Originally, I was going to write this blog post as a sort of instructional guide on how to navigate the Japanese animal importation process for your pet cats. Having recently done so, I thought it would be a good way to assuage your fears and anxieties.

It turns out the process is fairly well explained by the Japanese Animal Quarantine Service (AQS), albeit not in chronological order. So I’ll skip most of the details, except for the parts we feel could use some clarifying. But what I won’t do is assuage your fears and anxieties, because if you screw it up—like we pretty much did, despite enormous amounts of planning and fretting and duck-alignment—things can go wrong for you, and your fluffy little buddy could spend six whole months locked away in kitty quarantine. So, instead, I am writing this post as a cautionary tale on what can go wrong.

To add color to the narrative, let’s introduce the subjects. On the left is Little Man, aka smoker cat, aka Mr. Kitty, aka Buttface McGeezy. On the right is Cheesy Poof, aka the fat one, aka Booga Bear, aka Buttface McGeezy.

Pre-flight Preparation

I’ll assume that you’re starting this whole process at least seven months before you’re due to arrive in Japan, or else you’re completely screwed—your best hope is to find a foster home or release the cat into the wild. Get your cat microchipped, inoculated for rabies, and blood drawn and sent to Kansas State University as described by the regulations. The Japanese love themselves some regulations, and they are sticklers for the rules. The order of operations is very important. Our first mistake was doing each step of this process on different days for each of our cats, since our car couldn’t carry both of them at once. The dates on the documents differed for each cat, creating opportunity for error that the vet later stumbled into like a big dumb dinosaur into a tar pit.

When filing your advanced notification with AQS, your options are mail or fax. I strongly recommend hellofax.com as a web-based fax service. The first few faxes are free, it is easy to earn additional free faxes, and they transmit internationally. Figure out which AQS branch at Narita to send the notification to based on what terminal your airline uses. The notification process is actually quite good; they responded to us by email and we were able to clarify some of the confusing parts of the importation process.

A few days before your flight, you’ll have to have an APHIS Form 7001 filled out by your vet, as well as Forms A and C from the AQS. My advice: Double check all the information on these forms. You’ll then have to mail them off to APHIS for official government seals, and they won’t necessarily confirm that the information on the forms matches the source documents either.

Flying Day

You’ve got all your ducks in a row, your cat is locked safely in its prison cage, and you arrive at the check-in counter to check the cats as baggage. In our case, the incompetent desk staff spent an hour checking us in, then decided that we actually needed to take them to the cargo terminal. (This was a lie. Or, at best, a complete misunderstanding of their own system. If this happens to you, call the office you made the reservations with—United PetSafe for us—because even though you think that they were one of the twenty offices they called before deciding to fuck you over, they weren’t.)

So off you go to cargo, taking an airport taxi and paying even more money than the pet reservations should have. The cargo agent will be terse but efficient, and he’ll get the cats stowed away. Then you’ll be stranded at the cargo terminal, and will rely on the kindness of strangers to drop you off back at the passenger terminal.

Next you’ll enjoy your flight. I recommend getting hammered.

Arriving in Narita, your plans are now screwed. Your cats flew cargo instead of baggage, so you can’t pick them up in the baggage area like you’d hoped. No, once again you have to slough your way to the cargo terminal, this time with all your luggage. Your airline’s baggage assistance counter will hopefully have directions on a print-out, but your cab driver won’t speak any English. There is one saving grace: You are in Japan now, and the service will finally be fantastic.

An Introduction to Japanese Bureaucracy

At the cargo terminal, you’ll have to sign in at a security gate and receive visitor badges. The terminal is actually two levels, with United’s area on the lower level, which is a bit confusing. You’re now a good mile from the passenger terminal and the buses to Haneda, but the check-out process will take at least an hour, so it’s probably unwise to ask the cabbie to stick around. If you’re lucky, like us, the fantastic service will extend to the airline giving you a ride back to the terminal. Otherwise, you might have to call another cab, and hope that they can find you. Or walk.

At the customer service desk, your pets should be waiting for you. You’ll have to complete the quarantine and customs process next. The airline assigned a driver-cum-chaparone to guide us around the government complex. First stop is the AQS. Here they will scan your cat’s microchip and closely inspect your paperwork.

If you’re unlucky or careless like we were, this is where you will find out that the vet filled out the paperwork incorrectly. In our case, the vet put the wrong dates for a rabies vaccination and the blood test on Cheesy Poof’s forms. Even if you have the original vaccination certificates and the results from the blood test with the correct dates, if they aren’t sealed, AQS will disregard them: It’s the sealed forms that matter.

And do you know what incorrect forms gets you? Summary judgement for your cat: Six months in quarantine. Straight to Guantanameow. No credit for time served.

If you’re especially unlucky, you’re a regular schmoe planning on working in Japan. In this case, your cat will be kept by the AQS service right there at Narita. We were lucky enough to be moving to an air base, so AQS released our cats to be quarantined there. There was more light at the end of the tunnel: AQS said that if we could have new forms drawn up by the military vet with the correct dates, they could release Cheesy Poof from quarantine. This is very, very good news, since Cheesy Poof wouldn’t thrive in a prison environment.

Double check your paperwork.

The last step is a visit to the customs house across the street, where you probably won’t have to pay any additional duties so long as the cats are your pets (and not for sale). Then it’s back to the airline’s cargo service counter to pay any service fees, and off you go back to the terminal… with the cat, God willing.

Onward

Cats have been permitted on every bus we’ve taken so far (so long as they fit on your lap), and the regional train. They aren’t allowed on bullet trains unless they’re in a very small carrier. This came up when our flight to the airbase was cancelled, and we had to make alternate arrangements: either take the train, or fly to a nearby city and get to the airbase “somehow.” JAL does a very good job flying with pets domestically: The fee is a flat $50 per pet, they always fly baggage, and you don’t need reservations. I really like Japan.

We opted to fly, then took the bus to the train station, and a train to the airbase. Doing this with 120 lbs of luggage and two thoroughly unamused animals amounts to an extremely tiring adventure. The cats are a bit of a spectacle, and the Japanese riders tended to be amused by them instead of annoyed.

And that’s it. The cats are now safe and secure in the base kennel. The base vet is working with AQS in Tokyo to have Cheesy Poof’s quarantine lifted. We hope to bring him home with us next week. Total cost: Well over $2000, most of my sanity, and a dangerous brush with total calamity. To conclude, do not bring your cats Japan unless you absolutely can’t live without them. Like us.

 Lord Baron Von Partyfoul and The League of Evil

I survived my weekend of villainy, only to be struck down by an unknown malady. Curses! Now that I seem to have made a recovery, I shall continue this tale.

Armed with my concepts I set about formulating the plan of attack. I typically break the down process down into three main categories:

What do I already own?

What can I make myself?

What do I have to buy?

After gleaning what I could from my rather considerable stash (who would have guessed it would be so useful for villainy?), I proceeded to the fabric store to for further resource acquisition. This is always the most dangerous part for me, both for my budget and the space in my apartment. With practice I have gotten better at navigating its pitfalls and emerging mostly unscathed. I try to keep these things in mind and usually end up alright:

•  Start at the remnant bin. Best way to get small pieces of expensive fabrics.
• (Almost) Always go for the cheaper option.  You are making costumes, not high fashion.
• Stay out of the “special occasion” fabrics. Again, costumes, not ball gowns. Unless you are some sort of diabolical debutante…
• Am I going to want to set my machine on fire attempting to sew this? Pleather and slinky knits can do wonderful things, but are tricky to sew. Just keep that in mind.

And as I learned this time, beware the trim aisle! This is where I got in trouble. That big fancy chain on Lord Baron? Twenty bucks a yard. Fortunately I only got one yard, and had a half-price coupon to mitigate the damage.

He knocks the cups out of the hands of society!

Materials acquired, I set to work. I made all the  lovely armour first. I have become quite adept at cereal box armour. It’s amazing what you can do with some beer boxes and some spray paint.

 Next I did all the sewing. Most of it was pretty simple and went smoothly. There were only minor altercations with the sewing machine. A plumbing leak and subsequent emergency rearrangement left my good sewing machine trapped behind my bed, so I had to make do with my mediocre machine. We had a few disagreements. It realllllly wanted to eat the fantastic silver fabric I bought for traffic safety. I realllllly wanted it not to do that. We somehow muddled through it without mutual destruction.

 All told I ended up making:

• 1 helmet
• 2 sets of shoulder armour
• 3 capes
• 2 pairs silver under/over pants
• 1 pair pleather spats
• 1 pair fancy arm guards
• 1 set epaulets
• 4 hench hoods
• 4 traffic safety sashes
• 1 faux fur wrap

And assorted costume assistance for my villainous compatriots. Inevitably I change my designs as I go along, and some elements get left by the wayside. I didn’t do a fancy collar, and I didn’t make boot thingies for my henchmen. I was also too cheap to shell out for red gloves for them. I spraypainted kitchen gloves instead (with mixed results). I did however make a nice fur wrap for myself to keep off the spring chill. I may be a cold-hearted villainess, but I hate being cold.

 The lovely Lady MacDeath and I

 The only things we ended up buying pre-made were some black leggings, a black shirt, rubber dish gloves, and the ridiculously awesome henchmen goggles.

The Lead Hench also got fancy epaulets…and a balloon.

 I ended up spending about $70 on fabric (without coupons it was over a hundred bucks). Goggles and extras probably brought the total for supplies up to around $100. That seems like a lot (and I did splurge a bit and ignore my own advice on a couple of items), but that was enough to make costumes for me, Mister, and four henchmen. Pretty good for budget villainry! I bet would could have afforded some more henchmen. Because you can never have too many henchmen.

I’m pretty sure they’re conspiring to get health benefits.

 (And many thanks to Henchman Frank, Miss Demeanor, and Lady MacDeath for some of the excellent pictures.)

Okay, I’m back! I spent last week down visiting the storied Grandma, down in North Carolina. I thought I’d be able to wrangle out a post while I was there, but as is often the case, my ambition and reality didn’t align. C’est la vie.

While I didn’t get any writing done, I did do a lot of plotting…nefarious plotting.The Mister and I have decided to turn to a part-time life of villainy (this may or may not coincide with a pubcrawl next week). As most of our dastardly plans revolve around making a public spectacle of ourselves (such is the wont of supervillains) we find ourselves in need of some dramatic costumes. Otherwise people might mistake us for regular villains. Or drunken louts. One of the two. Maybe both.

Designing a villainous costume is certainly fun, but it is also more challenging than one might think. You have to strike a careful balance between menace, flair, and utility. There are many important practical considerations that are often overlooked. I tried to address these questions while designing our outfits:

• Will I freeze my a$$ off in this outfit? (or alternatively, overheat?)
• Am I going to lose any parts of my outfit?
• Can I make most of this out of bargain fabrics and cereal boxes?

And perhaps most relevant in this case:

• Can I comfortably drink in this outfit?

After a week of plotting, I think I’ve hit most of the important elements. Of course a super villain is nothing without minions, so I didn’t forget about properly attiring my underlings either. The state of dress of a henchman says a lot about you as an overlord.

So I’ve got my concepts down. What now? Stay tuned for next week when I realize my drawings!

]]> https://jefita.com/2014/03/26/fashion-tips-for-supervillains-part-1/feed/ 1 https://jefita.com/2014/03/12/how-to-enjoy-spring/ https://jefita.com/2014/03/12/how-to-enjoy-spring/#comments Wed, 12 Mar 2014 20:04:59 +0000 http://jefita.com/blog/?p=857 By popular demand, more comics! Pretend it’s on time.

Ahh, the sun is out, the birds are singing, and the daffodils are starting to push their way up. Spring must finally be on the way right? Hahaha, just kidding, it’s just a tease. A cruel, cruel tease.

I’m going to be honest, I’m pretty close to full blown grumpus. If the weather doesn’t stop toying with me soon, I might lose it. I want sunshine. I want to go barefooted. I want to stop wearing pants. Right now it’s a pleasant 65F outside. I can hear gobs of birds warbling and crooning. It smells like spring. Unfortunately, I’ve already checked the weather, and it’s going to be back down to freezing with 25 mph winds tomorrow. Oh what fun! I think I’ll start working on my blanket nest now.

Grump, grump, grump.

Courageous Tillie and his faithful steed George set off to seek adventure. Who knew what exciting foreign lands and heroic deeds lay before them? They would cross the treacherous River of Eels, slay the terrible monster of Gila, and they would rescue fair Hilda. Songs would be written about them, they would be showered with untold riches, and they would get to have tea with the Queen. All the neighbors would be envious. And as long as they were back by dinner, Tillie’s mom promised they could both have cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles for dessert.

Do you remember being a kid and you just got a brand new set of markers (or colored pencils, or crayons) and you were consumed by a need to use all of them, at once, on one glorious picture?  This happened to me rather frequently.  Just seeing the huge rainbow mega packs in the store would make my eyes glaze over with longing.  This did happen to other children, right?  Well, I never grew out of it.  Every time I go into an art store, the panoply of  color still calls out to me and I am overwhelmed by a irrational need to own all of them, even the colors I don’t really like.  I guess it’s not all that surprising that I ended where I am today.

Anyways, the point of this story is that I got a set of markers for Christmas.  Fancy grown-up artist markers.  I have been lusting after a set of Copic art markers for several years now, but I was too cheap (broke) to ever invest in a set.  At $4-6 bucks a pop, they get expensive very quickly, and I was worried that I might not like them after blowing all that money.  At some point in the past I tried out some Prismacolor markers and it felt like I was coloring with very expensive Sharpies that were half dried up.  Sure, I do have a beloved rainbow set of Sharpies, but I don’t use them for artistic masterpieces.  On the other hand, I have only ever heard good things about Copic markers, and I like the look of artwork produced using them.  I really wanted to give them a try.  I was so excited when I finally got them, that I think I squealed when I opened the package.

Needless to say, I’ve been avidly tooling around with them in my spare time since then.  The illustration above pretty much sums up my childlike glee.  I am extremely pleased with them.  They are everything I wanted them to be.  They are double ended, with a wonderful brush tip on one side.  The color flows smoothly from both ends.  You can layer and blend, and there is no icky smell–the whole experience is very similar to using watercolors.  I’ve been pretending for years that painting with watercolors was an enjoyable, not time intensive, finicky, often frustrating experience.  This is really what I wanted all along.  Double plus bonus, I have also discovered that they work well on fabric which opens up all sorts of new possibilities for my sewing.  I didn’t even consider this use until after I got them.

So if you have ever considered trying out art markers, I would definitely recommend them.  About the only drawbacks in my mind are the expense, and the fact that they bleed through nearly any paper.  The expense is worth it, especially considering that they are refillable, and as long as you remember to put down a blotter sheet, the other part isn’t a problem either.  There are a few different styles available, but I found this to be a pretty helpful breakdown of each:  Copic, Sketch, Ciao, or Wide.  If you are wondering, I have the 36 B set of the Ciaos.

Now that I have this wonderful set, I am struck with a new dilemma–I only have 36 out of the hundreds of colors.  It seems like such a paltry number all of a sudden.  I need all the colors.  It’s like Pokemon, you gotta catch them all.  I suppose if you aren’t into Pokemon or obsessed with art supplies, you don’t understand.  I see you start to back away slowly with a concerned look on your face.  It’s okay, I understand.  It’s not for you.  Just enjoy the pictures and I promise I won’t tell you anything about how awesome my Charizard is.

I have to say it’s pretty satisfying getting something that you designed yourself.  Also, I still have a childlike delight for getting things in the mail.  All in all I am very pleased with this purchase.  I ended up ordering my fishy pattern in three different color themes on quilting weight cotton.  The fabric feels good and the colors turned out perfect (I did make sure to use their recommended color palette).  So far it is working out great for my little koi.  Now I can finally get going on this project!

If you been unable to find that particular pattern you want or fancy yourself a budding textile designer, you might give it a try. For the Photoshop users out there, here is a handy tutorial for making a pattern tile-able.  I’ve also made a little diagram of how a pattern fits together.  I know it’s pretty obvious, but I find it easier if I have a visual reference.  I would also suggest that if you are making a tile-able pattern, start filling in the edges first.  Once all the edges match you can fill in the middle however you want.  And if you just enjoy making patterns, you can make your designs available to the public and you get a small commission for each sale.  Just remember folks:  if you are creating a pattern, respect intellectual property rights!  Don’t “borrow” copyrighted material even if it’s just for you.  There is so much license free material out there, so you have no excuse.

If all that is too scary, you can also browse through the tons of cool designs for sale that other people have contributed.  One of the other things I’ve seen on there that looks really fun is patterns for dolls, plushies, masks, and other goodies printed directly on the fabric.  You purchase the “project” and it’s sort of like getting a kit.  All you have to do is cut it out and sew it together.

Now that I’ve thoroughly geeked out about this, I do have to say it has some drawbacks.  It is a bit on the pricey end.  I spent a while lusting after all the pretties Spoonflower has to offer because I couldn’t quite justify spending that much on a whim.  If I hadn’t had this commission, it probably would have been a lot longer.  I don’t often use the types of fabric they offer.  It’s definitely a useful high-quality product, all the fabrics are organic natural fibers too, but unfortunately at this point in time it’s not something I see myself using very often.  Of course window shopping is free so I will continue to long even if I don’t need any of it.

Long ago when I first became a maker of plushies, all I used was craft felt because it was well suited to the tiny creatures I made.  Also, I was dead broke and that was all I could really afford to work with.  As I got further into the world of plush I dreamed of the days when I would have a vast array of fabric at my disposal.  Having inherited my mother’s weakness for outrageous colors and fabrics, I yearned for all sorts of exotic materials.  In particular I lusted after a stash of wild and colorful faux fur.  I was terribly jealous of my fellow plush makers who used the stuff all the time.  Finally, the day came when I stopped being broke all the time and I made up an excuse to start my own glorious collection.  These days I am finally starting to have a respectable stash.

Recently I have received a few inquiries as to where one starts acquiring said wonderful fur.  I remember being stuck at the beginning too.  Where do you actually buy the stuff?  I was horribly disappointed by the paltry selection I first encountered at my local fabric store.  It usually only comes in black and white and is of a dreadfully cheap quality.  I wanted to find that fantastic stuff I saw other people using.  I turned to the extensive knowledge base of the wonderful Plush Team (of which I am a member)  and I discovered that to get the good stuff, you are probably going to have to do your shopping online.  In the beginning I was very hesitant about buying fabric that I couldn’t touch, but this was soon outweighed by the ease and selection of online shopping.  Since I know how frustrating the hunt for right material can be, I have attempted to put together a small guide of sorts here.  It is based on my own shopping experience so it isn’t terribly extensive, but it should be a good starting point.

Part 1

Where to shop

1. Fabric.com
   This website doesn’t have a wide variety of furs, but the stuff they do have comes in a wide range of colors and is reasonably priced.  I also use the site a lot for ordering other types of fabric.  Shipping is super quick.
2. DistinctiveFabric.com
   This place has a great variety of furs available.  The prices are pretty reasonable.  Shipping is usually pretty quick, but I’ve heard from others that it can be slow sometimes.
3. Mendel’s
   I haven’t actually ordered from this site yet, but it is well recommended.  They have a fantastic selection.  If you can’t find what you need at the first two sites, you can probably find it here.  Unfortunately it is a bit more expensive that the previous two.

A few tips on shopping: Just a warning, nice faux fur, the stuff that is thick and soft, is a bit pricey.  The $20/yard range is pretty standard.  However the fabric is usually 60″ wide so a little goes a long way.  Also, many of the above sites will let you buy in half yard increments.  You can also get a swatch for very cheap (sometimes free) if you want to know what a particular fabric is like.  And if all else fails, the first two websites have very generous return policies.  Personally I haven’t been disappointed yet, so I haven’t had to return anything.

If shopping online really isn’t your thing, try finding an independent fabric store in your area.  The good ones will generally have a better selection than the big chain stores.  I don’t drive so I haven’t gotten around to investigating the ones on my area yet.

Part II

What to buy

For this part I am going to turn things over to an expert in fuzzology.  This is Professor Fuzzwald, a researcher at the Bunny Hopkins Advanced Fuzzics Lab.  He has agreed to talk about some of the properties of faux fur to better inform your shopping decisions.

Good day, makers-in-learning.  Today we are going to talk about properties of materials.  The proper selection of materials is an important part of any project.  For this discussion we are going to be looking at the contents of Jefita’s faux fur stash.  I will be evaluating the various furs based on two main factors, the Softness Scale and the Fuzz Index.  The Softness Scale is a gauge of how pleasant to touch something is, or how coarse the fibers are.  The scale ranges from 1 (scruffy dog) to 10 (chinchilla).  The Fuzz Index is from a combination of fur thickness and fiber length.  It is essentially how dense and furry the material is.  Now let us begin!

First we will cover the cheap stuff.  These samples came from the local Jo-Ann Fabrics.

This one here has a Softness of 3, and a low Fuzz Index.  It is rather long and shaggy, but not very thick.

At first glance this one seems cotton soft and fluffy, but it really only has a Softness of 4 and low Fuzz Index.  It is somewhat stiff and much thinner than it looks.

This sample is a bit surprising.  Despite its origin it has a Softness of 6 and a medium Index.  The fur isn’t all that long, but is decently thick  and pleasantly scruffy looking.

Now we have seen what is at the bottom of the scale, we can move on to the nicer stuff.

Faux Fur Luxury Shag Fabric from Fabric.com

This is a lovely variety of fur and comes in a wide range of colors.  It has a Softness of 9 and a high Fuzz Index.  Fiber length is only about 1-1.5″, but is nice and thick.  Look at that lovely sheen too.  Example use: the Monster Bag

Pay attention to cross section here.  See how thick that is?  That is indicative of a high Fuzz Index and good quality of the material.

Extra Long Hair Fur Fabric from DistinctiveFabric.com

Here we have a much longer fur.  As you can see it has a stringier texture.  Despite this appearance it has a Softness of 7 and a high Fuzz Index. Example use:  another Monster Bag.

3 Tone Fur Fabric from DistinctiveFabric.com

Moving into the more exotic furs, we have this long multi-colored sample.  The base color is rather short so the accent colors seem to “spike” out.  It has a Softness of 8 and an high Fuzz Index.  Example use:  the Kitty Bag.

Sparkle Fur Fabric from DistinctiveFabric.com

This is an interesting mix of properties.  This long glittery fur has a medium high Fuzz Index, but a Softness of only 3 or 4.  Fortunately the Sparkle factor balances out the low Softness.  Example use:  Murf the Monster.

Lastly I would like to cover one more category, the not-quite furs.  These materials wouldn’t really be considered furs, but they have their place in the world of fuzzology.  They don’t have a Fuzz Index but instead just a Softness rating.

Soft Fur Fabric from Fabric.com

This material carries the name “fur” but as you can see is very short and not really furry at all.  However it does have a nice sheen and a Softness of 8.

Minky Solid Fabric available online and locally

While not a fur in any sense of the word, it has a somewhat of a furry appearance.  As the name would suggest it is “minky” soft with a very high softness rating of 10.  Example use:  Zoe the Soft Rocker.

That is all I have to cover today.  Hopefully this lecture has helped enlighten your fabric choices.

Thank you Professor Fuzzwald!

That’s about all I have for this segment of Fuzzology 101.  Sometime in the future I hope to have another session covering the makeup and handling of faux fur.  I’m not an expert on working with faux fur yet, but I’m going to share what knowledge I have.  If any of you have questions about this topic please let me know.  I would also love to hear if you have anything to add!

So I am Jefita (he-fee-tuh), the Maker of Things and this is my endeavor to document the various things I work on.  Primarily I design and produce my own stuffed animals these days, but these tales don’t just cover my professional ventures.   I am also an artist, dabble in millinery and clothing,  started a noob garden, and work on making tasty things to eat.   From time to time I come up with other random projects to tackle, like breeding fish.

I was going to spend some time telling you about myself, but then I decided you can figure it out as I go along.  Also, you can go check out the About page.

Now you may join me in my adventures!

I’m going to start this out with some sew-along geek-tastic plush goodness, but there was an unfortunate incident involving the meeting of my knuckle and the cheese grater last night.  So, while I sulk for a couple of days, you can brush up on your sewing skills if you would like to follow along.

Since many of the projects I tackle involve sewing, I’m going to cover some sewing basics.  Conveniently, I already have pre-grater-incident pictures to illustrate.  These are the simple stitches that I use all the time.  I am demonstrating all these on some craft felt, which is super cheap and readily available at craft and fabric stores, but you could use most any fabric scraps.

1. Running Stitch – Usually this is used if you want to join two pieces of fabric with the stitches on the inside so they don’t show.  It can also be used decoratively to add patterns to the fabric.  Even though this is the most basic sewing stitch, I actually don’t use it all that much.  Still, good to know.

Sew pieces together with right sides facing for stitches on the inside

On the right side the stitches don’t show

2. Whip Stitch – I use this a lot.  It is a good stitch for fabrics that don’t ravel or fray like felt or fleece.  Because most of what I sew is felt and I like my stitches to show, this is a very handy stitch.

Join the edges of two pieces from inside or out

Using a whip stitch to “patch” pieces together

3. Back Stitch – This is really just a decorative stitch.  I use it to add details to my work.  You can basically “draw” on your project with it.  It is suitable for all fabric types.

Using the back stitch the needle goes back and then forward a stitch.

Whip stitching was used for the construction and back stitch to add the details

Stay tuned to find out what I will be making with these skills!  I hate guessing games, but I love surprises so I’m not going to tell you yet.  If guessing is your thing, here’s a hint:  it’s not an animal, person or monster and if you have any sort of geek heart it will make you go squee!.

Deploying surprise in five… four…