#how to sew with stretchy material

[anielskaaniela]

How to Sew with Stretch Fabric: A Guide for Beginners

In this post you learn how to sew with stretch fabrics like a pro. Do you love wearing clothes that hug your curves and move with your body? Then you need to try sewing with stretch fabric. Stretch fabric is a magical material that can stretch in different directions and bounce back to its original shape. It’s made of elastic fibers like lycra, spandex, or elastane (don’t worry, they are all the…

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

♡ Hiya Blusy! hope ur not too overwhelmed with requests, sendin' love, support and appreciation over from the great land of Chuck-E-Cheese. ♡

anyways, onto the request.

Prompt where Hyper-femme, Fem!Reader, (obviously) who is already in an established relationship with Donna, who always likes to dress cute, as to look vaguely like a porcelaine doll for Donna (and Angie, because, that doll just loves sneaking into Readers poofy petticoats and scaring the living shit out of Reader when they grab the petticoat out of the closet, for wearing), one day, decides to up her (Readers) game by going into town, or in this case, village, buying some cute, ruffly, pastel (pink, white, yellow, ya name it!) fabrics, with a variety of textures, and colours, and means of usage (such as, fabric for a bonnet, fabric for a dress, thin, stretchy material cloth for stockings), sewing (Reader knows how to sew) themselves a VERRRYYY doll looking outfit (poofy tea dress, bonnet, bright colours that clash yet dont clash, curled hair, to resemble those antique dolls with bottle-curled locks, -- Imagine Lolita-wear, basically),

Reader also gets prim-and-proper, by fluffing on those white powder, makeup thingies (the one lottie uses in princess and the frog?? Sorry, non-english speaker, dunno what that is) and whatnot, to REALLY drive into that doll-y aesthetic

Reader suprises Donna, who, at the time, was just innocently reading,

Donna looks at Reader and just starts like, violently sobbing, because of how, 'Reader did so much to look like the stuff she likes!! She doesnt deserve them!!' (If that makes you uncomftorable to write, replace it with something more mellow)

Reader comforts Donna, through giggles, because of how ridiculous she sounded, -- reassuring Donna that she wasnt laughing at her, but at how stupid her reasoning for crying was, because, ofcourse she would dress cute if Donna liked it?? Reader would wear a trash bag if Donna had asked them to, no questions asked! (Okay.. maybe a little bit dramatic, Reader is an eloquent, feminine, 'pink! Pink! Pink!' lady that wouldnt dare to approach black clothing to wear herself, but, you get the point)

Reader promises to Donna that it was no hassel to make herself so pretty, -- 'sewing is a breeze! I love makeup! I just really like those doll vibes..'

Reader also promises Donna that, she'd love to doll (aha, get it?) herself up for Donna every once in awhile, because Reader just loves Donna, and how cute they feel in their respective style, so much, that they just HAVE to.

After Donna had calmed down from that whole 'you sewed yourself stuff for me??!!??! You put on makeup for me??!?@ you did your hair for me?!??!?@??@?!' crisis (again, if that makes you uncomftorable, mellow it down!! No worries!! 💞), and, plopped Reader onto her lap whilst she finished working on her dolls, taking pauses to kiss, and appreciate, and maybe shed some more self-concious, overly-thankful, singular tears, every once in a while --

The end result? A doll that, for some reason, really resembled how reader looked .. down to every scar, and fold, and pocket on Readers body, or bonnet, or dress.

Huh.. weird!

I ask of you to make this just mildly-sfw (meaning, kisses, carresses, etc are okay), -- not smutty or anything, if thats okay! Just cotton-candishly fluffy.

Hope my writing isnt too confusing? Dyslexic, non-english speaking, neurodivergant mess. Aha, please laugh! Anyways, write-ya later, alligator!

-- Chuck-E-Cheese employee, Anon 🐭

Yesss!!!! Thank you for your funny words :D and also for your request!!!! I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes!!!! :))))

Doll face

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem! Reader

Warnings: fluff,

Word count: 7,440

Summary: She loved you, she loved her dolls... Maybe it was time to put those two things together...

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I'm waiting yours!!! I love you all!!! :))

Another day began and you walked slowly towards the living room. The sound of your heels bounced off the wood like an elegant music that accompanied each morning. Before getting close enough, you looked at yourself in the mirror to make sure everything was in its place. You couldn't help it, you were always like that.

Every morning was a confirmation for you that your life went on, that you could continue to light up that dark mansion with your joy. The bright colors of your dress always contrasted with the sadness of those dilapidated walls, with the darkness that you, every day, tried to eliminate.

Being born with the gift of joy and color could seem strange in a place like that. The village always played with the same color palette, everything was white, black, gray... There was nothing that could stand out, that could change the sinister atmosphere of the place where you were born.

You always went against those principles, against the gray, the black, the darkness. Your friends envied you and you knew it. It wasn't your beauty, your intelligence or your skills, no, they envied your colorful way of facing life.

Proud of your femininity, you always looked for a way to put on makeup, to dress in an elegant and striking way. It was your style, yes, but also a hobby. Playing with darkness, facing it became almost an addiction.

You spent your days sewing, putting on makeup, telling the world that if it wanted to be black it would have to walk all over you. Joy, elegance and the desire to feel different, that was your motivation when you got up every morning.

The masses, the Black Gods didn't seem bothered, quite the opposite. Everything in your life went well, or so you thought, since you always saw the good side of things. Being happy was quite an achievement in a place like that and appearance was the first step to prove it, to stand out in a world of shadows.

But that different attitude had consequences. You were not shunned by the village. They didn't look at you with dangerous eyes, quite the opposite. Wherever you went, you attracted attention, you caught the eyes of everyone who was present, villager or even...Lord.

Yes, you noticed how the gazes of the four of them were fixed on you. One of them seemed more interested, unable to take her gaze off you.

Like a ghost, like the complete opposite of you, that black figure always followed you with its gaze. You couldn't know how, you couldn't see her eyes. A woman in mourning, covered by a black veil, a sinister doll... The dollmaker, Donna Beneviento.

At first you thought it was just another look, that the always bright tones of your clothes blinded her vision, bothered her. It didn't take long for you to find out that it was precisely the opposite.

Your joy, your determination to look good, to stand out from the boring crowd was what really caught her attention, what made her approach you with curiosity. That was the first step towards a perfect future.

It might seem that you two were like water and oil, like light and darkness, but perhaps that was precisely what made you slowly become addicted to her. You had much more in common than it might seem at first.

 You both loved sewing, beauty... Well, really, when that black veil disappeared, when Lady Beneviento showed her deformed face to you, you began to know what beauty really was.

She was a beautiful woman, really beautiful, she just didn't know it. You did, and you wouldn't let a second go by without reminding her, always. That contrast of black and pink, of paleness and color was perfect, a perfect mix that ended up leading to a kiss, a kiss that said much more than any clumsy word.

And so, time went by and your relationship settled comfortably. You even left your old home for that sad and dull mansion, with the certain objective that your presence would bring the light that it needed, that joy that was missing in that place, in that woman.

Donna was a dark just like her clothes. Her problems and misfortunes turned her into a wandering spirit, into a lonely entity waiting for the days to end. Your arrival didn’t change that erratic attitude, nor her inevitable madness.

You weren’t going to lose her. You were not going to let the darkness invade you too. You would be like a lifeguard, like the light that illuminates a dark path, showing the way out of a labyrinth of sadness and bitterness.

Despite those problems, despite the constant mockery of the Angie doll, you were happy, you couldn’t help being happier than ever. You would do anything for Donna and she would do it for you. An unexpected love, but one you would never let go of, ever.

“Good morning,” you hummed as you approached the table, always sporting the same bright smile. A fake smile to look elegant or to pretend? No, not at all, it was a genuine smile, one that always achieved the desired effect, that the lady in black would return one of hers.

“Ciao, tesoro…” Donna replied, leaving her coffee cup to extend her hand towards you, one that you took and caressed, letting yourself be carried away by the subtle pull that took you to her lips, placing them on yours cautiously. “Good morning…”

“Did you sleep well?” you asked, reluctantly abandoning those lips, going around the table and sitting in your chair.

Her gaze rose to yours, nodding as she poured you a cup of coffee.

“As always when I'm with you,” the lady said, with a slight blush on her cheeks, a reaction of her body that, despite all the time, she couldn't avoid.

“Mm, okay,” you said amused, causing a shy laugh from the woman in black. “Today is a splendid day.”

“Yes, it really is,” she murmured, nodding slowly.

“We could go for a walk,” you suggested, spreading jam on one of the toasts, a strawberry jam that, unintentionally, matched perfectly with your clothes, as always.

Maybe the color and you had a much more special relationship than you thought.

Donna shook her head, making that smile she always put on when she saw you, disappear.

“I have a lot of work, (Y/N), I don't think I can,” she commented with a serious tone.

You tilted your head, frowning.

“What a shame, because I have to go to the village and it would have been great if you came with me… So I could show off a little bit about you,” you said, pretending to pout as the lady laughed again.

“In any case, tesoro, I would be the one to show off about you,” Donna murmured, looking at you with a mischievous smile behind her cup.

You bit your lip and sighed, blinking in a petulant and romantic way.

“You never get tired of being adorable, do you?” you said amused. “Anyway, I really have to go to the village.”

“Do you have to go? What do you need?” she asked curiously, continuing with her breakfast, repressing all those words and flattery that always interrupted any conversation.

“Look at this dress,” you said frowning and pointing at your clothes. “It's already pretty old.”

“Old?” the lady asked, looking at you confused. “I thought you got it last year.”

“Mm yeah, but… I don’t know, today I woke up really, really wanting to sew,” you sighed, looking up at the ceiling, remembering all the designs you had thought of while you were taking a shower.

“Oh,” she murmured, arching her eyebrow. “If you’re so willing to sew, you could help me with my dolls.”

“Really?” you asked surprised. It was the first time she asked you something like that. Her dolls were something almost sacred to her. She would never let a stranger intervene in their creations.

“You sew very well, I think you could be of help to me,” she commented passively, taking a toast, looking away in a subtle way. “If it’s okay with you, of course.”

“I think it’s a great idea, Donna,” you said enthusiastically.

Actually, going down to that dark workshop was something you tried to avoid, but at first you had no choice. Your love for sewing forced you to hide your pride and spend hours with Donna in that sinister place.

Over time, the lady in black agreed to let you use the guest room for your sewing work, one blessed with sunlight, much better.

But that day you had no choice but to go down to that horrible basement.

“Are you comfortable, tesoro?” Donna asked, putting a chair next to hers and indicating you to sit down.

You nodded, earning a soft kiss on the lips, one that you deepened, making the lady in black give a shy laugh to your ears.

“Take these fabrics,” she indicated, sitting in front of the old sewing machine and giving you an assortment of dark fabric that you looked at with disdain.

It didn't matter how much you loved Donna. You liked how that black dress framed her figure but that color was still your worst enemy.

“Let's see…” you whispered, looking at each of the colors with reluctance. “Hey, Donna, are you going to use these colors?”

“Mm, I always use those colors,” she explained, looking for something in the notes of an old notebook and showing it to you. “Look, I'm sure that dress over there won't be a problem for you, do you understand what it says?”

You looked at the notes and with a small effort, you nodded pleased.

“Luckily Angie has taught me,” you commented amused, translating those elegant words written in Italian. Donna smiled pleased, getting a little closer to you.

“Always try to embroider it…Mm… This way,” she indicated, turning a few pages and showing you the designs.

“Okay…” you sighed in an exaggerated way, looking sideways at the black fabrics.

“Is something wrong, tesoro?” the lady asked, alerted by your sudden reluctance. “You, you don't have to help me… If, if you want to go to the village…”

“Oh no, it's not that, I'd love to help you Donna, but it's just…” you whispered, biting your lip and picking up one of the cloths. “Does it really have to be black?”

“Yes,” she said, with a concentrated expression, moving away a little and observing a porcelain head. “If you don't like it you can make it grey, I don't really care.”

“Grey…” you sighed with a tired look, glancing at a few dolls on a shelf, all of them sad, dark, depressing… “Have you never thought about giving them a bit of color?”

“Color?” she asked in a low voice, skillfully mixing paint and cleaning the imperfections of that lifeless head. “I don't understand you.”

“Always grey, black… Donna…” you sighed, drawing her attention. “What harm can it do to a doll to not look like it has in a funeral?”

“Explain yourself,” the lady murmured, painting the lips of that head, barely listening to you.

“You should use pink, or white for your dolls' dresses, they would surely look much better,” you said, nodding, touching the soft black fabric and hoping that the darkness wouldn't spread to your dress.

“Oh, I didn't know you made dolls,” Donna said with irony and a mocking smile.

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head.

“Donna, color gives a lot of joy to everything,” you said, leaning on the table and guiding her head to look at you. She sighed annoyed, putting down the head and crossing her arms.

“If I want to see colors, I just need to look at you,” she joked, frowning, with an intriguing smile.

“Thanks,” you said amused, blinking flirtatiously.

Donna laughed too, but looked away.

“I like my dolls just the way they are,” she said quietly, going back to painting the head. “It’s my style.”

“Oh, okay…” you said with a mocking look, starting to draw patterns on the black fabric. “Well, your style is very bland, honey.”

“Bland… have you come to help or criticize me?” she asked, her tone a bit colder, but with her smile telling you she wasn’t upset.

“It’s constructive criticism,” you commented, getting up from your chair and walking over to one of the shelves, picking up a random doll. “Look at this one. Isn’t she supposed to be having tea?”

Donna turned to look at you and tilted her head with a sigh.

“It seems so,” she murmured.

“Well, she should have a white and red frilly dress with a matching pretty hat, not a boring dark grey dress,” you said, looking at the doll's fabric.

“Then she would look like you,” she said as you sat back down, shrugging.

“Oh, you don't like the way I dress?” you asked with a feigned look of shock and offense, cutting the black fabric to shape that boring dress.

“You're not a doll,” Donna whispered, glancing at you out of the corner of her eye.

A wide smile spread across your face and you leaned towards her ear.

“Oh, would you like it?” you whispered, kissing her ear softly before returning to your task.

The lady in black looked at you briefly, about to say something. She apparently changed her mind at the last moment and laughed softly, shaking her head.

“If you were my doll…” Donna murmured, after a moment of calm and silent work. It seemed that this innocent question was floating around in her head, something that caught your attention. “You would wear black clothes.”

“Mm, that's what you say now,” you said defiantly, sewing the sleeves of the black dress, afraid that this horrible color would cause an allergic reaction on your skin. “I'm convinced that once you try to leave the safety of these horrible colors you will no longer want to go back to black.”

“You are very sure of yourself,” she murmured amused, coming closer to kiss you slowly, something she always did when she couldn't prove you were wrong. “But I'm afraid you're not a doll.”

“Well, that can be possible,” you said to yourself. The lady blinked in confusion, but returned to her work.

The morning passed quietly. You sighed in relief when you finished that hideous black dress, one that Donna looked at closely.

“Do you like it?” you asked expectantly.

She nodded pleased.

“Good job, (Y/N)…” she sighed, placing the dress to give it some final touches.

“Brr…” you said, pretending to shiver. “I think I need a walk, that horrible color has stressed me out.”

“You're so exaggerated, tesoro,” Donna joked as you stood up, pretending disgust at that black fabric. “Are you going to the village?”

“Yes…” you sighed, stretching in an exaggerated way. “Do you want something?”

“No,” she said with a dry tone, looking away.

“Are you sure you don't want some colored fabrics?” you asked, leaning over one of her shoulders, opening your eyes like a puppy.

She smiled, pinching your cheek and kissing you before shaking her head.

“Whatever, don’t complain if people stop buying your dolls,” you said in an ironic tone, slowly moving away, stopped by a hand in yours, which kept you in place.

“All my dolls are sold, (Y/N),” she told you, in a somber tone, indicating that you had managed to offend her. Luckily, you were used to playing with the doll maker.

“Right, maybe it's because you're the only doll maker in the village and also a Lord. You could put a ball of wool on a stick, call it a doll, and the village children would buy it,” you joked, blinking cockily.

Donna growled, letting your hand go abruptly.

“Why don't you just leave now?” she asked in a dark tone, turning away so as not to make eye contact with you.

“Oh, are you kicking me out?” you said defiantly.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Don't tell me how to do my job.”

“I'm just advising you... If you make all your dolls the same, where's the originality?” you asked, insisting without fear. Donna would never blow up over something like that, and you knew it.

“(Y/N)…” the lady hissed.

“Okay, okay, I'm leaving,” you said amused, approaching again, surrounding her by the shoulders in an annoying hug and repeatedly kissing her cheek, causing her to laugh as she tried to escape from your kissing attack.

“Hey, lasciami…” she protested while laughing.

You obeyed, but when you moved away you felt a strong tug on your wrist that brought you back to the lady, kissing you in a deeper way.

“Actually, I would like you to be a doll…”

“Oh, would you?” you asked amused, playing with her hands. She nodded with a dark look, pulling you closer to her ear.

“Mm, if you were a doll you surely wouldn't say nonsense,” she joked with a sensual tone.

You responded by giving her shoulder a protest hit while she laughed amused.

“Oh, okay, okay,” you sighed, crossing your arms and walking towards the doors. “But you know what? I would be the prettiest doll, and the most colorful…”

Donna shook her head, sighing, giving you a tender smile, a completely in love look.

“Ti amo, (Y/N),” she said without looking at you.

“Oh, Donna…” you murmured, with all your cheesy side forcing you to get closer again, giving one last kiss to the brunette. “I love you, I love you, I love you…”

“Go away,” she said amused, struggling again with your excessive affection.

You nodded and obeyed, walking happily towards the bedroom. Of course, you couldn't leave the mansion without putting on makeup and spending excessive time to find something that matched your clothes.

You sighed as you carelessly opened the closet. You'll be wondering ‘Why careless?’ simple, because there was someone else in that house, someone who liked to scare you.

“Are you looking for something?” a sinister voice came out of the closet, hidden among your clothes. “Because if you were looking for me, you've found me, you fool!”

“Ah, Angie!” you said with a hand on your chest, startled by the sudden appearance of Donna's doll, peeking out from your clothes like every morning.

You didn't know if Angie scared you because she hated you, or because it was her way of having fun. You really doubted that doll had anything against you, after all, you came into Donna's life to make her happy and that is something that, discreetly, Angie would always thank you for.

“Scare, scare...” the doll mocked, humming triumphantly.

You smiled, rolling your eyes and crossing your arms.

“You're going to wrinkle my clothes,” you said amused, gesturing to the doll to get out of there.

“What are you looking for, silly? An accessory?” Angie asked, shuffling through your colorful dresses.

“A coat that matches this,” you said with disinterest while the doll continued to shuffle through the clothes. “Oh, wait, that one,” you interrupted, taking the garment that the doll held expectantly.

“Another day in which Great Angie helps you with your clothes,” the doll said laughing and getting off the furniture with a comical jump. “You're welcome, loser.”

“Thanks…” you said with a falsely elegant tone, putting that pink coat on the bed.

Then you walked to the old dresser, thus beginning another of your makeup sessions.

“Can I help you, silly?” Angie asked, sitting at the small table and taking your utensils.

“Okay,” you said smiling, gathering your hair. “Bring me that powder over there.”

The doll obeyed and silence reigned again in the mansion.

“Hey, Angie,” you said, glancing at the doll, at her white dress. “I think you're the only doll that doesn't wear black. It doesn't seem that Donna made you.”

“Donna didn't make me, you fool!” the puppet protested, startling you, making you growl. That was the moment when you were putting on eye makeup, it was dangerous.

“No? I thought so,” you commented, getting a little closer to the mirror.

“No, silly, silly, her father made me,” Angie commented, watching you from very close, watching you put on makeup.

“Oh, I didn't know that,” you commented, preparing the blush. “But I shouldn't be surprised. She would never make a doll in a color different than black or gray.”

“Do you have a problem with the way my Donna works? Because if so, get ready for a fight,” she said, moving her fists comically.

“No, no,” you said amused, moving your hands away from the doll as you put the blush on your cheeks. “I just can't explain her aversion to color.”

“Donna doesn't have an aversion to color,” Angie said, leaving you some room.

“Mm, well, it seems like it... Has she never made a doll in a different color...? A more cheerful one?” you asked curiously, distracting you too much from your makeup session.

“No,” the doll said shrugging. “But why would she want to do that? She already has you.”

“I'm not a doll,” you said amused, shaking your head, looking at yourself in the mirror, puzzled.

“Are you sure? Because you look like one…” Angie said amused, pointing at the mirror.

“What's wrong?” you asked, frowning. “Oh, too much lipstick…”

“Too much blush…” the doll added, making you sigh and take a piece of cotton to fix that mess.

“Yes…”

“Now you are a doll,” she said amused, making you look at her confused. “I'm sure Donna will go crazy if she sees you like this.”

“Oh, you think so?” you asked, looking at yourself carefully and correcting some imperfections in your makeup. “She already has hundreds of dolls. She doesn't need another one… right?”

“What nonsense, if Donna is obsessed with those dolls it's because she loves them,” Angie commented. “I don't understand why, I'm infinitely better than them, in every way.”

You laughed amused, with an absurd idea going through your head. If Donna liked dolls that much… How would she react if you really looked like one of them? Curiosity was much stronger than rational thought and it was never a bad chance to make the lady in black smile.

“So…” you murmured, putting away your makeup. “Do you think Donna will love seeing me like this?”

“Oh, sure,” the doll nodded, crossing your arms. “But, but, wait, I didn't say anything. Don't tell her…” she said hastily. “Donna hates when I read her mind.”

“Mm…” you murmured thoughtfully, excited by the idea of ​​testing that statement. If you were successful… Well, your mind was already taking care of the rest.

After putting on your bright and elegant coat, you went up the elevator, finding Donna by surprise. She seemed to be reading something at her desk.

“Honey,” you said with a wide smile, walking slowly towards her and leaning over the furniture. “Weren't you with your dolls?”

“No, obviously I’m not anymore,” she said, with a cold tone, reluctantly letting you kiss her cheek softly, accidentally marking it with your lipstick.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” you said amused, running a hand over her painted cheek. “What are you reading?”

“Niente,” the lady said, nervously covering a strange catalogue, something that made you suspicious.

“That seems like a lie to me, dolcezza…” you joked. “Let me see, please, please…” you said insistently with a high-pitched, pleading tone.

Your extremely cheesy and affectionate gestures had an effect on the brunette, forcing her to give in with an annoyed grunt.

“Wow…” you whispered, looking at that old catalogue of dolls, some very different from Donna's. “I see that my words have had an effect.”

“Sometimes I think you're a witch,” the lady commented while you looked at one of those dolls, one with a white dress, with ruffles, terribly adorable. Your mind was already working on ideas, but you still didn't know exactly which ones.

“A witch?” you asked amused, bringing the catalogue closer to your eyes, memorizing every detail of that pompous doll. “I'm just saying what I think.”

“Mm, yes, and you make me think,” Donna whispered, looking up and opening her eye wide when it made contact with yours. “(Y/N), tesoro…” she sighed, mouth agape.

“What's wrong, darling?” you asked passively, leaving the magazine on the desk again, meeting the doll maker's dazed gaze.

“You look… beautiful…” she said in a surprised voice, looking at each and every detail of your exaggerated makeup. “You look beautiful, today, tesoro…”

“Do you really think so?” you asked, surprised by that unexpected reaction. Donna nodded softly, with a tender look.

“Yes, you are, I don't know, different,” ​​the lady commented, taking your hands and swinging them with hers. “I, I like the way you've put on your makeup.”

“Oh…” you sighed, blushing at the compliment and at the reaction that your doll look had the desired effect, even better. “Well, I thought it was too much blush…”

“No, you look, you look gorgeous…” Donna said, pulling your body so she could kiss you softly.

“Donna, the lipstick…” you joked, moving away from that tender kiss.

“I'm sorry, I got carried away,” the lady in black apologized. “Your beauty never ceases to amaze me.”

“Mm, could it be that I remind you of a doll?” you asked amused, tilting your head with your hands on your waist.

“Maybe,” she murmured, distracted again by that catalogue, confirming your suspicions. “La mia bellisima bambola”

Well, now you could put into practice those ideas that were traveling alone through your mind.

 “Okay, Don, I could spend the rest of the day letting you tell me such nice things but… I'm afraid I have to go to the village.”

“Don't call me Don, I hate it,” she protested, receiving in response a wink and an elegant turn that made your dress dance in a hypnotic way.

“Okay, you grumpy spaghetti…” you sighed amused, looking at Angie. “Are you coming with me, Angie?”

“Bah, I don't think so, the Duke has the wool balls counted …” the doll said, sitting on the lap of her owner, who looked attentively at that catalogue, with a sweet smile.

Humming, you walked through the forest. The bright colors of your clothes illuminated you among the dull and pale white of the snow. You almost thought you were shining.

Your head worked remembering the colors, the shapes of that porcelain doll you saw in that old photograph. But what you really couldn't forget was Donna's face when she saw you made up like that, noticing your obvious resemblance to a doll.

Seeing that poor tormented woman happy was much more to your liking than sewing, much more than putting on makeup or matching clothes. Donna was your favorite hobby since you met her and besides, each of her smiles was a reward for you. The joy and tenderness of her gaze hid the pain, the suffering, everything she went through before becoming a Lord.

You were definitely completely determined to make her forget, to make every day with you special. It already was but... Maybe that makeup mistake could be useful in the near future.

“Oh, elegance itself approaching my humble carriage...” the Duke murmured when you walked towards him.

You nodded at him kindly, with your hands on your hips.

“Don't flatter me, Duke, I'm not going to pay you more for that,” you said amused. “Fabrics, I need fabrics.”

“Well…” he sighed, laughing satisfied. “Are they for you or for Lady Beneviento?” he asked, taking out a few rolls of fabrics of many colors.

“For me,” you said, coming closer to look for something similar to the doll in that catalog. “Do you have something with ruffles?” you asked curiously, running your hand over a fabric of a color very similar to the one you were looking for.

“Ruffles? Sure…” the merchant said, laughing pleased and showing you what you were looking for. “It doesn't seem like the typical fabric order you usually make me, Miss (Y/N).”

“No, it's for a personal project,” you commented, searching among those fabrics for something that could help you make a matching hat.

“Sounds interesting,” the man commented, with a gloomy look.

“No matter how much discount you give me, I'm not going to tell you anything,” you said amused, knowing the thirst for information that the greedy merchant always had. “Mm... Do you have this fabric in pastel pink?”

“Of course...” the man murmured, taking out the required roll. “By the way, let me tell you that you look beautiful this morning.”

“Wow, thank you,” you said, smiling pleased by the compliment, checking the quality of an elastic fabric that you would use for stockings.

“There's no doubt why Lady Beneviento is completely crazy about you. I always thought that you looked like... Well, don't be offended, one of her dolls,” the Duke commented, laughing amused.

You smiled and raised your eyebrows.

“Mm, do you think that Donna loves me just because I look like one of her dolls?” you joked, crossing your arms.

“I didn't say that, Miss,” he said, making a gesture with his hand. “But it's clear that you know how to please her.”

“Of course,” you said satisfied, picking up a much thicker cloth, perfect for a matching bonnet. “But… I'm not going to tell you anything. I doubt you are interested in my way of pleasing Lady Beneviento.”

“I'm interested in everything, dear,” he joked, to which you gave him a dark but amused look. “Oh, I'm sure these bows are perfect for what you're looking for.”

“Mm, let me see…” you sighed, picking up those showy bows.

Of course that man couldn't even guess what you had in mind, but you shouldn't underestimate him. He wasn't exactly a naive fool.

Satisfied with your purchases, you returned to the mansion, ready to start your little game, one that sounded better and better in your head and that you were eager to put into practice.

Naturally, poor Donna didn't suspect anything. She always tried with all her might not to get involved in your affairs. She rarely succeeded, but that time, luckily, was one of them.

Little by little, taking advantage of a carelessness of the lady in black, you managed to get that old doll catalogue, carefully observing each of the details of that doll chosen for your plans.

An elegant hat surrounded by a yellow bow, white stockings matching patent leather shoes... Definitely a classic doll, but with touches of your own style, replacing that boring white of the original design with a deep pastel pink color.

“Mm…” you hummed as you sewed, with the atypical blessing of sunlight streaming through your makeshift workshop. That guest never-used room that was something like your secret lair. “Let's see…” you murmured, checking the size of the hat, checking that it fit your features perfectly. “Yes, perfect.”

Satisfied, you put that pompous bonnet away in a place where Donna couldn't look and continued with the dress, the part that would take you much longer.

“(Y/N), tesoro,” a voice interrupted your sewing along with some soft knocks on the door. “Amore mio, are you there?”

“Oh, Donna, yes, w-wait a minute,” you said, hastily putting away all your work and opening the door, trying to put your hair up first.

What you were doing didn't matter, you always had to be perfect for her, and you loved being that way.

“Ciao…” she said with a sweet voice when you opened the door, looking at you with that bright eye.

Of course, your makeup didn't change since that day. You always tried to perfect the doll look that provoked those tender sighs, those caresses...

“Hola,” you said amused, enjoying how her gaze ran satisfied over your features. “Do you want something, my love?”

“Oh, well, I wanted to see you but...” she whispered, grabbing you by the waist, lightly pressing your body against hers. “I actually wanted to ask if you were hungry.”

“Hungry? Oh, well, now that you mention it...” you said with a tender smile, biting your lip at the gentle rocking of your bodies. “I’m a bit hungry.”

“You're distracted lately,” the lady commented, placing a lock of hair behind your ear. “What are you up to?”

“Me? Nothing,” you whispered innocently.

Donna smiled mockingly, arching her eyebrow and leaning in to kiss you slowly again.

“You’re a terrible liar,” she whispered playfully, releasing you from her romantic hold. “You spend a lot of time locked up in here, tesoro…”

“Well, spring is coming and I have to hurry if I want to be up to date,” you said in a calm voice, closing the door when the lady in black peeked in to see what was inside.

“Don’t give it so much importance. You look beautiful in anything you wear, cara mia…” Donna whispered romantically, stealing another kiss from you again.

“Hey, I can make something for you if you want… How old is that dress?” you asked playfully, subtly changing the subject and playing with the black fabric. “Don’t you want me to make you a…? I don’t know, a red, or an orange one, or…”

“No, tesoro,” she said, laughing playfully, like every time you hinted at her taking off her horrible mourning dress. “I like this dress.”

“Okay, okay…” you sighed, hanging onto his neck. “But some embroidered flowers…” you murmured, running a hand over her chest.

“I'm not going to put flowers on my dress,” she said, with a more serious look, crossing her arms.

“As you wish, grumpy…” you whispered jokingly, getting her to grab you by the waist again while you resisted, laughing shyly.

“Maybe you don't want me to cook for you,” she mocked, pretending to pout.

“Oh, no, no, um… let's go to the kitchen and I'll help you, okay?” you said, apologizing in a soft tone, earning a kiss on your made-up cheek.

“It'll be a pleasure, doll face…” she whispered, immediately paralyzing and putting on a nervous look. Surely she didn't want to say that, but she said it, to your ears’ delight.

“Mm, what did you call me?” you said, biting your lip and approaching her seductively.

“I'm, I'm sorry,” she apologized nervously. “I didn't mean…”

“You didn't mean to? Well, I liked it, Donna,” you said, turning around, making your dress dance like you knew she liked and walking towards the stairs.

That was one of the many proofs that your doll makeup was working perfectly. Donna looked like she had just met you, she was more in love than ever, watching you whenever she could, telling you those things that made you melt and replacing little by little her usual ‘tesoro’ or ‘dolcezza’ with ‘doll face’, something that wasn’t unpleasant for you at all.

The days went by and your project was almost finished. A last embroidery on your dress was the last piece for your plan.

“Okay… what do you think?” you asked the doll that sat on the small bed, watching your work.

Angie never said anything to her owner under the threat of revealing that, indeed, reading the lady's thoughts was one of her favorite hobbies, as well as scaring you.

“A cheesy, cheesy, cheesy thing,” she said amused. “Aren't there too many ruffles?”

“No… Look, it's almost identical to the model,” you commented, running your hands over the newly finished fabric, playing with those ruffles, caressing them while you turned the magazine so Angie could take a look.

“Hey, but that dress is white!” the puppet protested. “Why did you turn it pink?”

“Look here, it has white fabric underneath, do you see?” you explained, showing the parts inside of the dress, which matched perfectly with the stockings. “Besides, I wanted to give it my own style.”

“Yes, your silly, cheesy, cheesy style,” Angie mocked, moving your new dress curiously.

“Donna likes me being cheesy,” you said, moving the doll away from your new creation and hanging it on under the bonnet, observing the outfit from afar.

“Donna likes anything that has to do with you or her dolls,” Angie corrected, observing the outfit, imitating your posture in a comical way.

“So if we put the two things together…” you said with an expectant voice, satisfied with the final result.

“She's going to have a heart attack, for sure… Uh… That's not your intention, is it?” Angie commented, pointing at you accusingly, to which you simply rolled your eyes, taking the hanger and walking towards the exit.

“Do me a favor and distract Donna, she's reading downstairs, right?” you asked, opening the door cautiously.

“Yes, she is, silly,” the doll said, crossing her arms. “Relax, I'll take care of the silly Donna…”

As expected, Angie kept her word, forcing the lady to chase her after stealing her book. You took advantage of that distraction to go down to the basement and get dressed and well… put the finishing touches on your plan.

“Okay…” you said, looking at yourself in the mirror while putting on your makeup. At first your resemblance to a doll was more or less subtle, but that occasion required a little more powder on your face and blush, more striking lips and of course, a beautiful curly hairstyle.

You already had the golden hair color naturally, but it used to fall down, so curling it was perhaps the most complicated part, but nothing that was out of your reach.

“Perfect, it's wrong for me to say it but... I'm a genius,” you said, adjusting your hat, looking at yourself dressed completely as a doll. “Now let's see what you say, dolcezza...”

The sound of your handmade shoes was pleasant. The clothes were really comfortable, even forgetting about the whole doll thing, it was a beautiful dress that would undoubtedly accompany you from time to time, well, if Donna liked it, of course.

“Honey...” you hummed as you went up the elevator, walking slowly to where the lady in black was, reading innocently.

“Ciao,” she sighed, turning a page, without looking at you. “I thought you were upstairs.”

You laughed shyly, holding the sides of your dress so they moved elegantly as you approached the couch, slowly lowering the brunette's book.

Donna glanced at you briefly and then went back to her book, but that only lasted a second, the second it took her brain to process your change.

“Mamma mia… (Y/N)…” she sighed with her eye wide open, her jaw dropping slightly. Just for that face, it was worth all the work.

“Do you like my new outfit?” you asked amused, turning around to move your dress, to further hypnotize the paralyzed lady in black. “I've given it a little more personal touch…”

“But, but, but…” Donna stammered, slowly getting up. “(Y/N)… Sei come una bambola…”

“Yeah, well, it's just that I used a doll for the design, I don't know why, I thought you would like it, what do you think, honey?” you said passively, not giving importance to Donna's apparent nervousness.

“It's, it's incredible…” she stammered, grabbing your hand and giving you an elegant spin, touching, brushing the fabric, caressing your curls. “D-Did you make it?”

“Of course,” you said smiling, enjoying her exploratory caresses. “I know how much you like your dolls, so I thought that maybe seeing me almost turned into one of them would make you happy,” you explained, putting a hand on her cheek so she would look into your eyes. “Do you like it, my love?”

“W-Wait,” she said, blinking confusedly, moving away. “Do you mean that you…? That you… You did it this for me?” she asked, increasingly nervous, a reaction that you didn’t expect.

“Of course, darling… I like to make you happy. I'm not going to say that it has not taken me a lot of work but, well, you already know how easy it is for me to sew and… Donna?”

You stopped talking when you heard a sob, when you saw the sadness in the brunette's eye, an inexplicable one. You got a little closer to her. Poor Donna seemed unable to stop crying.

“My love, what's wrong?” you asked with a sweet voice, worried about her reaction. “Don't cry, Donna…”

“Y-You have, have, have you done that…? For me?” the lady in black repeated, with a voice broken by that irrational crying. “Just for me? But, but… You, you've been sewing for weeks and… You've put on makeup like that and… And… Just for me?”

When you realized what the reason for her crying was, you sighed in relief, lifting her chin and laughing amused.

“Donna… Of course I did it for you…” you said between soft laughs, wiping away her tears.

“But, but, tesoro… You didn't have to… You didn't have to try that hard… For, for me…” she stammered again, shaking her head.

You laughed a bit louder, causing the lady in black to protest by kicking the floor.

“Don't laugh at me,” she hissed, wiping her tears herself, looking at you in annoyance.

“I'm not laughing at you, darling,” you said, cupping her face in your hands. “I laugh at how absurd those tears are,” you whispered in a soft voice, coming closer to lightly place your lips on hers, in an almost imperceptible kiss.

“How do you want me not to cry? You, you know how much I like dolls and, and, you, you sewed that for me, you put on that outfit for me… Just to make me happy… I, I don't deserve you, (Y/N), I don't deserve you!”

“Shhh, don't yell, my precious Donna…” you said, calming that incipient crisis with more kisses, with more caresses. “When will you learn that I would do anything for you? Anything…  I don't know, if you asked me to wear a trash bag instead of clothes, I would do it without thinking, or even worse, I would be able to wear something black for you, my love…”

Donna smiled, calming her crying and shaking her head, taking a moment to contemplate you before hugging you lovingly, with all the love she dared to express.

“You are perfect, (Y/N)… Perfect…” she whispered lovingly in your ear, playing with your curls, calming the sobs that still came out of her lips.

“Just because I'm with you,” you said, smiling adorably, perfectly matching your doll look.

“Ti amo, ti amo, ti amo…” the lady repeated, showering you with kisses, caresses… Smiling after that little moment of crisis.

“Hey, the makeup, Donna,” you joked, gently pushing her away. “I love you too, so much…”

The lady looked you up and down again and suddenly frowned.

“I have, I have an idea…” she murmured, taking your hand and starting to walk. “Come with me.”

The two of you went down to the basement and entered the workshop. Donna didn’t say anything, but she seemed nervous, rummaging through her stuff for something you didn’t know about. When she apparently found it, she sat down on her chair, pulling your hand.

“Will you sit with me, doll face?” she asked you kindly, guiding you to sit on her lap, which you did happily.

Without saying anything to you, she began to work on a porcelain body. She seemed focused, but she was easily distracted by your kisses, the ones she gave you from time to time, with a tear running down her cheek.

“Mm,” you murmured, dying of love for those displays of affection, for those tender kisses that soothed your skin.

“(Y/N), do you have any fabric left in that color?” Donna asked pointing to your dress, after shaping the curly mane of an upcoming doll.

You brought her everything she asked for and as the hours passed, which seemed too short for you, you began to sense what she was doing. Your same hairstyle, your same dress, the stockings, the hat… Everything was reflected in miniature in that doll.

“Is it me?” you asked in a sweet voice, placing yourself well on her lap. She looked at you and nodded pleased, handing you the doll. “Donna, it's incredible… She has the same spot as me,” you said amazed by her mastery, by having replicated you in such a perfect way.

“You were right, (Y/N), the color suits the dolls well,” she said, kissing you sweetly on the lips. “It's a gift for you, amore mio…”

“Wow… It's amazing, Donna, I don't know what to say…”

“Just say that you will continue being the way you are… That you will be my favorite doll forever…”

[balkanradfem]

I keep thinking everyone knows the exact same information as me, but since I'm about to make more posts about textiles and clothing, as I'm reading the book on them, I'm going to write down some basic information, just in case it's not very common, because a lot of this I only gathered recently. If I get something wrong please correct me in a kind way!

So where does the clothing come from, and how do we make it? During most of the history, textiles were made by women, from natural materials; flax, wool, cotton, silk, jute. Recently we started using more synthetic materials, like acrylic, polyester, nylon, spandex. If you want to make clothing from the natural materials, like wool or cotton, they first need to be processed, cleaned and combed, then spun into yarn, or thread. Spinning is the process where women manage to pull a thin part of the material and spin the fibres into one consistent, firm thread. It's super impressive to watch them do it and I have no idea how they manage to make it consistent, I've not yet tried to do it myself.

Once the thread is done, it can be made into a textile by knitting, crochet, or weaving. There are also other more complex, decorative methods, like tatting or lacing.

For knitting, you need two needles, or a special circular needle, or, there are also knitting machines, which you can use to make woolen fabric. For weaving, you need a loom. For crochet, you need a crochet hook. While knitting and weaving can be done by a machine, crochet can only be done by hand. Woven fabrics are firm, sturdy, durable, and not stretchy, while knit fabric is the most stretchy and soft. I'm not sure about crochet since I only have one crochet garment, but mine is very sturdy!

All of these methods were historically done by women; families were able to grow flax plants close to their homes, and women would then create linens, woven textiles made from processed flax, which was used to make sheets and clothing. Linen was specifically useful in keeping people clean, since it's very good at absorbing moisture. Used as an under-garment, it was capable of absorbing sweat, and protecting the outer layers, which were not washed. Experiments have shown that frequently changing into clean linen was more effective at keeping clean than showering and then putting on the same clothing back on.

Women's ability to create clothing was sadly exploited, and women were even banned to sell it commercially, or from competing at the commercial market, but their husbands were allowed to profit off of their craft.

In the USA, cotton was the most produced material, however for this too people were enslaved and exploited; cotton took human labour to grow, harvest and process, it also required a lot of water, and caused destruction of environment, because of the chemicals used in it's growth, and the unsustainability of monocrops.

Creating a piece of clothing out of textiles, or sewing, is a process that still cannot be completely automated; while you can use a sewing machine, you cannot make a machine that would produce a whole garment out of textiles. No mass-produced piece of clothing was sewn by a machine, it always has to be made by a human being. This is why a lot of the sewing labour is currently outsourced to third-world countries and companies use modern slavery in order to create fast fashion; there is no machine that can do it, so by the rules of capitalism, the companies are trying to get that labour as cheap as possible, often at the cost of human lives.

We didn't use to have as many garments as we do today, in the 18th century people would have two outfits, one for normal days of the week, and one for Sunday. The clothing they owned was usually made to fit them exactly, either by a female member of the family, or a seamstress, and these garments were made to last them for decades. As clothing became cheaper to buy than to make at home, and more of it became mass-produced, people started acquiring more of it, but also using it for lesser period of time. This would eventually grow into a bigger problem, due to the amount of chemicals and labour used to grow, process, dye and sew the garments, and the amount of waste we were starting to accumulate.

Introduction of synthetic materials, like acrylic, made the yarn and the textiles much cheaper, however it lacks the important properties natural materials have. Do you ever notice how synthetic garments sometimes continue smelling bad even after you wash them? That is because they'll absorb sweat, but become hydrophobic when wet, meaning they will take in your sweat, but refuse to let it go once they're in the water. This means that the longer you have them, the worst their stink becomes. This, of course, can be hidden by the generous use of scented fabric softener, but it won't exactly make the garment clean. This information I've learned recently, but it helped me identify what were the most synthetic pieces of clothing I had. Acrylic clothing had also proven to shed 1.5 more microplastics than any other polyester when put into the washing machine.

Having our clothing grown, processed, spun, woven/knit, and then sewn far out of sight, it's possible to lose the sight of where it came from, or how it's made. Only by trying to do it yourself, or learning closely about the process can one learn to appreciate what a monumental task it is, to create fabric, or a garment. Other than the synthetic textiles, of which I still know very little of, all of the natural clothing is a product of plants and animals, it takes land, farming, agriculture and water to grow the plants, raise the animals, and then labour to process and spin the fibres. It's also something people used to do in their gardens, inside of their homes, something that was normal for women to do, and to trade for anything else they needed, saving them from having to work for wages. Women making fabric was always to the benefit of everyone around them, while m*n taking over the industry and doing it commercially, ultimately brought slave labour to a lot of people, cheap and low quality garments to the select few, and money to the hands of the exploiters.

Being curious about clothing and what becomes of it, is a big benefit to the environment and the future of the earth! Knowing what the textile industry is doing, and how does it affect the planet, can be a great motivator to try and sew, or upcycle and mend clothing, or create garments. It's presented to us as something women were forced to do in the past, and it's connected to 'feminine hobbies', but in actuality, it is power to create something humans cannot do without. Women in the past used it's power too, whenever they could. And we are the only ones who ever used this power for good.

[dognonsense]

so im brand new to the punk scene and way of doing things and i really dont know where to start. I want to decorate my jacket with patches and pins and stuff but i dont really know how to do that. Do you have any tips?

epic! for patches first step is to source the materials you need for it!

youll want to get fabric thats thick and not too stretchy. Denim is the strongest fabric for patches. But ive never made one from that. I would cut up old clothes i didnt wear or take clothing that was going to landfill for fabric.

Now i go to a fabric store that takes all the excess from the main stores and sell its for cheap which is great for saving money.

for making patches for individual use its easy to make a simple stencil with cardstock or thin cardboard, think cereal box, draw on ur design. then use a pen knife to cut of ur stencil, then put it over fabric, then ull want to be using a sponge to apply fabric paint in the holes. Then you can clean up with fine paintbrush when ur done.

Another technique is you can free hand paint directly onto the fabric. If the fabric isnt sturdy, giving it a base coat of paint before doing your design can make it easier to paint on.

leave edge space at the side of ur patches more than you think you would need, so that you can fold the hems when sewing your patches down. This helps keep the patch together as when unhemmed the fabric edge is exposed and falls apart over time.

you can use dental floss or embroidery floss as alternatives to sewing thread. Dental floss is popular because it is sturdy, cheap, and easy to use, as well as u can burn the end of it if u run out of thread to finish. embroidery floss is fun because you can use different fun colors which adds characters and style. The stitches are also thicker and more visible.

you can make pins using a bottle cap, can tabs, and safety pin and paint! You paint the bottle cap to have ur design. U can sand it down to make it smoother to paint. then you put the tab in the back side of the bottle cap. Then slide the safety pin into the can tab with the pinning on bit facing outward, then flatter the sides of the bottle cap to encase the tab into place. This is a common diy if you google it images will come up for sure.

[six-costume-refs]

Do you know if you can buy the ankle straps the queens wear on their boots?

Hey!

You can't buy them directly, unless you're able to find someone you can commission for just the straps. But you can make a set yourself pretty easily!! Here's what you'd need to do: - The base material. Six used to use the same leather as the base of their boot, but they've since switched to a suede to hold the crystals more easily. You could use a suede, leather or faux leather, or even a felt. Do note that you'll want to make sure you choose a material that allows you to punch holes for your buckle, and you definitely won't want something stretchy. - You'll also need some sort of interfacing. The interfacing depends on the material you want to get, but I'd suggest something decently thick but still flexible. Off the top of my head without any sort of actual samples in front of me, I'd suggest a Pellon 809 or similar (that's for the US, unfortunately I'm not sure on international availability). - And of course, buy a small set of buckles (Six's are ~1.5cm/5/8", but you could also use 1/2 or 3/4") + small black ribbon or elastic for their loop. - To get your measurements you'd measure the circumference of your ankle with the boot on, and choose where you wish the straps to start from there. You can make a basic pattern using that length measurement, a width of about 4.5 or 5cm/~1.75-2" for the main wider section (use your crystals to determine this too), and then make sure your smaller ends fit into your buckles. - From there, sew together your straps and add a hole through which to buckle on your strap once they're added. - The only things left now are to embellish the strap (which I'm assuming you already know how to do from the heels), attach the strap (you can sew, glue, or even add snaps), and attach the buckles.

And voila! Your very own straps.

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Whale Pyjama

I think I may need to make myself a new whale pyjama. The one I have currently are quite comfortable but has a number of problems.

The flukes are floppy and do not fit well against the side of my feet as I have to split my tail with some force to have them slightly less floppy, which is not comfortable.

The zipper on the front has particularly large segments and so is quite uncomfortable against my stomach and chest (and in the case of the current material it is stretchy enough it really is not even needed and frankly did not sew on well)

The flippers are too big, particularly too thick. It is nice when laying on my back, but on my stomach, how I like to lay, with my flippers pressed against my sides it really is not possible to lay like that.

The pyjama is a bit too loose and especially in the case of the flippers feels very much like something attached to me rather than part of me (granted my arms and legs also feel that way but in a less obvious manner).

What this means is that despite them being a pyjama, I really cannot wear them to sleep. One of the issues I have in particular in the evenings is I remove my clothing to sleep and in this see my body, and particularly see my hands attached to the rest. This can cause quite a lot of distress and often leads to spirals and unfortunately the mittens I made are not sufficient.

I think what I want to try to do to improve it is to make it almost more like a bathing suit material, that it is tight to my body for the most part as I can forget I am wearing a bathing suit because of how it holds to my skin. That material is also preferable as a blanket should not stick to it in the way it does to the fuzzy textures should I need to use a blanket. But also it is stretchy and should be able to be pulled up over my body without needing something like a zipper and for my side it does not need to fully cover me, just where I can easily see.

Having flukes that have some stiffness would also be good. I do not know if I should use something like a silicone I slot my foot into/against or instead make almost like a plastic monofin which would just have the shape but my feet in a lycra/spandex sock. Having them in something silicone would fix it better to my feet, but it would likely increase the heat inside which could be uncomfortable.

Flippers, the last aspect is flippers. My current thought is to use silicone. There are a number of things I would like to have happen with the flippers, first off to not be overly warm, however it would be nice to have some ability to bend my flippers. Whales cannot do this in reality, but I will be on a human couch or bed and not in the water so being able to bend my flippers would be really useful to not be entirely beached. Ideally I would also like to be able to have something in the tip of the flipper that would let me me interact with touch screens or touch pads so that way I can still interact with others while wearing the flippers, or interact with human technology and watch youtube or whatever while whaling about. Making something solid silicone seems like it would really impede that movement as there will have to be a substantial amount of material behind my arm in the flipper, and probably some bit before due to the airfoil shape and hiding my thumbs. One possibility would be to put air gaps in the mould which would also allow it to be lighter, but also bend easier and likely conform to my arm easier.

The last major external feature is a dorsal fin and I am uncertain if I should even include this. It is on my back so inherently I cannot see it, it would likely sit around my thighs and so giving it some integrity so it stands up would probably be difficult and noticeable of it being there and not a part of me, and from a practical point it would make being on my back, or rolling over through my back probably relatively uncomfortable which might take from the desired function of the pyjama.

[breannasfluff]

fairy!! (Hyrule)

congrats on 500!!!!!!

“Wars? Can’t you teach me to sew?”

Hyrule glances up to watch Wild sit next to the captain, fabric in hand. 

Warriors looks surprised as well, but puts aside the book he was reading. “Sure. What are you making?”

“Just need to learn some basic stitches.” The champion neatly avoids the question.

With a shrug, Warriors grabs the thread and string. “Ok, first you’re going to need to make a knot and…”

Hyrule rapidly loses interest in the description. He knows how to sew enough to mend rips, but not make new outfits. It’s too bad, because his fairy form is stuck with the same outfit time after time. While he can buy a new tunic, where is he going to get clothes sized for a fairy?

Still, it’s a silly need and Hyrule pushes it away. They’ve got bigger things to worry about.

Hyrule and Wild are wandering through the woods, enjoying both the peace and the time to explore. The champion keeps shooting him darting look; something clearly on his mind.

The traveler gives him a smile and lets him be. He’ll get to it when he’s ready.

“Hey, Roolie…” Well, he didn’t need to wait long at all. Wild stares at his slate screen, then finally taps it for something to materialize. “Here.”

“What?” He’s not expecting something small shoved into his hands.

Wild’s clearly embarrassed. “Sorry it’s not better quality.”

“Hey, let me actually look at the thing first.” Hyrule holds up the item, but can’t hold back a frown as he tries to figure it out. It’s a small tube with a little elastic on one side. 

“Wow,” he says, because what in Hyrule is it?

“Oh, here’s the other part.” Wild passes over another piece of fabric.

Rather than help, this only adds to the confusion. It’s an even smaller tube, stretchy, with two long strips attached to one end. 

Hyrule juggles the pieces before finally turning to Wild with a sheepish look. “Ok, I give up, can you explain it?”

If Wild was embarrassed before, he’s rapidly turning red as a tomato. “It’s…clothes.”

Clothes. Tiny…clothes? Why would Hyrule need–

“You know, for your fairy form. Thought you might like something new.”

Oh! Hyrule stares at the items in his hand again, mentally adjusting the size. He’s so used to his fae side being a secret that it never crossed his mind. 

“You…you made me clothes? New clothes?”

Wild plucks the items back and holds them up for explanation. “This is a skirt. I know it’s simple but…I’m not great at sewing. And this is a top. See, the strips are so you can wrap it in different styles around your arms or neck. I saw it in Gerudo Town once and it seemed pretty cool.”

The rest of the explanation slowly fades away as Hyrule stares at the clothes. Wild…learned to sew…for him? The stitching isn’t perfect and the shapes are simple, but it doesn’t matter. Wild made something just for him, for a secret that no one else knows.

“Wild,” he interrupts whatever rambling story Wild has moved on to. Hyrule makes sure to catch his eye when he says, “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

The champion ducks his head with a shy smile. “Want to try them on?”

“Absolutely. Now give them here!”

[mo49ko]

hi! i love your nui fengqing, and was hoping to make some of my own!

i had some questions though: what kind of fabric did you use for it and did you have any templates for the face embroidery?

the face designs seem like the hardest part to me, and i also really loved how you designed yours!

hello!! im glad that you love my nuis 🩷

here is what i used.

💜 fabric

it's called 「ソフトボア (soft boa)」 in japanese and people told me it's called "minky" in english, but i don't know if its exactly the same thing since i never bought minky. maybe some of you might know?

soft boa comes in different "hair lengths" that you can choose to make each part (ex. the hair) fluffier. for example, the skin fabric is "1mm soft boa" while the hair of fengqing nuis is "5mm soft boa". Some people use 1mm soft boa for everything (ex. if your nui is really small).

for the skin fabric, i used this brand (ぬいクロスボア) which you can buy on Rakuten or at Animate.

for the hair, i bought from Little Closet but you need a credit card or paypal acct issued in Japan to buy.

my friend in europe buys something similar from this shop on Aliexpress and said the quality was good too.

if you buy minky, make sure that its not too thick, because you need to layer it at some parts and it might be difficult to sew if it's too thick. also, it should not be stretchy, as your nui might deform. this is what soft boa looks like from up close. if you are not sure, i recommend just buying the soft boa from above, since they are made specifically for nui-making.

💙for embroidery

I drew the face embroidery designs myself by using a template from a book. unfortunately, I cannot share the template because it is paid content.

however, there's a lot of free nui sewing patterns online, so you can draw your own embroidery lines by using them as a reference to make sure they will be placed properly.

the template i used is from 「もっとかわいくできる! 推しぬい 理想の「お顔」「髪型」つくりかたBOOK」 which you can buy on Rakuten or Amazon japan.

this book also has tips on how to design a cute face and hair for your nui !!

if you don't know japanese, the author has a video on youtube showing how to sew along and do the embroidery which is subbed in english (link).

she also has some face embroidery tutorials (1) (2)

🧡 other patterns

otherwise, here are a few free patterns which i found online:

10 cm nui by Diawu_Q

5cm nui by yvc07190426

sorry if it's a lot of information!!!

once you have your materials it's very easy to make!! pls have a fun nui making experience and you can ask me other questions 😋

[the-antianthropocentrist]

How to make a binder

Here’s a simple way to make a binder with stuff that's safe for your body:

What You Need:

• Stretchy Fabric: Grab some soft materials like spandex, jersey knit, or a tight tank top.

• Scissors: For cutting the fabric.

• Sewing Machine or Needle and Thread: To finish up the edges if you need to.

Steps:

• Pick Your Base: Start with a snug tank top or stretchy fabric that’s one size smaller than what you usually wear. This will be your main binder.

• Measure and Cut:

-If you're using fabric, measure around your chest at the widest part. Cut the fabric to be about 1-2 inches smaller than that measurement. Make it long enough to cover from below your chest to above it.

- If you want more coverage, just make it longer.

• Create a Binding Effect:

- With a tank top, you can layer another one or cut strips from the fabric and wrap them around your torso for a tighter fit.

- You could also make an "X" across your chest with extra strips for extra compression.

• Sew Edges (if needed): If you cut fabric, make sure to hem the edges so they don’t fray.

• Try It On: Put on your binder carefully. It should be snug, but not so tight that you can't breathe or it hurts.

Safety tips:

• Breathability: Make sure the fabric can breathe, so you don’t overheat.

• Duration: Don’t wear it for too long. Take breaks to avoid feeling uncomfortable or having health issues.

• Listen to Your Body: If you feel pain, numbness, or have trouble breathing, take it off right away.

[redfoxtail26]

DIY Desmond Miles Jacket

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

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

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

Materials:

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

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

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

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

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

[a-roses-wondrous-rain]

I Became A Butterfly.

TW - hurt no comfort, unreciprocated feelings.

Extra notes ~ 6.3k characters. A bit canon divergent. Y’know that one part of Mene’s dream where she watched Miya dance with another? This is my original thoughts on it before realizing that it was just her dream. It cuts off at the mirror scene and merges back with canon again.

The sewing machine whirred. Tomorrow is prom, and Mene was crunching on the dress. Tame Mene, the nobody with bad grades, trying to ask Miya Nanamiya, the popular girl who had everyone swooning, to prom on the day of, assuming no one asked her yet. The black lace blended into the silky material as she kept her foot down on the pressure foot, the needle in the machine bobbing up and down as it glided through the fabric with ease. It would be a gorgeous dress, hopefully pretty enough to win Miya’s heart. It started as wanting to be like her, to falling for her, to now working up the courage to ask her out.

Mene was pretty sure she liked girls, right? All she could do was hope it would work out. If it doesn’t, then at least she tried. Mene cut the thread and held up the dress, marveling at her own work. She was never confident in what she did, but this felt good. It felt perfect. Mene put it on the mannequin and grabbed the stretchy black fabric to make gloves. Maybe she could make them elbow length.

She almost overslept her alarm. Thankfully, that three hours of sleep was just enough to get her out of bed and operating for the day. Saturday, seven am was the time. Mene had arranged to meet with Miya, but hadn’t gotten any confirmation over it. No text, no call, no nothing. Mene got dressed in her casual outfit, a deep purple long sleeve shirt and black leggings, and a pair of black shoes with lavender laces. She headed outside, raining again. Mene started walking down the street, her hands over her head to try and prevent the rain from ruining the styling she attempted doing. She wanted this to be special, after all. Walking… walking… walking… finally, Mene reached their spot. She asked Miya to meet her at a nearby park, but she wasn’t there. Five more minutes morphed into ten, and that turned to thirty. Two hours later, Mene finally accepted she wouldn’t show up.

On her way home in the pouring rain, Mene got a notification from Miya. ‘Hey, hanging out with someone to make sure our outfits are ready, sorry :/‘ ah… Mene put her phone back in her pockets, willing the tears to not spill over. Miya, the girl she had finally worked up the courage to ask to prom, already had a date. Why did she even bother. It’s not like someone as pretty and popular as Miya would go with someone as quiet and average as Mene to something like prom. The walk back was quiet, nearly… serene, in a way. Her clothes were soaked, her hair ruined and the little bit of makeup she bothered putting on running down her face, but it was calm. Almost able to let her forget how she had just been stood up like that.

Mene got home and shut the door, heading to her room and locking it. The first thing she saw was the scissors and the very very dark purple gloves she made. It’s not like Miya would’ve like them, she was much more pastel than that. She would’ve hated it. She would’ve hated it. That’s all Mene could think as she disfigured the gloves she worked so hard on. After about ten seconds of cutting up the gloves, Mene finally came to her senses and dropped the gloves. She didn’t know what to feel. Should she cry? Should she feel angry? Should she be indifferent to this all? Should she have known she wasn’t good enough to go to prom? It all felt like too much.

It took some convincing from her parents, but Mene started putting on the dress hours later to go to prom. She was told it’d be a waste of time and money if she didn’t go. So there the purple haired girl was, sliding on the gloves that now only came down to the middle of her forearms with cuts on the sides. It took a lot to not cry at seeing all this hard work that would go unappreciated. Her parents assured her she looked lovely as she headed out of the door, a matching black umbrella to go with her dress. She walked down the street, head hung low like a puppy that just got hit. Finally, she reached the place. Mene’s head was flooded by too much as she walked into the building where it was being held; “What if I see Miya?” “What if she hates my guts?” “What am I even doing here” “Should I just leave?” “There are too many people” “Everyone’s in lighter colors, do I look stupid in this dress?” “I think I’m the only one here without a date…”It all came to a stop when her feet carried her through the crowded event, right to Miya. Mene stared and marveled at her beauty as she watched the blonde dance…

…with someone else. Miya looked like a gorgeous doll as she moved and danced, just so perfect. Too perfect for someone like Mene. As much as she longed and wished, Mene would never be as good as Miya, or as popular, or as pretty, or as perfect, or as straight-A’d, or as hard working, or as lovely, or as playful, or funny, or beautiful, or lovable, or perfect, or-

Mene headed towards the door, biting her cheek to prevent the tears from making themselves known. “I am not good enough,” is what repeated through her head as she walked outside. As soon as Mene was away from the masses, she started running. Running. Running. Running. Running. The rain started even harder, and Mene didn’t have the energy to put up her umbrella. She simply ran through the rain, not caring how ruined her dress was, or how swampy her flats were, or how soaked her hair got. The rain hid the effects of the tears, save for the puffy red eyes and quiet sobs. Running. Running. Running. Running.

She slammed her door shut once she got inside, ignoring her parents asks as to how she got to this state or why she was home so early. She immediately got into her duller clothes and started modifying the dress. If it was too pathetic of a dress for Miya, she could at least make it pretty. She sewed until past midnight. Mene made the dress much more butterfly like and set it down on her bed. Now, she should start cleaning. Especially her bed, and that mirror she could never get the smudges off of.

In a dark room, by myself, before the mirror at one in the morning. “Hey, who could you be?” “Hey, who could I be?” I asked but still received no reply.

[devynconstance]

How to Get Straight Stitches when Sewing

The first thing you should look at when it comes to getting straight lines while sewing is your seam allowance. This is the distance between the edge of the fabric and where the thread sews the two pieces of fabric together. For commercial patterns (store bought patterns) the most common seam allowance to have is 5/8" which has to do with the guide plate on most sewing machines.

This is the guide plate.

And this is the 5/8" guide line that those sewing patterns what you to follow

So for example, when your sewing, you want the edge of the fabric to stay against this line as evenly as possible to keep the seam straight which would look like this.

This can be hard for beginners, especially when going around a curve so some people prefer the help of a sewing guide. The most common one ive seen is a magnet that will sticks directly to the guide plate and looks like this.

If you are using indie patterns (digital downloads from independent pattern makers) the seam allowance might be different. If such a seam allowance is smaller than 5/8" the pressure foot has notches as additional guides.

They're also good for making multiple lines in a row without having to remeasure every time (for example if you were doing something like shiring which is the stretchy back panel on this dress).

It's also an option to use the edge of the pressure foot as a guide which is my prefered method when making my own patterns.

Another option for getting straight sewing lines is to mark the sewing line directly onto your fabric. I prefer a heat erasable pen such as this one. (Please remember to test this on scrap fabric first not all erasable pens actually work)

But there are many other options to pick from such as tailors chalk or a tailors pencil just to name a few.

Use a ruler to measure in from the edge of the fabric and mark the seam allowance and connect the dots to get a solid easily seen line to follow. Now when it's under the machine the needle should follow this line and you won't have to worry about keeping track of which guide line you were supposed to be following.

I also recommend drawing the line directly onto the fabric if you are hand stitching the seam instead of using a machine since there is no machine guides to follow in that instance.

Further tips from my friend thats learning right now

- it's almost easier to keep the fabric straight when sewing at a medium speed. Too fast or slow and the fabric wants to move around a lot under the machine.

- It's best to keep in mind that certain fabrics (such as anything silky or stretchy) are a lot harder to sew then say a cotton, linen, or flannel becuase they move around a lot more or they stretch out funny while you're sewing. Doesn't mean to avoid them, just know that it will require more patience and learning.

- Iron your seams. If your seams still aren't coming out right, it might not be that they're uneven, it might just be that they're unironed. It makes a huge difference even if it sucks sometimes.

- don't push the fabric under the sewing machine, there's feeders that will pull the fabric in for you so all you have to worry about is keeping the fabric lined up and straight while sewing.

- use matching thread (or a light grey thread, seams to blend in with most colors). A little wobble in the seam is not a big deal and most of the time won't be noticed if using a thread color that matches the material. The only time an uneven seam might be really noticeable is if you have multiple lines close together like you would see on a corset with boning channels where the lines are a visual staple of the garment.

Other than that it really comes down to practice and time. If anyone has any further tips they want to add please feel free and if anyone has any questions or wants anything further explained please let me know. Its been a few years since i was a beginner so i could be forgetting something and I know it's a lot of information all at once.

Happy sewing everyone!

[balkanradfem]

Fixing pants with overly-tight waistband

So, I accidentally found some warm winter pants in a box under my bed! I was extremely happy to find them because I've been out in freezing temperatures in jeans, my legs getting red and irritated from the cold. However, these pants I found, there's something interesting about them; they've got their waistband completely cut off.

I have no memory of cutting that off, but I'm 100% sure it was me, because I know what my line of thinking was. The waistband was too tight, and the pants were high-waisted, so I thought, hey, I just need to cut off this tight part and then the pants will be wearable. And then, after I cut if off, I found out, that no, you can't just cut off the piece of pants that keeps them on your body. They slide off. So after that bold move I just abandoned them in a box. I had no confidence that I could fix them, but this has changed! I am not any better at sewing than I was back then, but my confidence is through the roof, I believe I can not only fix this but make them the most comfortable pair of pants I own.

I rummaged around to find some materials I could use for a new waistband, and I was purposefully picking materials that are very stretchy, soft and warm. I want a soft stretchy waistband! I ended up being specifically drawn to these 2 black sleeves; they're from a sweater, super warm and stretchy, and also durable. I also found an elastic that I ripped out of some sweatpants in the past because it was too tight.

I decided to make the elastic longer by adding a piece of cotton fabric in the middle, and I sewed that together, I feel like it doesn't matter if there's some normal cloth in there. It won't be visible anyway.Now, to make those sleeves into a waistband. I figured out I could do it without cutting them into pieces of fabric; they're already sewn into tubes. So instead I cut them to be the same length as my elastic, and sewed them together into one long tube (I made a mistake at first and flipped one sleeve on the wrong side. But I redid it and now they're good).

Now my long tube can hold the elastic in it! But then I decided, wait, I would prefer if I just folded those tubes into a new, doubly thicker tube, because I really want as many warm layers as possible on my hips (don't wanna get cold). So the tube is folded, and elastic is placed in.

So now I needed to sew these sleeves into a new tube, with the elastic inside, and I figured, hey, I could just sew them onto the pants at the same time, so I don't have to sew that part multiple times.

I lined up the tube with the pants, and you can see I very haphazardly just sewed them on with a normal running stitch; I was mostly doing that to try it out, and see how it would look like all put together. I then sewed the elastic together in a circle, and closed the tubes together as well. The waistband at this point was shorter in length than the cut off hem of the pants, so I was lightly scrunching the pants while sewing, to match the length, knowing once I put them on this will not be visible and even out. Then I tried them on, and while it looked okay, my running stitch came apart, and the waistband separated!

You can see here how half of the waistband is off. I was so focused on scrunching the pants I forgot to make the stitch adjusted to the stretchy fabric.

I know sewing machines have a special stitch that is used on stretchy fabric so the stitch itself is stretchy, but I never found out how to do something like that by hand, and I was at that point, in a room with no internet so I wasn't gonna find out. Instead, I invented my own little stitch that would do a good-enough job. In the second picture you can see how every few stitches, there's thread just going around the edge, that was my trick. This way, when I'm stretching the waistband, instead of the thread breaking, it will pull from these areas where I've wrapped it around, because it's a bit more loose in there and can be tightened without breaking. I've also sewn it in 4 sections, so its not one continuous thread going through the same waistband.

Once I did that, I was mostly done! Here's the pants mended and how they look on me.

I've converted them into sweatpant-like garment, which, yes, good. But! I was wrong about one thing. That elastic, even though I added some length on it, was still too tight, making me feel uncomfortable and tight. So. I opened up the waistband again. Pulled the elastic out. Stitched it back, and tried it on. And decided to keep it like that. This fix didn't need an elastic, I was just paranoid that my new waistband wouldn't hold without one – but it was stretchy and firm enough to hold without any issues! They look just the same as with the elastic in them. I've since worn them outside and they're great!

This entire fix maybe took an hour and now I have comfortable pants to wear all winter. 10/10 recommend trying it out.

Also this is not an official way how to fix a waistband, I've done it before by just adding extra fabric to the waistband that was already there, and it's a lot less work, however... this works too. If you've.. chaotically cut the whole waistband off. Completely salvageable.

[moe-broey]

Here's my thought process. Because my Alfonse and Sharena plushies are made of felt and whatever material I had laying around for years, I think I have to keep in line with that philosophy. Even the embroidery on the face was stuff I already had, and I improvised in some areas where I didn't have proper embroidery thread for it (pulling apart black thread of something thicker/for jewerly making, layering sewing thread for the freckles, pulling apart yarn for the eye shines, ect).

Like what I'm getting at here is that the design philosophy is almost ragdolly in a way! And I def think they're more doll than plushie actually. I almost kinda think of Yoshi's Wooly World/Crafted World, for the aesthetics -- the "gimmick" is that they Look crafted by hand, using whatever you have on hand (which is. As I'm saying it. Literally just What I'm Doing LMFAOOO BUT WITH INTENT 😤😤😤)

So. That in mind

From the start I had the idea of using this fabric for the blue undershirt. You won't see much of it, if any at all though.... so I was gonna use it for the cape, too. But then my nana stopped by, and gave me A Bunch of fabric, including..

Like. The perfect shit. Just out of whatever she had on hand. The dark blue with gold sparkles is SO PERFECT for the inside of the capes..... and it doesn't even shed glitter!!!! It's good stuff!!! The shiny satiny gold material is thin, but hefty. So like. Even though you can see it fraying (and it does look. Intimidating.), I feel like if I'm smart I can make it work. My idea for the armor was to layer some fabric on top of sturdier fabric, anyway, to add/hold shape (but also very much crossing that bridge when I get to it).

Now, for the white fabric...... well. I've run into some issues. One of which was material that was from a thinly knit scarf, had that ragdoll vibe, but was way too flimsy. Not even gonna bother.

Digging around...

There's this fabric. It has a nice sheen to it, that doesn't really show up on camera. But you see how it fucking frays. You see how it's imprisoned by a hanger. You see the crinkles. This shit is going to be a fucking Nightmare to work with. It's lightweight, yeah. Too lightweight. I COULD use this for something else, but using it on a Fuck Around and Find Out project where I'm not even using patterns is a Death Sentence. I would Die. Badly. Next

I found this soft material I got Years Ago, big dreams of something else that never came to fruition. It would be very good plush material. I was really ruminating on it. However... I feel it may be too flimsy to use button joints on it. And even though it's not thick material, on this scale.. it's probably too thick to work with. And going back, to when I said they're more doll than plush... I have other big dreams. Of a Plush plush. I only have so much of this material, I think it would be smarter to save it. Probably will save me some grief, too. ENTER.

Pant leg. With some effort, I could probably find the rest of it. I actually do think this could work, though! It's that sort of stretchy fake jeans material, and it does have a nice visual texture to it irl. Very subtle. And I feel, fits very well into the "shit I just had laying around" ragdoll aesthetic. LITERALLY ACTUALLY...... made of rags..... and again, them being more for display than they are like, cuddly. I mean, they're also very much for Holding. I do want them to be very holdable. BUT. Idk may be onto something here...

ALSO. That red ribbon is a bit on the thick side, BUT...... it has potential. With enough fucking around I could have something, there...

LIKE I mentioned it a little bit, but I think the thing that's REALLY gonna make these guys shine is having a variety of dif patterns and textures, primarily visually. Although I do think about having to make three layers of clothing on these guys and my brain explodes. Badly. Like. I'm resigned to making one layer the bodice. We can skimp on the realism. But that still means.. the white over shirts... AND the armor..... and the capes. Help. 🧍

I leave you with this.

She's so helpful...... so good at that.....

[msnogood]

A princess dress for my custom middie Blythe, Bodie.

Handsewn with our aunt’s pink shirt in 100% polyester. Bodice, sleeves, and skirt are separate pieces. Gorl still needs some shoes, accessories, and a doll box.

Here’s her in her perfectly round form before.

This outfit took me so long to finish ( ༎ຶ⌓༎ຶ ) I never made any clothes or drafted any pattern before. And after this doll outfit, I still don’t really how to do any of that. I had to remake the skirt partially at least twice, the bodice also partially remade twice. The sleeves, wow, what even are these things. In the end I just said eff this and they ended up being detached puffs.

Lots of unexpected obstacles with this project.

Her stiff arms means the garment’s armholes have to be at least a certain distance, a surprisingly wide distance cause her hands aim outwards, making any sleeved top very wide if the fabric doesn’t have enough stretch.

Gathering bunches up quickly and it was hard to avoid her waistband looking unwieldy.

My solution for 1 is to not deal with it (for now). As stated, sleeves aren’t attached. For 2, an extra backstitch at the edge really helps clamp down bulk. Also, near the end I realized I could have just singed the edges of the fabric instead of hemming them (threads add bulk) cause I’m using all plastic fabric anyway, they melt, and that’s a perk of the material.

Bonus lesson, velcro is a really messy choice and they snag and ruin stretchy or loose weave fabric.

I just have a lot of respect for seamstress/ters who can draft from scratch and sew complete garments.

[cordcorvid]

hi! i hope this doesnt come off as a bother or anything . but do you have any mask making tips or tutorials you could reccomend ?? (like for materials, jaw movement, and how to see out of there) im planning to do a raven named Goose :D

ive been finding some resources here and there, but i thought it wouldnt hurt to ask !!!

Absolutely not! I'd love to answer all your questions. :D I have not looked at that many tutorials, I mostly looked at pinterest pictures of raven costumes to see what I can come up with. One that really inspired me to get things going is actually another Tumblr user I found on there who has posted some helpful tips that I followed along with! They too have a raven costume and they got their resin base from the same manufacturer (Crystumes, they have a website where you can shop for their blanks) Since this post is awfully long, I'll do a read more from here on:

The tutorials I followed the most is this one by Rah-Bop:

Rah-Bop has some tips about adding feathers, making foam-feathers, adding claws to your gloves, making gloves or feet. In terms of material: I used the hinged resin base by Crystumes which by itself cost me +/- 200USD, they sent me a pair of customizeable glass eyes and a tongue.

Crystumes has some additional tutorials specifically regarding their masks on their website! Crystumes also lists some of the materials on their website that I used and where to get them (Like the apoxie clay to do the eyelids, the glass eyes etc.) I did mess the eyes up though the first time I did it so I had to order them from delviesplastics.com (As suggested by Crystumes) Since I ordered the base with hinges I'm not sure how to do them myself but I will have to figure it out for the second fursuit I'm cooking! In terms of other material I bought some long rooster feathers and hair jewelry off of Etsy. I bought a pair of long faux leather gloves from Ricardo (which is a swiss second hand online shop) but you can buy the gloves anywhere else or even sew them yourself by tracing your arm and hand on a piece of paper, then trace the pattern twice on any somewhat stretchy material like faux leather or spandex and sew those two together for one glove each. I bought black fur in another Swiss textile / sewing shop named Alja (not sure if it's actually Swiss) since it's cheaper (around 60$ for 4 yards) than to ship fur from America to Switzerland (Which amounts to 100-200 for the same amount). But if you can afford it: Take a look at Howl's Fabrics or Big Z Fabric. Both websites offer samples! I personally don't buy from them as the shipping costs for me are devastating. I suggest looking at general "furring" tutorials or "how to fur a fursuit head" tutorials on youtube. Most of them will tell you to make a duct tape pattern on your base, draw on the patterns then cut those patterns out on fur, sew the fur together then glue to the base. Crystumes once made a twitter post about it as well I think but I'm not sure I'll find it. When cutting fur in general just make sure you keep the scissors as close to the backing as possible to avoid cutting any fur fibers in the process, it will be visible otherwise. I made a fur top / shirt by tracing one of my long sleeve t-shirts onto the fur I bought and went with that. For the back of the head I used an 80s Mullet/Rockstar wig I bought from another Swiss online store. Other fursuit makers mostly sew fur even to the back of the head but my personal Raven fursuit is literally just a mask with a wig to cover the back. Which in turn makes the whole mask less hot. To keep the mask ON my face and to keep it from slipping down I used the adjusteable part of a biking helmet or climbing helmet. and attached it to the mask by using a lot of hot glue, I eventually had to use some stronger glue as it kept falling off. Since the mask was fairly big when I bought it and rather uncomfortable I used thick felt sheets and glued them inside the head as padding material! Foam works as well, whatever floats your boat. I went with felt since I could easily cut some feather patterns into them as a nice easter egg. Not sure anymore what exactly I used to cover the holes by the beak that I see out of, but it was some kind of very fine dark and flexible grid that I bought from the swiss equivalent of home depot. In terms of being able to see: The crystume base has holes between the beak and the eyes that you can look out of or you can even look through the mouth, both works pretty well and the mask allows for a lot of visibility from within- Out of all my fellow furry friends I'm the only one that doesn't necessarily need a spotter since I can see pretty well. In terms of clothing I pretty much sewed nothing by myself and only assembled a bunch of my own outfits that would fit the raven costume. Sometimes I did buy some costume specific stuff from online clothing stores or went into the thrift shop to buy some costume specific clothing pieces. In general, for your first raven costume just go with the flow and try to keep it budget friendly, as your first will unlikely be perfect. And that's about it! Not sure if I missed something but I tried to cover everything as much in detail as I could. Hope it helps!