#picture tutorial

[seamsterslocal]

summer binder picture tutorial

this is the third binder ive made for myself recently and the first one i’m writing up. it’s designed to do a few things: 1) allow me to put it on by myself without dislocating my shoulders 2) allow me to breathe well enough to partake in normal activity 3) be cool enough to wear throughout a muggy 90-100F summer 4) not constrict my ribs in a way that aggravates my lack of connective tissue and causes intense pain.

this has become necessary even though i had top surgery many years ago, because when i had it i was extremely skinny and since then i’ve increased in size by about 50%. this has been really fucking good for my health in every single way* except that when my chest is squishy or moves at all it’s So Goddamn Triggering for me. but also since ive had top surgery ive developed and/or been made away of a plethora of chronic conditions that make every single commercially available binding option medically impossible. unbound, my chest is pretty much what you’d expect for a chubby cis guy but venturing out into the world in just a tshirt no longer works for me

*anyone who badmouths weight gain or fat bodies in the notes WILL be blocked

under the cut are a bunch of process pictures and explanations of what they all mean:

first i’ll give you a look at the pieces and measurements:

most of the seams are sewn in this picture and one half is turned inside out, allowing you to see both the finished dimensions (right) and the placement of the fusible horsehair canvas that gives this lil scrap of linen any structure at all (left)

to get your chest measurement, you’re gonna have to do some math:

first measure above and below what you want to bind. average these numbers. mine are something like 32 and 34, which average to 33. subtract a few inches--this is to allow the air movement between the laces at center front and back, critical in the summertime. i deleted 3 inches bc i like that number but you can go bigger if you want. the more inches you subtract here, the more youll be able to ratchet all your chest material down later, but at the same time you need to leave enough fabric for a sturdy garment. let’s say a range of 2-6 inches/5-15cm. by taking your measurements this way, you’re essentially measuring the chest you would like to have. that + the horsehair canvas work together to compress any squishy tissue/force anything that doesnt compress up and to the outside (basically into the armpit/lower shoulder--the chest might stick out but it will give a very puffed chest captain america pectoral silhouette)

you can also see how ive clipped my curves and pre-drilled my lacing holes. i used the marlin spike on my knife to open up the holes on the interfacing side, mainly as a way of marking them. this worked well bc the interfacing’s glue kept the linen from raveling

this is the same stage but looking at the non-interfaced grey linen/cotton blend (the black is some 100% linen from my cabbage stash). you can see ive broken the solar-plexus-to-back measurement up into a bunch of pieces to save on fabric but that’s not necessary. my original pattern was just two pieces (front and back) and chopping the straps into thirds on both sides was aesthetic

in the following picture you can really see how this is really just overgrown regency stays:

i thought about doing side lacing but didn’t think that would be comfortable for me. on the front, the side seam allowance was pressed inwards before turning to create a finished looking slot. on the back the side seam is left unfinished with an extra wide seam allowance, and is inserted into that slot.

here’s a closeup on it pinned in place (you can adjust the angle of the side seam and the fit during this pinning stage):

that side seam was just topstitched in place once i had the fit how i liked it, and the armhole was reinforced with more topstitching

alright, time for eyelets: first, you can see how well the marking worked:

next, two rows of basted eyelets (left), one row of eyelets sewn with a doubled and waxed cotton thread (center right), and one row of eyelets opened and stainless steel rings placed (right).

next time i’m going to mark the eyelets same as i did above, but do this step differently--i’ll mark and baste the steel rings in place BEFORE widening the eyelets. this is bc i had a lot of problems keeping the eyelets on center

eyelets half done on this one! on the left are eyelets sewn with doubled and waxed cotton thread and on the right eyelets sewn with quadrupled and waxed thread. the center is basting again. i was able to force the holes back in line while sewing the eyelets but it was kinda annoying. adding a second picture that doesnt have great focus but hopefully shows how that process worked and shows the spike clearly

i ended up using this white cotton thread because it’s stronger than my black cotton thread (which the rest of it is sewn with). [eta: after this was first posted, i pressed the whole thing heavily, which effectively de-waxed the thread, and i dyed the whole thing a medium charcoal grey, the thread blends in perfectly on the lighter side and isn’t such a sore thumb on the darker side]

bonus: the piecing layout for that little piece of strap. the whole light gray half of the binder was made from 1/2 of one of the legs i cut off some linen suit pants to make slutty camping shorts last year and i really really didn’t want to break into any of the other three halves for this garment--i have Plans for it

overall the fit of this is incredible. it DOESNT hurt my ribs which every zip-up garment ive been able to find (and it is difficult) does due to really thick elastic at the base. it doesnt aggravate my sensory issues with the synthetic fibers that every commercial option is made of. i can walk up a hill or stairs, or go to pt, without getting too out of breath. i can eat with it tight, or loosen the front easily and without taking it off to make eating easier and less nausea-inducing. it is reversible!

best of all the lacing at the back gives the garment enough movement for me to get it on without dislocating, and the interfacing and steel rings give it structure once it’s on. the shaping comes only from fusible horsehair linen canvas and stainless steel rings like youd use for chainmail, there’s no boning at all, which makes it very quick to sew (except the eyelets, but metal grommets would be sturdy and quick provided theyre of good quality)

there’s a small amount of gaping on the outside of the shoulder strap, which i plan on fixing with a tiny tiny dart in the armpit, i want to add pockets to tuck the laces into, and i need a better lace for the back, but it’s completely wearable in time for the 90 weather next week which is all i wanted. i’ll do a reblog when it’s perfectly finished with an update on the fit but for now it is done enough 

the little ridge where it doesnt lay flat against the shoulder is most visible with just a single t shirt over it. with a flannel or a sweater, it disappears, and by itself, it’s hidden in movement

eta: after dyeing this, i relaced it a bit looser in the back and that gape mainly disappeared. ive decided to leave it in instead of smoothing it with a dart because the loose fabric gives space for my chest to expand when breathing and shapes my silhouette in a way that emphasizes my shoulders

[tinyshe]

https://sewguide.com/how-to-sew-skirt/

[icantpickanusername]

How to make Kishibe Rohan's Headband Picture Guide

Materials:

Two sheets of Felt or Craft Foam

Printed pattern 

Scissors 

Tape

Craft Knife (optional, you can cut it up with scissors it’s just harder)

Sewing needle and string

Velcro

[crochetmelovely]

Cross Wrap Crochet Stitch pattern by Taylor Ferguson

Free Crochet Stitch Pattern!!

Free new crochet pattern from me! 😍💖✌

Cross Wrap Crochet Stitch:

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cross-wrap-crochet-stitch

[bunbunbo]

Picture EditingTutorial: How to add a shadow to your sims’ picture.

First step is having the right type of photo. You’re going to need a picture of your sim with a solid background. This will make adding a shadow very easy. You can get the backdrop from here. I’ve chosen this photo and edited how I like it. 

Also I’ll be using Photoshop to edit this, I’m sure these steps could be used with other picture editors but I’m not sure. Next you’re going to duplicate the photo by pressing Ctrl-J or right clicking the layer of the photo. 

Now click on the duplicate layer and go to the magic wand to select the background. After have selecting it, go ahead and delete it. Your layer should now look like this:

Now create a new layer and place in between copy and original photo. While on the new layer click on the layer we just edited with crtl-left click (Make sure to have deselected the photo by right clicking it!) The outline of your sim should now be selected. 

Now having the outline of your sim selected you will click on the circle at the bottom and select solid color (Make sure you’re still on that new layer we created) 

Next it will ask you to choose the color you want for it. Go ahead a make it black. 

Now stretch out your shadow in the direction you want your light source to come from. I decide to drag it to the right.

 Now your going to need to blur the shadow to make it look more realistic or else it just looks fake. I like to Gaussian blur at 8.0 but you do it higher or lower whatever you feel looks the best. 

We’re almost done but now you need to change the opacity (this also helps make it look more real.) You’re gonna want to put it around 35%-45% but like I said before put it at whatever you feel looks best. 

Next you’re going to merge all your layers together so they become one. As the final step you’re going to add your light source. Go to the filter menu and select Render then Lighting Effects. Honestly from this point on it’s your choice on what kind light source you want to pick but I usually choose soft omni and mess around with the settings

And finally you’re done! You’re picture should come out looking something like this: 

I hope this tutorial helps anyone. I’m not very good at explaining things but since the original simmer I learned this from took down their tutorial and it was requested I tried my best too! I have one more tutorial request coming out sometime tomorrow or this week. 

I also have speed edits on YouTube so you can see my process in motion: 1 2 3

[amethystsoda]

Microwave French Toast

The other day I was trying to figure out what to do with the ends of my loaf of bread. I don’t really like eating them, but I didn’t want to waste them either. With a little creativity, I came up with a quick and easy french toast recipe (it’s kind of a cross between bread pudding and french toast).

Step 1: Rip your two ends into little pieces and put them into a microwave safe dish.

Step 2: Crack an egg and put a splash of cream or milk into the dish.

Step 3: Add some cinnamon sugar to bring the extra french toast flavor.

Step 4: Mix it all together gently, making sure the bread pieces are evenly coated.

Step 5: Microwave for 1 minute.

The finished product should look something like this:

Step 6: Top with desired flavors-I opted for butter and maple syrup.

Step 7: Enjoy!

[unfashionablefashionista]

[desiree-uk]

Creating Collections in CC Magic

As promised, (sorry for being so late) here is a picture tutorial on how to make collections in CC Magic (CCM) for @simsarahsarah​ and @echoweaver​ - and anyone else who may find it useful :)

Making collections with CCM is useful for keeping your CC installed with CCM organized in game, and also a good way of compiling items in bulk instead of adding items one by one.

At the end I'll also add a couple of ways you could manipulate the in-game collections with CCM too (warning: this post is very picture and text heavy :)

I assume people who follow this tutorial are already using CC Magic :)

Note: My CCM layout may look a bit out of sorts as I have LOADS of sets and collections for testing purposes lol

How to make a new collection in CC Magic

In CCM, go to the Collections tab, and click 'Add' to make a new collection.

The new collection will appear at the bottom. Give it a name and icon. (I gave it 'CCMTEST' with a thumbs up icon lol)

If you look in the collections folder (Documents>Electronic Arts>Sims3>Collections>User) and sort by last modified (arrow pointing down), you'll see the collection you just made at the top. You could give it a name if you want, but I found that sometimes when you make changes to it in CCM or Buy Mode, it saves itself as a new file with the hex number name again. And you have the named copy there too lol. I don't bother editing any files in this folder for this reason, I do all my edits in CCM or Buy Mode.

(Edit: Nope, I was wrong, the file doesn’t duplicate itself, it just updates itself with the hex number and a new modified date, which means if you do give it a name in the folder it won’t stay that way.)

Under the Sets tab, choose which set you want in that new collection.

I've installed some of Sandy's items (@aroundthesims​) from her Souvenir set to CCM - 18 items :)

I made a set called 'CCMTEST' to match the collection, and moved the Souvenir items in it.

To add the set to the CCM collection, click 'Collection' above the set window and scroll till you find the 'CCMTEST' collection. Click it.

Now rebuild CCM. If you make a new set or move any items around to organize your sets, always click 'Rebuild' to set the changes. 'Play' also does the same when you're ready to launch the game. 

It should show the number of the items in the collection (18). Sometimes it will still show 0 but the items will show up in the game regardless.

To know for sure if they show up, launch the game. Press 'Play' in CCM to set changes and check your new collection. In Buy mode, you should see the new collection at the top, or near it...

Notes:

If you make a new set, remember to enable it in the Configurations tab for the items to show.

If you want to make more than one collection, do them all at once so you won't have to keep restarting CCM after each one.

CCM is an old program, so it has its little quirks. Sometimes you have to restart it anytime you make changes/ additions to its collections if you want the game to see them. Same for any changes/additions made to the in-game collections in Buy Mode, you have to restart CCM to pick them up.

If you delete a collection from CCM and restart it, it will come back! The only way to make sure its gone is to delete if from the Documents/EA folder or in the game. It is better to delete it from Buy Mode as you can see which one you want by name and thumbnail.

Extra tips:

You can add more than one set to a CCM collection, but its messy. Choose one set, scroll to the collection, but don't rebuild. Keep doing this to all the sets you want in that collection (choose, scroll, choose, scroll etc) until you're done,THEN rebuild. I actually find this way annoying lol. If you make any changes to any of those sets, you have to repeat the same process every time, so its probably best to combine all the CC you want in one set for the collection.

The best way to add multiple sets to one collection is to make/use a collection IN game lol. Of course, this seems to defeat the purpose of making collections in CCM, but both ways have their advantages. No matter how you make the collection file, CCM can read them all from the folder and you can add/remove your CC to/from them, especially when the game isn't running. 

The big advantage of adding CCM sets to in-game collections is that they remain in that collection even if you move or even delete that set from CCM - as long as the CC is not deleted from the hard drive completely, they'll remain where you put them. That means the items can be added to more than one collection in bulk. (e.g I could make a collection in-game called 'ATS Postcard shop,' then in CCM, move the items from the 'CCMTEST' set to 'ATS Postcard shop' collection, rebuild, start game to check they appear. Then, back in CCM, I can either move the items in 'CCMTEST' set to another set or leave them where they are but add them to another CCM collection or in-game collection, rebuild, start game to check. The items are still in 'ATS Postcard shop' but also in the other collection I moved them to :)

If you have bulk tems in the Legacy folder that you want in a collection, install them in CCM, add them to an in-game collection, then move them back to the legacy folder. Don't worry, they won't be installed twice.

We already know that CC items can be added to more than one collection in Buy Mode. That's good for adding single items if you have the patience, but for multiple items, CCM is easier and quicker.

So, using CCM to add or use collections can be very effective if you remember these points :

CC added to CCM collections can only be added to one collection at a time until you open the game and add them to other collections in Buy Mode one by one. That includes other CCM collections too because CC added to any collections in Buy Mode do not reappear and/or appear twice in CCM.

CC added to in-game collections can be added to more than one in-game collection in bulk (after subsequent rebuilds and restarts of CCM). Although an annoying quirk of CCM, the advantages outweigh said annoyance :)  

Both ways of making collections are very useful, especially if you test a lot of CC like me or you're a keen builder or decorator - the CCM collections are a quick and convenient way to combine all the CC you want from a particular creator or style. The in-game collections are always there and won't change until you delete them from the hard drive. The fact that you can access them via CCM is a bonus. 

I hope this tutorial is useful and clear to understand (I do go on a bit!  lol) 

Please feel free to ask any questions! :)

Sources:

ATS Souvenir Shop <3

Extra Collection Icons - download these from MTS, install as usual package files. As they're not the base game default icons, the thumbnail may not show up in the collection list in CCM.

Collection Tweaker - If you fancy being creative and have time, you can make your own collection file icons with the Collection Tweaker. I used it for about a day, then lost patience lol. I made the text ones. They look nice but I can’t be bothered to make any more as I had to open Photoshop lol Note: If you try to change an icon of a collection made in CCM, the Tweaker will throw up an error. I don’t know why this happens. You can change its icon in the game. 

(Can you see what most of them have in common? lol)