The Desert Mermaid

Oh, hey, I almost forgot! Look what I made myself for my birthday!


Somebody needs a haircut.

It's a fall-colors triple Byzantine chain with a leaf clasp. I was really happy to find the clasp, because it can be worn on the front as a centerpiece if I want.


The lighting in my house: still bad.

I do want!



Here's some better lighting. The colors are all my favorites--I'm a fall colors kinda person, if you didn't know. (You totally knew.) I had a bit of a stretch in cognition to make the colors alternate properly, since my brain takes a minute with some of those tasks. But I worked it out!



Up close. I rather enjoy working with chainmaille, but it does cramp up the hands after a while. However, I am trying to build up a bit of an inventory of this plus my friendship bracelets; the goal is to start a fairly well-stocked Etsy store by January. We'll see if that works. For now, though, at least I get to enjoy the making and the wearing!

So about five years ago I got this quilt kit for Xmas. I've been poking at it off and on ever since, and a few weeks ago I finally poked at enough that it turned into an actual quilt!

BEHOLD


This is not my bed; I sleep on a hobbity little twin bed. But the lighting on this one is much better.

That right there is an awesome space-themed quilt. It was billed as a wall hanging, but I added enough exra fabric to it to make it into an actual people-sized (well, hobbit-sized) blanket. It's got a blue flannel back to it and is wonderfully comfortable.


What the hell happened to the lighting in this photo? I don't know how to camera.

Plus, it's got rocketships all up on it.



The center panel is a rather haphazardly-arranged collection of constellations whose placement would probably appall Neil DeGrasse Tyson. But hey, at least the constellations themselves look right. And it's got both Northern- and Southern-hemisphere patterns, so I can learn some unusual ones, like "The Toucan," "The Telescope," and "The Poop."*

To quilt it, among other things I traced the constellations. I have no idea if I managed to learn them better, but it was kind of fun tracing them.

But of course, you're all just dying to know the big question, the most important thing about this quilt. You will not be satisfied until I answer the burning demand: Does it glow in the dark? And I am here to tell you that yes. Yes, it does.

The stars and the planet outlines do. I have yet to get a good photo of it because, again, I am bad at camera, but it's a lot of fun. I'e taken to turning on my big overhead fluorescent lights before going to sleep, just so I'll have the constellations glowing happily at me when I do. It's glorious.

I should really make quilts more often than every seven or eight years, But at least I feel super special when I do get them made.


*Yes, really. A lot of the Southern constellations were officially named during the Age of Exploration, and so explorers gave them more modern names, defined as "whatever junk was lying around in their immediate view at the time." So you have a lot of constellations named after navigation instruments. There were also a lot of ship parts--including the "poop deck." Which leads me to a follow-up. Dear Astronomers: please quit coming up with names that make it incredibly difficult to have conversations about astronomy without having to at least acknowledge awkward double-meanings. It's just getting ridiculous now.

American Girl might have dropped the ball once again with another white Girl of the Year, but I will admit that lately they've made a few other rather impressive attempts to be inclusive. Along with the orthodontia set that I still find to be utterly hilarious, and their longstanding wheelchair option (I think I even have one of the early models around here somewhere), this year they've added options like a doll-sized epi-pen, dolls without hair, and--most relevant to my interests--a behind-the-ear hearing aid.

I considered getting one of these official hearing aids for Summer, since the ones I made for her got lost a while back. But that would require sending her in to the Doll Hospital, and I am far too lazy. That's why God gave us Sculpey and product packages that include 30 million twist ties apiece.



So I made her a new set of hearing aids. The earmold is straight purple Sculpey; the case is white Sculpey with green nail polish. The connector is a twist tie.



Hair out of the way.



I did take an idea from the AG aid, though. I've been trying to find a good way to keep the aids in her ears, and the piercing they do seemed like a good idea. So both the earmold and the bottom of the case are attached with headpins.

I'm also glad I got to pick my own colors for these. Pink is nice, but Summer just doesn't seem like the type who would pick pink for her hearing aids. Fortunately, do-it-yerself gives me far more options. Thank goodness for Sculpey.

No, this is not snow. Take a closer look.



There are some disadvantages to all these lovely cottonwood trees blowin' in the wind. A lot of librarians alternately sneezing and swearing, for one thing.

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My own garden is primed and ready to go. The radishes and parsley are already having a great old time, the strawberry is blooming, tha calendulas are turning into weeds, and you can see some of the little seedlies that will turn into carrots chard, and spinach.

Since I took this picture a couple days ago, I've stuck in a couple of tomato starts, a couple pepper starts,* and a bunch of marigolds. If it's anything like last year, this sparse-ish patch of dirt will start looking pretty green in just a few weeks. At least, I hope so!



My first radishes! See the pink ones? This is a blend of Easter egg and red radishes. Because, you know. RAINBOWS.

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So it's ben getting warmer around here, balmy and breezy, and I have had to face facts: my fuzzy winter shoes have turned from cozy, soft winter protection to the Red-Hot Iron Shoes From Hell. Clearly, I needed a pair of sandals.

ME: I need some sandals.

REI Lady: What kind?

ME: I need some that'll support a lot of walking, and I need closed toes.

REI Lady: What are you planning to do with them?

ME: Work in a library.

REI LADY: …

ME: Ever run over your foot with a book truck? You need some structure there.

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I made this necklace last year. It's a net weave of seed beads and irregular freshwater pearls. The closeup didn't turn out, so I'll have to snap a better shot, but it looks pretty good just like that, don't it?


*I'm trying to start my own from seeds, but I am still rather bad at it. Better safe than sorry, sez I.

UPDATE ON THE LIGHTING IN MY HOUSE: Still bad.

The fabric for the shirt put me in mind of a couple things. It’s soft and a bit thick like a kikoi from East Africa, which is one of the parent cultures of Rocket’s society. And maybe it’s the stripes that remind me of a sailor shirt, and I wanted to evoke that here—something a merchant spacer would wear on a ship in hyperspace.

The pants were an accident. I originally intended this outfit to have black pants with a blood stripe, a direct ripoff of Han Solo’s pants, but I hadn’t made them yet and the purple pants she does have didn’t look good. So I grabbed these khakis from Molly’s aviator outfit and really liked them. They are a little little big—I don’t think they’re Pre-Mattel, but they still fit Molly better, and she does need a pair of pants. But I do like the khaki, so I’ll have to make a similar pair for Rocket at some point.

And yes, I still plan to make her more classically shiny Space Clothes. But this was first on the list, and I had the fabric!

Using the Emergency Backup Sewing Machine lately, and it seems to work fairly well! Dig: Daja’s got a nice new outfit!


There is no place in my house with good lighting. NONE.

I tried to base this one more closely on Daja’s native Trader clothes as described in the beginning of The Will of the Empress: tunic and leggings cut from the same cloth. I did have to guess on some things—the peasant blouse style for the top and the corded belt were my own additions.

Also, y’all, I made pants! Yes, I’m getting better at them, but every single time I make a pair I am desperately pleased with myself. Somehow they are way scarier than tops.

Also, it turns out that peasant blouses are the most fun things ever to sew. And that fabric is great—I swear, I’m going back to Dumb JoAnn’s to get enough to make me a peasant blouse like that.* And, well I’m gonna look for more good material for another Trader outfit for Daja. That was too darn much fun.


*I’m so used to sewing doll clothes that whenever I sew something people-sized, I panic about a fourth of the way through any seam. “WHERE IS THE END OF THIS THING OH GOD.”

Damn. Here I thought I was all set for dolls for a while, and along comes Inspiration. I now suddenly have terrific ideas for THREE different dolls, all of whom would allow me to come up with different wardrobes and accessories from those of the dolls I currently have, and all of which would be incredibly fun to design. So I have something to look forward to when I have a little spending money. SHUT UP, IT’S NOT A PROBLEM, IT’S A HOBBY.

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Speaking of dolls, I made a new shirt for one of them! Check out Kuen’s space-themed tunic!



Both top and bottom fabrics are scraps from a quilt kit I have (it’s a hell of a quilt). The design is remarkably similar to one by ampmcreations, which I found through firinel (thanks, Fin!),* but modified to fit a slim-body doll and with snaps instead of velcro in the back. Also, it is not professionally sergerized, since I haven’t got a serger. I still think it looks pretty good, though I’m not sure about using the dark blue thread on the hem. I’d hoped it would be an accent color, but I may redo that hemline …

Oh! And did I mention it also travels through time GLOWS IN THE DARK?

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Meanwhile, I also have the quilt this fabric came from all stitched on top. Now it needs batting, backing, and binding so I went to Dumb Jo-Ann’s to see if I could find either. Problem was, everyone else in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE also decided that Dumb Jo-Ann’s was the place to be on Friday at 4:00, so I had to fight my way through hoards of Grumpy Craft Ladies and mothers of small children. Every last one of those mothers was in that short-circuit daze that happens when you have 2-4 small, energetic kids pulling your sleeve and slamming into Grumpy Craft Ladies and flinging random things in their carts and expounding upon the benefits and drawbacks of their favorite Pokémon. Not easy to get around them when they’re like that. So I was almost relieved when I didn’t find a good indigo flannel back for my blanket, since that meant I wouldn't have to wait in the line to get it cut.

I’ll try another quilt store this week.

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I am pretty sure the whole Liberry Bunny idea exploded in the hangar, just to reassure y’all. At least, I am HOPING it did. I’ll let y’all know if it ever rears its ugly head again.

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And finally, check out what happened last week when the burrito I was microwaving exploded and sent molten cheese at me!



That’s the skin on the inside of my forearm, just below the wrist, and this is after a week. It’s amazing what cheese can do!


*I also bought a couple items from them and hope to find more in the future, because it’s perfect clothing for one of those hypothetical dolls I want. Also, quality handmade doll clothes just don’t HAPPEN on the internet. Once you have found it, never let it go.

Hey, my camera is full! You know what that means, right? CAMERA DUMP!



A dramatization of what the weather was like yesterday. This was actually taken a few weeks ago, but same principle. I love it when it’s so cold the clouds fall completely out of the sky, leaving you with frigid sunny days and a layer of sparkling snow. I am rather sad that my camera did not capture the sparkles, though.



Mom made this wall hanging a few years ago, minus sleigh and decorated tree. We were surprised at how much we liked adding the Christmas effects.



Daja gets her Longnight tunic!

Longnight is what the people of Emelan call the longest night of the year, although just how it got a name like that is anybody’s guess. People stay up all night to greet the sun in the morning. It’s also the birthday of one of Daja’s foster parents!

I am hoping this tunic is a good imitation of the men’s “over-robe” style that Tamora Pierce often refers to in the Circle books. Daja tends to wear men’s clothes more than women’s, so this seemed natural.



And Loke gets a dress, as well!

I did not make this dress. It was part of the iDolls line (yes, really) from Kid Galaxy 10 years ago. I tried to make a dress based on something like these, and it mostly turned out pretty damn good even though satin can kiss my ass, but when I sewed the skirt to the bodice it gathered wrong or something, and now it’s all wonky. Plus, after a while that site gives me the heebie-jeebies.* Hooray for eBay!

I also want to make her a uniquely Hawaiian-type Xmas dress (I have an image saved from a site I can't remember: sleeveless dress with matching sarong), but I'd have to find the right fabric for it. Maybe next year.



Hey, look, I made another Magpie Necklace! This time our scavenger seems to be a mermaid, who has found quite a few pearls to hang on a woven cord, accenting some of the other things she’s scavenged. (That starfish’ll get good and tarnished in the sea water, but hey, so it goes.)

At this point I’m still just making them for myself, but I am still waffling over whether to sell them. It seems like a lot of extra work to do it, but, well, I dunno. I’ve never been very good at selling things. I always feel rather dishonest, and I’m not sure why. I guess I’m just not cut out for Business.

I may take shots of the doll display later, but right now it is Reading Time, so y’all will just have to back off whilst I go read. Good day to you.


*It’s the Purity Balls. You read one article about dads taking their daughters out and promising to guard her virginity until he hands her over to her husband, and you wind up conditioned to have an adverse response to girls’ party dresses forever.

The other day my sister and I went to Color Me Mine, the local ceramic painting studio, because you can never have too many mugs.

I have been to Color Me Mine too many times over the years:

ME: Do you still need to ask for permission to use the red?
CMM EMPLOYEE: What?
ME: Back in the day, when they first got red paint that wouldn’t kill you, it was all temperamental and you had to ask for assistance before you used it.
EMPLOYEE: This story is only supported by half-remembered songs of the Ancients, and they all sank into the ocean years ago for angering the gods. So, go ahead and use that red paint.
ME: You realize that those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it. The gods will smite you all over again.
EMPLOYEE. Shut up and choose some paint pens.


Some of these pictures are stolen from my sister, because I forgot to bring my own camera along

So what you do is, you select a blank bit of ceramic, and you paint it with acrylics, and then the nice employees glaze it and kiln it for you, and then if they are clumsy they drop it and it is lost forever, although that only happened once.



ME: I like how you wound up painting a right handed mug when you’re a lefty.
MY SISTER: I what? SHIT!


This time I did a conlang mug! This one’s in Rredŕa, the language of the arhods, who take their tea very seriously. The vines are stylized sharyu vines, which is their main tea type.

( But what does it SAY? )

Hey, guys! I have a question for you!


Would you buy something like this?

I know I would, but that’s a moot point. I’ve already got one. I’m wondering if anyone else would.

See, I’ve got all these pendanty bits, and wires, and ribbons, and beads, and yarns, and it occurred to me that they’d all look great together. So I’ve been putting them together in these chokers, which I’ve been calling Magpie Necklaces because, well. Shiny.

And it struck me that if I like them, other people might, too. I could open up a shop on Etsy, if there’s enough interest.

So! I ask again: Would you buy something like this?

( A few cosmic details behind the cut )

How about this one?



( Details )

Or this one?



( Dude, this is PIRATE SPLENDOR. What’s not to love? )

Or maybe this one?



( Just kidding. This one is mine. But I can make more like it! )

If I were to continue to make and sell these, they’d probably be in the $40-$50 range due to the cost of the materials. I could probably make cheaper bracelets and anklets, too. But I wanted to start with a few before I made a huge investment.

I know I’d buy them. Would you?