly because Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday, and partly cos this sweater came out so frickin' cute!!! Click on the keep reading link below for all the details on how I made it!

Items used:

Red Heart Super Saver in Burgundy (red). I used just under three skeins for all of the squares and joining the sweater.

Caron Colorama Halo in Cranberry Frost. I used less than a full O'Go donut for all of the hearts, so I think you should be able to use a single cake for them if you want to make your own version of this sweater, and I used part of a second donut for the ribbing--so even if you don't get all of your hearts out of one cake, if you have a second to do the ribbing as well you'll be all set!

Even though the Colorama Halo is listed as a bulky yarn, it's really a worsted thickness, so I used a US size I/5.5MM hook for the entire project, including the ribbed border.

I used the pattern for the Little Heart Square by Raffamusa Designs for the squares, and added an extra row of double crochet around the outside (with 2DC, ch2, 2DC in each corner). I used a total of 60 squares for the sweater.

This sweater is, at its core, just a basic granny square cardigan, meaning that I built it by measuring another sweater that I like the fit of (this one, if you're wondering), making a single square, measuring it, and figuring out how many squares I needed for each section of the sweater to get measurements as close as possible to the model sweater. That may sound a little confusing or even daunting, but it's really not as hard as it sounds! Let's break it down a little further, piece by piece.

To start, here are some measurements:

Each heart square is 5x5 inches, and I blocked each one to make sure my measurements would be consistent and that my squares would have nice, even sides.

On my model sweater, the sleeves are 18 inches around and 15 inches long. So, with 5x5 in. squares, I made 4x3 square tubes, so that my sleeves measured a total of 20x15 inches.

On my model sweater, my front panels were 10x20 inches, so I made two 2x4 panels.

On my model sweater, my back panel was 26x20 inches, so I made a 5x4 panel.

I used a total of 60 squares for all of these panels.

To get the gradient, I made all of my hearts in order through a skein of Caron Colorama Halo yarn (technically I was using one of the O'Go donuts they were originally released in, not one of the cakes that yarn is available in now, but there was a good amount leftover, so I think you'd be able to make a sweater approximately the same size with a cake of the yarn, even thought the yardage is different). Once I had added the red border around each square and blocked it, I laid them out on a table starting with the top left corner of the back panel and working in a spiral from that corner, across the back, across the top of the right sleeve, over both front panels, and across the top of the left sleeve before moving down. Then, I used stitch markers and safety pins to attach the corners of the squares together in each panel so that I wouldn't mess up the gradient as I moved them to attach everything.

Once all of my panels were finished using flat slip stitch seams, I seamed the fronts to the back at the shoulders and sides, made the sleeves into tubes, and attached them to the armholes in the "vest" made from the fronts and backs. Then, I used a second skein of the Colorama Halo to add ribbing to the front and bottom, using a 6-stitch SC FLO rib worked directly into the edge of the garment and beginning in the front right corner of the sweater. I was able to make the front and bottom ribbing all one piece by just turning a corner in the last row of the front ribbing (the left bottom corner) and working along the bottom. For the sleeves, I started with the same color red I used to finish the squares and seam them together, and worked a row of double crochet (I decided I wanted the sleeves just a hair longer, for a slightly more dramatic poof), then worked two rows of *SC1, DEC1* before breaking the red yarn and attaching the pink. I did a 12-stitch SC FLO rib around the ends of the sleeves to create the cuffs.

[pikolswonderland]

Morley picked up the crumpled piece of paper, covered in old crayon and marker, left behind by one of the children no less. She inspected the child’s drawing, only to be met with a pain in her heart. This was Toby’s drawing, she knew his art style and handwriting far too well. It was a crudely, but wholesomely, illustration of what was clearly labeled as Toby, Claire (who’s name he spelled wrong), and…Captain Fiddles? As in the mascot? No…the closer she looked she noticed what appeared to be stitches on the monkey’s face and torso. This was clearly the experiment of Fiddles.

“He and his friend must’ve found Fiddles and are travelling with him, there’s no doubt” spoke Banban, crossing his arms as he turned to Morley.

“Fiddles was always a sweetheart, he’s the youngest out of us that wasn’t from the offspring experiments. Don’t worry Morley, we’ll save Toby and the children, we swear on it!” Banbaleena reassured Morley, putting her hoof-hand on her shoulder and giving a warm smile.

Morley nodded in appreciation, folding up the paper and slipping it into her bag.

Don’t worry Toby, I’m coming for you…

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

I Will Heal the Ruins Left Inside You

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Carol Peletier

Setting: France

Warnings: References to events that could be spoilers

Summary: What if it hadn’t been Laurent to call Daryl’s name?

A/N: Idk why this song made this play out in my head but I went with it. It was written quickly so I’ll have to go through and edit mistakes and may fix some things I don’t like about it.

He couldn’t stay. He knew that much. Regardless of Isabelle’s attempts to manipulate him, he knew from the beginning that he couldn’t stay. He wouldn’t stay. It had been a mistake to leave in the first place. It took thousands of miles and too many close calls for his stubborn mind to catch up with what his heart knew all along. 

He belonged with her. When he left the Commonwealth, he had told her loved her. He meant it. He just didn’t know the depth of that love until it felt impossible to return to her. Now he knew that he would swim the Atlantic if that’s what it took. 

But a boat would be waiting. It wouldn’t take him home but it would take him far enough. He’d find a way from there. It was a start and he wouldn’t be deterred. 

He cared for Laurent. He knew it, and Isabelle did too. Whether or not her intentions for attempting to persuade him to stay were for the boy or her own benefit, he’d probably never know. But the kid would be safe at the Nest. Daryl had to believe that. 

Even if he couldn’t, he still wouldn’t stay. 

Because the Nest wasn’t home. France wasn’t home. The Commonwealth wasn’t home. 

She was home. 

And he was going home. 

He spared the castle behind one last glance and sent up a prayer to a god he still wasn’t sure existed that the people he left behind would be safe. 

Because he couldn’t stay. 

He sat by a fire that night in a rundown shack, soaked to the bone, with her face at the forefront of his mind. Smiling as he left her. He had known then that he loved her but he had nothing to offer her. He wasn’t a king or even a soldier. He was just a man, broken and imperfect. She deserved perfect. She deserved whole. 

He knew now that she was home. He would go back and throw his heart at her feet; offer it with its stitches, its missing pieces, and its black surface. If she would hold it, even for a moment, it would heal. If she rejected him, it would shatter, but the pieces would still be hers. 

It took another day for him to hear the waves, for him to allow himself to feel the excitement of going home. Yet the flag gave him pause. On that lonely plot of land, a single flagpole with a tattered American flag waved. The markers for the final resting places of all the soldiers who died with his grandfather. He wasn’t sure why but he had to find it; had to find him. The search wasn’t in vain. 

William T. Dixon

His grandfather. His blood. He couldn’t pinpoint a single emotion of the multitude he was feeling. Was it anger? Sadness? Grief? No. 

Determination. 

He wouldn’t stay. 

He turned walking to the edge of the grave markers before looking back. Daryl wouldn’t be like him. He would go back to his family. He would go back to her. 

The boat was there, just beyond the shore. He called to it and waved, assaulted by a sense of relief so strong, it threatened to buckle his knees. When he heard the growls, he felt no fear. The undead would not stand between him and that boat. 

And they didn’t. 

He was on the beach, limping toward the water and allowing himself to smile; he was going home. He was going back to her. 

“Daryl!”

He froze, not only his steps but his heart, his lungs. It couldn’t be. 

“Daryl!”

He turned slowly, wondering if he had finally given in to madness. It had been teasing the edges of his mind for years; the grief, the anger. Had he succumbed to the darkness that had threatened for so long to engulf him?

There she stood. Her short silver hair pressed to one side from the salty breeze. Walkers were littered around her feet. The clear sky behind her gave her an ethereal look but when she smiled, he was undone. 

She was running haphazardly, his pace considerably slower from his bad leg and a state of disbelief. That didn’t stop him from falling to his knees when she was a mere few feet away. 

She didn’t stop; didn’t even pause. Her knees hit the sand, arms encircling his neck. She was warm. Flesh and blood and breathing and real. Yet he couldn’t move. His body refused to obey. 

“I can’t believe I found you!” She was crying but there was a smile in her voice. He wanted to see her face but he still couldn’t bloody move. After a moment, she pulled back, her expression stern. Still beautiful. She slapped the front of his shoulder. “Fucking France, Daryl!”

He felt himself come back, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs the shock had woven. She was still scolding him but the relief in her eyes mirrored his own. He couldn’t help but smile, lopsided and probably the goofiest expression he’d ever worn. 

“Carol.”

“Are you even listening to me? Do you know—oomph!”

He threw himself forward, grabbing her shoulders to pull her halfway, his mouth on hers in a needy, desperate kiss. Her body went rigid, a sign to him that he needed to pull away, but then she relaxed and brought her hands to each side of his face. He forgot everything else; the boat, the remaining walkers. Nothing else mattered but her and this moment. 

And eventually, the need to breathe. 

They were both panting, foreheads together. His hands were still on her shoulders, hers on his face. 

“Did ya miss me?” 

She snorted. “Not really.”

“I’ll take it.” He chuckled and kissed her again, quicker than the first but just as passionate. “I need to tell ya something.” Her small hand moved over from his cheek to cover his mouth. 

“You just did.”

“I meant it back at the Commonwealth, too. I need ya to hear it again an’ know that I mean it now.”

“Okay, fine. Let’s hear it then.” She smiled, smoothing back his hair only for the wind to throw back in his face.

He didn’t hesitate. “I love you. I always have. M’just a stubborn ass. Thought I wasn’t good enough for ya.” 

Her eyes softened and shone with unshed tears. “You’re more than I’ll ever deserve. I love you too.” This time, she initiated the kiss, only parting from him when the snarls of walkers were getting too close. She glanced over her shoulder and then over his. “That our ride?”

“Sure is.” He grinned, getting to his feet and offering her his hand. She let him pull her up but didn’t let go, lacing her fingers between his. 

“Let’s go home.”

Daryl nodded, not giving France a single parting glance as he walked toward the water with Carol at his side. 

He didn’t need to go home. She was already there. 

[1teeth]

Just finished stitching this…should I try to add a heart with lace, if so which one, also I have no idea how to do that aahhh (those lines in the first pic are ultrawashable marker guidelines I’m gonna wash them off)

[epsilon-system]

Toy au info !! :3

**Whole.** (He/Him)

--

It's kind of a toy story situation, with whole as a human and the owner of the toys. Whole is about 10 in this au, diagnosed autihd (projecting, obviously)

**Heart.** (He/It)

--

Heart is a soft knit plushie, colored with a monotone light purple and dark purple for the legs, hoodie strings, and blindfold. It's blindfold is removable and was added after an "accident" (I'll get into that in a sec) with Wholes dog where his 'eyes' (sewn on buttons) where severely damaged. Heart has a few different hoodies, all of which being made for baby dolls but fit heart, the stitches on his hoodie are from the dog incident. Whole doesn't want to use the other hoodies for heart so he had his grandparents sew the holes in the clothing. Also toy!heart is a two pound weighted plush partially filled with specially treated millet like warmies, contained inside a fabric pouch with a lavender sent inside. He can be put in the microwave much like a warmies plush as well.

**Mind.** (It/They)

--

Mind is a robotic toy. He is mainly blue and black with an antenna on the top of his head. Instead of the shot, Heart had pushed Mind off of Whole's desk onto the hardwood floor in an attempt to destroy him because of Mind being a put it together toy, he wasn't very sturdy. which led to Mind deliberately giving heart to the dog.

**Soul.** (He/It)

--

Soul is similar to a lalaloopsy doll, with some extra joints and a half sharpied face, plus with painted black legs (the shoes on the doll mold were already black with red laces). Whole had gotten some extra clothing for Soul on his birthday, containing his jean jacket, and a grey T-shirt. Soul still acts as the 'leader' in this au, his trident being made out of cardboard and red marker.

Edited with new ref sheets ! [Sep 12 2023]

Current ask blogs:

- @toy-heart

- @toy-s0ul

- @toy-mind

[arcane-abomination]

DISCLAIMER: I don’t follow the rule of 3 nor any real system of divine judgment.

This is Hex I’ve done that I typically use for exacting revenge on a particular person for various reasons. This method gives the caster control over how long and how bad the Hex effects the intended person. When this individual has proven they’ve learned from their wicked ways or the user feels they’ve had enough punishment they can easily break the hex.

Keep in mind that this is a spell that does allow for some level of customization but it is also a spell that requires your attention for multiple days. It’s not something to just be left alone completely or the energy could get stagnant. So only do this if you can spend at least a few minutes a day catering to this Hex.

The Supplies

A doll (I propose making a simple one out of felt)

A picture or petition of the person with their full name and/or birthday

Broken glass, nails, and other sharp objects

A pin or needle

Red marker (if the doll is too dark in color you can substitute with red thread)

Devils Powder (this is generally made up of salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili flakes, lemon peel, anything that’s hot or burns really)

The Process

First things first. I recommend cleansing your space, and tools. You don’t want residual energy sticking to them and affecting your work. Next, I like to tell my tools what they will be doing but that’s up to the individual.

Now get the doll ready. Cut open the doll down the middle and remove it’s stuffing. If you are making your doll from scratch simply stitch it together like normal but leave out any stuffing. Then simply cut open the chest cavity. (Some people like to fill at least the arms and the legs. If you must do this don’t use cotton or anything soft. Use gravel or sand. This can make the individual feel weighted down by their own actions)

The next step is to read the picture and/or petition. Remember to write out on the back of the picture the persons full name and birthday if you can. If you don’t know their birthday that’s alright but having at least their full name is highly advised. You’ll then fold the paper. Since you’re bringing energy into them fold out inwards. When you’re finished place it in the doll s chest cavity. Note you can awaken the tag lock by joining the energy of that person to the doll. Here is the method that I use:

“This doll is now __________.”

“This body is their body.”

<Touch the dolls body>

“This is their breath”

<Breath on the doll >

“What this doll feels they will feel. What is cast onto this doll is hereby cast onto them.”

At this time you will start placing in your sharp objects. Please be careful. If you cut yourself on one DON’T use it in this ritual. Don’t mix your blood with this poppet or you can effect yourself with this course as well. Now, as you’re adding it in you may wish to use an affirmation. A good example would be something like:

“Pain plagues your body for the hurt you have caused.”

Of course you can change this up as you see fit.

Next add in the Devils powder. Again it’s a good time to say some sort of affirmation.

“A burning pain manifests in your bones, your muscles, and your organs. It keeps you in anguish to reflect that which you’ve brought into others.”

At this time you can further add anything else that you like. Put in rotten food to symbolize weakness or their deteriorating health. Or add in any insect exoskeletons for illness or further pain. Also say any further affirmations that you feel you need to. Then when finished stitch up the chest cavity and Mark an X over where the heart would be. This can be done with the red marker or additional red thread.

Say this final affirmation with force and conviction while plunging the needle into the center of the X

“With this, the sharp pain of regret overcomes your heart.”

Set the doll somewhere dark, dank, and alone. A place that not many people will go. Perhaps a shoebox in the hall closet, or in the garage? Just be sure it is a place that you can easily find it again. Like I said at the beginning, you will be going back to this doll for a few minutes everyday. You’re going to be repeating the final action again each time. Either wiggling around the pin or pulling it out a little just to stab it in again. You will also say the last affirmation each time. This ensures that the regret plagues them everyday so that they can barely focus or function on anything else and are forced to reflect.

When you feel that they have had enough you will take the doll and pull out the pin (don’t put it back in), and say this affirmation:

“The pain is gone from in your heart, and your body. My vengeance is quelled.”

Lastly you need to break the bonded attachment. Open the doll and pull out the picture/petition. And declare:

“What once was one, is now again two. You are no longer tired to this doll.”

I burn the picture and the doll afterwards to finalize the end. Then I scatter the ashes to the wind to take the energy to them.

[stardust-rust]

Here's the cross stitch I made for my husband's super secret surprise birthday gift this year. He always loved Pokemon growing up (he has vast and obscure knowledge of it) but his interest waned as he got older. Until we started dating and as a birthday gift I got him Platinum, and it reignited his love for Pokemon (we have now amassed a lot of merch and an eye-watering number of trading cards haha!).

So he always credited me as bringing him back to Pokemon; we have played the new games together, have started a soul-link nuzlocke in Crystal Legacy, and are both working towards completing a living dex. He recently started playing Yellow and I wanted to gift him something he couldn't buy for himself, so I decided to do a little cross stitch of our favourite Pikachu expressions from that game. I had it professionally framed and it sits in pride of place next to his desk 😊

I used this pattern from Etsy and used Pilot Frixion markers to draw out the pattern because it disappears with ironing and it saves me the headache of counting as I go (with any fibre craft, if you think you know how to count no you don't). Needle was a ball-tip type which is a GODSEND and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to cross stitch, and a small Q-Snap frame. Threads were all DMC brand. The whole project took me about two weeks on and off, working in total secrecy.

Stitches were all railroaded (to the best of my ability) and the bubbles + hearts + Pikachu's cheek pouches were trammed as well for a fuller look and slightly 3D effect, which is sadly unnoticeable once framed. I have also since learned some neat ways to start/end stitches so I really hope the back of my next piece is neater (yes I am one of those people)!