#lowering armhole

[mokutone]

@kodiaksage replied to your post “I have a Ko-fi!”:

pretty much every sewing tutorial you can think of is on youtube somewhere, be sure to check there if you have questions/want a visual guide before you try something! I learned a ton of cool techniques on there but there's also lots of basic sewing info too!

​that's so true! there's a LOT of really excellent information on sewing on youtube, from modern techniques to techniques that are hundreds of years old and guides to care for almost any kind of machine! it's a really good resource for anyone who wants to get into sewing, and was definitely where i first went when i started learning!

i'm still using it right now to help me figure out stuff like pattern grading/sizing + vector formatting for the actual pattern-making part of this project! it really is just an absolute wealth of knowledge!

#kodiaksage #a fellow sewer! that's awesome. or should i say awe-sewn? maybe i shouldn't haha #the thing im working on is basically the sleeveless anbu turtleneck garment—with either a racer-back style construction or like. #regular a-shirt/tank top style armholes #with varying length options ofc #ive made several functional versions and patterns of the garment fit to my body. but designing them to fit other bodies is the tricky part #ive got one test garment going to a friend of mine as soon as i finish the lower hem #and based on his notes ill recallibrate the design and make adjustments for future versions

[seamsterslocal]

summer binder picture tutorial

this is the third binder ive made for myself recently and the first one i’m writing up. it’s designed to do a few things: 1) allow me to put it on by myself without dislocating my shoulders 2) allow me to breathe well enough to partake in normal activity 3) be cool enough to wear throughout a muggy 90-100F summer 4) not constrict my ribs in a way that aggravates my lack of connective tissue and causes intense pain.

this has become necessary even though i had top surgery many years ago, because when i had it i was extremely skinny and since then i’ve increased in size by about 50%. this has been really fucking good for my health in every single way* except that when my chest is squishy or moves at all it’s So Goddamn Triggering for me. but also since ive had top surgery ive developed and/or been made away of a plethora of chronic conditions that make every single commercially available binding option medically impossible. unbound, my chest is pretty much what you’d expect for a chubby cis guy but venturing out into the world in just a tshirt no longer works for me

*anyone who badmouths weight gain or fat bodies in the notes WILL be blocked

under the cut are a bunch of process pictures and explanations of what they all mean:

first i’ll give you a look at the pieces and measurements:

most of the seams are sewn in this picture and one half is turned inside out, allowing you to see both the finished dimensions (right) and the placement of the fusible horsehair canvas that gives this lil scrap of linen any structure at all (left)

to get your chest measurement, you’re gonna have to do some math:

first measure above and below what you want to bind. average these numbers. mine are something like 32 and 34, which average to 33. subtract a few inches--this is to allow the air movement between the laces at center front and back, critical in the summertime. i deleted 3 inches bc i like that number but you can go bigger if you want. the more inches you subtract here, the more youll be able to ratchet all your chest material down later, but at the same time you need to leave enough fabric for a sturdy garment. let’s say a range of 2-6 inches/5-15cm. by taking your measurements this way, you’re essentially measuring the chest you would like to have. that + the horsehair canvas work together to compress any squishy tissue/force anything that doesnt compress up and to the outside (basically into the armpit/lower shoulder--the chest might stick out but it will give a very puffed chest captain america pectoral silhouette)

you can also see how ive clipped my curves and pre-drilled my lacing holes. i used the marlin spike on my knife to open up the holes on the interfacing side, mainly as a way of marking them. this worked well bc the interfacing’s glue kept the linen from raveling

this is the same stage but looking at the non-interfaced grey linen/cotton blend (the black is some 100% linen from my cabbage stash). you can see ive broken the solar-plexus-to-back measurement up into a bunch of pieces to save on fabric but that’s not necessary. my original pattern was just two pieces (front and back) and chopping the straps into thirds on both sides was aesthetic

in the following picture you can really see how this is really just overgrown regency stays:

i thought about doing side lacing but didn’t think that would be comfortable for me. on the front, the side seam allowance was pressed inwards before turning to create a finished looking slot. on the back the side seam is left unfinished with an extra wide seam allowance, and is inserted into that slot.

here’s a closeup on it pinned in place (you can adjust the angle of the side seam and the fit during this pinning stage):

that side seam was just topstitched in place once i had the fit how i liked it, and the armhole was reinforced with more topstitching

alright, time for eyelets: first, you can see how well the marking worked:

next, two rows of basted eyelets (left), one row of eyelets sewn with a doubled and waxed cotton thread (center right), and one row of eyelets opened and stainless steel rings placed (right).

next time i’m going to mark the eyelets same as i did above, but do this step differently--i’ll mark and baste the steel rings in place BEFORE widening the eyelets. this is bc i had a lot of problems keeping the eyelets on center

eyelets half done on this one! on the left are eyelets sewn with doubled and waxed cotton thread and on the right eyelets sewn with quadrupled and waxed thread. the center is basting again. i was able to force the holes back in line while sewing the eyelets but it was kinda annoying. adding a second picture that doesnt have great focus but hopefully shows how that process worked and shows the spike clearly

i ended up using this white cotton thread because it’s stronger than my black cotton thread (which the rest of it is sewn with). [eta: after this was first posted, i pressed the whole thing heavily, which effectively de-waxed the thread, and i dyed the whole thing a medium charcoal grey, the thread blends in perfectly on the lighter side and isn’t such a sore thumb on the darker side]

bonus: the piecing layout for that little piece of strap. the whole light gray half of the binder was made from 1/2 of one of the legs i cut off some linen suit pants to make slutty camping shorts last year and i really really didn’t want to break into any of the other three halves for this garment--i have Plans for it

overall the fit of this is incredible. it DOESNT hurt my ribs which every zip-up garment ive been able to find (and it is difficult) does due to really thick elastic at the base. it doesnt aggravate my sensory issues with the synthetic fibers that every commercial option is made of. i can walk up a hill or stairs, or go to pt, without getting too out of breath. i can eat with it tight, or loosen the front easily and without taking it off to make eating easier and less nausea-inducing. it is reversible!

best of all the lacing at the back gives the garment enough movement for me to get it on without dislocating, and the interfacing and steel rings give it structure once it’s on. the shaping comes only from fusible horsehair linen canvas and stainless steel rings like youd use for chainmail, there’s no boning at all, which makes it very quick to sew (except the eyelets, but metal grommets would be sturdy and quick provided theyre of good quality)

there’s a small amount of gaping on the outside of the shoulder strap, which i plan on fixing with a tiny tiny dart in the armpit, i want to add pockets to tuck the laces into, and i need a better lace for the back, but it’s completely wearable in time for the 90 weather next week which is all i wanted. i’ll do a reblog when it’s perfectly finished with an update on the fit but for now it is done enough 

the little ridge where it doesnt lay flat against the shoulder is most visible with just a single t shirt over it. with a flannel or a sweater, it disappears, and by itself, it’s hidden in movement

eta: after dyeing this, i relaced it a bit looser in the back and that gape mainly disappeared. ive decided to leave it in instead of smoothing it with a dart because the loose fabric gives space for my chest to expand when breathing and shapes my silhouette in a way that emphasizes my shoulders

#sewing #trans #trans man #binding #body shaping #cotton #disability accommodations #physical #sensory #eyelets #fusible interfacing #historical fashion #regency #horsehair canvas #lacing #linen #lining #new build #drafted pattern #picture tutorial #piecing is contemporary too #stainless steel #stashbusting #stays #structured garment #treadle machine

[the1920sinpictures]

1925 Molyneux coral silk crepe evening/cocktail dress having decorated V-neck and armholes in a band of red and spruce bugle beads and pearls, lower half of dress having a pattern of cartouches, arches and scrolls in gold, spruce, re and white beads and pearls, hemline having shaped scallops. There is a matching underdress. From The Roaring Twenties Fashion, FB.

[hotmentransformed]

An Error Code

Something happened.

My boyfriend Henry and I were playing FIFA on my PS4. We were messing around with creating our own players. There was something so invigorating about making some hot guy play sports for you. They could look however you wanted. Henry made a player who looked like some muscle oaf: beefy, covered in body hair, with some stupid goatee. My player had less body hair, and a sculpted beard, but was still well-muscled. They both were quite hot, to be honest, and looking over at Henry, I noticed that he was chubbing up looking at them. After we had both made our characters, we loaded them into the roster and started the game.

But the game didn’t start. It crashed leaving an error code on that familiar blue screen:

AN ERROR HAS OCCURRED IN THE APPLICATION: CUSTOM CONTENT NOT FOUND, RELOADING PLAYERS

We were left staring at this blue screen and strange error code. Neither of us had seen anything like it. The game began to automatically reboot. I turned to Henry to ask what was wrong with the console but instead saw a large beefy man in his place. His large hairy legs splayed wide on the couch, revealing his thick cock straining against his blue underpants. His hairy chest showed tufts of hair stemming from his neckline and coming from the armholes, which led to his massive muscular arms with thick armpit hair. His bearded face remained fixated on the screen. Looking down at myself, I saw large thick legs leading to a massive bulge in my grey underwear. Scratching my face, I could feel my well-groomed beard. My hand lowered to my giant bulge, rubbing it and moaning with my new deep voice as the game continued to load. The smell of our odor was intoxicating. The sweet, tangy scent of man permeated my nostrils. My dick swelled even further.

I heard the game begin. I pulled my hand off of my massive crotch and grabbed the controller, looking up at the screen through my glasses. It was crazy that Henry and I could make players who looked exactly like us. Seeing my beefy boyfriend's body on the screen running around and getting all sweaty made my dick swell again.

Once I kicked his beefy ass in the game, I knew what I was going to do with that ass right afterward.

#male tf #tf #muscle tf #transform #muscle transformation #male transformation #gay transformation #transformation #hair growth

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode illustrée, no. 19, 9 mai 1897, Paris. Toilette de casino ou garden-party. Modèle de chez Mmes Coussinet-Piret, rue Richer, 43. Ville de Paris / Bibliothèque Forney

Description de la gravure coloriée:

Les toilettes de casino sont, les plus élégantes parmi celles que l'on porte en été; notre aquarelle reproduit l'une des plus gracieuses, parmi ces toilettes.

La robe faite en taffetas broché, de nuance framboise adoucie, est de forme princesse. La partie supérieure du corsage est formée par deux draperies de gaze de soie crème, qui se croisent et se répètent sur le dos, comme sur le devant du buste; ces draperies sont reliées à la partie inférieure du corsage, par une belle guipure de Venise; les devants sont bordés chacun, par une écharpe plissée, en mousseline de soie crème, semblable à celle qui est employée pour les draperies de la partie supérieure du corsage; chacune de ces écharpes est fixée sur le bord inférieur de la jupe par de gros choux, en même mousseline de soie; les écharpes qui se rétrécissent vers la taille, se rattachent à des ruches de même mousseline, qui se continuent jusqu'aux entournures. Les manches avec bouillonné sur leur bord supérieur, plates, depuis ce bouillonné, sont fendues au poignet et garnies à l'intérieur d'une ruche de dentelle; au col droit, plissé, fait en mousseline de soie, se rattache une petite tête de méme mousseline.

Chapeau en paille-satin crème, garni de plumes d'autruche blanche, et d'une draperie en mousseline de soie blanche.

—

Casino ensembles are the most elegant among those worn in summer; our watercolor reproduces one of the most graceful of these.

The dress made of brocaded taffeta, in a softened raspberry shade, has a princess shape. The upper part of the bodice is formed by two draperies of cream silk gauze, which intersect and repeat on the back, as on the front of the bust; these draperies are connected to the lower part of the bodice, by a beautiful Venetian guipure; the fronts are each bordered by a pleated scarf, in cream silk muslin, similar to that used for the draperies of the upper part of the bodice; each of these scarves is fixed on the lower edge of the skirt by large choux, in the same silk muslin; the scarves, which narrow towards the waist, are attached to ruffles of the same muslin, which continue to the armholes. The sleeves with shirring on their upper edge, flat, since this shirring, are slit at the wrist and trimmed inside with a lace ruffle; to the straight, pleated collar, made of silk muslin, is attached a small head of the same muslin.

Cream straw-satin hat, trimmed with white ostrich feathers, and white silk chiffon drapery.

#La Mode illustrée #19th century #1890s #1897 #periodical #fashion #fashion plate #cover #cover redo #color #description #Forney #dress #gigot #collar #flowers #pink #Modèles de chez #Madames Coussinet-Piret

[portsandstars]

I recently got an ask about how I made my Vere cosplay, so I thought I'd write an (overly descriptive) explanation about what I did! Note that I have very minimal sewing and cosplay experience, so it's quite possible that there are many better ways to achieve the same look.

If you're interested in recieving the pattern that I used, please DM me, and I'll send you the files. Note that the pattern is only made to my measurements(I am very tall and small chested) and I have also altered the pattern after working with it some, though not altered the PDF.

Some of my explanations won't be the most clear, I'm happy to explain more in the comments or dms- I'm just limited on the number of pictures:)

Below the readmore because u guys this is going to be a bit exhaustively long :>

The pattern pieces for the top

I got a pattern after commissioning someone on Fiverr for about $60 dollars (let me know if you want their contact info). They were not very interested in reference photos and instead wanted me to sketch the garment I needed. I made a mock-up in a day after receiving the pattern files (took me about 8-10 hours lol). I requested a few edits from the pattern maker and recieved a second pattern. From there, I made multiple mockups and edited the PDF pattern to:

- shorten the smallest sleeve

- increase the curve of the front shirt edge

- add an unofficial collar band to increase collar height

- change the angle of the piping seam to enter the armhole at much more of a slanted angle

- increase the height and shape of the side waist openings (they are still lower than is accurate).

- add a sleeve gusset bc I couldn't move my arms (the sleeves are still tough, I'd recommend altering the dark purple sleeves if you make this)

- making the floatly sleeves way more voluminous.

Here are some photos of the top. I bought a crotch snap bodysuit premade and cut it after someone helped me pin the top to it. This is to help keep the top "tucked in" to the belt without bunching, while still allowing you to go to the bathroom. There need to be snaps because I taped the top to my skin, so you don't want to pull the top off your shoulders as you would a romper.

Ok, now let's see where the pattern pieces go to the shirt:

Fabric

I used a satin fabric for this top. I chose this primarily because it looked the closest to the right color that I could find (rather than being interested in the sheen). I'd say that it kinda sucked to work with because it frays exceptionally easily, though it does look pretty. The lilac fabric is a cotton fabric that I used throughout this project to add weight and stability - the color doesn't matter. I also used a medium weight black fabric (?), Silver pleather, and lightweight interfacing.

- back of the garment was purple satin underlined with lilac cotton

- front (orange) piece was purple satin with lightweight iron on interfacing

- collar (blue) was purple satin with the lightweight interfacing not in the seam allowances.

- front (red) piece was purple satin, iron on interfacing, and underlined lilac cotton.

- black boarder on the front (green) was a thick black fabric that was in a discount bin. Highly recommend you use a thin black cotton because the thickness of this fabric gave me a lot of trouble. Interfaced the center of these pieces.

- facings for the side opening (front and back of garment) were made from the lilac fabric and interfaced with lightweight interfacing EXCEPT for the seam allowance.

- tiny sleeve (yellow) was interfaced to give it structure, but not in the seam allowances

- I really struggled with the tension on my machine so I never sewed the satin alone. On the long, dark purple sleeves I added iron on interfacing ONLY to the seam allowance to give the seam stability so I could sew it.

- the silver piping around the collar and glued onto the front is made from a silver pleather. On one hand, this sucked to work with because my strategy involves sewing through ~10 layers of it at least, which is very hard(thimble needed). BUT, If you don't use silver pleather, I'd say your silver fabric MUST NOT FRAY for you to use the techniques I used.

STEPS TO CONSTRUCT (~30-40 hours).

You definitely need to make a mock-up unless you are very experienced. I made about 4-6 (would alter one sleeve but not bother changing the other, etc).

1. Cut all pieces except for facings, black boarder, and floaty sleeves out of purple satin.

2. Cut cotton support fabric for the following pieces - back, red, gussets, side facings (4 total)

4. Cut black boarder/facing (4 total).

3. Cut and iron on interfacing - center of collar, red (not seam allowance), orange (not seam allowance), tiny sleeve (not seam alloance), black boarder/facing- only needed on the outside ones(not seam allowance). Interfacing for the side facings. If you have issues with sewing the satin, also iron on interfacing on the seam allowances, and add it to purple satin that is alone (the long sleeves).

4. Baste all underlining fabric to the purple satin by hand (back, sleeve gusset, red).

5. Stay stitch in the seam allowance all pieces

6. Zigzag stitch all pieces.

7. Lay the lilac side facing on top of the right side of front orange piece, interfacing of the facing touching the right side of the fabric. Sew together along the inner curve. Notch the seam allowance here so it can bend easier. Flip facing to the wrong side of the garment. Iron flat. Pull the notches to the facing side and understitch. Iron again. Sew the top and bottom of the facing edges into the seam allowance of the side seam of the garment and the hem of the garment so they don't flop as much. Do the same thing on the the second orange piece (mirrored). Then do this twice, once for each side curve on the back piece.

8. Yayyy now it's time to attach the black edge. Choose your prettiest of the two of each mirrored piece to be the outside ones. Hem the longer edge of all 4 black facing pieces. Lay the facing, right side facing up, on top of the right side of the orange piece along the front hem. Sew directly on top of your hemming stitches so it is attached about an inch in. Try to not go out of the hem stitches at all. Then, lay a second facing on TOP of the facing u just sewed, wrong side facing up. Sew along the edge through all three layers. Notch this seam. Flip the top facing to the inside of the garment and iron flat. Understitch the inside facing. Iron again. Sew along the black facings inside the seam allowance of the top edge of the orange piece. Below are my notes to myself about this if they would help you LMFAO.

9. U can hem the orange piece now if you want to, I chose to not bc there is sooo much more stuff to do!!

10. Hand baste the red piece to your completed/with facings orange piece along the bottom edge of the red piece/top of orange. You're gonna have to rip this out later but you need to add the collar and measure the length of the piping that will go here and it needs to be attached to do this.

11. attach the back of the top at the shoulder seam. you can also pin or baste the side seams now under the arm hole but note that the size will be really different here with the sleeve gores later added. this turns it into a vest yayy its taking shape

12. iron all the seams u got going on

13. Hem the interior edge of the red pieces so that the collar can attach over it. Use a basting stitch bc you're going to have to undo part of this later 🙃

13. make the collar. tbh I'd recommend watching a tutorial for this, it is pretty similar to any men's dress shirt, especially a mandarin collar. sew the collar along the neckline of the garment.

14. Measure from the side seam under the arm, along the hem of red all along the back collar, to the other side seam under the other arm to see how long your piping needs to be. You can make it a bit longer than it needs to be. i chose to use piping because I couldn't find a silver cord that resembled this detail going around the collar of his shirt, and this seemed like the best solution. It would be far easier to use a silver cord if you can find it tho :). If you found cord that you liked, you could simply sew red to orange directly.

15. make the piping! This whole part is the worst part of the whole garment. You should have a thimble and strong handsewing needles. And probably pliers to pull the needle through. I cut long strips 4 of the silver pleather and bought 2 mm wide nylon cord. I then folded the strip around the cord and handsewed really close to the cord with white thread. You could machiene sew this but personally I found that it wasn't "tight" enough to the cord for me. Two of the piping strips you should cut most of the seam allowance off, the other two should be a normal amount of seam allowance on the piping.

16. Line up your 4 piping strips into a stack and measure across them to determine their width. You next want to create the ILLUSION of more piping. The way I did this was I took a wider strip of silver, the width of the 4 piping strips + one hypothetical extra piping on the top and one on the bottom and cut a strip this wide + lots of extra seam allowance that was about the length of the shirt collar. Then, I hemmed it deeply, so my hem stitches would be close to the center of the strip. There's NO cord in this piece. Then, I hand sewed this flat piece to the collar of the shirt.

17. Next, I bent my piping strips in half and marked the center points on each with a pin. I took one with long seam allowance and laid it flat so the seam allowance lay facing right, and then laid the other piping with seam allowance overlapping the previous piping facing left. Then the piping with very small seam allowance goes on top of this. Diagram crossection below, with the circles representing the cord of the piping, and = representing the orientation of the seam allowance.

O O

O=====

======O

In this way, the piping can be sewn into a continuous strip that is sturdy, without the seam allowance showing. I handsewed the piping pieces together, working from the center, for about 5 inches of length, snaking sideways through the cording of the piping with white thread so it's joined into one continuous strip. Then, I began to handsew this piping to the collar on top of the silver flat fake piping that u already sewed there. Make sure the center of the piping goes to the center of the collar. From there, you alternate handsewing the piping to itself into one continuous strip, and then handsewing it to the collar.

18. As you work, you're going to have to sew it along the edge of the red piece once you're done with the collar. You can initially sew it to the hem that you established before on the red piece. However, when the red piece meets the orange piece (at the black fabric) you need to undo the hem of the red piece there and cut a slit in the fabric (visible below). This is because the hem of the red piece now needs to hang down and attach to the orange piece, so you need the material. Your piping here will go between the red and orange pieces. You also need to cut your basting stitches here so u can sew it for real. You should gradually and evenly spaced - end each line of piping along the top of the orange, so that by the time you're at the armhole, only one piping line is remaining. I chose the bottom silver line on the collar to be my longest piping strip, as this matches (more) of the reference photos). Rather than sew through all 12- 14 layers (...) I found it easier to do a stairstep method. I sewed my first piping strip to the red, then I sewed my second piping to the first piping(but NOT to the red), my third piping to the second, my fourth to the third, and my orange piece to the fourth. Throw in some stitches that bridge more layers as a failsafe and be diligent here bc the structure of the garment depends on it lol.

19. Fantastic ! U made it through the hardest part! Hem the long purple sleeves. Gather the top of the floaty sleeves. Sew the inner seams of the floaty sleeves. Sew the inner seams of the 2 long sleeves together. Leave the length of the V of the gusset unsewed at the top of the sleeve seam. Hem the edge of your tiny sleeves (yellow).

Now you need to attach the sleeves. I sewedthe gauze to half the gusset by hand first. Next I handsewed the gusset to both the long sleeve and the floaty sleeves, leaving the other V half of it unattached to later put into the side seam under the arm. Next I pinned all three sleeves into the armhole of the top. Tbh ... The size of the armhole seemed wrong so I needed to pleat the top of the of the long sleeve to make it fit (😐). Then I handsewed all three sleeves on each side into the arm hole, and then sewed the gusset into the side of the garment, and then finished the side of the top's seam (where the side facings meet) by hand too. I think it'd be possible to do this by machiene but with all the layers, gathering, and difficult corners from the gusset, it was way easier to handsew it imo. Now do the other sleeve wow so fun

20. Get a silver ribbon /string and handsew the sleeve decorations in place. I've found that piercing the silver cord tends to make it get ugly and split so instead I sewed the ends down and then went around the cord like belt with belt loops. Leave a tiny amount of give here so it doesn't strangle ur arm. Try and make the other sleeve the same lol.

21. Cut EVA foam (very thin mm foam) into LONG strip for the vertical silver detailing. Handsew the Eva foam to your top where the silver detailing is. Honestly I might wait to do this until your belt is done bc the position of the bottom half of these lines depends on where your belt sits. But, the purpose of the Eva foam is that it provides a solid base for your silver fabric to glue to that will bend with the garment well and the glue won't stiffen or distort your fabric. Afterwards you'll glue it to the foam with contact cement or fabric glue (needs to be able to flex).

22. Personally I sewed snaps that connect to the chest harness on the inner black boarder because 1) this allows a bit of the weight of the harness to be taken off of your neck/collar, and 2) allows your top to be held closer to your body (lower chance of flashing people). Make sure to only sew them to the interior black facing, not showing to the other side. I also sewed tacking stiches through the interior facing (hidden in the hem stitching) to hold the interior black facing down. My harness was waistband elastic, stabilized with cotton so it's not stretchy, with velcro attaching to itself through the ring. So each side of the harness at the ring is velcro folded back onto itself after being looked through the ring.

23. I also sewed the snap crotch thing to it. You need to wear the top and the body suit and have someone pin the top so that it's pulled somewhat taut by the bodysuit. The small section between the left and right side of the top (by the bellybutton) of the waistband of the bodysuit I stabilized with cotton again because you don't want that part getting stretched out and widening over time. If you're someone who maybe doesn't have boobs or doesn't care about flashing people, you could just sew it to some shorts. The idea here is to keep it held down AND be able to use the bathroom later WITHOUT pulling all ur fashion tape off in the stall and then reapplying it each time.

Look here for the part two (belt/skirt explanation).

#touchstarved #touchstarved cosplay #vere #touchstarved vere #cosplay #mine #personal #ask #touchstarved game

[carlos-in-glasses]

Tell me something you are proud of yourself for this week 💛

Ooh thank you for this question. Tbh it’s been a rough week at work where I’ve mostly felt shame, so it’s nice to actually sit and make myself think about a positive. I’ve landed on knitting! My current knitting WIP is a tank top that I’m making out of colourful cotton and this week has been focused on armhole shaping for the back panel. It’s my first time doing shaping like this and it’s going well I think!:

Not perfect and there are a couple of obvious mistakes in the lower stripes that I was too afraid to frog (but I since learned how to frog just one line without dropping stitches, which is why you can’t see a major mistake I made in the light blue part 😬). But! Nearly done with this before moving onto the front woo! 🥳 I’m proud of the perseverance. 🩷

#ask #cig answers #cig knits #cig knitting

[nanaminokanojo]

THAWING ICE QUEEN (part 52)

–one night of fooling around with the annoying campus king gojo satoru (he thinks so), turns into...well, something else more long term

CHARACTERS: gojo satoru x you | geto suguru | jjk characters

GENRE: college au | eventual smut | smau | smau + prose | everything in between | ons | fubus to lovers | aged-up characters | idk where this is going

⚠️ TW/CW: strong/mature language | 🔞 | mentions of alcohol, smoking, etc. | this will most likely have narrations | god-awful pet names | will add more if something arises

MASTERLIST | CHAPTER INDEX

<<prev part 52 next>>

A/N: Contains prose.

-

"Hot ride you got there."

Satoru looked up from his phone, looking at you over the top rims of his aviators. He pushed himself away from where he was leaning on the car – a different one from what he usually uses: top down, perfect for your short road trip to your home. He grinned, happy that you found it to your liking, but he couldn't pay much attention to that as you strutted towards him. With your luggage in tow and a backpack slung on your left shoulder, you basked in the morning sun, wearing white shorts and a graphic muscle tee with armholes extending just above your waist. It gave him a peek of your black sports bra underneath.

"Good morning, indeed!" he greeted you, taking your things and tossing them on the backseat as if they weighed nothing. He then faced you, slipping a hand through one of your armholes so that he was holding onto the small of your back as he pulled you flush against him, startling you.

"You're being unfair right now. How do you expect me to keep my hands to myself while I drive?" he whined close to your ear.

A smirk drew itself across your mouth as you plucked his sunglasses from the tip of his nose and propped it over his head instead, meeting his cerulean eyes without any obstruction. "You're going to have your hands busy. No way around it."

He clucked his tongue. "That sucks, but at least I can have my morning kiss."

Your eyes widened when both his hands moved lower, cupping your ass and sliding his palms down the back of your thighs before lifting you easily so that your legs were wrapped around his waist. You braced yourself on his shoulders, and he took your preoccupation to claim your lips with his, the kiss so heated that you felt the intense degree of want emanating from him.

You pulled away with a snicker. "Put me down, Satoru."

"Shame."

As you wished, he set you on your feet, but before you could regain your balance, he placed a hand behind your neck, locking you in place with his mouth against yours for the second time. He exhaled harshly through his nose, moaning shamelessly against your mouth and sneakily inserting a hand between you two to touch one of your breasts, giving it a light squeeze.

"Satoru!"

He kissed you on the cheek before backing away with his hands up in mock surrender. He then opened the door to the passenger side, gesturing for you to board the car.

You shrugged, passing by him with an annoyed look, but that was just to conceal how flustered you were at his boldness. He then closed the door, but in the next second, he bent down and stole another kiss, this time landing on your left cheek.

"Hey –"

"That should be enough for the next two hours." He rounded the car, shaking his head. "Or not."

He hopped into the car, putting his aviators back on before looking at you with a grin as he started the car. "Ready?"

You couldn't help but join in his conviviality and just chuckled. "Ready as I'm gonna be."

-

~*~

TAGS LIST: @arxliana @neeneee @charlie-xo @aelynaneedsalottathing @arizzu @cloudxp @justpuddinglol @mikkies @nyfwyeonjun @whats-humanity-lol

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S JUJUTSU KAISEN. [20230829]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART/ANY MEDIA CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

#gojo x you #gojo x reader #gojo x y/n #gojo satoru x you #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo satoru x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk x you #jjk fanfic #gojo satoru #gojo #smau #jjk smau #jjk smut #gojo smut #gojo smau #jjk x reader #jjk gojo #geto suguru #sukuna #social media au #jjk x y/n #jujutsu kaisen x you #gojo hcs #gojo fluff #jujutsu kaisen smut #jujutsu kaisen fluff

[raccoonfallsharder]

cicatrix .⋆☁︎:･꧂

chapter seven. starlorn. [new 4/22] ✩

18+ only | rocket x f!oc | 7/25+ | wip | word count: pending. masterlist, notes, & moodboard | chapter seven. starlorn.

pearl pleads her case. see below for warnings & notes.

He expects a soft little laugh. He thinks, even a few hours ago, he would’ve gotten one. Instead, she leans forward, her fingers curling over her  bare toes, her knees pinned between her chest and the starpane. And her eyes — her eyes are suddenly big and glossy and wet, gemstone-tears suddenly balanced on her lower lashes. It feels like someone’s broken through all his ribs, gripping his heart in a vibranium fist. “Don’t make me stay on Cyxlore,” she says softly. “I won’t try to make you take me if you — if you really don’t want to. But I’d rather be here. With you.” A soft inhale. “Please.” His stomach drops out. You ready to beg yet? he suddenly remembers asking her on the rain-slick floor of her Arete cage. Well. Here she is, begging, and he’ll be an ass if he ignores it. And an ass if he accepts it.  The line of her nose and cheeks gleam with starlight. The blanket around her shoulders shifts down, pinned between her back and the cold metal wall, and the soft curves of her breasts press against her thighs. The Monster can see the shape of them, rounded and squished at her sides through the sleeveless armholes and under the edge of his too-small Sneepers shirt.  She’s so far away, and he can see her dying all over again. Lylla on the floor of the Arete; Madame Lavenza in the rainy courtyard of HalfWorld. Haunting and haunted, cold as ghosts and skeleton-bones and lifeless stars, as distant and unreachable as the edge of the universe.  Come back to me, pretty pearl.  He swallows. 

read more on ao3 | masterlist, notes, & moodboard

okay, we're reaching the next phase. an agreement has more-or-less been established. hang on with me till chapter eleven or so and we'll start moving into real plot i promise??? (okay don't hold me to that)

WARNINGS for chapter seven: self-injury (biting), continued references to grooming and confinement. rocket’s explicit running commentary and the faintest whisper of d/s vibes. brief mention of bondage.

a story about scars. two survivors learn about themselves, each other, hope, and the universe. a freakish little monster visits the high evolutionary’s bride on her wedding night. an adventure of intergalactic proportions ensues. aka raccoons make plans; the universe laughs.

fluff ✮ | spice ✩ | some smut ❤︎‬ | much smut ❤︎‬❤︎‬

taglist ♡ @evolvingchaoswitch ♡ @glow-autumz ♡ @wren-phoenix ♡ @suicidalshitstick ♡ @pretty-chips

#cicatrix #rocket raccoon smut #rocket smut #gotg rocket #fast burn then slow burn #rocket raccoon lemons #gotg x oc #rocket raccoon x oc #angst with a happy ending #rocket raccoon #guardians of the galaxy #rocket raccoon fanfiction #gotg fanfiction #rocket gotg #gotg rocket x oc #rocket raccoon fanfic #rocketraccoon #rocket raccoon x original character #oc x rocket raccoon #guardians of the galaxy fanfic #guardians of the galaxy fanfiction #gotg fanfic #slow burn #slow burn romance

[ooops-i-arted]

I just saw Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and I LOVED IT (fun and unique characters with motivations, goals and development! a story about the characters in the movie instead of setting up three new spinoffs! Easter eggs that were actually proper Easter eggs that enhanced things for a viewer in the know instead of plot points you need three other shows to understand but are referred to as Easter eggs anyway!) and what I loved most was HOLGA KILGORE. Barbarian is my fave class to play and also I love potatoes. I want to cosplay her.

Obviously that is gonna take a LOT more research and I haven't decided what level of screen accuracy I'm aiming for but here's what I noticed just from my first viewing and some promo images in case any other cosplayers could use the info:

Costume seems to be sleeveless undershirt, corset, chest armor that includes shoulder pieces, gauntlets, belt with attached hip pieces and long tie that hangs down, pants, and boots.

Holga takes her chest armor off at one point and you can see the undershirt is a rather roughspun fabric (linen?) with no hemming. V-shape neckline that hides under the chest piece. It tucks into the corset. The sleeve line does not extend under the shoulder pieces.

Corset goes under waistline of pants. It has a slanted what's the word... you know where it would open? But it's fastened, not laced. Not sure about any back lacing.

Chest armor is ribbed but I don't see stitching, so it doesn't look like something that could be replicated by putting piping under fabric/pleather and stitching it down unless you didn't care about visible seams. There is lacing under the armpits. The back has an attached holster for her greataxe. Fastenings are possibly hidden under the metal plate in front over her cleavage. The plate appears to be fastened on by buckles so it could be that's the actual fastening for the chest piece as well. There are studs lining the edge of the arm holes and bottom and iirc the neckline too. Fur pokes out around the bottom and iirc the armholes too.

Gauntlets may be two pieces? They strap around her lower arms and are lined with fur and there is also an elbow piece. I can't remember if that's fur-lined too.

Not sure how tall the boots are, but they seem to be the "slouchy" kind. They blend in with the pants a lot so it's hard to tell.

The belt has some kind of diamond decorative pattern, possibly metal studs. There is a rope-like material used as a tie (not sure if decorative or functional) and the front pieces hang down very low, past her knees. There are two hip pieces, rectangular, made of overlapping pieces of leather with fur lining.

There is also a V-shaped belt visible but it's unclear if it's a separate belt, the waistband of the pants, or a bottom piece of the corset.

I would love to carry a bag of potatoes as an accessory and hand them out at the next con I go to or something lol. Assuming that's within con rules. She has a large rectangular plain brown bag with I think a flap top.

These are all from memory, so take with a grain of salt. I'm hoping to do more research into the costume and hopefully actually make it!! We'll see how long my fixation lasts but oh I did so really love this movie.

#dungeons and dragons honor among thieves #dungeons and dragons movie #dnd movie #holga kilgore #dndhat

[angelasscribbles]

In Your Room Chapter 2: Competition

Series: In Your Room

Fandom: TRR

Pairings: Leo x Drake

Rating: NSFW🍋🍋🍋🍋

Warnings for this chapter: Lemons

Song Inspiration for the series: In Your Room by The Bangles

Word Count: 1,832

My other stuff: Master List.

They hadn’t discussed what had happened in the game room, but it kept happening.

Always competitive, they had become even more so and started turning everything into a contest.  Who could eat the most eggs at breakfast? Who could do a better backflip into the pool? Who could win in a dirt bike race? Who could beat whom in arm wrestling?

Today’s question was who could win an impromptu game of one on one basketball?

Drake dribbled the ball as his eyes stayed glued on Leo, trying to assess the best way around him, but he kept getting distracted by the rippling muscles and sweat-glistened skin peeking out from the drop armhole tank top he was wearing. Drake’s eyes dipped down to the bulge in the front of Leo’s athletic shorts and his mouth went dry. Before he could recover, Leo darted into his personal space and snatched the ball.

“Hey!” Drake gave chase, catching up at the hoop. He made a swipe for the ball as he passed Leo, twisting his body around so he was facing him.

Leo went for the layup. Drake went for the interception. Both men jumped at the same time, their bodies colliding in midair, hands grappling for the ball.

Drake knocked the ball from Leo’s grasp as they landed, the forward momentum of striking the ball carrying him forward into Leo’s body. Leo’s arms shot out to grab him as they both regained their footing.

The ball thudded across the pavement, forgotten, as they stood entwined with each other, panting from exertion and other things.

Drake’s head inclined toward the empty pool house. Leo’s eyes scanned the area for witnesses then nodded.

They slipped discreetly, one after the other into the pool house. The moment the door was closed behind them, they were all over each other.

Leo moved first, shoving Drake into the wall as he captured his lips in a brutal kiss.

Drake returned the kiss with rapacious hunger as his hands rubbed Leo through his clothes.

Leo moaned into his mouth, arching his body into Drake’s hand before breathing out, “This doesn’t mean I like you.”

“Hope not,” Drake replied as his lips burned a trail down Leo’s neck.

Leo reached for Drake’s shorts, but Drake’s hand shot out and encircled his wrist. Leo looked up at him in confusion, “What are you doing? Why did you stop me?”

“Leo, we’ve jacked each other off four times this week.”

“So?”

“So….don’t you want to do something…different?”

Leo regarded him with a mixture of wariness and excitement, “Like what?”

Drake’s eyes locked on his as his hands firmly gripped him by his hair, “Like maybe put that fucking smart mouth of yours to good use.”

“You want me to suck your dick?” Leo’s own cock twitched at the thought.

“Mm-hm. Unless you can’t handle it. I get it, I am pretty well hung.”

“No, you’re not!” Leo scoffed, “I could handle that!”

“Oh yeah?” Drake applied a gentle downward pressure, “Prove it.”

Drake released Leo’s hair long enough to push his shorts down before resuming his grip with one hand while guiding his dick to the other man’s mouth with the other. His head fell back and thumped into the wall with a groan as he slid into the warmth of Leo’s mouth. Soft groans continued the spill out of him as his hips thrust forward and back and his head pushed back against the wall, “Oh…fuck…that feels so…ow!”

Drake suddenly jerked back, pushing Leo away with a yelp, “Did you just fucking bite me, man?”

“I’m sorry!” Leo yelled then lowered his voice so no one outside could overhear, “I’ve never done this before!”

“Well, you’ve had it done to you, right?”

“Yeah, but-“

“Just watch the fuckin teeth!”

“Like you could do any better!”

“Can. Have. Will again.”

“Sure,” Leo resumed his feet and crossed his arms over his chest, “If you’re so fucking good at it, why don’t you show me how it’s done?”

A slow smile spread over Drake’s face, “Oh, you want it bad.”

“Do not!” Leo rolled his eyes, “I’d just like to see you put your money where your mouth is for once. You talk a good game but-“

Drake shoved Leo back causing him to stumble and fall onto the couch, “I’ll do it if you’ll just shut up already! But pay attention. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

Leo struggled to push his shorts down, but before he could wiggle out of them, Drake ripped them from his body and went to work with vigor.

“Holy…fucking….shit!” Leo’s body lifted up off the couch of its own accord as his fingers dug into the split leather of the couch.

Drake rose up higher on his knees and placed a hand on either thigh so he could push Leo back down.

Leo had had plenty of blow jobs in his life, but none like this. Drake had not oversold his skill. His tongue lapped, flicked, and licked over him as his body temperature climbed and his heart threatened to beat right out of his chest. He applied more suction than Leo had ever experienced before. Drake’s head moved faster as Leo’s breathing became more rapid. He took his entire length in at the same time he inserted a finger into him.

A strangled cry broke out of Leo as stars clouded the edges of his vision. His body shot up as he erupted into Drake’s mouth then collapsed helplessly onto the couch. He lay there sweating and panting as Drake sat back with a smug smirk. “Told you.”

“Fuck!” was all Leo could manage.

When Leo had caught his breath, Drake stood up and asked, “Want to see if you learned anything useful?”

Leo looked up at the naked man in front of him and nodded.

“Just no teeth this time,” Drake reminded him before taking hold of him by the hair and thrusting himself into his mouth.

He was so turned on from getting Leo off that he was already close. He guided the other man’s head into the rhythm he wanted as he murmured quiet words of encouragement.

Leo slipped down on the couch as Drake placed a knee on one side of his head while keeping his other foot on the floor so that he was straddling him as he pumped in and out of his mouth.

The sound of Leo gagging sent Drake spiraling out of control. Instead of pulling out to let Leo recover, he shoved himself forcefully down his throat as he exploded, sending hot salty liquid gushing into then spilling from the corners of his mouth as he tried not to choke on it.

Drake withdrew and sat down next to him, drawing him into an embrace, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, are you okay?”

“I’m…fine…” Leo managed to pant out as the gag reflex receded.

Drake didn’t want to admit that he’d lost control because Leo turned him on more than any person, man or woman, he’d ever been with. And Leo didn’t want to admit that he had liked the feeling of being dominated, enjoyed having Drake shove his dick down his throat.

He also didn’t want to admit to the butterflies that swirled through him when Drake embraced him. It wasn’t a sexual touch, but an affectionate one and that was something new. He leaned his head on Drake’s chest and let himself pretend, just for a moment, that they actually liked each other.

Drake froze for a second when Leo buried his face in his chest. His stupid traitorous heart skipped a beat. That was when he realized that he was basically holding him. Sex was over and he was voluntarily holding him.

And he liked it.

He hesitantly brushed his fingers through Leo’s hair, “You were amazing by the way.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

They stayed tangled up in each other’s arms until the room started to darken. Drake sighed, “Shit. It’s getting dark. Dinner’s going to be ready and they’re going to come looking for us if we don’t show up.”

“Yeah,” Leo agreed reluctantly, “Guess we’d better get back inside.”

Leo pulled away and sat up, turning his head to look into Drake’s face as he did so.

Drake stared at him for a long moment then he leaned into him and kissed him. This kiss was slow and gentle, different from their usual harsh and demanding kisses.

When they pulled apart, Leo cleared his throat, “Drake…should we…”

“Find our clothes? Absolutely!” Drake jumped off the couch and started gathering up the clothes that were strewn all over the pool house.

Leo sighed, “Yeah, that’s what I was going to say.”

A few minutes later they slipped out of the pool house and bumped right into Olivia.

“What were you doing in the pool house?” Olivia asked.

Drake looked back toward the palace as his face darkened. Leo looked out over the grounds as his cheeks pinkened.  

“Oh, holy hell! You were fucking again, weren’t you?” Olivia howled.

“Liv! Could you keep it down?” Leo pleaded.

“Hell no!” she crowed, “I’m going to give you ten kinds of hell for this! You’re never going to hear the end of it! I can’t believe you decided to go gay for Drake Walker of all people! I mean, I guess he’s hot as far as men go, I wouldn’t know. But-“

“Stop being a bitch, leave him alone!” Drake snapped.

“Why do you care?” Liv gave him a sharp look.

Leo turned to watch Drake’s face as he answered.

Drake fidgeted awkwardly, a flush creeping along his neck, “I don’t! Just…leave him alone, okay?”

“Oh…my….God!” Liv squealed with delight, “You don’t just want his dick, you like him!”

“No!” Drake scoffed, “There’s just no reason to make him feel weird about it. It’s hard enough to come out without that shit and you of all people ought to know that!”

“Oh, why, Drake? Because I’m a lesbian?” Liv rolled her eyes, “I had no parents to disappoint and Leo’s my best friend. He knows I’m just teasing him. Right, Leo?”

Drake didn’t give Leo a chance to respond, “Whatever. Just don’t be an asshole, he doesn’t deserve it!” He spun on his heel and walked away.

Leo started to go after him, but Liv put her hand on his chest to stop him, “Where are you going?”

“To make sure he’s okay!”

Liv’s mouth fell open as she gazed into Leo’s face, “Holy shit! You like him back!”

“No!” Leo protested, “I just….I mean…..he’s….you know what? I have to get to dinner before my dad sends a fucking guard looking for me. Are you coming?”

“I’m coming,” she shook her head with an amused laugh, “You two are perfect for each other, you know that?”

Leo gave her a sidelong glance, “Why would you say that?”

“Because,” she looped her arm through his, “You’re both a couple of fucking idiots that can’t see what’s right under your noses.”

#dreo #drake walker #leo rys #drake x leo #trr au #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #angelasscribbles #the royal romance fanfic #trr drake

[wastelesscrafts]

do you have any resources on altering denim jackets? i just got one that i ordered online and really like the look of, but it's clear that they didn't put much thought into the way larger sizes fit and it's way too baggy :(

the main panel on the back is very large, so i thought i could maybe make some cuts down the middle of that to remove some fabric and width off the jacket? but i haven't done anything like this before so any suggestions are appreciated

Tailoring a baggy jacket

Unfortunately a lot of clothing manufacturers put little thought into upsizing their items. This can result in baggy clothes and weird fits.

Start out by identifying the problem spots.

Upper part of jacket:

Do the shoulders fit well? What about the armholes and the bust area? If you're happy with how they look on you, you're off to a good start!

If they don't, your project will be tricky: you'll have to remove the sleeves and alter the armscyes, alter the sleeves, then re-attach them again. You could also add bust darts if necessary once your sleeves are removed.

Lower part of jacket:

If the shoulders etc. look fine and all you need to do is get rid of some bagginess, your project will be a whole lot easier.

Cutting away excess fabric is one way to go, but the cleanest method would be to add some darts. A dart is a sewn-down fold in a garment that helps shape the fabric around your body.

Fitted denim jackets tend to have two darts (or curved seams) in the back and two in the front. You can get rid of excess fabric by adding these yourself. Check out this tutorial by The Spruce Crafts to learn more about darts. For a more masculine look, check out Stylish D on YouTube.

(Image source) [ID: schematic showing how to put in two vertical darts at the back of a jacket.]

If you like frills, you could also try gathering the excess fabric or adding elastic to your jacket to cinch it in at the waist and have it flair out over your hips, creating a peplum.

(Image source) [ID: torso of a person wearing a blue denim jacket that's been gathered at the waist, creating a fabric flounce.]

Notes:

Denim can be tough to sew. Make sure to use the right needles: this goes for both machine sewing and hand sewing. A thimble will help a lot too if you're working by hand.

Most darts are folds: the fabric is left uncut. Denim can be quite thick though, so leaving the fabric folded without cutting away the excess can get bulky. If you end up cutting away the excess fabric rather than leaving it as a fold, don't forget to finish off your raw edges.

If the idea of altering the jacket on your own is too daunting, you could also take it to a tailor and have it altered for you.

#wasteless crafts #ask #denim #jeans #jacket #denim jacket #alteration #clothing alteration #tailoring #fashion #fast fashion #slow fashion #sustainable fashion #sustainability #resizing #resizing clothes #baggy jacket #darts #diy #how to #tutorial #sewing #crafts

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode illustrée, no. 13, 26 mars 1882, Paris. Toilettes de Mme Bréant-Castel, 6, rue Gluck. Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Netherlands

Description de toilettes (Bibliothèque Forney):

Costume en cachemire écru. Jupe ronde entièrement couverte de trois volants plissés. Long gilet en peau de chevreau de même teinte que le cachemire. Une grande jaquette en cachemire est ouverte sur ce gilet. Cette jaquette se drape derrière en plusieurs fois et se termine à peu de distance du bord inférieur du volant. Le contour de cette jaquette est orné d'une application en peau de chevreau. Manches un peu bouffantes à l'entournure. Revers de manches ornés de même application. Chapeau rond en paille écrue, doublé de peluche grenat, garni de plumes roses nuancées.

Robe en léger drap anglais. Sur le bord inférieur du lé de derrière se trouve un haut volant plissé. Le devant est plat; Une application de peluche de même teinte est disposée en trois colonnes. Corsage pareil avec mêmes applications. En dessous de la basque de derrière se trouve une très-longue basque plissée formant une seconde jupe qui va rejoindre le volant du bord inférieur. A la fente de milieu de la basque, un gros nœud en ruban de satin. L'encolure est ornée d'une application laquelle se continue en fichu pointu dans le dos. Même application sur le contour des basques.

—

Ecru cashmere suit. Round skirt entirely covered with three pleated flounces. Long goatskin cardigan in the same color as the cashmere. A large cashmere jacket is open on this waistcoat. This jacket is draped behind in several times and ends a short distance from the lower edge of the flounce. The outline of this jacket is decorated with a goatskin application. Slightly puffed sleeves at the armhole. Sleeve cuffs adorned with the same application. Round ecru straw hat, lined with garnet plush, trimmed with nuanced pink feathers.

Dress in light English cloth. On the lower edge of the back length is a high pleated flounce. The front is flat; A plush application of the same shade is arranged in three columns. Same bodice with same applications. Below the back basque is a very long pleated basque forming a second skirt which joins the ruffle on the lower edge. At the middle slit of the basque, a large satin ribbon bow. The neckline is decorated with an application which continues in a pointed scarf in the back. Same application on the outline of the basques.

#La Mode illustrée #19th century #1800s #1880s #1882 #periodical #fashion #fashion plate #color #retouch #description #rijksmuseum #Forney #cashmere #flounce #cardigan #basque #bow #curirass #Bréant-Castel #ecru #gray

[dresshistorynerd]

Hi! Thanks so much for your blog, it's a lot of fun and I always learn a lot! I wondered if you might have any information on medieval and early modern clothing for women who were more physically active? How restrictive was clothing generally and was it ever specialized for activities like labor, riding, or athletics? Were skirts ever shortened, loosened, or slit, and what designs made the most effective activeware (or did it depend on the specific activity)? Thank you!

Sorry for the extremely slow answer, Anon! But thank you so much! And thank you for the question. Working women have always done physical labour as peasants on the fields or as servants etc. so working class clothing for women has always taken physical activity in account. Upper class people on the otherhand often dressed purposefully inpractically to show they didn't have to do physical labour. However they also did certain physical activities, women included.

Middle Ages

In Early Medieval period clothing was very simple, made out of simple rectangle shapes sewn together and tied with belts. There wasn't huge differences between lower and upper class people either, the biggest differences were that upper class people used more layers, more expensive fabrics and dyes, more details and more jewelry. So just more everything. Clothing was very practical for everyone.

During High Middle Ages to Late Middle Ages there started to be more separation between lower and upper classes as upper classes started to use more fabrics to show their wealth. Noble women had wide sleeves and long wide hems on their outer garments and this development continued towards late middle ages. Long trailing hems and sleeves are not practical and as I said, that was the point. Upper class women were often depicted holding up their hems to not trip on them. However they would use those same clothing for physical activities like hunting and riding. It was very much possible because they would have servants with them who would hold their trails when needed. Here's some examples of illustrations of just that.

Here's an illustration from a roughly 1330 English manuscript, where a lady is on a hunt, shooting while riding, and being very fashionable while doing it. She is wearing a looser outer garment, but at the time the kirtle was already developing into the laced supportive garment, which she was probably wearing under the outer garment. The most trouble I'd imagine she'd have is with her long hem, but while she's on horseback it won't slow her.

From the same manuscript is this scene where the lady is boar hunting, which is very dangerous, boars are dangerous animals. Still very fashionable.

Here's a carving from back of a mirror from around the same time in Germany, about 1320, of a lady and a knight in a hunting party. This lady is wearing what is usually called gardecorps, a loose outer garment with openings in armholes often worn by women when riding, I imagine for warmth.

And lastly, here's a 15th century lady doing some hawking in a houppelande, which was the fashionable outer garment of the day which contained a lot of fabric.

For working women the basic clothing was the same. They would also wear kirtle and a shift under it and sometimes an outer garment over it when the weather required it, but unlike the nobles and rich people, their kirtle was often a reasonable length and they wore less layers. When working, they might lift their hem above their belt to make it shorter and less in the way, like in this illustration of peasant women from about 1410.

They might also work in their shift when it was too hot to wear anything more and do physical labour like in the illustration below from late 14th century. The shift is still raised with belt here.

Renaissance

In renaissance the upper class dress would get much more elaborate and structured, but still there was no separate sporting garments or hunting garments. As with medieval working women, during Renaissance they also had much simpler and practical clothing. Hunting was still the popular sport of the nobility and women were thought to be more suited for archery on a horse back than killing boar, even though they did it pretty well couple of centuries back.

Here's a German woman with a crossbow in a hunting party from a 1520 painting. This was very much the fashionable dress at the time.

In Elizabethan era, women would often wear visard masks when riding, like in this illustration from 1580s. It was often a black mask that only had holes for eyes and it's purpose was the protect the face from sunlight, since they were absolutely obsessed with as white skin as possible.

The thing is, even in Elizabethan era when the fashion became quite ridiculous (imo) the clothing wasn't that hard to do things in. Men also wore highly structured garments, their doublets were basically just as shaping and boned as women's bodices in Elizabethan era. The biggest hindrance for women probably was the occasionally (depending on the current fashion) overtly long skirts and sleeves, which were on purpose impractical. In Renaissance era the hoop skirt or farthingale at the time became very popular and in many ways it probably helped moving around as it kept the long hems away from feet.

For peasant and other working women it was simpler. They clothes were very practical and easy to move in. While the Renaissance noble fashion got more elaborate, for peasant it was still the same basic clothing as in Middle Ages, shift and kirtles. The kirtles would be cut mirroring the fashions of the nobles.

Here's an Italian fruit seller wearing a kirtle without any boning which has ribbons to attach separate sleeves to.

Baroque

Baroque is often included in the early Modern era, so I'll touch on it still, because we get a new interesting development, which is the first designated hunting and riding habits for upper class women. Early 1600s is still Elizabethan era and women keep hunting and riding in their typical fashionable clothing till 1640s when a very masculine dress specifically for hunting and riding was established for upper class women. It copied the men's fashion of the time but instead of hose they would wear a skirt.

Here's an elaborate example from 1665. At first it garnered some outrage from men who were not happy with such androgynous look, but it fairly quickly became normalized and the hunting and riding habits would continued to be vaguely androgynous arguably to this day. I don't think there was necessarily anything in the everyday clothing for upper class women that was especially incompatible with riding or hunting, except perhaps the shoulders. In 1620s and '30s the neckline had widened and the sleeves dropped under the shoulders making it hard to raise hands very high. Below is an example of the fashion from 1642.

For the working class women things didn't change much from the previous century, structured kirtle and later pair of bodies (stays basically) became the norm.

Here's an example of 1662 working woman.

And here's another from 1670.

In 18th century leisure and presentable clothing for different activities would start getting very varied, but it wasn't really until late Victorian era when specific clothing started to really be developed for sports specifically.

#answers #fashion #fashion history #history #historical fashion #western fashion history #medieval fashion #riding habits #renaissance fashion #baroque fashion #working class clothing #anon

[professorpski]

Simplifying Design in the Sixties: Simplicity 7677

This re-issued sewing pattern dates to the 1960s and is meant to meant to satisfy the desire for quick results: done in a Jiffy. Especially impatient girls and young women, one suspects from the pattern illustration which has very young women in low heels with their hair in a ponytail or an up-do with loose locks below. Both mini and lower hemline were included, and a bare majority of young women wore minis in the 1960s while most over-thirty women opted for a lower hemline. 

The pattern is “easy cut * easy sew” the front of the envelope tells us and there are only two main pattern pieces it assures us. But I am struck by how much sewing is still needed. Those two main pattern pieces have darts at the bust and the waistline to make its A-line shape. A zipper closes the back. Interfacing is called for, so facings for the neckline and the armholes must be included. And then straps must be cut out and attached. Plus the two dressier versions require hand-sewing to attach the trim along the strips.

One trim is daisies, a very common motif of the 1960s, and one that is childish or youthful, perfect for the teenage Baby Boomers, the other trim is rhinestones which would was more sophisticated. The dress fabrics recommended came in the everyday, washable cottons or the fancy silks like shantung, brocade, damask, or satin, so this was a flexible pattern for all its simplicity.

This pattern was clearly more simple than average dress before the 1960s which often had both a detailed bodice with collar, sleeves an cuffs, and a pieced skirt with pleats or godets. On the other hand, it is far more complicated than some easy patterns of the 1970s which dumbed down garment design to an amazing degree.

This dress comes in modern sizes and can be found at your local fabric store or here online: https://simplicity.com/simplicity/s9594

#1960s fashions #fashion design #vintage fashion #vintage sewing #vintage sewing pattern #vintage dressmaking #sewing #dressmaking #garment design #vintage garment design #Simplicity patterns #simplicity 9594 #sewing pattern #making #costume history #dress history #fashion history #sewing history #jiffy patterns

[aurora-by-jacqui-natla]

13. ALISTAIR

I WALKED UPSTAIRS AND LOOKED AROUND. My gold eyes scanned the room, trying to find a door to the attic. Whoever got into the attic wasn't invited. Or maybe the Volturi sent them to kill Renesmee. There was no way I'm going to let that happen.

I rose my head and saw a thing string dangling from the square-shaped door. I jumped up and grabbed it, pulling it down and it opened before me. A ladder carefully lowered to the ground and I climbed up to the attic. When I entered, I switched my invisibility on and got off the ladder. Various boxes were piling on top of each other and covered in dust. I slowly sauntered through the attic and saw something — no, someone — standing among the boxes.

He stood at six foot two inches tall with blonde hair extending to his neck with a beard on his pale face. He appeared to be in his twenties. He was of slender build with his red eyes wandering around. He wore a black leather trench coat with worn-out furs on the collar and armhole; he also had a worn-out dark grey hoodie with dark jeans and boots. His hands were in fingerless woolly black gloves. He reminded me of a homeless guy you would see on the streets.

He was just looking at the window, brooding slightly. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Why did Carlisle have to drag me into this?" He said, his voice saddened, and then scoffed. "Some friend."

Great. He wasn't a Volturi guard, yet why did he go to the attic?

Then, his head snapped in my direction and his red eyes stared confusedly. He slowly placed on foot forward and leaned forward. He looked down at the ground and shook his head. His arms folded in front of his chest.

"You know," he spoke. "The whole purpose of me being in the attic is to be alone."

He approached with steadiness. "So why am I sensing I'm not alone?"

Crap. He's gifted. Probably like Joseph's gift. Yet I didn't know if he was speaking to me or if he was crazy. It may be best if I don't answer him. He moved back to the window and sat down.

"I didn't even want to be here," he muttered.

That sentence made my cold blood boil. I snarled quietly and removed my invisibility. I stormed to the vampire, already to confront him.

"What is your problem?!" I shouted and he jumped, seemingly with fright. His head snapped and looked at me with his red eyes. "My friend's family's lives are on the line and all you can say is you don't want to be here?!"

"Look, I'm sorry I'm not that hopeful," he replied to me. "Really, I am. But you didn't have to go and talk to me like that."

"What?" I shouted at him, furious. "Do you hear yourself?"

"Oh. Right, right." His tone darkened as he sauntered to me. "Yeah, and being on the run for centuries and then ended up being on Aro's list!"

"Don't tell me the Volturi are dangerous?" I sarcastically asked him.

"Don't joke about them."

"Am I laughing?"

"Well, if the witch can."

What the hell did he mean? My eyebrows furrowed and my gold eyes stared angrily at him.

"Say that again," I dangerously said.

"If the witCH caN," the vampire enunciated.

"Okay, nomad..."

Then, my black hair floated off my shoulders and my gold eyes glowed a shiny purple. My hands clenched into fists and then glowed like my eyes. I managed to see the vampire looking nervously at me, making a smirk to appear on my pale face.

And charged.

I threw up my forearms like an attacking thug, but the nomad slipped to the side, pushed my elbow down and away, caught my head, and rolled me into the floor. I watched the muscular nomad rushed toward me in slow motion as I jumped to my feet. The nomad sprinted as he pushed past the boxes. I did not try to stop him; I rolled my hand under his wrist, drove his arm over and back, and pulled him backward and down. Then, I slammed him onto the floor, and hit him on the forehead with my fist two hard times.

"You like that, huh?" I taunted him.

Then, he slapped his right palm down on my face, knocking me down onto the floor hard.

"How dare you?!" I gasped with a shout in my voice.

I tackled him, a raging female drilling a nomad from the floor, a clean shoulder-to-shoulder hit that arched his spine. The boxes clattered onto the attic's floor and skittered into the darker corner. He kept coming, driving his legs, finishing the hit and I collided to the wall, gravity making me sat down.

"I've been a vampire longer than you," he told me as I got up.

"Yeah," I replied and my hands glowed. "But who's got the power?"

I got up with quiet speed and took another step forward, crowding him. I grabbed his wrist with my left hand and we rolled towards the attic door. We fell and landed on the floor and I hit him twice more with my right hand, square in the nose. He sagged with his head on the ground and I locked his arms together, placing it on his back.

"Take it back!" I demanded loudly. "TAKE IT BACK!"

He groaned. "Don't think just 'cause you're a girl," he said to me. "I'm gonna take it easy on you!"

I pushed his face down hand, causing him to cry out.

"Violet!" I heard Simon calling for me and I rose my head. I saw him looking at me with a concern stare, but I didn't think it was for me. "Why are you attacking Alistair?"

I glared at Simon for a second and then back at the nomad — who has been named Alistair — and I removed myself from him.

"Hi, Simon," Alistair said with a groan. "Long time no see."

As he got up from the floor, and as spotting Dad, Joseph and Carlisle coming upstairs, I remembered Simon's story about how he became a vampire. Then, I remembered the name of the vampire who turned him.

That was Alistair.

"Alistair, Violet," Carlisle said calmly, walking to us. "What's going on? What happened?"

"I was sensing some crazy stuff going on up there," Joseph added, pointing to the attic.

"She almost killed me," Alistair replied.

"Oh, come on," I exclaimed. "I didn't almost kill you. It was a violent disagreement."

"Why were you both in the attic?" Dad asked.

"You know me, Gabriel," said Alistair. "I prefer to be alone."

So that Alistair knew my family? Well, of course he would considering that Simon is is the coven. Dad turned his head to me.

"I heard his footsteps and I thought he was a Volturi guard," I explained myself, my head gesturing to the nomad. "And he did call me a witch so I beat him up."

"I didn't call you a witch," Alistair defeated. "I said if the witch can."

My right hand glowed again and Dad put his hand on my shoulder, my body relaxed.

"I can't believe you got your arse kicked," Joseph chuckled, shaking his head and glanced at the nomad.

"Alistair, come meet everyone," Simon suggested warmly.

Alistair shook his head. "If it comes to a fight, I won't stand against the Volturi." Then, his red eyes glared at me. "But if so, she would."

Ayla's voice echoed in my head. Are you going to fight them? The Volturi? Are you going to fight them?

"It won't come to a fight," Carlisle told him.

"I'll be in the attic."

They watched as Alistair jumped up into the attic and shut the door behind him.

"He's not a people person," Simon explained.

"I kinda figure that out," I replied and we walked downstairs, leaving Alistair alone in the Cullens' attic.

Continue to 14. THE ROMANIAN COVEN

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