Star Trek Podcast Fandom

These ornaments/badges have very little popular appeal, I'd imagine. They're based on in-jokes from a podcast I love: The Greatest Generation. (A Star Trek podcast by two guys who are a little embarrassed to have a Star Trek podcast.)

But sometimes I have to make stuff just for myself, or just to see if I can, or even just because I have an idea in my head that will keep percolating until I exorcize it appropriately. 

Thus: A 6-part ornament series...based on jokes that no one but me and a very niche audience will get. 

Worf's Loaves, Kevin Uxbridge's Real Dolls, a Natural Yeager, and the potted-plant-ness of the two lead female characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation (Deanna Troi and Beverly Crusher). 

Wesley Crusher also gets an ornament, featuring his coogi-style sweaters.

And Yar's Scarves. The currency of the future? Scarves. 

Well, they made me a little bit happy, and other fans seemed to like them. So I guess it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Buttons

Felt is still happening, but instructions have slowed down a bit. 

Why? 

Because I found my grandfather's old button maker. 

That, combined with my grandmother's old vintage 1960s magazines, has produced a new craft!

Behold. Buttons.

The challenge to myself is to use the vintage phrases/words from the magazines along with the pictures. It'd be easier--though not as fun--to create my own sayings to match the vintage imagery. 

Considering that my desire to do these far outstrips the space I have on any given piece of clothing/purse/whatever to display them, I think I'll put these in my etsy shop, eventually. 

Here is a sampling of some other buttons...under the cut. 

Sally Yates: "I said no."

Timeliness can be problematic. After Sally Yates eviscerated Ted Cruz and John Cornyn I had a friend pipe up: Hey, you should do a Sally Yates thing!

Which...yeah. I totally should. And fast. Because I doing these current event felt objects means that time is of the essence. 

So I designed and made a Sally Yates ornament:

With mistakes. 

First off, Sally doesn't really have many pithy (short) quotes to use. 

Secondly, it's really hard to accurately capture that head-looking-up regal pose without someone looking just plain crooked. So much of that chin definition in that pose relies on the natural shadows and 3D-ness of the human body. It's very difficult to subtly render anything in felt, and it requires subtlety. 

Because of this, the lettering looks crooked. Which bugs me a TON. 

I also got the layering on the pink shirt wrong. I guess I haven't done one of these in a while (I've been working on a Firefly Busy Book and some stitching samplers) and I'm out of practice. 

Oh well, you can't get them all right the first time. I might still use this example in a pattern, though, because I rarely love making the same thing twice. 

Monty Python Holy Grail Busy Book

All my felt crafting started with a busy book. It was a Star Trek TNG busy book, to be exact. I bought a pattern off Etsy, and made my first project. 

But, you see, I'm kind of a Star Trek superfan. I kept thinking of scenes and characters that I wanted to add to the book. So I designed my own pages and added to it. Eventually I had to split the busy books into TNG and TOS. But I digress. 

I also love other geeky things. So I designed and made a Monty Python Flying Circus busy book. Behold!

The cover page is pretty basic, so dive in after the jump!

Adding Motion: Latrice Royale

I love RuPaul's Drag Race. Unabashedly. Unashamedly. Hence me making a RuPaul ornament. I wanted to memorialize more Drag Queens in felt (because who wouldn't want to do this?), and Latrice Royale was my next choice.

I loved this picture:

But the hand was kind of problematic in felt. It would look strange to just have it there, static. It would have been easy to eliminate that hand (by making it straight down at the side), but then I thought...why not have Latrice blowing kisses?

I have done a lot of motion stuff in my busy books (which I still have not posted...and will get around to eventually), so I had an idea to sew a button to make the arm moveable.

And thus, I added motion to ornaments.

Static pictures:

And video (if it works!):


Now I'm curious about what *else* I can add motion too. Could Julia Child actually tenderize a chicken? SHE COULD. If I can dream it, I can make it.

Techniques: Stitch Lettering

I brought my base patterns (without any instructions) down to a craft weekend with friends. I had intended to supervise and teach a bit, but becoming absorbed in my own projects made me less attentive than I should have been. I ended up saying things (after they had already started) like: "Oh, it's much easier if you do X first...sorry, I should have been paying attention."

One thing that might be particularly tricky if you don't have instructions: Stitched lettering. I have an order of operations that makes it go much more smoothly than it can otherwise go.

First:
I didn't take pictures of the very start of the process. I cut out the paper pattern and tape it to an approximate-sized piece of felt around the edges.
Note: I do not cover any stitch areas with tape. It makes it hard to tear later.
Note 2: I do not cut out the felt ornament at this time.

Tape down! Don't cut!

And here's a cut because more pics....

Off the Shop: So you've had a vasectomy!

A friend's husband had a vasectomy.

This occasion needed to be celebrated by something that I will likely never sell.

I realize it's not biologically accurate, but it does capture the spirit of things. :)

Off the Shop: A dubious commission.

I've detailed here how I decide who and what to make, and one of those criterion is that it has to fit with my personal philosophies in some way. I wouldn't ever make a Hitler ornament, for instance, because f*ck no.

So when a friend asked me if I was making a Donald Trump ornament, my response was an enthusiastic "absolutely not". When he asked me if I could make one for him, it was a similar response.

But he begged and begged with the absolute caveat that I could make it look like anything I wanted; it didn't have to be reverent (he was not a Trump supporter).

We looked through pictures together and settled on a design that he and I could both tolerate.

I still delayed. I created projects that were placed into the line before this one--every time I would think about doing it I would exclaim an audible "ugh".

But once I say I'll do a thing, I do it.

And here it is.

It's interesting. Because my heart wasn't into it, I didn't really do as quality a job as I would have wanted to . . . and I don't care. I would have re-done the eyes, for sure. And the mouth. (Stitched instead of felt.) Alas, I'm not spending another moment on it.

This is also not my original design. If I had intended to sell this or do anything more than quietly give it to my friend, I wouldn't have blatantly ripped off this street design and I would have put more effort into many elements.

The original "Dump Trump" on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Courtesy of Hanksy. Via Business Insider.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg: The Value of Trial and Error

The Ruth Bader Ginsberg "DISSENT" ornament was one of the first I made. I had a Notorious RBG maternity shirt, and when I wanted to see if I could do faces it was my first crack at it.

RBG--first attempt.

Not bad for a first crack at it. But then I made a bunch more ornaments and this one--though really popular--was bugging me a little bit. I had learned not to accidentally split a stitch on small details (you can see that her "lace" collar is pretty wonky in places), that thinner, stiffer felt works much better for lettering, and better techniques for doing eyes.

So I decided to give it another shot and got this:

RBG -- Second attempt.

Much better eyes. Thicker, denser face felt, more conscientious collar stitching. Incorporating my husband's feedback that the letters were a bit hard to read, I included the center stitch that I had been including on more recent ornaments.

Here's the before and after:

I think I'd make the center-stitch a light grey color, were I going to improve this a bit more.

Free Patterns: Crest of Hyrule, Weeping Angel, Saved By the Bell, Julia Child Badge

I'm posting more free patterns. These are mostly by request/made as gifts and are either too simple to bother selling or have copyright issues that make me not want to do so (or I think interest will be low).

So here are free patterns! You get a reference picture, supply list, and full-size pattern pieces by clicking on the links (either title or picture) and downloading/printing the PDFs from my google drive.

Step-by-step instructions are not included because they're time-consuming to write--but you can always email me--craftsubversive@gmail.com--if you have questions.

The Crest of Hyrule (Legend of Zelda)

Weeping Angel (Doctor Who)

Julia Child's Cooking Badge

Saved By the Bell Logo

More free patterns--Leia, Yoda, and a Minion--can be found here.

Current Times Call for Current Measures

I had mentioned in this post that I had considered making an Elizabeth Warren ornament, but that she wasn't distinct-enough looking. There also weren't any short, pithy, memorable Warren-associated phrases that would overcome the recognizability issue.

Enter current events. Hello, current events. Elizabeth Warren tried to read a letter from Coretta Scott King giving facts that applied to why Sessions was a bad choice for Attorney General. And she was silenced. Banned from speaking.

McConnell stated: "She was warned. She was given and explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted."

Boy howdy. Hullo Elizabeth Warren ornament. Your silencing has become a battle cry.

Free Patterns: Leia, Yoda, Minion

I ended up creating quite a few ornament patterns at the requests of others or as gifts. These patterns don't necessarily contain original (non-licensed/public) characters--so I don't feel quite comfortable selling the patterns. In some cases they were just really simple so I don't feel like they're worth selling.

However--since they're already designed I might as well share them. Simply click on the links to open the PDF patterns in google drive (anyone with a link may open, download, etc.)

The PDFs contain a supply list, reference picture, design picture, and full-sized pattern pieces. They do NOT, however, contain step-by-step instructions. (This is what takes a *lot* of time with my patterns.)

You can email me (craftsubversive@gmail.com) if you have questions or need assistance. However, with the lack of instructions in mind, these might be better for slightly-above-novice crafters.

Cartoony Leia

Cartoony Yoda

Minion

Have fun! There will be a few more freebie patterns to come.

Firefly Finger Puppets!

AKA: Ain't nobody got time for Simon Tam.

I just posted a pattern for these Firefly finger puppets. Hello Captain Mal, Inara, Wash, Zoe, River, Jayne, Kaylee and Shepherd Book!

I originally designed the finger puppets to be part of a page in a Firefly busy book (that I'm still working on designing). However, a Firefly-fan-friend needed a Christmas present, so I made them and gave them to him. There will be more finger puppets to come (Star Trek TOS characters and some Star Trek TNG supplemental characters--the TNG busy book I originally made from someone else's pattern had no female characters at all. So.).

Now I have to make a second set for my busy book, so I'm looking at improvements.
Mal, Wash, and Kaylee are all really good.

Shepherd Book, Zoe and Jayne are recognizable but on a level just below Mal, Wash, and Kaylee.

Inara and River? Pretty generic. There's a reason I didn't do Simon Tam--he's totally generic. I'm not sure what to do with Inara and River, frankly. Inara might benefit from a less cartoonish lip. River might need hair that doesn't look sort of like dreads. I could make an alternate party-Kaylee and an alternate freed-hair Shepherd Book, too.

Oh, and Saffron, I feel, could be included. Cleavage stitching might need to be employed.

Other finger puppet sets I'm considering making:

• PBS Pack (Mr. Rogers, Bob Ross, Julia Child)
• Star Trek captain series (Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer)
• ABBA (Because, well, why not.)
• Golden Girls (let's be honest...I should probably do a whole busy book page design for that)
• All 12 Doctor Who Doctors (and some supporting characters--though, frankly, this is a market that has some play in this space already. Whovians are crafty.)

As I say. When I start doing a thing, I really DO a thing. 

Techniques: Eyes, Part 2

Tina's eyes are...not ideal. I mean, not her. Her felt representation.

As I mentioned in a previous post, eyes have been difficult for me. The best technique I came up with was to cut out an eye hole, carefully cut out an iris (which is hard, because it's tiny), glue the iris in, and then stuff little fluffy bits of spare white felt in to fill the whites of the eyes.

This technique tended to work better on brown or tan felt "skin" than on cream "skin".

It looks pretty good on Neil deGrasse Tyson, for instance. 

I decided to take a bit of a risk and try something different. Behold, the technique of stitching the top part of the eye and then making a french knot for the eye itself:

Wellstone!

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony

What I get is a greater amount of eye precision (though French knots can be tricky if your thread decides to get weirdly bumpy or oddly shaped in your knot) without looking like it's too raised up from the page (causing a pop-eye).

This didn't really work when I stitched the lower part of the eye:

Bob Ross looks...kind of creepy this way.

I'm wondering if I should re-do my patterns with this instruction (or maybe just an alternate method description). It will likely, however, get too confusing. So I should just commit to one method or the other.

Idea-->Execution: Frida Kahlo

Sometimes my ideas don't turn out quite right and I can't figure out why. Take Frida Kahlo, for instance.

Some elements need to be way-simplified for felt, but as far as inspiration goes--you have a distinct look. This should, in theory, be an ornament that turns out well.

But it didn't.

The pattern I made looked okay. (Note: my patterns are a combination of freehand and tracing, depending on how I want to interpret a subject. Sometimes I do multiple images sort of mashed into a representation that I'm looking for--but this was meant to mimic a bit more.)

But somewhere in between the pattern and the execution...something just didn't translate.

It wasn't bad, per se, but there is something about it that is just...off. Which is very disheartening after spending quite a bit of time on that flower embroidery background.

I always have issues with eyes. Eyes are tough because they can go dead-eyed uncanny-valley very quickly. But this seemed more...hulking... than Frida. So I gave her a jaw shaving.

And it's kind of amazing the difference such a subtle change makes. I'm still getting a lot of shadow under the brows (because of the way the light falls), but it's a totally different looking Frida. And, perhaps, it's a less accurate Frida (the original picture has that very rounded off--nearly square-to-round jawline, this is slightly more heart-shaped).

Sometimes you have to exaggerate or suggest some features in this medium (like the lips are merely represented by stitch, otherwise everyone looks like they have pouty-duck-lips).

Before:

After:

I had similar problems getting things right with Hillary Clinton and Julia Child.
And let me tell you, it's gutsy to cut into an already-assembled project. One must have the courage of their convictions.

How Do I Decide What/Who to Make?

Patterns in-process

My Etsy shop has a really weird amalgamation of things. Pokemon. Star Wars. Star Trek. Politics. Science Icons (coming...). Feminist symbols. With more being added as they strike my fancy or I get requests.

Why are the things that are there...there?

For lack of a better reason: Because I like them (and also because I made a gift for someone).

I've had a few requests: Can you make so-and-so? Well...maybe?

Here are the criteria I use to decide what to design:

It fits with my personal philosophies in some way (or, at least, I'm neutral on the matter).

My dad suggested that, to pair with the Ruth Bader Ginsberg ornament, I should make an Antonin Scalia ornament. . . . Nope. Not going to happen. Hours of energy go into designing an ornament and making it. I'm not going to spend that much time and effort on someone I'm philosophically opposed to.

The person has a distinct, recognizable look.

There are a lot of awesome, but very generic looking, people in this world. I wanted to make an Elizabeth Warren pattern, but Elizabeth Warren (though I love her) looks kinda like generic soccer mom #5. (FOR THE PURPOSES OF FELT RENDERING.) The same goes for Sonia Sotomayor. She is fab, but isn't instantly recognizable in felt form. Susan B. Anthony sort of has the same issue.

It helps to have a unique phrase/quote. 

Michelle Obama didn't turn out that distinctive-looking. This is my failing as the designer and speaks to my artistic limitations, surely, but still. However, she had a great quote that helped aid in being recognizable. Quotes, unfortunately, also have to be quite short and pithy. "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum." ["Don't let the bastards grind you down."] from Handmaid's Tale was, necessarily, shortened to "BASTARDES".

It brings me some sort of joy.

The things I make are mostly (with the exception of gifts I've made for nieces/nephews) things I really love. It gets to be a pretty eclectic spread. I love Bill Nye the Science Guy. I love powerful, strong women (I have a Notorious RBG maternity shirt). I love Star Trek. And Monty Python. And Firefly. And Julia Child. And RuPaul. And Doctor Who. And a bunch of geeky pursuits. So what I love is what I make.

It has to be able to be rendered in felt.

I don't have my Busy Book patterns up yet, but as I was going through those--taking scenes from things I loved--part of the challenge was to figure out how to render them in felt. A friend suggested I show a Romulan Warbird uncloaking. Awesome! How do I do that...in felt? There's a similar challenge with people--they have to be recognized with simplified features. (Too complex and their faces turn into a big ol' hot mess.)

 So what's coming up, as of right now?

Patterns made, crafts made, awaiting instruction-writing:

• Bill Nye (The Science Guy!)
• The Golden Girls 
• Weeping Angel 
• Crest of Hyrule 
• RuPaul "Werk" 
• Firefly Finger Puppets
• Busy Book: Monty Python Holy Grail
• Busy Book: Monty Python Flying Circus
• Busy Book: Star Trek TOS

Patterns made. Crafts and instructions not yet made: 

• Neil Degrasse Tyson
• Frida Kahlo 
• Lucille Ball (winkin' and drinkin' Vitametavegamin)
• Calvin and Hobbes [Gift.]
• Link (from Legend of Zelda) [Pattern made. Need to make craft and instructions.]

Patterns, crafts and instructions yet unmade: 

• Tina Fey "Bitches get stuff done" (if I can figure out how to render her in felt...she is going to be problematic, I think.)
• Jem (of Jem and the Holograms)
• She-Ra
• Opus 
• Paul Wellstone "We all do better when we all do better"
• Busy Book: Firefly (this has been started, but not enough to count)

Things I'm considering, but seem less likely:

• Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Susan B. Anthony
• Che
• Something Barack Obama
• Dr. Cornel West
• Malala

It's a lot of things! But I'm always open to suggestions--so feel free to send me an email/message if you see a void in the world that must be filled by felt crafts.

Techniques: Lettering

When I did my step-by-step process post using Betty White, I missed an important element that is featured in a lot of my ornament designs and deserves its own walk-through: The Lettering.

To go through my tips and tricks/process for making the lettering with the middle stitch, I’m going to get help from Mr. Joe Biden.

Hey Joe!

 And since this is going to be picture heavy, I’m also putting it behind a jump.

Off the Shop: Things I Can't/Won't Sell

Along with the normal round-up of semi-subversive ornaments, there are also several that I likely won't end up putting in my shop/sharing widely.

So they're going to go here.

I have a Happy Uterus Ornament as seen below:

Which is adorable. And a little bit subversive. My mother--the Scandinavian nurse--was amused and baffled, but not totally horrified.

But this one is NOT going into the shop.
(Putting it behind a jump because of mild-NSFW-ish-ness...I mean, it's a felt vulva.)

Making Betty White

Hi Betty White!
I got a few requests to make a process post showing how I make my ornaments/felt crafts. So I took pictures while making a new ornament: Betty White!

I'm going to walk through some of my techniques and tips and tricks and you'll also see some of my thought process/adjustments as I go along (this is my first time testing the pattern).

(Forgive the basement lighting--the color will be inconsistent, but you'll be able to see what I'm doing, generally.)

And because there are so many pictures...it's behind a cut!

Techniques: Eyes

Eyes have been a learning process for me. It's hard to get eyes that don't look weird or creepy, but are still representative of a more realistic style.

Not every eye style will work for every project. Here are the different representations of eye techniques:

This is simply a French knot on top of the felt face.

This works fine for projects like this--these Firefly finger puppets don't need accurate eyes, just a suggestion of them.



Here, Leia is meant to be more cartoonish, so I simply cut out very tiny rounds of felt and glued them on the face piece.







Cartoony characters in general are a bit easier. It's easy to layer their eyes with different color felt components. They don't need to look flat or inset, because a pop-eyed effect doesn't take away from the overall look (or, in some cases, is consistent with the character).


This is a simple backstitch over the felt layer using the full strand of embroidery thread. I find it a bit bulky.

Julia also has a face under this face. Because the first eyes just did NOT work out and I had to try again.


These two are examples of the same backstitch technique, but using different strand thicknesses. The Handmaid is has 3 strands of thread from the 6-strand original, and Rosie the Riveter has 2 strands of thread and some very fine eyelash detailing.


Bob Ross and Captain Picard are examples of stitching the eye shape detailing and then doing a French knot pupil. In Bob's case, he doesn't have any additional eye fill, where in Picard's case, the whites of his eyes are stitched in. I do not prefer this technique, and if I re-did these I would use the next technique.



Cut-out eyes are tricky but the effect is worth it. Here, you cut out the eyes in the top layer of felt and then insert a small piece of felt for the pupil. This took some time to learn.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg was my first experiment in this technique. Because she has dark eyes and light skin, overall this works.







With Michelle Obama, I thought I'd try an inset French knot. So I cut out the eye holes, but I filled them in with a French knot instead of felt. This is not a bad technique, but the felt pieces were easier for me.


The first attempt didn't include whites which, in my opinion, is not a great look. I added a tiny bit of white felt filler (without gluing in), and I think it looks much better that way.




Filler also improved RuPaul's eyes. I don't glue in the white filler, I just tuck it in the eye hole. It should stay with normal use.


 Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher, like RBG, didn't seem greatly improved with eye white filler. So I left them as-is--cut-out eyes with felt pieces glued in the center.


Of course, if this is all too complex, you can always take the easy way out...

 And just make weeping angels.