#High Speed Sewing Machine

[rapidreptile]

I need a sewing machine that has enough torque that I can run it slowly and it can still go through thick layers. the one I'm borrowing now can only sew thick layers at higher speeds.

[horsemage]

hey guys I’m feeling really normal about late victorian fashion

[pure-ablution]

I've just gotten back into sewing. After careful consideration, it turns out it would be somewhat cheaper for me to sew my own clothes than to buy some of the pieces that I adore.

It might be a big ask, but how does one go to making very high quality clothing of their own? I already know all my sewing classics, but I want my clothes to be top-notch and well-made.

First, some resources. I’ve given a link to the old publications by the Women’s Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences before, and I’ll put it here again, just because I think that they are excellent resources for such a wide range of skills, and when it comes to dressmaking, their tailoring series is particularly good. I’d recommend sticking to extremely old-fashioned, course-type books whenever you can—there are lots available for free on Internet Archive, and I’m happy to try to find scans if there happens to be something you can’t get hold of—and avoiding modern classes, books, and videos if you can, not because I want to make life unnecessarily hard, but because the techniques taught in the past were far more thorough, and far more focused on fit and longevity, than the modern need for speed and quantity allows for. There exist, of course, some truly amazing modern resources, too, but these are, more often than not, highly specialised, expensive and difficult to find, and intended for couturiers, not the amateur seamstress. Older books, on the other hand, are widely available for free online, assume little to no prior knowledge, and teach clearly and with none of the bad habits that arose out of the loss of dressmaking as an everyday and commonplace skill in the light of the garment industry’s expansion.

Second, some recommendations. You don’t need to spend a lot to create a high-quality garment, but you do need to spend wisely. Avoid ‘Fabric Land’–type establishments; buy deadstock, vintage, or secondhand fabric from carboot sales and destash events, and focus on weight and composition over print. Practise with old bedsheets—you can even use old bedsheets and tablecloths to make your clothes, especially if they’re linen; I have a good few dresses and tops that I’ve made from embroidered bedlinen, tablecloths, and napkins, and they’re adorable and so unique. Thread is just as important as fabric, and again, doesn’t need to cost a fortune, but poor-quality thread that snaps or frays ruins all your hard work. I use a lot of secondhand thread given to me or bought from elderly ladies who can’t sew anymore, but if I’m buying new, then I like Moon Thread by Coats; it’s reasonably-priced, and has never let me down quality-wise. (NB. Moon Thread is 100% polyester, which is incredibly strong, but not suitable for dyeing projects, as it doesn’t take to dye.) You also don’t need a top-class machine, just something sturdy and reliable; I have a machine from the ’60s that I have serviced once a year, and it runs like a dream, even without all the fancy computerisation of a more modern machine. I would recommend investing in something simple, sturdy, and all-metal mechanics, and spending your money on its upkeep rather than on a more expensive machine.

Essentially, it’s down to practice—you can only get better at dressmaking through practice—and investing in modest but quality tools. There’s no real shortcut or fancy piece of equipment that will create a truly well-made garment; it’s well-executed technique and high-quality materials. I’m very happy to share more specific tips or resources for certain aspects of dressmaking, if you’d find that useful—just send me an ask whenever you hit a stumbling-block, and I’ll do my best to help set you right again.

[pro-depresanti]

Here's the first pass for the beginning of the Velvette еd fic. Do I need to move things around, cut something out entirely? Does the pacing work? Any form of criticism is appreciated, I'm not sure this structure works

Velvette grows up in a painfully average town in England. She goes from her mom's hand-me-down Nokia Brick to a pink flip phone with rhinestones to a smartphone all before the age of 16. She goes through flips through old magazines, playing Tetris on her phone, serfing the unmoderated depts of the early internet. She witnesses the slow rise of social media. She barely manages to catch a glimpse of Tumblr before she dies.

She's always been up to the trends, ever since middle school. She always knows the newest celebrity scandal, what to wear, what slang is outdated. She grows up in the most average family, and that's boring. Luckily, the constant change in technically is what keeps her entertained.

She dies in a car crash. At 22, such an ugly number. Speeding down the highway, music blasting through the radio, in the middle of the night. Maybe her hands shake and she loses control of the wheel, maybe she presses the wrong paddle, maybe another car drives into her, she doesn't remember. Maybe she's just a reckless young adult still riding the high of teenagers that feel immortal.

Hell proves kinder to her than most. She never stops, climbing up the social ladder quickly. One year, and she's already an Overlord. She's invited to Carmilla Carmine's yearly meeting, which is the first time she takes a good look at the other Overlords. She's known about all of them, she has to be up with politics whether she likes it or not.

She's treated like a child sitting at the table of adults at a dinner party. They talk over her, don't listen to her suggestions. She's visibly the youngest there, without even counting how long they've been dead for. Carmilla barely bothers to pronounce her name correctly. They think she won't last. They think she's just a fluke. They think she wouldn't make it long.

She works around the clock. She's thankful she can't die from lack of sleep. She holds her few souls with an iron grip and a purple chain around their necks. If she isn't allowed slipups, neither are they. She employs anyone who comes up to her, gives them a job they'll mess up the least. So many young sinners who want to be famous but don't want anything to do with Valentino find out Velvette is their alternative to glamour and fame, and the young Overlord exploits that to the fullest. Most of those sinners end up hunched over sewing machines. Her models are the prettiest things in Pride. Word gets around that she's trying to steal Valentino's possible employees, that she's trying to outshine Vox.

Velvette carves herself a corner of Hell on her own with manicured nails and perfect teeth. She claims a section of the Entertainment District and shoo-es away anyone else from her territory. She's invincible until proven otherwise.

Her attitude isn't left unnoticed. When Vox calls a meeting with her, she is terrified. Arguably the strongest Overlord currently in power invites her to his home. She isn't stupid. She knows how those things work. She agrees only on the condition that no harm of any kind will come to her.

There's nothing to worry in that regard. Vox comes with peace and a proposal that is long due. He and Valentino wait for her at a conference table surrounded by glass, tons of water and hungry sharks. They offer her tea sandwiches and coffee. She declines both. She straightens her back and wills her hands to stop shaking from where they're clasped under the table in her lap.

Vox is the one to lay the offer. She joins the team. She works with them. If she's to be killed by an angelic weapon, all her contracts are to be divided and transfered to Vox and Valentino. They cannot harm each other permanently. They cannot harm each other's reputation. They cannot speak of anything that goes in their private meetings. If any of them is in danger, the others are to jump in without hesitation. If Vox or Valentino need her services, she's to drop everything else. She advertises their products and designs any clothing they request. Vox deals with any administration and paperwork and has to do so diligently and without foul play. Valentino credits her as his designer in all his productions even if she has nothing to do with them. They can borrow each other's employees within reason. They are to not expect monetary compensation between each other – they work as a unit, a brand. A brand which Velvette is to keep consistent.

Vox explains all the details to her in plain language, which Velvette will never admit she's immensely thankful.

At the end, the choice is hers. If she's to decline, however, the leniency she's been getting regarding her territory claim will be revoked.

They shake hands that same day. Velvette won't lie that seeing her purple chains wrap around Vox and Valentino's wrists isn't the best thing she's ever witnessed, even if there's a blue and a pink cuff around her own now.

From then on, things change for her drastically. She gets even more contracts. Valentino throws in a good word of her at clubs, Vox hosts her fashion shows during prime time.

She moves her entire business to the V-Tower. She gets an entire floor to herself as her working quarters, plus a suite bigger than any living space she's ever seen in person. There's a new neon purple letter added to the Tower. She gets an exclusive permission to roam around Vox and Valentino's working spaces, which she doesn't take advantage of, but is forced to. Vox's quarters serves as the Vees' conference room, Valentino's suite is the designated lounge area.

She doesn't trust them. They see her as an inexperienced child that needs her hand held. She sees them as the Overlord that runs the most cruel and exploitative industry, and the Overlord that's lived through times when women weren't allowed to vote.

On paper they keep each other's backs, in reality Velvette wouldn't trust them to hold her drink at a bar.

Vox sees that and keeps things between them strictly professional. Valentino proves that his reputation is earned, but at least he keep his hands to himself, even if his tongue runs free.

Velvette is freed from the endless paperwork, but is now piled with projects. She refuses to ask for help or advice. She takes both whenever they are offered. She borrows a few hundred of Vox's employees to design new social medias, all Vee themed, Valentino makes his workers keep active profiles.

She hasn't realized how toxic social media is until it swoopes Pride like a storm. Millions of accounts sprout overnight. Valentino becomes addicted to his phone. Vox has no idea how to navigate the new space, so Velvette runs his account.

And obviously, there's no moderation of any kind. Speaking against the Vees is a crime punishable by death, but other than that, anything goes.

What surprises her, however, is how the y2k aesthetic doesn't get revived. No influencers show up promoting workout plans or diet pills, no gossiping pages on celebrities gaining a few pounds and how disgusting and ugly they've become. That's the core of social media after all – looks, weights, diets.

It sits at the back of Velvette's mind for quite awhile. At a meeting, in passing, Vox shows his annoyance at how one of his products was faulty, would zap up tiny electric shocks when turned on. Velvette, only half listening, throws in an idea – "you could still sell that, you know? Put that thing on a belt, say it burns off belly fat. Two weeks and flat stomach, guaranteed!"

This gets her two very confused looks from the two other Overlords.

Then, Valentino laughs. "No one's going to buy that, bebita."

"With the right marketing they'll fall for it."

That gets another laugh from the moth demon. "Baby. Hate to break it to you, but that's not how Hell works."

She still isn't getting it. It wouldn't be the first time they sold false promises.

As it turns out, that little idea would have only fooled the newcomers. Velvette is one of them apparently, she hasn't caught the memo.

You come in Hell with one body. That body, as anything else here, doesn't change. No sinner would buy into a product to change their weight. Maybe the most gullible ones, the same ones who would buy a magic pill to grow a few inches wherever they need.

"It's part of the punishment," Valentino says. "I had a fat ass topside, now it hurts to even sit."

Vox is carrying the thing that killed him on his shoulders.

If you are to ask Velvette what her worst nightmare would be, she'd answer right away – being a shapeless blob, soft all over, mushy, falling apart, heavy. That's how she should have looked like for Hell to be her biggest punishment. That would have sent her running into the first Exorcist that neared her.

Instead, she's just a doll. Flawless skin, no hair below her eye lashes, small waist. A doll to play dress-up. The perfect icon to represent the fashion industry.

It should be a relief. She can eat anything she wouldn't allow herself topside, without guilt or the need to compensate. She has the money to gorge herself on delicacies and junk food to all her heart's content.

Eat all you want, or nothing at all, you'll still look the same. Maybe be a bit bloated, but that's about it.

She realizes how idiotic she must have looked to her models while complaining they could lose an inch at the waist. She should have noticed their measurements always stay the same.

It just never occurred to her. She's never been the one to weigh herself, it has always been about appearance. Now, that pressure is gone. She's won the lottery, time to enjoy her time in Hell care free.

Only if it were that easy.

Hall hasn't been designed for change.

It's the end of the road, the pit of which nothing can escape from. A reflection of the living world seen in a fun house mirror. It comes with inevitability, stagnation, rot. Nothing grows, nothing heals, the wounds are left to fester. Time passes only for the sake of prolonging the torture, for the sinners to scratch tally marks on the walls to keep track of a never ending sentence.

Their bodies, as it turns out, are the most horrific prisons.

Velvette notices her wrists first. They are the thickest part of her arm. Her fingers can't wrap around them.

She performs her inspection as always, methodical and practiced. No collarbone. She runs her fingers up and down her torso, only to be met with more smooth hard skin. No ribs. Instead, what would have been her ribcage and stomach are separated by a neat segmentation. There's no hipbone sticking out that she can dig her fingers into. No dip in her stomach. Her ankle ball joints are even bulkier than the wrist ones.

She's obviously come to that conclusion before, but she never had the time to dwell on it, not with the constant need to climb to social ladder.

She's thin. She's slim. But she isn't skinny anymore.

Her skeleton armor is gone.

[rubberkitsch]

Embroidery makes crochet feel like a high speed activity BUT it feels high reward… start machine sewing class on monday so the end goal is to actually be making the dresses i embroider 😈🫡🪡

[scotianostra]

On 17th September 1910 Andrew Blain Baird, working as a blacksmith in Rothesay, made the first flight by an entirely Scottish designed and built aeroplane.

Andrew Blain Baird was born in 1862 in Sandhead on Luce Bay in the Rhinns of Galloway, Scotland. One of three sons, his father was a fisherman and handloom weaver. He became an apprentice to a blacksmith in Sandhead, worked as a lighthouse keeper on Lismore, then as an ironworker at Smith and McLean’s on the Clyde shipyards before finally setting up on his own as a blacksmith at 113 High Street in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, when he was 25.

Baird was a daring thinker, a pioneer and innovator. He created many improvements to the plough, built a unique model of the triple expansion engine powered by electricity and was one of the original members of the Scottish Aeronautical Society.

Eager to expand his knowledge of aviation, Baird corresponded with the early aviators Louis Bleriot and S. F. Cody and exchanged information about construction of aircraft and their flight. Inspired by a visit to Blackpool for England’s first ever Aviation Week in October 1909, he returned to Rothesay ready to design and build his own sophistocated monoplane similar to Bleriot’s but with an engine built by the Alexander Brothers in Edinburgh that was 4-cylinder, air-cooled and with water-cooled valves. The control system he would design for his aircraft would be unlike anything that had been developed at the time. His wife sewed brown trussore silk for the wings.

The Baird monoplane, once completed in his own shop in the summer of 1910, went on show at an exhibition in the Esplanade Flower Garden at the front of Bute. and then to the amazement and excitement of all it was moved to the Bute Highland Games on 20 August 1910.

From there it was taken for storage and readying directly to a barn owned by Willie Dickie at his farm at Cranlasgvourity, Bute.

Scottish aviation history was about to be made when in the very early morning of 17 September 1910, the Baird Monoplane was taken by a Mr Scott on his horse-drawn wagon to Ettrick Bay - with its wide expanse of sand reminiscent of the Kitty Hawk N.C. site chosen by the Wright Brothers for their historic flight.

In the sunshine and amid the wide golden sands of Ettrick Bay the first entirely Scottish designed and built plane sat ready to make history.

Andrew Baird was, on that day, assisted by his friend Ned Striven who was an Electrical Engineer with the Burgh of Rothesay and who had assisted him with the engine and related design considerations.

There on the wide expanse of Ettrick Bay beach, Baird and Ned Striven started the engine. All was ready. Hearts raced with anticipation. A small crowd looked on in amazement. And the flight into history began.

Flight Magazine on 24 September 1910,[1] described it as follows:

“Mr Baird was seated in the machine and on the engine being started the plane travelled along the sands at good speed. Naturally, on clearing the ground, the swerving influence of the axle ceased and the influence of the steering wheel brought the machine sharply round to the right causing it to swoop to the ground. The contact was so sharp that the right wheel buckled and the right plane suffered some abrasion by scraping along the beach.”

Andrew Blain Baird had realised his dream - he had flown in an aircraft of his own design and construction.

His was the first entirely Scottish flight of a heavier than air powered craft.

Noted pioneer aircraft manufacturer Tommy Sopwith sailed his yacht into Rothesay Bay in 1910 to visit the Marquess and to attend the Highland Games and there viewed the on display Baird monoplane. Very impressed, he was given permission to incorporate some of Baird’s innovations into the aircraft he was designing and which would have such a great impact on the course of World War I. Over the years, many others from around the world involved in aviation consulted Andrew Baird and learned from his pioneering experience and innovative mind.

[prohibitionprincesses]

Feibo Girl

Shanghai, China

For much of China, the phrase “Roaring Twenties” may have a less jovial meaning. While the U.S. is in the middle of its Jazz Age, China is in the middle of its Warlord Era. The end of the Qing Dynasty has seen China is split into waring fractions called cliques, with those living in the country suffering the worst violence. It’s an especially dangerous time to be a woman.

Fortunately, the Fa family lives in Shanghai, where the wars usually aren’t as close, and women’s rights are blossoming. Heavy with Western influence, the neon-lit city is “the cosmopolitan Paris of the East.” It’s an even blend of old and new. Ancient-looking ships sail past modern skyscrapers, and pedestrians push wooden carts next to buses and trollies. [Link] It’s a good thing the women of Shanghai have more opportunities, because the warlords impose high taxes on their people, and ill veteran Fa Zhou can no longer work. His wife brings in some money sewing trendy qipaos, but it’s not enough to cover necessities and the warlord’s taxes. So Mulan takes it upon herself to save her family from financial ruin.

She first tries getting a job at a cabaret called the Lucky Cricket. Her mother and grandmother help give her the makeover needed to transform Mulan into a winking Feibo Girl—a Chinese flapper. Then, hesitantly, Mulan bobs her hair using a long, sharp family heirloom. But despite her best efforts, Mulan’s clumsiness clashes with the cabaret owner’s inability to listen, resulting in a show that entertains everybody for all the wrong reasons. While the patrons laugh wildly and snark that the performer is “on fire,” the literally inflamed owner loudly fires Mulan.

Ashamed, Mulan sits in the family’s garden, deep in thought. Near an opened window, Grandma belts out to American jazz on the radio. Grandma’s dance session is interrupted by an announcement from Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, a political and military leader seeking to reunite China and put an end to the warlords. He is recruiting soldiers for what he calls “the Northern Expedition.” Mulan—athletic, strategic, crafty, and often mistaken for a boy—perks at the announcement.

Ling, Yao, and Chien Po giggle behind their fans as Zongchang boasts of his supposedly enormous masculinity. Meanwhile, Mulan and Shang quietly move to free the captured Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Along the way, they rescue another prisoner, from Zongchang’s kitchen; the Dog Meat General’s name has several possible meanings, but he does indeed enjoy certain canine dishes. Mulan saves an energetic pup from the butcher, and names him Little Brother. Though not the brightest pooch in the word, Little Brother sniffs out Sun Yat-Sen’s holding cell.

Since Mulan has already been bobbing her hair and binding her breasts per Western flapper fashion, all she really needs is a fake name. She enlists in the National Revolution Army under the alias “Ping.” Joining her are a tiny dragon sent by her ancestors, and the mascot from the Lucky Cricket. Training with both swords and machine guns, “Ping” initially causes some mayhem (thanks in no small part to pranks from her comrades). But by the time the troop boards the train out to their first battle, Ping is one of the most promising recruits Captain Li Shang has ever seen.

Control of the railways is crucial to the warlords’ power, and most battles are fought near tracks. While squeezed onto the train and speeding through the country, the soldiers’ songs about girls worth fighting for are punctuated with harrowing scenes of massacred villages. They pull to a stop at a town that’s been burned to the ground, where Li Shang’s father lies among the dead. This is not the work of just any warlord. This was the infamous “Dog-Meat General,” Zhang Zongchang. A particularly ruthless and incompetent ruler, Zongchang is the most feared of China’s warlords. Mulan’s ingenuity leads to the troop’s first major victory, when she creates an avalanche that buries Dog-Meat’s most important railroad—with most of his troops still onboard.

While in the infirmary, Mulan’s true sex is revealed. At first, Shang and the other men don’t know how to feel. But it turns out that a woman may be exactly what they need in their next move against Zongchang. The Dog-Meat General has a harem of 30-50 women, who are assigned numbers because he can’t remember their names. And he forgets their numbers. The guy is just asking for this infiltration. Mulan’s experience at the Lucky Cricket cabaret is now inviable. She drills the men on how to dress and act like attractive ladies, and the operation is soon underway.

Back at the harem, it’s time for the next phase of the plan. This requires the drag-queens to take out some guards, which means another distraction is needed. Luckily, the Dog-Meat General also fancies himself a poet. Mushu and the cricket take over the job of distracting him, by claiming to be his new typists.  Cri-Kee hops from ink to paper, taking down what the Dog Meat General dictates, while Mushu observes. The finished poem reads:

You tell me to do this,

"Poem about bastards" by Zhang Zongchang[b]

He tells me to do that.

You're all bastards,

Go fuck your mother.

Instead of applause, this poem is followed by an explosion of fireworks detonating all around his military base. Mulan has finally destroyed Zongchang’s army beyond salvaging. The Dog-Meat General himself is killed by an officer avenging his father; Li Shang blows his smoking pistol with satisfaction. Shang follows Mulan back to Shanghai, where they begin a new life together in a unified China.

AN: This picture came out looking very similar to the design that Jacquelynn Harris gave Mulan in her Disney flapper series. I assume this is because we both based the outfit on Mulan’s matchmaker attire, and her hair on actress Anna May Wong. The background border is clipart.

On the story: In the old version of my Disney flapper series, I set all the stories in the U.S. Someone suggested that I look at non-Western fashion from the era, and I dismissed the idea, ignorantly assuming that the Roaring Twenties only happened in the West. This time around, I decided to check if anything interesting was happening in China in the 1920s…and wow, what a rabbit hole! So many things fit so perfectly with Disney’s version of Mulan, especially with that bizarre Zongchang character. I’d never personally create an Asian villain with “dog meat” in his name, but the Dog-Meat General is one of those “can’t make this sh-t up” historical figures. Of course I took liberties with how the history actually played out, as Disney often does; but all of the personal traits described, from the numbered harem to the literal dog meat to that poem, were real. And yes, he was killed by an officer avenging a relative. 

To anyone so inclined, here are a couple of incredible time-capsul videos from China in around this time period. 

Up the Wangpoo River to Shanghai (1920s) 

A video with sound and color from 1929

[senor-plume]

16 stitches

ivory skin splits open

on diseased gymnasium floor the blood drips

tears drop and a telephone is picked up

my kid got it good on the chin

i got nailed dad busted in the chops

I stick a red and blue screaming middle finger on the roof of my car and speed through traffic

exhausted elderly sit in high tech wheelchairs outside of the ER as my own four wheels come to a halt

a sack of potatoes under my arms asks about needles as we enter

I don’t know, maybe can’t lie to you man I don’t know, maybe

we wait with the sterile dust

we wait with dirty soaps blaring from the TV

we wait with coke machines fish tanks

we wait with the book nosed nervous

I spoon him fruit cocktail from his apple stained lunch box

we get our number jackpot at Vegas called

we rise and go as told by cotton crisp nurse behind medical machines

information given compassion is not as ice forms from her lips

no teddy bears no heck or howdy no poor cutie

just:

what happened? speak up! is he always this quiet? are you in pain? are you going to throw up? I’ve never seen a paler kid in my life.

on on on she spits

covered with snow we are fingered

go there

we go

we wait again

his fingers touching my neck as we walked that hall was the saddest thing I have ever felt

Frankenstein stitches will sew him up

I tell him yes yes needles dude

his eyes water color a sad portrait and defying gravity his pupils go up and into mine

its ok dad. can we go to mcdonald's after this i’m hungry

yeah buddy a chicken nugget for each stitch you get

he cries into my twig arms

I put wipers on my glasses and head out

he got sixteen dead chicken parts in his belly an hour or so later

he fell… slipped into sleep with his chin bandaged with ketchup rings around his lips like the ice circling Saturn

but he's a warm blanket now

a living breathing no place like home

his belly rising up and down slow like smoke in a draft less room is the sweetest thing I have even felt

the Antarctic melts

it’s been a long day

I turn the lights off and worm my way next to him

sleep twig in fire

my arm across his stomach

I can hear the rain bullet the roof as I also drift off

[flowermountainpress]

Embers & To-do list (progress update)

February 24

(Cross-posted from Patreon)

I folded and am about to awl Embers-- vol 1-- my husband's birthday present for next month. I noticed so many mistakes on the typesetting, which is from May of 2023. The good news? I don't have to go through the painstaking process of changing the word doc, exporting the PDF, imposing it, downloading it, and printing again-- I can just live with the issues!

Mainly a spacing issue in the first chapter, all the new chapter pages having left-aligned page numbers, and a weird issue with the drop cap spacing. All things I can live with.

Unfortunately the margins are fucked. Plenty of top and bottom and even fore edge margin for me to trim, but it's going to be very slightly awkward on the inner margins due to the sewing. Still perfectly readable, though.

I didn't print a test signature BECAUSE I wasn't willing to change anything (long ass process described above) and I'm happy to live with the mistakes *because* this is something that's not leading my house.

I reread a small bit but caught myself... XD Embers has incredible re-readability so it's a great choice to bind.

After I get stabby, I'm gonna press the signatures overnight to reduce swell. Then sew! Typesetting, which used to be easy to me, is recently a pain in my ass. I find that with doing my day job on the computer (temporary work from home situation) and doing college on the computer, I don't wanna fucking touch it for bookbinding. The practical side of things, however, is nice. I wish I was past the typesetting stage on any of my "owed" projects; the two free paperbacks folks won (Domino and Mouse's).

I've included a picture of my silly to do list that let's me visually track progress on these projects. The first free paperback was easy because it was a fic I'd bound before. Only minor adjustments needed. I'm going to think long and hard about doing so many at once, ever again! Haha. It would have been fine if not compounded by the holidays and IRL work issues, actually-- but I've found it's the height of foolishness to make plans based on my *top* speed at completion things. Fall of last year, I was breezing by everything, and getting everything done soso fast!

Hopefully after this hill, and the break I plan on taking that I can see in the distance, I'll be able to be Speedy™️ once again.

As an aside, I can't remember if I mentioned, all the stickers and bookmarks (and tea and earrings) were mailed out earlier in the week, so February prizes are a bit early this month! Enjoy!

Domino project: 2/20

Mouse: 0/20

Embers: 6/20

Technological struggles: I bought affinity publishing last year when it was on sale, but this week when i tried to upgrade to using it instead of Word for typesetting (high learning curve but highlt recommended program for bookbinding), it crashed twice. The "why" is not a mystery. My laptop has been operating at almost maximum disc space, memory, and cpu, so I drug out my older but nicer laptop.

Re-installed a clean copy of the operating system, ordered a new battery, and have been slowly working my way over. It's a more heavy duty machine and despite being older, has better specs. So that's also been slowing me down. Every time I have spoons to do typesetting (or write), I run headfirst into these difficulties, and by the time I've made progress there, the spoons are gone.

However, slow and steady progress IS being made. I've pretty much vowed to keep trucking on with Word until I finish my current roster of projects, then fuck around with Affinity when I get 5 seconds.

Anyway, long post! Many update. Some progress.

[mortavita]

planned obsolescence

I just reblogged a post about sewing machines and I have feelings that aren’t appropriate to add to the post.

Because I have no beef with what anyone is saying that post. All good points in my book.

I just have such mixed feelings when talking about how great old tech is and how all new tech is made to be terribly breakable and almost impossible to repair. I mean, I agree. I tried to send a set of Bose headphones to be repaired, and they just gave me a new pair??? There are no repair shops in my area that could even fix them, it’s insane. I have a sewing machine from 1970 that still runs great as long as I keep an eye on my tension and a machine from the early 2000s in my office just loves to eat needles and burn out for no reason. 

But...

There is a reason for some stuff to be made more breakable and its not just corporate greed. Modern sewing machines are just a fuck ton more complicated than a treadle singer because it does more stuff. Most of it is useless, but it can also do zigzag stitches, serge, embroider, and more. To keep costs down, everything is made a lightly and plastic as possible which means that it is going to break. 

I think the better example is cars. 

You used to be able to fix your car yourself, bang out dents in your steel fender and change out the engine with minimal hassle. Now with modern cars you need a software engineering degree to replace the stereo. Well, that’s because cars have automatic breaking sensors, wifi, and built in navigation. Does anyone’s car really need those things? probably not. But the reason cars crumple in a crash is not to make you spend money getting a pro to repair it, its to keep you alive enough to spend money getting it repaired. If you are in a chevy Belair from the 50′s, you are going to die in a moderately high speed accident. You could be decapitated by your own windshield until 1937. 

Things are made to be used and discarded because it is economically advantageous to do so. Tools and the machines of our lives should be made tougher and easily repairable across the board. And. The tools of today are made to do different things than the tools of that past, which also makes them more vulnerable to falling apart because it isn’t a case of push the pedal with your foot to stitch forward or back, the system is so much more complicated and there is an inevitable breakage involved in making something that does practically everything.

[alexjhonson23]

Essential Features to Look for in a Sewing Cabinet

A quality sewing cabinet is more than just furniture — it's an investment in your creativity, comfort, and organization. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced sewist, choosing the right sewing cabinet can make a huge difference in your productivity and enjoyment. Here are the essential features to look for in a sewing cabinet before making your purchase.

1. Spacious and Adjustable Work Surface

A good sewing cabinet should offer plenty of workspace to accommodate your fabric, patterns, and machine. Look for an extendable or fold-out design that provides flexibility depending on your project size. Adjustable heights are also a plus, offering better posture support during long sewing sessions.

2. Sturdy Construction

Durability matters. Choose cabinets made from high-quality materials like solid wood or heavy-duty MDF. A strong frame ensures that your machine stays stable even at high speeds, reducing vibration and noise.

3. Smart Storage Solutions

Efficient storage is key to keeping your tools, threads, and fabrics organized. Seek out cabinets with built-in drawers, shelves, and thread holders. A drop-leaf or side compartment can help manage larger items without cluttering your workspace.

4. Built-in Lift Mechanism

Many modern sewing cabinets come with a built-in machine lift. This feature allows you to easily raise or lower your sewing machine to three positions: flatbed, free-arm, or storage. It saves time and protects your machine when not in use.

5. Portability and Mobility

If you need to move your cabinet often, choose a model with lockable caster wheels. This ensures smooth movement and stability when sewing.

6. Design that Matches Your Space

Your cabinet should blend seamlessly with your sewing room decor. Whether you prefer a classic wood finish or a sleek, modern design, aesthetics matter just as much as functionality.

7. Compatibility with Your Sewing Machine

Before buying, make sure the cabinet dimensions and machine opening are compatible with your sewing machine model. Some brands offer customizable options for a perfect fit.

Where to Find High-Quality Sewing Cabinets?

At Sew Many Cabinets Plus, we offer a wide range of premium sewing cabinets designed to meet the needs of hobbyists and professionals alike. Whether you're looking for a space-saving solution or a fully-featured workstation, we’ve got something to match your style and budget.s

Final Thoughts: Investing in a well-designed sewing cabinet boosts your productivity and keeps your creative space tidy. Keep these features in mind, and you'll be well on your way to building the perfect sewing environment.

[sewinginspiration]

How to do a saddle stitch on a sewing machine?

A saddle stitch machine is used to bind booklets, brochures, and magazines by stapling through the center fold of folded sheets—called the "saddle." It's commonly used in print shops and publishing for quick, clean binding. These machines can be manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic, with some also trimming the edges for a polished look. They’re ideal for high-speed production of thin, multi-page documents.

[scotianostra]

On 17th September 1910 Andrew Blain Baird, working as a blacksmith in Rothesay, made the first flight by an entirely Scottish designed and built aeroplane.

Baird was born on January 1st 1862 at Sandhead, Luce Bay in the Rhinns of Galloway.

One of three sons, his father was a fisherman and handloom weaver. He became an apprentice to a blacksmith in Sandhead, worked as a lighthouse keeper on Lismore, then as an ironworker at Smith and McLean’s on the Clyde shipyards before finally setting up on his own as a blacksmith at 113 High Street in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, when he was 25.

Baird was a daring thinker, a pioneer and innovator. He created many improvements to the plough, built a unique model of the triple expansion engine powered by electricity and was one of the original members of the Scottish Aeronautical Society.

Eager to expand his knowledge of aviation, Baird corresponded with the early aviators Louis Bleriot and S. F. Cody and exchanged information about construction of aircraft and their flight. Inspired by a visit to Blackpool for England’s first ever Aviation Week in October 1909, he returned to Rothesay ready to design and build his own sophisticated monoplane similar to Bleriot’s but with an engine built by the Alexander Brothers in Edinburgh that was 4-cylinder, air-cooled and with water-cooled valves. The control system he would design for his aircraft would be unlike anything that had been developed at the time. His wife sewed brown trussore silk for the wings.

The Baird monoplane, once completed in his own shop in the summer of 1910, went on show at an exhibition in the Esplanade Flower Garden at the front of Bute. and then to the amazement and excitement of all it was moved to the Bute Highland Games on 20 August 1910.

From there it was taken for storage and readying directly to a barn owned by Willie Dickie at his farm at Cranlasgvourity, Bute.

Scottish aviation history was about to be made when in the very early morning of 17 September 1910, the Baird Monoplane was taken by a Mr Scott on his horse-drawn wagon to Ettrick Bay - with its wide expanse of sand reminiscent of the Kitty Hawk N.C. site chosen by the Wright Brothers for their historic flight.

In the sunshine and amid the wide golden sands of Ettrick Bay the first entirely Scottish designed and built plane sat ready to make history.

Andrew Baird was, on that day, assisted by his friend Ned Striven who was an Electrical Engineer with the Burgh of Rothesay and who had assisted him with the engine and related design considerations.

There on the wide expanse of Ettrick Bay beach, Baird and Ned Striven started the engine. All was ready. Hearts raced with anticipation. A small crowd looked on in amazement. And the flight into history began.

Flight Magazine on 24th September 1910,described it as follows:

“Mr Baird was seated in the machine and on the engine being started the plane travelled along the sands at good speed. Naturally, on clearing the ground, the swerving influence of the axle ceased and the influence of the steering wheel brought the machine sharply round to the right causing it to swoop to the ground. The contact was so sharp that the right wheel buckled and the right plane suffered some abrasion by scraping along the beach.”

Andrew Blain Baird had realised his dream - he had flown in an aircraft of his own design and construction.

His was the first entirely Scottish flight of a heavier than air powered craft.

Noted pioneer aircraft manufacturer Tommy Sopwith sailed his yacht into Rothesay Bay in 1910 to visit the Marquess and to attend the Highland Games and there viewed the on display Baird monoplane. Very impressed, he was given permission to incorporate some of Baird’s innovations into the aircraft he was designing and which would have such a great impact on the course of World War I.

Over the years, many others from around the world involved in aviation consulted Andrew Baird and learned from his pioneering experience and innovative mind

[madanimalscientist]

When I performed in Tudor era folkdancing, the costume I wore (back pre-transition was)

Chemise (sleeveless underlayer, mine was knee length)

Shirt (came down to hip length)

Sleeveless kirtle - this is the layer that had the boning into it, but it was spiral lacing because that way you can do it up yourself. Mine laced up the back, other performers had ones that laced up the underarms.

Anywhere from 1-3 petticoats under the kirtle, depending on personal preference and weather (sometimes we performed in 95F weather, sometimes it was pretty dang cold)

Performer's choice of socks/stockings/etc

Apron over the kirtle

Headkerchief

Neckerchief/partlet-esque thing/scarf (personal preference)

Decorative belt if desired

Shoes of performer's choice as long as leather and period accurate-ish, I wore leather loafers that were close enough and had the arch support I needed to be able to dance at high speeds and not twist an ankle

Woolen cloak/wrap/etc in cold weather, held in place by an annular brooch or similar (one year Lake Tahoe had a surprise snowfall and our guildmistress went and got a bunch of lengths of woolen cloth for us to use as impromptu outerwear)

All of these layers were cotton or linen or a blend, machine sewn for the most part, using The Tudor Tailor as a base. From a practical standpoint the chemise and shirt were 2 ways of splitting the same layer historically but we had a lot of shared garments/equipment/etc so while the kirtle was mine (sewed myself!) and the chemise/etc, the shirt/petticoats/apron/kerchiefs I wore were from the troupe's general stock so it made things easier that way.

Also POCKETS. The pockets on our kirtles were big enough to hold a full baguette if desired, they were great. We had baskets for carrying stuff too, and we were expected to be in character while at the fair as we were performers rather than attendees, and it was super fun. I miss it so much. But I especially loved all the nerding out about the costumes and how much I learned then, it was so fun to be able to dress up like that.

Also you'd think being in that many layers would be uncomfortable in hot weather but not really! If anything it almost insulated you a bit from the weather - can't speak as to the male kit but the many layers of skirts were delightfully swishy and very comfortable to wear.

it's funny although a little exasperating how artists designing "princess" or medieval-esque gowns really do not understand how those types of clothes are constructed. We're all so used to modern day garments that are like... all sewn together in one layer of cloth, nobody seems to realize all of the bits and pieces were actually attached in layers.

So like look at this mid-1400's fit:

to get the effect of that orange gown, you've got

chemise next to the skin like a slip (not visible here) (sometimes you let a bit of this show at the neckline) (the point is not to sweat into your nice clothes and ruin them)

kirtle, or undergown. (your basic dress, acceptable to be seen by other people) this is the puffing bits visible at the elbow, cleavage, and slashed sleeve. It's a whole ass dress in there. Square neckline usually. In the left picture it's probably the mustard yellow layer on the standing figure.

coat, or gown. This is the orange diamond pattern part. It's also the bit of darker color visible in the V of the neckline.

surcoat, or sleeveless overgown. THIS is the yellow tapestry print. In the left picture it's the long printed blue dress on the standing figure

if you want to get really fancy you can add basically a kerchief or netting over the bare neck/shoulders. It can be tucked into the neckline or it can sit on top. That's called a partlet.

the best I can tell you is that they were technically in a mini-ice-age during this era. Still looks hot as balls though.

Coats and surcoats are really more for rich people though, normal folks will be wearing this look:

tbh I have a trapeze dress from target that looks exactly like that pale blue one. ye olden t-shirt dress.

so now look here:

(this is a princess btw) both pieces are made of the same blue material so it looks as if it's all one dress, but it's not. The sleeves you're seeing are part of the gown/coat, and the ermine fur lined section on top is a sideless overgown/surcoat. You can tell she's rich as fuck because she's got MORE of that fur on the inside of the surcoat hem.

okay so now look at these guys.

Left image (that's Mary Magdelene by the way) you can see the white bottom layer peeking out at the neckline. That's a white chemise (you know, underwear). The black cloth you see behind her chest lacing is a triangular panel pinned there to Look Cool tm. We can call that bit the stomacher. Over the white underwear is the kirtle (undergown) in red patterned velvet, and over the kirtle is a gown in black. Right image is the same basic idea--you can see the base kirtle layer with a red gown laced over it. She may or may not have a stomacher behind her lacing, but I'm guessing not.

I've kind of lost the plot now and I'm just showing you images, sorry. IN CONCLUSION:

you can tell she's a queen because she's got bits I don't even know the NAMES of in this thing. Is that white bit a vest? Is she wearing a vest OVER her sideless surcoat? Girl you do not need this many layers!