#100 Patterns Stitching Machine

[fucenindustrialsewingmachine]

FC-1900BMP: Bar Tack, Button Sewer and 100 Pattern Sewing Multi Purpose Sewing Machine For Details Call on +91 9811002015

[tinybeetles]

I'm sewing an entire 1550's outfit with reasonable historical viability (my first foray into trying to pay attention to historical accuracy). I just finished the shirt! The shirt is 100% linen (handkerchief weight). I did the hidden seams with a sewing machine but all visible seams (including seam finishings) I did by hand. I did the blackwork embroidery by hand using a pattern of artichokes from here and a palestrina stitch along the hems, which creates a really nice series of cute little knots along the hem.

The blackwork embroidery technique allows for the embroidered parts to be completely reversible, so I can untie the neck of the shirt for if I'm overheating or need to be a romance novel cover momentarily. It's important to have options.

[armory-rasa]

COUCH POUCH!! Free Pattern & Tutorial

...called thus because they use upholstery-weight leather for the bag body, that in my case was in fact skinned off a couch. 🤣 Turns out they are relatively quick and easy to make, so I tidied up the pattern for printing and took pictures to document the process when I made another five of them.

First off, print your pattern, 100% scale:

The bag shape was a modified version of the pattern I used for the Morpheus sandbag, but sized to fit in the roughly 11" squares that my couch skin came in. It makes a bag that sits very well on a tabletop, thanks to the flat base.

Though it turned out to not be the most efficient use of material, because that plus-shaped pattern tessellates well, if you're cutting them out of a full hide, but makes a lot of waste when you're cutting them out of squares of material. A more efficient design would have a half-rounded front and back, and a gusset between them, like so:

Ah well. It's not like I have any shortage of couch skin, though for the next round I'm going to experiment with a more efficient pattern.

First step, trace and cut out the bag body from your chrome-tan leather:

Like I said, this was upholstery leather, but anything that's flexible and ~1.5 mm thick will do.

The flap and front need to be a stiffer leather though -- I used 7 oz latigo, but veg-tan would work equally well. (And then you could ✨tool it!✨)

Cut them out, and then use the pattern to mark where your holes are going to be. Mark the holes on your bag body too:

The latigo pieces get hand-stitched to the bag body, so I used a stitching groover to carve out little channels for the thread -- it's not strictly necessary, but it makes your stitches lay a lot more neatly:

Punch the holes shown below:

I used a ~5 mm hole punch for those, and a 1.5" slot punch for the belt loops. Some of the holes on the front piece you're not punching yet, because they need to go through both layers.

I put a dab of contact cement on the pieces (circled in white) to help hold them in place when I go to punch the stitching holes:

(Make sure you're not putting glue between the belt loops)

Wait fifteen minutes for the contact cement to dry until tacky, and then line up the holes and the edges and press the pieces together:

Punch stitching holes:

Saddle-stitch both pieces in place (takes 28" of thread per):

Now you can punch these holes:

(I used a slightly smaller hole punch than for the others, but it doesn't really matter.)

Now press the right sides of the leather together and sew up the seams from the inside:

A regular sewing machine should be able to handle this, though you will need thicker thread, a heavy-duty leather-sewing needle, and a walking foot attachment. (If you don't have a walking foot attachment, it is SO WORTH getting one, even if you don't expect to sew much leather. Seriously, I use it for everything -- once you go walking foot, you don't go back. 💀) Because you can't pin leather without leaving permanent holes in it, tiny binder clips can be helpful for keeping your material lined up.

What they look like when you're finished sewing:

Cut 19" of lacing for the drawstring, and 11" of lacing for the toggle:

I use the 1/8" EcoSoft lace from Tandy, I think it's stronger than real leather would be at that thickness. The only important factor here is that you need something with a bit of texture and friction -- a silk cord isn't going to stay closed, it's going to slip open.

MANY BAGS.

For these I used a wooden toggle -- cut another 8" of lacing, looped it through the toggle twice, and then made a tight square knot on the back:

But another option is putting a concho or a large button on the flap. The bag I copied this design from, in fact, uses a concho toggle:

Thread some beads on the laces to keep the ends from getting lost, and you are DONE! 😁

Happy Bagging!

[balkanradfem]

So I got incredibly lucky; one of the ladies I know is about to move, and she's looking to get rid of a lot of her stuff, so she called me up and asked me, if I wanted her old knitting supplies. And oh did I want her knitting supplies. I was at her place in 15 minutes, receiving a ful bag of various yarn and needles, and thanking her endlessly, which honestly had her a bit concerned for me. I got home, I snooped through everything, and I got, a LOT of supplies.

I divided the yarn based on fiber content; I have one smaller bag of cotton yarn, few little balls of wool, and a big bag of various acrylics; now this immediately had me in ethical peril, because if I make something out of acrylic yarn, and then I put it into the wash, it's going to leek microplastic all over the place, and I can't emotionally handle that. But if I made stuff that I never wash, it's possible that all the microplastic will just stay in the yarn, it's the wretched machine that makes it shed. So what I need is just horrible laundry habits, and I have that. What I really want is to learn how to make a hat, and if I end up making a wearable hat, I can just handwash it maybe? But even just the knowledge of making it is valuable to me.

So, I went back to learn how to knit; two years ago I made an unusable hat with messy yarn I found on the street, and using paintbrushes instead of needles. But I forgot how I've done that. So I pulled up a tutorial, and immediately I ran into several issues trying to make a practice sheet. I kept increasing the number of stitches I had, every row, and I didn't know how that was happening, and all the stitches on the end were loose and my little practice sheet was a mess. I imagined this happened to other people as well, so I looked up solutions – and found them, and then I was finally able to make a good looking little practice sheet! I made fabric and it looked nice!

That sheet was made using the knit stitch, and I needed to learn the purl stitch as well, something I've never tried before. And the purl stitch. Is a nightmare. I could not get my hands to memorize how to do it! Doing the purl-stitch practice sheet was a fight to the death between me and yarn. For every stitch I had to consciously think about every step, I couldn't do one smoothly, I had to wrestle with the yarn to death to make it happen. When it was over I felt like I gave my life for it and it had the nerve to look exactly like the knit sheet. They're the same stitch! But one is easy and the other is created in hell to torment me!

But okay, at least I knew how to purl, and could pull it off struggling and crying all the way trough. Time to knit.

I wanted to make a hat. I decided to use black yarn because there was a lot of it, and mentally prepared myself for the fact that I will make a very bad hat. I was going to follow all the instructions, and I had the stitches down, but it was going to still look very bad because it's my first, but I will learn a lot and I need to be cool with that. So with this mindset, I started.

Immediately I had to unravel the first row 5 different times due to multiple different mistakes with cast on (100 stitches!), and when I finally started the third row I realized that I forgot to co-join the edges to actually form a circle. This is where I had to go rogue. I knew then that if I were to unravel the hat one more time, it would never get done. I connected the edges belatedly, and then, another mistake presented itself.

See I was following a pattern, but the pattern specified a yarn size and circular needle size, but I never considered that having different weight of yarn and needle would affect my hat whatsoever. It was only on my 5th row that I realized my hat was way too big, like it would fit 2 heads, and at that point I'm like, oh I'm not starting over. I'm too deep in. I'm gonna reduce the amount of stitches now. Pattern is gone it's dead to me.

After 7th or 8th row I finally gave up on the purl stitch and decided to just end it in knit, because I was moving so slow, and at this point I am obsessed with the hat. I'm neglecting everything else in life in favour of obsessively knitting, my wrists hurt, my neck hurts, my both arms hurt, I want the hat to be done, I don't care how ugly it is. This is where I encountered another problem: the cable on the needles is too long for the hat, so it's tense and getting harder and harder to knit using it.

I am once again, fighting for my life against the tool I'm working with, I didn't understand why they made these needles like this and it kept getting worse until it got so tense that... part of the cable popped out. And I went OH.

The entire time... I could have pulled out a part of the cable and the hat would pleasantly sit on the rest of it, with the normal amount of tension. I felt like an idiot. But then how else was I supposed to learn this? Was I supposed to look up how to use circular needles before grabbing them? I looked at them once and said 'how hard can it be' and went on my merry way. But it could have been worse. I could have made the entire hat not realizing this was an option. At least it was just 10 rows of dumb behaviour.

I worked on the hat until 11:30pm the first day, and I got half of it done. I'm surprised by how good the knit stitch is looking; I expected to be worse at this. I wonder if it's because I had experience with weaving baskets from natural fibers, which taught me to keep continuous tension while doing it. I'm gonna finish this tomorrow and show you the results!

[bobomcfoe]

My first quilt is done :) I've never sewn anything before (besides some VERY basic hand-stitching when i was a little kid) so this was a major learning experience lol

I used 5x9" rectangles and made a little checkered pattern. I wasn't following any specific pattern or tutorial, and was more just winging every part of it (and it shows). BUT!! I still think it's cute and cozy and I'm excited about it :)

Progress pics and mistakes under the cut !

This quilt was certainly a process, and being, as i am, extremely lazy, every step I took lacked the precision required to make the quilt all nice. And in all honesty i am 100% okay with that, I don't need it to be anywhere near perfect!

Here are all of my pieces laid out on the floor after i cut them out! I didnt take any pics between that and the top-stitching (no clue if that's what it's called, but where it's all basted and then you sew the patterns that go along the quilt) so we'll skip to then

I managed to sew over my excess fabric AND create insane bunching, both because i wasn't paying any attention to the back of my quilt and was really really lazy with my basting (and this is where i made the seam ripper gif lmao)

I also learned why people buy long-arm machines and shit because oh my godddd this was a pain

Anyway next i cut out my binding strips and checked to see that i had enough, which thankfully i did lmao

My binding is pretty awful, i did it the wrong way and elected not to redo it, and my corners are quite messy, but i really truly just don't care. It's still a very cozy quilt

And then it was done! That's all!!

The process from start to finish took me about two days (started cutting pieces Wednesday night, began sewing Thursday morning, continued sewing until it was all done on Friday evening!)

I got the fabric largely from my friend, who has oh so much of it. I think my choices are pretty dang cute :)

Okay. I think that's all I have to say! Bye now!

[ub-sessed]

In an effort to figure out why my moss stitch* was coming out crooked, I knit a bunch of dishcloths using different techniques. I mostly varied knitting style (English, Norwegian, or Continental) and stitch mount (Western, Eastern, or Combination). With the last two dishcloths I also switched needles and then selvage.

These were all knit with Lily Sugar’n Cream (100% cotton dishcloth yarn plied with an S twist) in the colour Soleil, with a 29-stitch Latvian cast on and a Latvian bind off. All of them have been machine washed and tumble dried hot to encourage the yarn to exaggerate whatever it wants to do.

L to R:

Knitting style: Norwegian. Stitch mount: Western. Needles: 3.5mm Knitter's Pride Day & Nite. No selvage.

Knitting style: English. Stitch mount: Western. Needles: 3.5mm Knitter's Pride Day & Nite. No selvage.

Knitting style: Norwegian. Stitch mount: Combination. Needles: 3.5mm Knitter's Pride Day & Nite. No selvage.

Knitting style: English. Stitch mount: Combination. Needles: 3.5mm Knitter's Pride Day & Nite. No selvage.

Knitting style: Continental. Stitch mount: Combination. Needles: 3.5mm Knitter's Pride Day & Nite. No selvage.

Knitting style: Continental. Stitch mount: Eastern. Needles: 3.5mm Knitter's Pride Day & Nite. No selvage.

Knitting style: Continental. Stitch mount: Eastern. Needles: 3mm Tulip CarryCs. No selvage.

Knitting style: Continental. Stitch mount: Eastern. Needles: 3mm Tulip CarryCs. With 2-stitch faux i-cord selvage.

What I determined is that in order for my moss stitch to come out with no bias, I need to knit it Eastern (i.e. wrapping the yarn clockwise so that the leading leg of the stitch ends up in back). I have NO IDEA why this is.

I am now knitting another scarf swatch to make sure that my Eastern knitting works for the rest of the pattern. So far so good.

*Irish moss stitch in the UK.

[bevanne46]

How to Build a Fabric Stash without Breaking the Bank

Fabric can be expensive but it doesn’t have to be.  If you are not stuck on Name Brands or Specialty Fabric Store Exclusives here are some ways to build your fabric stash without costing an arm and a leg. I have made many beautiful quilts using various fabrics from various supplies. And I believe that the quality is not just in the fabric you use but also in your stitch work and seams sizes. If your seams are less than a ¼” they will not hold (personally I prefer to use a ½” seam allowance). If you are not securing your thread ends, your stitch work is going to come undone. So be sure to watch these things too.

Look for fabric at your local Thrift Store (Goodwill, Value Village, etc.)

I have found some wonderful fabrics in various sizes, notions, storage items and more at my local Thrift Stores. I have even found unfinished quilt tops that I have brought home and added a backing to then quilted. Remember that almost any size fabric remnant can be added to other remnants to make some wonderful scrappy quilts so save your own remnants after making a quilt, you may be able to use it later in another quilt.

Look for local Fabric Sales held by Quilting Guilds in Your Area.

We have 2 near me every summer.One charges $2 per pound for any fabric. The second one charges $2 per yard for any fabric. Both also sell batting, notions, books, machines, tools, and more.

Look for fabric on Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor and other sites.

I sell extra fabric on Marketplace and Nextdoor. I have also found several ladies near me selling fabric that I have purchased. And some I have purchased with shipping to me.

Look for older 100% Cotton Sheets at your local Thrift Stores.

Back in the 1800’s and early 1900’s, Quilts were not show pieces. They were real functional blankets that were made from any and all fabrics they could get, usually used clothing. I think there is no reason why we cannot still do that instead of buying expensive fabrics. I have often used clothing, sheets, curtains, and other linens to make some wonderful, usable quilts. And there are some wonderful patterns you can use for quilts in bedsheets from the 1980’s and 1990’s. Note: I always wash anything from a Thrift Store before I use it.

Watch for Fabric Sales and Coupons for Joanns, Hobby Lobby and other Fabric & Craft Stores.

I know some quilters believe that the fabric from Joanns & Hobby Lobby is poor quality but I have not found any bad fabric from these stores.  We do not have a “Quilting” store close to me and because I’m handicapped, I will not drive an hour or more just to buy expensive fabric.  If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to afford to quilt.  I will also buy fabric from Walmart but I am more careful with my selection there as most fabric at Walmart is good but I have had one or two pieces that I felt were poorer quality.

Watch for Fabric Sales and Coupons for your Local Quilt Shop.

Quilt shops will also have occasional sales and/or coupons so if you prefer to shop at these locations take notice of when they have sales. Also ask if they ever give discounts to seniors or military.

Use New or Older Clothing.

I have made a lot of beautiful Memorial Quilts from a loved one’s clothing and T-Shirt quilts. I will use jeans, work shirts, uniforms, flannel, cotton, polyester and even some knits.  These can be a little trickier to work with because they are often stretchy fabrics but they will add a wonderful texture and visual variance to your quilts.  I recently found a pair of cotton pants with Mickey Mouse on them. I fell in love with them because they were so colorful, and I love bold colors. I found several other cotton fabrics that matched the colors in the Mickey pants and made a bold colorful quilt!

Rethink Your Backing Fabric

No one ever said your quilt backing had to be all New Cotton. You can use Fleece, Flannel or Bed Sheets as well. On many occasions I have found some wonderful fleece blankets on clearance and used these for my quilt backing.  Joanns right now has a great clearance sale on Flannel fabric. The best part about using some of these is that you can get then in a wider width so you may be able to make your backing in all one piece instead of 2 or more like when using regular cotton (unless you want your backing to be in various colors/patterns).  You can also use new or older cotton bed sheets for a quilt backing. Again, you can make your quilt backing in one solid piece with a sheet!

Check the Clearance Section for Your Favorite On-Line Stores

I have several on-lines stores that I love to shop from (e-Quilter, Missouri Star, etc.) but sometimes they can be expensive so I always check the clearance section of these stores. There are times I will find some beautiful fabrics on clearance so will purchase it then look for matching piece everywhere else so I can get the best deals. Also check for on-line sales from Joanns, Hobby Lobby and other on-lines stores that sell fabric and/or sheets.

Check Out Your Local Garage, Moving and Estate Sales

I have found some of the best deals at moving and estate sales because often the seller is willing to bargain with you. I once found an estate sale where a family was selling off all their mother’s quilting and sewing items because she had passed away and none of then sewed. There was more fabric and notions than I would have used in a year so I found lots of thread and items I purchased at a great price.

Note on Batting

I know that many quilters believe that the only batting you should use is expensive cotton batting. I disagree.  There are many forms of batting. Cotton/Poly blends, Polyester, and Fleece. I love cotton batting but cotton will break down quicker than polyester and I want my quilts to last a lifetime so for most of my quilts I actually use Polyester more often than not. I have taken the backing off many older quilts to do repair work and the cotton batting inside was all balled up and a real mess.

Now when I am doing the Quilt-as-you-Go method I use a Fleece batting. The fleece can be cut into smaller pieces, fabric added to the top and then sewn back together to make wonderful quilts. And the batting doesn’t get stuck in my machine.

Shop Around for your batting to find the best deals. Sometimes Joanns has a sale on batting but the best price I have found so far has been Walmart on-line.  I can buy a 96” x 9 yard Bolt of Poly Batting for just $30 on Walmart on-line. This bolt will make 4+ quilts depending on the size of the quilt and I will have lots of left overs for smaller projects like pillows, etc.  For me the best part is that because it’s 96” wide, I don’t have to piece together my batting before I can sandwich my quilt!

[fantasyfawnart]

These guys are inexpensive, simple, and make lovely gifts so here’s a tutorial on how to make them!

1. Make a pattern piece - any relatively simple shape will do, I modeled mine after beanie baby frogs. Just draw the shape onto a piece of cardboard and cut it out!

2. Cut two pattern pieces from 100% cotton - old tshirts, hoodies or jeans are perfect. I like to make the top and bottom different colors :)

3. With the good sides of the fabric together, use a sewing machine or needle and thread to stitch along the outer edge of your critter. Make sure to leave a small gap so you can turn it right side out - it’s easiest if this is along a flat edge.

4. Turn your critter right side out and add eyes if desired - I use safety eyes, but you can also paint, draw, or embroider them on, along with any other decorations you’d like!

5. Add your filling - I use feed corn, but dry rice or beans will work too. For the frogs, I massage the corn into the legs and then use a line of stitching to keep all the filling from migrating into the center of the body.

6. Add the rest of your filling and hand-stitch the gap closed with needle and thread.

7. Done! Microwave your critter for 30 seconds at a time until perfectly cozy.

[averixus]

I made a t-shirt! It was quite a simple project, but it's the first time I've worked with jersey so it was an adventure.

I drafted the pattern mostly based on an existing t-shirt that I like. The fabric is 100% cotton interlock jersey. After one brief frustrating attempt to use solid chalk to mark the fabric, I got some chalk wheel pens which are amazing. And I used a rotary cutter which was great too, I think scissors on stretchy fabric would have been horrible.

I did all the sewing using my mini vintage chain stitch machine that I restored last year.

My brother made a t-shirt a while back and told me that he struggled most with applying the binding to the collar, so I decided to just.. not do that. Some of my commercially-made t-shirts just have a double-folded hem at the collar and I like the look of that anyway so that's what I went for. I hemmed the front and back pieces separately first, before joining them at the shoulders.

Because of the shape of the collar, I had to notch the hem allowance at the corners which means there's some exposed raw edge inside, which I regret. Next time I'll adust the curve of the collar so it's shallow enough that the fabric can roll over without needing to be cut.

I like the way the finished collar looks from the outside though.

I decided to do all the construction with french seams to protect the raw edges (since I'm not overlocking or zigzagging anything). But it was actually kind of a nightmare, because the tiny machine can't cope with all the layers of fabric where two seams or seam+hem intersect. I had to keep re-doing the parts where the seams cross, and even had to resort to manually moving the thread into the right part of the mechanism from underneath the machine on every stitch just to get through the hard parts without it snapping yet again. Next time I'll give up on the french seam and maybe just do an extra line of stitching to reinforce the edges.

I'm also not totally happy with the shape and fit of the sleeves, the armpit area is a bit tight and weird. I think the sleeve openings just need to be bigger, so I need to reshape the armscye on the pattern for next time.

I'm pleased overall though. I learned a lot and I got a definitely wearable t-shirt out of it. :)

[mijlen]

I realized that I never shared photos of my latest complete cosplay labor of love here! I started this Idol version of Princess Cadance from a sketch in February 2024, and worked on it slowly over the next year. She technically debuted at EFNW 2024, but several major alterations were made after that, and I re-debuted her at BABScon 2025 in competition, winning Best Master in the cosplay contest.

A few details that I never get tired of talking about:

The plaid fabric is custom printed twill, because I got fed up with never finding the right colors in a fun pattern so I just designed it myself.

The wig was hand-dyed from a white wig using acrylic ink + lots and lots and LOTS of care and patience.

Not seen in the photos, but the underskirt includes matching hot pink suspenders with heart detailing.

The petticoat finished off a cheap sewing machine. It would have cost more to repair it than it cost to buy it initially, so it was the excuse I needed to upgrade. 100+ yards of stitching at max speed will do that to a cheap machine!

Everything except the base wig, base shoes, tiara, and ears was willed into existence by me.

[charliecraftsthings]

I made a Tailor's Ham! It's essentially a sort of hard pillow used for ironing against. It's especially useful for ironing curves and 3D construction (eg: stuff it into things like sleeves or hats).

I used the free pattern by Cornelius Quiring, and took the suggestion of zigzagging my wool together instead of sewing darts.

For the top fabric, I wanted wool. This mustard yellow coat fabric was the only 100% wool I could find at Fabricland that day. It was in the clearance area, originally $50 /m. The smallest increment the shop sells is 20 cm, which was sufficient for this pattern. With extra sale pricing and my membership discount, I paid about $5 for the 20 x 150 cm piece (they cut me a generous "20 cm", closer to 30 cm actually).

Upon closer examination, this fabric was knitted before the felting, and there was still some noticeable stretch. To reduce the stretch, I put the wool in the washer with hot water, then tumbled dry on low heat until it was bout 80-90% dry; then ironed the fabric flat and let the steam finish evaporating.

For the bottom, I used a remnant of heavy cotton canvas. I've heard that it's best to use unwashed cotton so that the ham will shrink up and pull even tighter with the heat of an iron, but this is what I had.

I applied lightweight woven cotton fusible to the entire wool piece to add stability and structure. Following Quiring's advice again, I reinforced the underside of the not-darts (the zigzag) with scraps of the cotton canvas.

(In a future make, I might try using heavyweight fusible at the not-darts, instead of fusing all over and reinforcing with canvas.)

I had difficulty sewing the not-darts, largely because of how stiff the fabric had become. I'm not sure if this just comes with practice or if I did something wrong, but after shaping the not-darts, I couldn't get the top and bottom pieces to fit together nicely. I had to really fight and pull the fabrics to line up, and in the end I opted for an imperfect ham rather than continue puncturing the fabric with my heavy needle.

For stuffing, I've learned that sawdust or wood shavings (like pet bed litter) are ideal. I didn't have any, but I had lots of fabric scraps! However, the unevenness of fabric scraps make for a lumpy ham, which interferes with a smooth ironing surface. Taking stock of what I had, I came up with a plan to stuff the ham in layers:

First, I added kapok fibre (a fluffy plant fibre, kinda similar to cotton; I already had lots of this for stuffing amigurumis), making sure there was a thick layer all around. Kapok fibre won't melt, and I think the fluffy texture would help smooth irregularities caused by the fabric scraps.

I picked through my smallest fabric scraps to remove as much synthetic fabric as possible (the high heat of an iron might melt the polyesters and nylons), then used my LDH shears to cut into as fine of ribbons as I was arsed to. I mixed these fabric scraps with dryer lint (which definitely contained synthetic fibres!) and began stuffing. I hoped the dryer lint would help smooth the texture of the fabric scraps.

Stuffing this ham tight was hard work, so I enlisted the aid of my partner. Much innuendo and amusement ensued.

Once I was satisfied with how packed it was, I hand-sewed the seam shut with a ladder stitch.

The ham is all puckered and lumpy, especially at the hand-sewn closure, but I kinda love it.

I kinda want to name him Hammy, or possibly Bentley.

It's so ugly and I love it! 💖💖

This has got to be one of the most useful things I've ever sewn. It felt like a "specialty" tool at first, but it really isn't, I use it all the time now that I have it! Ironing shoulder seams, sleeves, hats, and bags--! It's really great.

Although Hammy/Bentley will last a long time I think, I'm also kinda looking forward to making another ham. My local hardware store said I can come take their sawdust for free when the machine's full--just to phone ahead to ask how full it is.

[gregorygerwitz]

Crochet Commissions!

For those who don't know me, I'm Alex (she/they), and I started the year off with Covid. Because I had to take two weeks off work, I'm really hurting for money right now, so I'm opening up a limited number of slots for crochet commissions to try to fill in that financial gap.

ALL of the materials I use are machine washer/dryer safe

Pictures of my recent work and prices are below. Including: stuffed animals, dice bags, holiday stockings, blankets. As well as: shipping info, custom request info.

For further questions or to request a commission: message me here or email me at crochetbyalex@outlook.com

When I did my poll, most people voted for stuffed animals, and I recently finished a few that I can show my skills with. The blue penguin is my latest finished piece, with the purple penguin the first thing I ever crocheted side-by-side for comparison of how much I've learned in the last ~7 months. The mouse is technically unfinished because the eyes aren't embroidered yet, but I made it in about a day and a half, for timeline purposes.

I also just finished the above dice bag octopus about an hour ago for my roommate, which took about three hours of non-stop work (I turned on a movie and got through the stitches pretty quick). I can make them in any color you want, with either the plastic safety eyes or embroidered eyes. Most of these can be entirely customizable, just let me know what you're thinking and I'll see what I can do!

Dice bags: $10 + $5 domestic (US) shipping Stuffed animals: $15 + $5 domestic (US) shipping optional crinkle filling (washer/dryer safe): + $2 (stuffed animals only)

10 slots total (4 REMAINING)

I don't have any pictures of any of the hats or scarves I've made because it's been a few years, but I made some stockings for the apartment for Christmas last month, and that's one of my most recent projects. The green one was the last one I made, and probably the most accurate to what my capabilities are now.

If you'd like a stocking for Christmas 2024, let me know! I have an unlimited number of slots for them as the holiday is far enough away that the time crunch isn't so rough.

Hats: $20 + $5 domestic (US) shipping Scarves: $30 + $5 domestic (US) shipping Holiday stocking: $24 + $5 domestic (US) shipping

5 total wearable (hats/scarves) slots

The least popular item in my poll was the blankets, which I understand. And I'm only going to open one slot for them at a time because they take so long and so much yarn to make. The wave pattern (both blankets pictured above) is my favorite to do, but I have patterns for most simple designs, or I can likely easily google it and put it together for you. Prices are based on the time and materials these take to make, but because they're so much more expensive than the smaller items above, domestic (US) shipping is free.

Baby blanket (top left): $50 Throw blanket/afghan: $100 Full size (length shown in bottom picture): $200

1 blanket slot (0 REMAINING)

Custom requests:

If there's a pattern you've found on Etsy/Pinterest/etc that you want made, contact me by using the contact information above. We can discuss prices or my ability to accomplish that for you. ***patterns must be CROCHET patterns as I do not knit (yet)*** 5 custom slots total

International shipping:

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[theetherealbloom]

NOTRE DAME - CH. 6

Chapter 6: What Is Worth Suffering For?

Summary: In the rafters of Clinton Church, a mysterious reader with the power of illusion manipulation silently watches over Matt Murdock, the blind vigilante known as Daredevil. As danger engulfs Hell's Kitchen, their unlikely friendship blossoms into a bond of trust and longing, intertwining their fates in a battle against darkness that tests their resolve. Will their connection illuminate a path to salvation in a city of darkness or lead them deeper into the abyss?

Paring: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Hurt to Comfort, ANGST, strangers-to-friends-to-lovers, Religion, Fluff, Anxiety, PSTD, Nightmares, Catholic Guilt, Amnesia, Violence, Blood, Dark Undertones, Eventual SMUT, Shy Reader, Mentions of Abuse, Criminal Activities, Mobsters/Mafia, Character Death, Slowish Burn, Disassociation, 

Word Count: 5k

A/N: Wow??!!? A short chapter… who am I??? No, for real, I missed writing for Matt and I felt like I hit a brick wall while writing this chapter. Hopefully the words will come to me easily next chapter where exciting events take place :D

Song: 100 Years by Florence and the Machine

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dividers @/saradika-graphics

MATT’S APARTMENT, 6A – SUNRISE

As Claire arrived, you were barely hanging on, your energy draining rapidly from the desperate need to keep Matt alive and stabilize him, staunching the flow of blood as best as you could.

In your exhausted state, everything seemed like a blur. You hardly noticed how Claire and Foggy gently coaxed you away from Matt, their intention to keep you from completely wearing yourself down. When you finally reopened your eyes, you found yourself seated in one of Matt's plush chairs, in clean clothes, and utterly dazed. Claire diligently stitched up the deeper cuts you had acquired, her focus unwavering.

Slowly turning your head to the left, you beheld Matt peacefully asleep on the leather couch, cocooned in a cozy blanket that provided him warmth. Shifting your gaze to the right, you found Claire's expression filled with concentration and concern. In a weak voice, you inquired, "Will he be okay?"

Meeting your tired gaze, Claire sadly smiled and replied, "He'll be fine. He needs plenty of rest and fluids. But other than that, you practically saved his ass."

A feeble sound of acknowledgment escaped your lips as you contemplated, "I think there's a pattern beginning to form."

Amused, Claire snorted, "Let me know if you ever get a day off. I feel like I missed a few episodes since last we talked." You weakly nodded, your eyelids drooping once more from sheer exhaustion. Concern crept onto Claire's face as she tilted her head to the side, prompting her to ask, "Have you told Matt yet? Or any of them?"

Before you could respond, Foggy emerged from the bathroom, his voice filled with frustration, "She hasn't. She hasn't told any of us shit, and I thought we were good friends. Hell, even best friends!" He sputtered out his words in exasperation.

Your gaze shifted downward, fixating on the blood-stained carpet of the apartment, a wave of shame washing over you. "Foggy..." you started, but he swiftly cut you off, his voice filled with a mix of anger and betrayal. "You knew? All this time, you knew it was him? And you didn't even bother saying anything?"

Your mouth opened, ready to explain, but Foggy's words pierced through, not leaving room for interruption. "The fact that you possess these... bizarre mystical art magic abilities and didn't even bother to tell us! You've been lying to all of us since the very beginning... me, Karen, and even Matt..."

Tears welled up in your eyes as you mustered the strength to speak. "No one was supposed to know. No one was ever supposed to know about my powers, Foggy. Matt doesn't even know it's been me all along." Foggy's eyes narrowed, his confusion and frustration evident. "What the hell does that mean? He… he doesn’t know it’s you?"

You shook your head gently, and Claire interjected, her voice soft and soothing. "Matt doesn't know that she's been the one assisting him in his... nighttime activities. Her abilities allow her to create illusions and glamour. It was pure coincidence that brought her to Matt."

Your gaze drifted aimlessly, lost in the depths of your turmoil, as you choked back sobs. "It's as if something… brought me to him," you managed to say, your voice filled with a mixture of uncertainty and self-doubt. You scoffed at your own words, aware of how improbable they sounded. "It's stupid, I know. But considering that aliens have fallen from the sky, how far-fetched is any of this?"

Your eyes blinked lazily, heavy with fatigue, as you spoke in a somber and vulnerable tone. "Not many people have seen this side of me. I never wanted anyone to know about my abilities, about the battles I've fought, and the horrors I've witnessed. It's incredibly dangerous, Foggy.”

Frustration and weariness etched across Foggy's face as he rubbed his hand over his tired eyes and through his hair. “But don't we have the right to make that decision for ourselves? Why won’t you let us in? Let us, me, understand?” he questioned, his voice tinged with exasperation.

A sniffle escaped you as tears welled up in your eyes. "The most difficult part of anything self-destructive is its familiarity," you admitted, your voice filled with raw emotion. "I've always known pain, and leaving it behind seems like losing a part of myself that taught me to survive.”

Tears streamed down your face as Foggy uttered your name in a sad and sympathetic tone. Your quiet sobs filled the room as you pleaded, your voice trembling, "You can't tell Matt, please. Not yet, at least, not like this."

His own eyes welled up with tears, reflecting the pain he felt. "He's my best friend," Foggy choked out, his voice thick with emotion.

You nodded, trying to compose yourself amidst the overwhelming flood of emotions. "I know. I know it's incredibly cruel and selfish of me to ask this of you. But, Foggy..." Your voice cracked, and you struggled to steady your breathing. "I can't let him know it's me. I can't fulfill my duty to protect him and the people of Hell's Kitchen if he ever found out what I've been doing, the risks I've been taking. He'd blame himself if I ever got hurt."

Foggy shook his head, unable to fully grasp the weight of your words. "But you two could work together and–"

"You know how protective Matt can be," you interrupted, your voice filled with a mix of fondness and exasperation. "He cares for everyone's well-being except his own. For once in his life, I have the chance to take care of him."

"Even if he doesn't know it's you?" Foggy questioned, his voice laced with concern and confusion.

"It's better this way," you whispered, your gaze dropping. "To remain anonymous... for now."

Foggy fell into a contemplative silence, grappling with the weight of the situation. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he relented. "Okay. Okay, fine. Condition one: I won't tell Matt... yet. But you have to promise me that you'll tell him soon. I don't know how long I can keep this from him."

Sniffling, you nodded in agreement. Foggy continued, "Condition two: You and I need to have a long chat about all this voodoo magic stuff at some point, after I kick Matt's ass for lying to me."

A weak laugh escaped your lips. "Okay, Foggy. I swear."

Extending your pinky, you intertwined it with Foggy's, solidifying your promise. When you let go, you sniffled and apologized, "I'm sorry, Fog. For all of this. For everything."

Foggy recognized the sincerity in your words and gave you a weak smile. "Okay, no more. Enough with the sad eyes and the pouting. C'mere."

You weakly laughed as Foggy pulled you into a gentle hug, filled with warmth and hope. It was a comforting reminder of the friendship and support he offered. In that moment, you were grateful to have him by your side.

After the embrace, you glanced out of Matt's window, noticing the first rays of sunlight peeking through. It wouldn't be long before he woke up.

"I know you have countless angry questions about Matt," you said to Foggy, a hint of weariness in your voice. "Thank you for not asking them on his behalf. He deserves the chance to tell you his story."

Foggy pursed his lips, clearly still upset and annoyed with Matt, but he understood the importance of allowing him to speak for himself.

"Foggy... I have one last favor to ask of you," you said, gripping his shoulder lightly.

He looked at you with concern, and you squeezed his shoulder gently. "Be gentle with him. Please, just be gentle."

Foggy nodded in response, silently acknowledging your request. You exhaled, feeling the weight of the moment lift slightly from your shoulders. It was as if you had been holding your breath all this time.

Claire's voice called out your name from the kitchen, breaking the silence. "We need to go before Matt wakes up and notices you were here."

You nodded and began to push yourself off the chair, with Foggy's support by your side. Gritting your teeth against the pain, you wobbled over to Claire, completely fatigued and drained. She packed the rest of her belongings and offered her arm to support you.

But just as you were about to leave, a realization struck you. "Wait, I need to make sure every trace of me here is gone."

Foggy looked at you in confusion, his voice filled with curiosity. "What?"

Without hesitation, you quickly performed a spell, your weak hand moving through the necessary motions. A surge of gold and silver energy filled the room, erasing every trace of your presence. It scrubbed the apartment clean as if you had never set foot inside.

"Holy shit," Foggy breathed, his eyes widening in astonishment.

You let out a weak laugh, a mixture of relief and exhaustion. "See you later, Foggy," you whispered, bidding him farewell.

As you left the apartment, supported by Claire's presence, you couldn't help but feel a sense of bittersweetness. An unfamiliar path was ahead, and the weight of your secret had been revealed. But for now, it was time to face the day and the challenges that awaited you and Matt, leaving behind the remnants of your presence and the memories that lingered in the room.

CLINTON CHURCH – AFTERNOON

As you slowly regained consciousness, the room appeared hazy and disoriented. The soft sunlight peeked through the windows, casting a warm glow on the worn wooden furniture. Father Lantom's concerned face came into focus, his gentle voice soothing your weary mind.

Supported by his steady arm, you were carefully guided toward your room. Fatigue enveloped your body, making each step feel like an arduous journey. Finally reaching your bed, you collapsed onto the mattress, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle in your bones.

Hours passed in a blur, the sound of distant footsteps and muffled voices occasionally reaching your ears. When you eventually stirred awake, the grogginess lingered, clouding your thoughts like a thick fog. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, you surveyed your surroundings.

On the bedside table, a glass of water shimmered invitingly, beads of condensation sliding down its cool surface. Next to it, a small bottle of painkillers stood, their label promising relief from the lingering ache that gnawed at your body. Besides the medication lay a sleek, unfamiliar phone, its screen dark and waiting.

A pang of gratitude warmed your heart as you realized that Father Lantom had anticipated your needs. He had seen the toll the night had taken on you, comprehending the reason behind your unavailability. The thoughtfulness behind his actions touched you deeply, a testament to the bond you shared with him.

With a shaky hand, you reached for the glass of water, the cool liquid soothing your parched throat. The painkillers provided relief, dulling the persistent throbbing in your muscles. Though fatigued, a spark of curiosity flickered within you as you picked up the new phone, its presence holding both intrigue and uncertainty.

These humble offerings delivered Father Lantom's unspoken support and understanding. It was a silent reassurance that you were not alone in your struggles and that there were those who stood by your side.

Sitting there with the weight of lies and hidden truths, your determination grew stronger. The previous night's events had etched themselves into your memory, leaving an indelible mark. Yet, you knew that you couldn't let fear or doubt consume you. There was no turning back now.

With a resolute breath, you opened the newly acquired phone and dialed Karen's number. The familiar sound of her voice filled your ears as she picked up on the first ring, her concern palpable even through the phone.

"Hey! I was trying to call you last night to check if you got home safe. Is everything okay?" Karen's words echoed with genuine worry.

You exhaled, mustering up a semblance of composure as you crafted a plausible lie. "Yeah... no, uh, everything is fine. My phone broke, the glass shattered and everything after I dropped it by accident. Big oops on my part."

There was a hint of skepticism in Karen's tone as she responded, "Well, I'm glad you're safe. But Foggy told me Matt got into an accident, and I'm really worried."

Keeping up the charade, you nodded to yourself before speaking, feigning ignorance. "Wow, God. Is he okay?" Concern laced your words as if you were just learning of the incident. Karen's reply was filled with a mix of relief and lingering anxiety.

"Foggy said he was fine... but I'm really worried."

Your heart ached at the thought of Karen's genuine concern for Matt, but you had to continue the facade. "I'll try and see if I can stop by, maybe bring some soup."

Karen's sigh carried a weight of unease as she switched topics. "Have you heard from Ben?"

Confusion flickered across your face as you responded, "No? What happened?"

"They didn't give him his extension," Karen revealed, her tone tinged with disappointment.

"Fuck," you muttered under your breath, the frustration evident in your voice.

"Yeah. Also, he's here, by the way, at the office. He's thinking of giving up on the Fisk piece," Karen shared her concern for the seasoned journalist evident.

Tell him I say hi," you replied, a touch of warmth in your voice. "Also, uh, tell him about Saint Bénézet Retirement Care… y’know with the person of interest I had found. Maybe it might help him change his mind. Oh, and please give him my new number, I’ll be sure to help out in any way I can with Doris."

The call concluded with Karen promising to forward the message. As you considered the fine line between keeping your personal secrets hidden and safeguarding the people you cared about, the weight of deceit weighed heavy in the air.

A FEW DAYS LATER…

CLINTON CHURCH - AFTERNOON Despite Sister Maggie's admonitions to take it easy and allow yourself time to heal, you couldn't shake off the restlessness that plagued your mind. Sitting idly only fueled your worries and overthinking, so you threw yourself into various tasks and responsibilities, seeking solace in productivity.

The atmosphere of the church was solemn. As you sorted through paperwork, filed documents, and organized phone calls, you couldn't help but feel a sense of purpose in aiding those in need. Each task completed was a small victory, a reminder that you were making a difference in the lives of others.

Yet, beneath the surface of your efficiency, a gnawing worry persisted. The thought of Matt's recovery weighed heavily on your mind, and you couldn't shake the sinking feeling in your gut. The bond between him and Foggy, once unbreakable, now seemed fragile and uncertain. Doubts crept in, whispering concerns about the state of their friendship.

As you meticulously organized donations for the parish, your mind wandered, replaying memories of their camaraderie, their shared laughter and unspoken understanding. You yearned for the reassurance that they would find their way back to each other, that their bond would emerge stronger from the trials they faced.

The work itself offered a temporary respite, a distraction from the anxieties that threatened to consume you. But deep down, you knew that until you had answers about Matt's condition and the state of his friendship with Foggy, a cloud of unease would linger over your every task, casting a shadow on your otherwise productive morning.

Feeling the strain in your back from hours of sitting, you stretched your tired muscles, arching your spine and letting out a sigh of relief. The laptop before you, its screen filled with countless lines of text and data, had been your companion throughout the day, aiding you in your tasks and contributing to your weariness.

With a flick of your wrist, you shut down the laptop and folded it closed, the soft click resonating in the quiet room. Rubbing your eyes gently, you tried to alleviate the fatigue that had settled in from staring at the screen for so long. The gentle pressure of your fingertips against your eyelids offered a brief moment of respite.

Pushing yourself away from the desk, you stood up, the creaking of the chair echoing in the room. Your body yearned for movement, a break from the confines of the office space. Your destination was the kitchen, where a simple glass of water awaited to quench your parched throat.

As you walked through the familiar corridors of the building, your thoughts drifted to the message Claire had sent you. Her imminent departure from the city brought a mixture of gratitude and a hint of sadness. You knew her absence would be felt, but her reassurance of being there for you and Matt medically provided a comforting solace.

Reaching the kitchen, you poured yourself a glass of cool water, the clear liquid cascading into the glass with a gentle hiss. The refreshing sensation as you took a sip helped ease the weariness that had settled upon you. Pocketing your phone after sending a message of appreciation to Claire, you allowed yourself a moment of quiet reflection, grateful for the support you had in your life, even in times of uncertainty.

You turned your head towards the gentle voice of Sister Catherine, acknowledging her presence with a warm smile. Her concern for your well-being was evident in her words, as she expressed understanding of your need to rest.

With a reassuring tone, you responded to her, "Yes, sister?" Your voice carried a sense of gratitude for her consideration.

Sister Catherine's request came next, presenting you with a task that required physical effort. She mentioned your need for rest, offering you an out, but your determination to stay active and contribute prevailed.

You maintained your smile, a genuine reflection of your willingness to help. "It's no problem at all," you assured her, your voice filled with sincerity and a hint of enthusiasm. "I'd be more than happy to fix the pamphlets.”

The commitment to your responsibilities and the desire to contribute to the tasks at hand outweighed any personal fatigue you might have been feeling. With Sister Catherine's approval and gratitude, you prepared yourself to embark on the simple yet meaningful task of caring for the sacred space of the church.

But when you stumbled out of the steps of the kitchen, to the side of the entryway, you didn’t expect Matt to be sitting there in the middle row, quietly there and contemplating. You stand there frozen, and you believe he already knew you were on your way out there.

Before you could even take a step, you caught sight of Father Lantom walking purposefully down the aisle toward Matt. The urgency in their interaction was evident, and you surmised that they needed a private conversation. With that realization, you swiftly pivoted on your heel and discreetly exited the area, granting them the space they required.

To occupy your time and distract yourself from the situation, you decided to attend to the remaining dishes in the sink. Methodically, you washed and rinsed each item, placing them back in their designated spots. The rhythmic sound of water running and the clinking of porcelain against the sink provided a momentary respite.

Amidst the task, you heard Father Lantom's voice calling your name. Intrigued, you paused and turned to face him, the dampness from your hands transferring to the towel you wiped them on. The seriousness in his expression indicated that something significant was at play.

"I think you should go talk to him," Father Lantom suggested, his voice filled with concern.

Your brows furrowed as you considered his words. Doubt and apprehension crept in, causing you to hesitate. "I don't think he'd want to see me—"

"He's falling apart," Father Lantom interrupted, his statement carrying a weight that resonated within you.

You sighed softly, the towel still in your grasp, and lowered your gaze. "Is Matt still there?"

Father Lantom nodded, confirming your suspicions. "I believe he's waiting for you."

A shiver ran down your spine at the dual meaning of his words. Pushing aside your uncertainties, you set the towel aside and made your way out of the kitchen, navigating towards the entryway on the side.

As Father Lantom had indicated, there he sat, still and seemingly lost in his own thoughts. You approached him cautiously, the weight of the moment hanging in the air. Taking a deep breath, you positioned yourself in front of him and cleared your throat, breaking the silence that enveloped you both.

"Hey Matt, um, how... how are you feeling?" you asked, your voice laced with genuine concern.

His response was simple yet laden with a hint of melancholy. "Could be better."

A heaviness settled over you, the weight of his pain palpable. Words failed you in moments like these when you wished you possessed the perfect solace to offer. He shifted slightly in his seat, creating a small space beside him. Taking the cue, you gingerly seated yourself, the area shrouded in gentle darkness, untouched by the cascading light from the stained glass windows.

Silence stretched between you, the world continuing its relentless march forward. In the background, the distant tolling of a bell mingled with the sweet melodies of birdsong. Your fingers fidgeted nervously, a visual representation of the thoughts swirling within you.

You looked at Matt as if trying to make a connection. You said, trying to get beyond the boundaries and get a look into the depths of his soul, "If you were guaranteed the truth from someone, who and what would you ask?"

His response hung in the air, a palpable weight of introspection. His eyes, shielded by the red-tinted lenses, revealed a glimpse of the torment he carried within. The silence stretched, pregnant with the weight of unspoken thoughts and emotions, as you waited with bated breath for his answer.

"I'd ask God why... why did he put the Devil inside of me," Matt's voice broke through the stillness, filled with a mixture of anguish and curiosity. "This anger that I have for... all the injustice. All of this... it feels like I'm losing everything. What is worth suffering for?"

His words struck a chord within you, resonating with the depths of your own struggles and uncertainties. You took a moment to gather your thoughts, exhaling softly as you prepared to respond. With a gentle resolve, you reached out and took his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. The sight of bruises and redness on his knuckles did not escape your notice, prompting a tender gesture as you rubbed his hand with your thumb.

“This is your life, and it will move and confuse you in every way possible. Everything can be difficult in some way,” you began, your voice filled with empathy and understanding. 

"Being in the wrong relationship is difficult. Being in the correct one is challenging. It's hard to be broke and miserable, it's hard to achieve your dreams. It's hard to be stuck in the middle, not feeling anything. You are going to be hurt, and you are going to hurt. Sometimes you will be the bad person. Sometimes you will be the one who makes the mistake. You will occasionally need to provide yourself with your own closure. Sometimes you will have to let go. Everything is hard, but you choose your hard. You decide what is worthwhile.”

“You don't choose whether or not you'll suffer, but you do choose what you want to suffer for. Yes, this is your life, and though it can be unpredictable and messy, though it can break you down-you are going to survive it. You will always survive it. "

Matt's grip on your hand tightened, an acknowledgment of the profound truth resonating in your words. At that moment, you felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere, a shared understanding that transcended words alone.

And then, as if guided by an unspoken connection, Matt maneuvered the both of you. His arms enveloped your body in a protective embrace, and a profound sense of calm washed over you both. In that embrace, the burning pain that plagued his body faded into the background, replaced by a fleeting moment of respite and peace.

"Just... thank you. I needed that," Matt said, his words touching your heart and causing it to flutter with warmth. You couldn't help but feel a rush of affection for him.

"Yeah, uh, if you ever need a hug or something... I'm around," you replied, though a bit awkwardly, but he laughed, his smile genuine and contagious. At that moment, you both knew that your connection had deepened.

Pushing yourself up from your seat, you offered him some soup before he left. He nodded appreciatively, and together, you made your way to the kitchenette area. Guiding him to a folding chair, you poured steaming soup into two bowls, taking care to ensure he was comfortable.

As you sat across from him, sharing the meal, you noticed how he slowly removed his red-tinted glasses. The vulnerability in his unsteady eyes resonated with you, and you felt an unspoken understanding pass between the two of you.

Your heart skipped a beat as you watched him, taking in every detail. He was beautiful in his openness, and you couldn't help but be drawn to him, feeling a connection that seemed to transcend words.

In that moment, the world around you faded away, leaving only the two of you. The clatter of your spoon, the soft slurping of soup, and the sound of your heart fluttering were the only things that mattered.

Friendship, you thought, was indeed a miracle. It was the discovery of someone who made the vast and lonely world feel a little less daunting. As you sat there with Matt, the bond between you grew stronger, and you knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, you had found a true friend in each other.

THE LOFT, RAFTERS

CLINTON CHURCH – MIDNIGHT

As you phoned Karen's number over and again, worry bit the corners of your mind, only to hear the robotic voice of her voicemail on each call. You thought that was strange because Karen was usually the one to answer right away and the late hour shouldn't have been an issue for her.

There was something disturbing about the situation, even as the logical portion of your mind tried to calm the increasing anxiety. Maybe it was that persistent gut instinct, that unsettling sense that things isn't quite right. You were unable to escape the concern, conjuring up images that intensified your mounting anxiety.

The stillness on the other end of the line became louder with every missed call, as the seconds turned into minutes. Even though your logical self attempted to comfort you that everyone had varied sleep habits, the worry lingered in your thoughts like a never-ending itch.

Your wavering gaze betrayed the intensity of your anxiety as you acted, concerned about Karen's safety. The atmosphere in the room reflected your inner anguish as you nervously pulled the dead skin from your lips, a habit that became apparent when your fear became more and more intense.

You walked the wooden floors back and forth, unable to control the restless energy. You felt uneasy thinking about Karen's recent research endeavors with Ben. The two had been working hard to gather information that would expose Fisk, and that very investigation could have put Karen in danger.

The old rosary drew your attention as you stood by your bedside table, glowing softly from the little bulb resting on it. The familiar item was surrounded by a warm glow that gave it a reassuring atmosphere. The unrelenting ticking of the clock served as a constant reminder of the necessity of your decision with every second that passed.

You looked at the clock again, the hands uncontrollably ticking away as resolve welled up within of you. You quickly went for your jacket, the familiar fabric feeling familiar under your fingertips, following your gut feeling and your worry for Karen's safety. After making up your minds, you decided to go into the night with the unwavering friendship and feeling of responsibility guiding you.

TAGLIST:

@scoliobean @thychuvaluswife @pantrashtic @ofmusesandsecrets

[kate-bot]

OKAY SO I've gotten two asks about my Noisette cosplay AND THANK YOU SM FOR THE KIND WORDS !!!!!!!! It was sm fun to make this cos, so I will gladly explain everything I did in hopes that it might help someone else!! also both anons please share your cosplays with me when theyre done i would love to see them....

I've tried to link everything where I can, where I got stuff etc... I only rarely cosplay (although I am thinking of going as the noise in May Comiccon) and this was my biggest ever project so!! It's very trial-and-error! But without further ado

KATES EXTENSIVE(ish) GUIDE TO COSPLAYING NOISETTE FROM THE HIT GAME PIZZA TOWER!!!!!!! (warning its kinda long)

THE HAT

Okay i’m gonna be real my mum helped me so much she basically did all the sewing for me. Sewing is the fucking bane of my existence I hate doing it so much so we planned it out together and she basically executed it. Props to her for that she’s so real… She also wrote down what she did!! So i’ll just paste and colour that in for you to read!!

“The black material (seen in the above image) was originally a beanie hat that was picked apart to use as a template…

This was game changing basically. We had experimented with making the hat from scratch but it was far too difficult and we were both too stupid so we just unstitched a pre-existing hat and stole the template. The hat we cut up was one we had lying around for years so i cannot tell you where to get one from, but any beanie that is stitched together will work i guess! So I would recommend finding a hat that fits you snugly and doing the same thing!

…and the wool fabric that was utilised gave the finished product was stiff enough to be structurally sound.

I just got this from my local fabric shop, I would recommend wool over something like felt because it’s super sturdy and I was pulling on my mask a LOT.

Once sewn together, I attached a stiff card facemask to the front to help provide some structure, and to locate where the eye holes should be cut.

I think this picture shows it pretty well, my mum was able to curve the shape of the fabric to fit a pre-existing mask- we got ours from Hobbycraft, just one of those stringed white template masks yknow. We cut off the string, made the eyeholes a little bigger and just stuck it straight on!! I should mention this was pretty much all done with a sewing machine as well!

After that, we made two ears from a paper pattern, stuffed them and put some wire inside to allow them to be positioned, before sewing them onto this headband, which was then sewn into the hat. The bottom of each ear was also stitched to the crown to give it some additional stability and to secure the headband correctly in position (having fitted it on the wearer).

Yeah it was actually less of a mask and more of a headband!! That was what gave it most of the support and meant the ears would stay up, I’m not sure how it would work without it!! The ears were the only part that I could actually help with LMAO i just freehanded a little template, stuffed it, and then put in some modelling wire to make them able to be posed :)

Then it was a lot of hand sewing, and glueing the eyeholes to the mask to create a cohesive look.

AND YEAH that’s pretty much all it was! I also attached some little felt eyelashes to add to it as well. Honestly I could never come up with a step-by-step guide for the process because it was such a trial and error thing (i’d made two test-hats before we even came up with the method) but it was so fun!!

I would 100% recommend if you want the ears to stay UP to stuff them AS MUCH AS U CAN and/or put wire in them!! :) I also made some cute little bows to clip into my wig in the same fabric to make it more cohesive!! I also put a bow (and a bunny tail heheh) on the back of the dress too!!

THE DRESS

Super simple! I just found one online (okay for some reason the link has been taken off of the website, but just look up "overall dress" on google shopping and you will 100% find something super cute)- I made sure to buy the dress first, and then take it to the fabric shop to try and colourmatch the mask fabric as best as I could. Then it was just buying some big ol buttons off eBay and sewing them on!! (I could actually do that bit by myself, I'm bad at sewing but im not THAT bad)

EVERYTHING ELSE

Cute patterned knee-high socks cuz shes cute like that. Leg warmers, I think I got them both off of Amazon... Converse I got from Depop and I had wanted to buy a pair anyway so I was super stoked to get them cheap!! I chose converse over a pair of high-heels or Mary Janes just for comfort reasons, I was walking around loads at the con so... Everything else apart from the shirt was from Amazon or just. Somewhere online(I have no idea where to get fancy white gloves LOL) and the shirt was from Depop as well! I liked how frilly it was, re: Noisette is cute like that!!

oh yeah and the wig. I hate wigs it was awful. I have no idea how to style them. underneath the hat was the most awful bowl cut ever I just. It wasn't my best moment. Dont ask me about wigs please .

Also I should mention I got this bag for the cosplay (which I now use all the time cuz its so cute) because i needed space to store shit and I wanted something on-brand with her cafe... this isnt the exact link I used but I just got it off of ebay :P

PROPS

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of WIP pictures of my props but they were pretty simple to make!! The coffee cup was literally just spraypainting over a reusable coffee cup and using POSCA pen to draw on the front! Fun fact the cup says "To Peppino" because originally my boyfriend was gonna go with me as Peppino before the Cruetly Squad brainrot got to him so. YEA

And the tip jar was also pretty simple, I just painted on the lid a plastic jar (can't be glass, not allowed at ComicCon) and cut out a bit of vinyl to work as the sign. The cobweb was just hot-glued 3D printer filament, and the spider was made with foam modelling clay (literally the best thing ever if you're making small models like that) and i stuck him to the lid of the jar with Kandi string so he'd bounce around :]

AND I THINK THATS IT!! i may as well post a pic of the full cosplay since I dont think many people would have made it this far.... But I think it turned out pretty cool!! I got recognised a few times as well which was amazing!! (cropped out my bf cuz idk if he wants his face on tumblr gfhhfg)

SO YEAH!!!! if anyone has any questions please let me know.. but GOOD LUCK IN UR COSPLAY MAKING FRIENDS!!!! :D

[bitstitchbitch]

fun fact - handmade, sustainable clothing is expensive for a reason! I just spent $90 on cheapish 100% wool yarn that is probably-hopefully enough for a crocheted sweater (I should have bought another 1-2 balls, but planned poorly). This is yarn from a good-sized company - it was manufactured, not hand spun or dyed to my knowledge. Hand-dyed / spun yarn is double that cost, easily. Again, this is just the yarn. A good crochet hook is around $10. Add another couple of bucks for stitch markers and other misc. tools. Patterns can be bought, found online for free, or you can make your own which is what I’m doing. Working without a pattern requires more time - I spent ~1.5 hours today making test swatches just to decide stitch and gauges. Now consider that higher quality yarn comes in hanks, not the pre-wound balls that you usually find in Michael’s or Joann’s. I wind by hand, so that takes 1.5-2 hours to do all six balls. And only once all of this is done can I begin to make my sweater. Which will probably take 20+ hours. So add in labor costs, let alone profit margins and other business expenses and you start to see why most people don’t sell large crochet items. Not many people want to pay over $300 for a sweater (and remember, this is cheapish wool yarn at $14 / 219 yards, not $30 / 150 yards of hand dyed cashmere, so double the cost if we’re talking premium materials).

Hell I made a crochet afghan with cheap cheap acrylic yarn (literally what you find in Michael’s). $75 materials, but it took me 120+ hours of work and the base cost (labor + materials) would be at least $1000 before profit margin. Then consider that it took me over 9 months to finish. I love that afghan. It’s going to last my whole lifetime. I have similar afghans that my great and great great grandmothers passed down to me - it’s literally an heirloom item. I have no regrets about spending all that time and money on it. But holy fuck, it would not be worth it as a business venture.

I guess my belated point is, consider this the next time you complain about the cost of sustainable, ethically produced clothing. And consider that sustainable clothing usually has more longevity if properly cared for. You can usually thrift for immediate needs and save up for those long lasting items! Just never buy crochet items from a store. It’s such a scam. If the price is affordable, it’s probably unethical (small items are still sketchy, but if it’s local business and not a chain you might be okay - some people can make money off crochet if they’re making small items). There are other methods of sustainable clothing production that can produce cheaper items (machine knitting for example, and even sewing is typically faster) but materials are almost always going to come at a premium and hand sewn/ knitted / crochet is going to be even more so.

[ub-sessed]

I spent the day yesterday teaching myself how to sew a flat felled seam because that's what all my summer sewing projects call for. (All of the patterns for my summer projects are created by me. I am the one calling for flat felled seams.)

I accidentally made a table runner. Not bad for a first try.

I made a bunch of 5" squares so that I could measure them afterward to see what my seam allowances will need to be.

I swear they were square when I started!

They absolutely did not end up square (or even rectangular).

I have no idea why they distorted so much during sewing. Potential theories:

My iron was too hot (the floral fabric is 100% polyester, and it definitely didn't like it when I left the iron down too long).

The presser foot was too tight? I haven't used a sewing machine in almost 30 years*, and one thing I find continually frustrating is how the top fabric shifts as it passes under the presser foot. How do I keep this from happening? Like, they'll be perfectly lined up, and then as soon as they get under the presser foot the top fabric is suddenly like "Don't wanna!!"

My tension was too tight?** The seams puckered a bit.

Fraying. Omg this fabric started falling apart instantly! I starched the shit out of it in hopes that that would help, but it just disintegrated under my fingers. Since I was using the edges of the fabric as my seam line, this made for some wonky seams.***

I used a method inspired by pojagi, and while I don't really enjoy pulling out the basting thread afterwards (use a matching thread colour in case it breaks! Or better yet, baste by hand!), it's way easier for me than the traditional technique of folding over the seam allowance.

Overall I am very happy with my wonky first flat fells, and feel like I've pretty much got the hang of the basic idea.

I also decided to use the opportunity to work on my mitered corners, which went much less well.

For some reason this technique:

works way better than this technique:

for me even though my brain tells me that they should produce exactly the same result! ???

*Brief backstory: I have been sewing since I was a small child, but for the past 30 years I have been sewing exclusively by hand. A couple months ago I got a sewing machine for my daughter and I have been relearning how to use one. I find it significantly less straightforward than sewing by hand. (Coincidentally, I am also re-learning how to ride a bicycle after 30 years of not riding.)

**This is a problem that just doesn't happen when I sew by hand!

***I mean, that and my terrible driving skills. It doesn't help that the needle on the machine is not aligned with the stitch line on the presser foot. I don't have the manual for the machine, so I don't know if this is adjustable. That said, my daughter's stitch lines were perfectly straight from her very first try. (I can't ride a bicycle in a straight line either.)