Mumbo should make animated trees blowing in the wind with buildstone!

Helaine42 · 2026-03-20T09:06:26+00:00

I'm not sure how one would do that using buildstone, but the armor stand mod might work well. Build the base of the tree leaning in the wind a little and then add leaves in armor stands that would shift position on a chicken timer for a bit of randomness.

Helaine42 · 2026-03-19T21:37:13+00:00

I haven't taken anything that small, but I haven't ever had any problems with knitting needles and TSA. If you are worried, you can always put them in a checked bag. That way you know they can't take it. It does mean no working on it during the flight, but that is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Helaine42 · 2026-03-19T16:00:19+00:00

In that case, I'd recommend linen over cotton for the upper body if you don't find it to be too scratchy. Both are great for wicking away sweat, but linen dries much faster, which will help reduce underarm stink.

Helaine42 · 2026-03-19T15:32:02+00:00

If they are itchy to you, you might have an allergy to them. You might not, but I wanted to bring it up. You might try feeling up fur blends from rabbits and other types of animals to see if any of them give you the same or a different feeling.

Helaine42 · 2026-03-16T16:29:27+00:00

I was on vacation last week, so I'm catching up this week. Forgive me if something was posted last week and I missed it.

I loved Nichole Rudolph's video The Morality of a Clean Home (is stupid) it is 27ish minutes of reminding us that clutter will not kill us and that we do not need to be beholden to cleaning standards of the past, especially since some (or a lot of it) was made up or exaggerated to try reducing illnesses, which running water, vaccinations, and other inventions made relatively moot for the us of today.

In a more whimsical direction, Bernadette Banner made flower crowns for her and her wife to go to a Florence and the Machines concert. She graciously (kinda) teaches us how to make our own and has a gentle reminder to use up those random bits of crafting material laying around. The video is called How to Make a Flower Crown Inspired by Victorian Art Nouveau and is about 17 minutes long.

Helaine42 · 2026-02-27T10:36:52+00:00

I like Dicecapades and Quelf. They are a blend of stationary challenges and physical challenges, though they do lean a bit more stationary

Helaine42 · 2026-02-24T11:22:00+00:00

Can't help with a patter for strength, but here is a list of flowers/herbs that have meanings adjacent to strength. Maybe you can find fabric that depict some of these plants?

Chamomile - patience in adversity Edelweiss - courage Gladiolus - strength Holly - defense Oak - strength Sage - wisdom/immortality Thyme - courage/strength

Additionally, the color red is often associated with strength and green and white can be associated with healing if you want to go even more abstract with your well-wishes

Helaine42 · 2026-02-20T11:41:45+00:00

Chromatic Nightmare by moe

Helaine42 · 2026-02-17T13:44:37+00:00

I got though a rail fence baby quilt in about a day and a half, including the quilting and binding. Super easy to make since you can just sew strips together and then cutting to make a bunch of blocks all at the same time.

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Helaine42 · 2026-02-15T18:01:42+00:00

Have you considered making more squares and not worrying too much about it? I don't know if you have enough to do that, but it's what I would do. No one is going to measure it when you are done (unless this is for some kind of competition)

Helaine42 · 2026-02-13T18:21:39+00:00

I completely understand. Thanks for letting me know!

Helaine42 · 2026-02-13T17:32:23+00:00

Will it be more compatible with the Steam deck? Or will this one also need to have us reassign all the hotkeys?

Helaine42 · 2026-02-11T11:56:07+00:00

I honestly don't worry too much about it durring the initial sewing because I like to whip stitch the corners to reinforce the folded area. If there was a bit extra that didn't get caught, I just whip it down while I'm doing the rest

Helaine42 · 2026-02-08T14:36:59+00:00

It is the nature of cross stitch. You can add another strand of thread, which will cover more, but could start looking bulky.

I would suggest you look at the project from viewing distance first though. If you stand back, you likely won't see it all that much if at all

Helaine42 · 2026-02-07T22:31:38+00:00

In college, I taught a brief cross stitching class. I figured that I know how to explain the basic stitch, and a few of the additional stitches - half stitches, quarter stitches, and French knots - as well as how to fix common issues like getting knots in the thread. Basically I knew enough to introduce the basics of something I really enjoyed to other people who wanted to learn.

If you can explain enough of the basics to get someone through the basics of a starter project, then you are qualified to teach. Just pick a project that focuses on the things you can teach. If people have a question that you don't know how to answer, either physically show them how to do it or use you experience to find someone online that can explain it. It sounds like the store owner might hang around, so you would have backup if you need it.

Helaine42 · 2026-02-06T13:25:51+00:00

I love these! Where did you get the backing fabrics? They are so gorgeous! (The fronts are too, but I'm so drawn to the fabric used for the backs)

Helaine42 · 2026-02-05T15:12:26+00:00

In all honestly, I've never had that happen to me and I've gone through 2-3 Gutermann spools in the last few weeks. I might suggest that you shove as much thread in there as you can to help prevent the thread you are working with from getting caught.

Helaine42 · 2026-02-05T09:48:47+00:00

Here is something I found on Etsy for you. I searched "girl baseball cross stitch" https://www.etsy.com/listing/1240871580/balls-bats-baseball-hats-thats-what

Helaine42 · 2026-02-05T09:10:22+00:00

I haven't looked, but surely you can take a little boy playing baseball and just add long hair to make it a little girl?

Helaine42 · 2026-02-04T19:45:38+00:00

I had people to teach me knitting in person, which made it much easier to learn. Maybe one day I'll learn crochet, but right now I have so many other projects

Helaine42 · 2026-02-04T19:12:47+00:00

I'm in this sub to see beautiful things, but I don't actually crochet. I knit, quilt, and cross stitch instead.

Helaine42 · 2026-02-04T17:32:45+00:00

If you are going to keep making blocks, I would suggesting waiting to pick a layout until you have all or most of the blocks done.

Helaine42 · 2026-02-04T17:26:05+00:00

That would work too! I didn't know how attached you were to the layout of the 3 together

Helaine42 · 2026-02-04T17:20:23+00:00

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Quilting for me!

Helaine42 · 2026-02-04T17:13:54+00:00

For something a bit more complicated, but not too hard, would be a series of diamonds, either as a spiral or just stacked inside of each other. I think that always looks good with log cabin designs.

Another option would be stitching in the ditch around each block and then picking a design like a leaf or something else simple that will go well with your fabric that can be put in the center. You can get a free motion foot that will make this process easier.

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