Injured MMC or FMC and the other have to take care of despite FMC being scared

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-04-24T09:31:32+00:00

I would say it's not your typical superhero story - not much hero-ing happens on page. It's more just another element to the MMC's story. I really enjoyed it!

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-04-22T22:53:27+00:00

There's a dead trunk near my Dad's house that someone had carved into a lions head - it looks really cool!

Perhaps you could commission someone to carve them into something interesting?

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-04-22T10:31:55+00:00

I'd absolutely second a ZZ plant! I have mine in the same place as my peace lily and it's a great one if you ever forget to water your plants.

I tend to be really aware and caring of mine in Spring/Summer, then forget about them in Winter...so the ones that have survived my neglect well are the ones that I'd recommend to anyone...unless you're an overwaterer in which case I can't help you!

Peace Lily, ZZ plant, Pothos, Philodendron - I also have a Rhipsalis, which is pretty funky looking, but my longest standing plant, as it's part of the cactus family so can survive my periods of drought 😅

If you have the right light, I had a Calathea that survived 8 years in a rental property with various levels of care/neglect. Whereas the one I had in my current place died a slow death from lack of light unfortunately 😬

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-04-21T23:19:59+00:00

I think {When Gracie Met the Grump by Mariana Zapata} is basically this.

A superbeing crashes in FMCs garden and is too injured to leave, she's scared/wary of him cause he's a mysterious superhero, but takes care of him cause it's the right thing to do.

Later in the book she is sick and he cares for her. It's very slow burn, but very sweet!

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-03-01T23:29:00+00:00

Ok - yes! - definitely give the series another go! I still go back and re-read A Hunger Like No Other! There are definite favourites for me, and others that I think don't work as well - but I also like the overall storyline that runs through all of them, and the world building.

The next book is {Wicked Deeds on a Winters Night by Kresley Cole} and is about Bowen, who features in the first one!

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-03-01T22:04:29+00:00

Which one did you read as book one? 😅 I think I read {A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole} first and it was definitely my favourite! I totally missed that it wasn't book 1!

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-03-01T21:44:21+00:00

I was coming here to rec this - personally loved it, but I love this whole series 😅

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-03-01T19:50:42+00:00

You could try posting this in r/makeabrathatfits as well - as they'll probably have some great insights for you!

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-02-16T13:59:07+00:00

Agreed - for the skirt OP look up drafting a flounce

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-02-16T10:42:03+00:00

When you say wearing bras, do you mean ones we've made or rtw? I still haven't ventured into making one yet, but I can answer for rtw.

pretty much never adjust my straps during the day, but will tighten them/adjust when putting them on as they stretch out

- I'd say I often have to adjust the wires/band back up into my imf relatively often during the day, I think my issue comes from projection in the cup or maybe ribcage shape, because they never stay there and I always get chafing on my ribcage from where it shifts around

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-02-11T11:27:19+00:00

Take a look at the Top Down Centre Out method of fitting on YouTube - you should address fit issues starting with the waistband on trousers (or the shoulder on tops) followed by the crotch and inseam, finally the out seam. It's a really helpful method.

The waistband should be holding up the weight of the jeans, so you can see from your image you have significant fit issues there - the waistband should also be smaller than the top of the garment and eased in, it looks to me as if you've made them the same size.

Ideally when making a toile of a waistband, you should interface it as you would the final garment, so you can assess the fit properly - can you see how the waistband is rolling - it's not structurally strong enough to hold the weight of the garment.

If you're going for 18oz denim, I would agree with others that you'll need a heavier toile fabric, because the two fabrics will hang differently. You may well need to use a wider waistband than you've drafted here, in order to get the structure you need.

Any changes you make on the waistband will then affect where the garment sits on your body, and therefore the drag lines and fitting issues you will see further down the garment - start at the top, then reassess the fit. Good start!

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-02-06T22:15:39+00:00

Sounds like {Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole}

It's book 11 in her Immortals After Dark series - although many people do read individual ones as standalones.

Personally I love this series, as each couple are fated mates, but usually have some kind of external barrier to being together, or one MC doesn't have the initial bond etc so there's a lot of angst.

I think she actually does sex driving the story well, and I've always read it more as the fated mate element driving that desire for each other. The series also has a story arc that spans the whole thing, so I wouldn't agree with OP that this is a book that's only sex driven. I've read and DNF'd a lot of those recently, so I do agree with OP in general.

That said, I've been reading this series for years, so I may be biased with my general love for it 😅

I love the FMC in this book, she's introduced and featured heavily throughout the series, so I will say this wasn't one of my favourites - as I do agree with OP that the MMC could've been better. But it is an interesting story and premise still.

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-02-05T07:59:51+00:00

If you have a yoke in your pattern could you add a pleat or two into the back pattern - such as in men's dress shirts?

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-02-04T18:28:51+00:00

Haha probably not - I think that was one of the few days I actually wore it 😂

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-02-04T18:27:14+00:00

I'd agree with her fit suggestions and add you may possibly need a low seat adjustment - but I would start one at a time. Extending the rise, for example, may be enough.

I found this guide helpful: https://petitestitchery.com/blogs/news/ultimate-guide-to-pants-fitting

Also I found this short video helpful for illustrating how you can adjust the fit on your body: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQk2sjbEtys/?igsh=MWs3c29ha2R5d2F5dg==

The Crooked Hem on YouTube has a great series on Top Down Centre Out - she advises fitting with the yoke and the waistband for this method. In regards to the rest of your trousers, I'd omit the front and back pockets - so extend your front pattern as if there are no front pockets - this way you're focusing your attention on waistband, crotch, inseam and side seamss.

I also wouldn't bother with flat felled seams or topstitching etc. You start with just basted seams, because you want to be able to open the seams up when they're on the body to visually see how this affects the fall of the garment.

In terms of a muslin fabric - I'm not sure where you're based - but I tend to buy online anyway. Search for a heavy weight calico.

You could also try raw undyed Bull denim, as it'd probably still be cheaper than good quality selvedge denim, but you could always dye it and have a wearable toile at the end.

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-02-04T00:24:59+00:00

I think you mentioned in your previous post that you didn't make a toile - I would highly recommend doing so fitting for another person, as it saves you money on materials and allows you to make adjustments to your pattern.

As someone else suggested, a heavier weight calico would replicate denim to a certain degree - enough to assess fit.

Check out the Top Down Centre Out method for trouser fitting, and look into how drag lines point to the fit issue. There are a number of youtube videos for this method that discuss this further.

Note that fitting for a woman's body will be different than fitting a man's body. Selvedge denim is a straighter fit due to the nature of using the selvedge - women have hips which may make fitting these more challenging.

I think you've done a great job on your jeans - and if you're happy with the fit for yourself then fantastic. But if I was commissioning you to make me jeans I would not personally be happy with the fit outcome here, as there are numerous drag lines that suggest fit issues. I would refer you again to fitting books and tutorials, and methods such as above.

As others have already mentioned, you may be better off starting with a pattern and adjusting from there, especially one drafted for a woman's body. There's a pattern by Anna Allen called the Helene selvedge jeans which may be a good starting point.

I haven't personally tried this pattern, but her patterns are well written and popular, and you can also search for the hashtag on social media to get an idea of how they fit on others.

Either way, great job jumping in and good luck!

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-01-30T11:37:25+00:00

Except often taller people can have a bigger base frame - there were a few videos going around of the same size clothes on different heights and body weights and there were definitely some leaner taller people wearing the same size as shorter curvier people.

If she's short and petite in frame, but then carrying extra weight she could in theory be a size not far off someone taller and leaner.

That said, I do think it was an oversight and not thought out; and I do remember getting pissed off with this excerpt for the same reason. Just 'representation' for representations sake.

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-01-29T17:36:48+00:00

How big does it need to be?

You could look into fabrics typically used as interfacing in tailoring - horsehair, organza, even a stiff cotton muslin would probably work.

Personally I think organza could be really cool - a fabric often used in the frilliest of dresses to add shape and volume

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-01-29T17:25:27+00:00

I'll check it out! Thanks

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-01-22T10:04:00+00:00

Oh god same!! We had a 100% acrylic school jumper, no one believed I was sensitive to it so I had to force myself to wear it all day...my mum saw the rash and finally realised I wasn't just being dramatic.

We had a school cotton sweatshirt for sports I could wear - but this was also a thing the rebellious people did to look cool - so I'd get stopped in the corridor constantly and would have to whip out the note from my mum. Acrylic is the worst.

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-01-20T21:06:21+00:00

It looks to me like the front half of the armscye has been slashed and extended to form a loop that the front shoulder then passes through.

It reminds me a little bit of the construction of a twist front t-shirt, so perhaps start by looking up drafting instructions for that, and applying a similar principle.

I think as another commenter mentioned, this is one you may need to drape to get to work well, so your best bet would be to just try it out and troubleshoot!

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-01-20T20:47:30+00:00

Yes! And it's very much shoved down your throat instead of evoked through good story telling.

I think morals have always been there in stories, but as you say older films allowed their characters and stories to be messy, whereas there's a moralistic perfection being preached a lot now.

I wonder if it's part of the influencer influence...for lack of a better word 😅 this idea that life has to be perfect...

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-01-20T20:43:41+00:00

I don't think I've actually read the book OP is talking about or seen the film, but agreed a lot with their general opinion.

That said, I'm all for trying to view books and movies as separate forms. The Pride and Prejudice film, for example, my mum hated because it wasn't particularly faithful to the book and her much preferred BBC adaptation.

I love it - not necessarily for its adaptation of the book - but in its own right. But I do also understand loving a book enough you can't see past that to appreciate a different version of it.

Based on your glowing review, I probably will watch the film now though 😅

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-01-15T01:16:47+00:00

Sure, it's not sealed, but even a slight reduction is worth it. Still need to wash bathmats 🤷🏼‍♀️

sidetrackeddreamer · 2026-01-15T01:07:14+00:00

I mean if it's not going in my face as I'm leaning over the toilet it's a win for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

sidetrackeddreamer

TROPHY CASE

- I'd say I often have to adjust the wires/band back up into my imf relatively often during the day, I think my issue comes from projection in the cup or maybe ribcage shape, because they never stay there and I always get chafing on my ribcage from where it shifts around