even the sun sets in paradise

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One of the issues plushie makers may have, when working with Minky is that it is a knit material and has some significant stretch to it along the cross grain–the grain that runs from selvage to selvage. The lengthwise grain–from cut end to cut end as it comes off the bolt–it pretty stable, with little stretch. Stretch can be good, when you are needing a rounded, firmly stuffed shape, because you can pack in the polyfil tightly and shape as you go. BUT stretch can also cause distortion, or make a leg or arm lengthen and get skinnier than you want. Stretch can make curved areas larger than you want as you sew, distorting the seamline since curves stray into the bias. 

Another issue with Minky as a knit is that it has a very soft drape. In other words, it can be a bit floppy. Again, this can be a good thing, if you want a soft roll on a mane/hair, or if you need to layer two Minky pieces over each other for clothes. BUT if you want some pieces to stand up, such as ears, spikes, or small wings, and you don’t want to wire them, you need to do something to firm up the floppiness and tame the drape.

Enter interfacing. Interfacing is a backing material that comes in lots of types, can be fusible or sew in, and have varying firmnesses. It can be used to control stretch, to add body and firmness, and to help with building structure into a plush.

I typically use a lightweight fusible knit interfacing (Pellon EK 130, white Easy-Knit Fusible), since it has many of the same properties as Minky, and still keeps some drape and softness. It adds firmness without straying into a cardboard stiffness, and it’s relatively inexpensive.

I buy this by the bolt at Joanns Crafts when they have a good coupon or sale. It’s very sheer, as you can see here:

Because it’s a knit, it has some crossgrain stretch, just like Minky:

And the same relatively stable lengthwise grain, with little stetch:

Why is this important? Well, by fusing the interfacing crossgrain stretch at right angles to the Minky crossgrain stretch, you can largely eliminate the stretch, while also providing some stiffness to the pattern pieces. 

In this instance, I’m going to use the interfacing to control the stretch in a pair of ears, so I can place them on the rounded head exactly, and to provide some stiffness, so they’ll stand up without stuffing or being wired.

First thing to do is to determine and mark the stretch direction on the Minky pieces AND on the interfacing. I routinely mark stretch and nap directions on the back of my Minky, shown in the red circle below:

The downward arrow is the nap–the direction that is “smooth” in the Minky “fur”–and the double-headed arrow is the stretch direction. You can see that the base of these ears is very long and curved, so it’ll be prone to stretching when it’s sewn in, making it harder to have them equally spaced and equally sized.

Interfacing doesn’t have a nap, but it does have one side that is glue on it, and one side that doesn’t. You can usually tell by the feel of it. The glue side is typically rough, and the unglued side is smooth. Because you want the glue side against the BACK on the Minky, determine which side has the glue, lay it face down, and mark the stretch direction.

You want the stretch direction of the interfacing to run at right angles to the stretch direction on the Minky, so they cancel each other out, and make the Minky stable.

Here you can see a piece of interfacing layed over the back on the Minky piece. The Minky stretch is marked in red, and the interfacing stretch is marked in purple. They run at right angles to each other.

You can also (faintly?) see that I have traced the outline of the Minky piece out. Cut out the interfacing to the outline of the Minky. Next stop is the ironing board.

Set your iron for whatever setting the interfacing directions recommend. Knit is usually fused with steam, so use the highest steam setting and set for the temperature recommended. 

Now some people will tell you that you can’t iron Minky on a high heat and a steam setting. You absolutely can, BUT you shouldn’t iron directly on the fabric. Minky is made from polyester and can melt, flattening the fluffy surface, if you iron directly on it. You’re going to need a pressing cloth, to act as a buffer between the iron and the fabric. I use a large piece of silk organza, because it’s sheer, so I can see what I’m working on, and it’s strong. 

I double this over, put the Minky fluffy side down, so the interfacing is on top, and place the pressing cloth on top of the Minky/interfacing sandwich. Now PRESS. Don’t iron–PRESS, with an up and down motion, using short bursts of steam with each position of the iron. You do NOT want to slide the iron in a typical back-and-forth motion, since this can cause the interfacing to slip out of position. Here you can see the curved edges of the iron sole plate where I have pressed down on the fabric.

Overlap the iron placement a bit, so that you cover the entire surface of the piece, paying particular attention to the edges to ensure a good bond. Use lots of steam, but not a huge amount of pressure. Once you have gone over the entire surface of the piece, set it aside to cool completely. This is a critical but often overlooked part of the process. The glue needs time to set as it cools. If you move the piece around, or start cutting it before it cools, you may not get a good bond, and the interfacing can peel off. So let the piece cool completely before you start cutting it.

Here’s the results of interfacing the ears:

🎉HaPpY YaOiMaS!!! 🏳️‍🌈

A bunch of tasty snaccs Pt.1 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

A bunch of tasty snaccs Pt 2. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  

OK, you are probably all wondering where the letters for yesterday and today have been. Well, seeing how I have recently realized that I am using a lot of information in these letters that the majority of English-speaking fans has no access to, I have decided to share with you one of my primary sources that I refer to for questions regarding the inner working of the current Persona Universe:

Enter the “Persona 3 Club” Book (ペルソナ倶楽部 - P3 - Persona3). This book was released in December 2006, just a few months after the initial release of Persona 3. It is often mistakenly referred to as an “Artbook”, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

In reality, the first chapter of this book is a recap of Persona 1, Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, commented by Kazuma Kaneko. The majority of the following chapters contain character profiles of all of Persona 3’s characters and a collection of selected fanart and fanfic regarding the Main Characters, as well as the occasional Yonkoma. 

However, what’s most interesting and relevant to me is the last chapter of the book. Pages 174 to 207 form the “World Guide Q&A”. This section, written by an Atlus Staff Member, reveals a lot of important backstory and supplementary information regarding the inner workings and rules of the current Persona Universe, especially regarding Nyx, Deities, Shadows, Plumes of Dusk, and much more. The Information given in this “World Guide” chapter is definitely canon. This is proven by the fact that, though this book was published in 2006, many of the concepts first mentioned in it have since implemented into the games. It indirectly explained Erebus before there was a P3FES, the Shadow Selves before there was a Persona 4, and a lot of information quickly dumped onto us in Ultimax actually originated from this book as well (and was also much better explained in it.) It can thus be assumed that Persona 5 is probably going to be using concepts from it as well. 

Seeing how the “World Guide Q&A” is written in a dialog-style which fits quite well with the format of the letters on this blog, I’ve decided to translate it in the same way I’m writing letters for this blog, using sprites instead of names to indicate who is speaking. Aside from that, this is an absolutely authentic translation of the book’s contents, as far as my abilities allowed it, and I am paying great attention to not mistranslate anything that is said, so this translation will be usable as a reference for the Fandom

That said, enough with the introductions! Follow me under the cut to take a look at facts about the Persona Series that were never officially released for an English-Speaking audience! Have fun and enjoy! ♪

_______________________________________________________

Questions covered in this Part:

Q: Could you tell me what Nyx really is, bluntly and unpoetically?

Q: What exactly is this “Fall” that Nyx was going to bring?

Q: What are Shadows?

Q: What does it concretely mean “To be eaten by Shadows”?

1:Let’s start with a tricky one; what is the real reason you are confused right now?

2:Do you ever get “good morning” texts from anyone?

3:If your significant other smoked pot, would you care?

4:Do you find it easy to trust others?

5:What were you doing at 11PM last night?

6:You’re drunk and lost walking down the road; who is with you?

7:What would you do if you found out you had been cheated on?

8:Are you close with your dad?

9:I bet you kissed someone last night, right?

10:What are you listening to?

11:You can only drink ONE liquid for the rest of your life - what is it?

12:Do you like hickeys?

13:What time do you go to bed?

14:Is there someone who continuously lets you down?

15:Can you text as quickly with one hand as you do both?

16:Do you always answer your texts?

17:Do you hate the person you fell the hardest for?

18:When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends?

19:Is there someone that makes you happy every time you see them?

20:What was your last thought before you went to bed last night?

21:Is anyone else in the room with you?

22:Do you believe what goes around comes around?

23:Were you happier four months ago than you are now?

24:Is there someone you wish you could fix things with?

25:In the past week, have you cried?

26:What colour is the shirt you are wearing?

27:Do people ever call you by your last name?

28:Is anyone ignoring you right now?

29:Do you have a best friend?

30:Would it be hard seeing someone else kiss the last person you kissed?

31:Who was your last call/text message from?

32:Are you mad at anyone?

33:Have you ever kissed someone older than you?

34:How old will the last person you kissed be on his/her next birthday?

35:How many more days until your birthday?

36:Do you have any summer plans yet?

37:Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex?

38:Are you keeping anything from your best friend(s) now?

39:Do you have a secret that you’ve never told anyone?

40:Have you ever regretted kissing someone?

41:Do you think age matters in relationships?

42:Are you available?

43:How many people have you had real, strong feelings for since high school ended?

44:If you had to get a piercing (not ears), what would you get?

45:Do you believe exes can be friends?

46:Do you regret anything?

47:Honestly, what’s on your mind right now?

48:Did you ever lose a best friend?

49:Was your last kiss a mistake?

50:Why aren’t you pursuing the person you like?

51:Has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry?

52:Do you still talk with the person you LAST kissed?

53:What was the last thing you ate?

54:Did you get any compliments today?

55:Where are you going on your next vacation?

56:Do you own anything from other countries?

57:Are most of your friend guys or girls?

58:Where have you lived most of your life?

59:When was the last time you took a long drive?

60:Have you ever played Spin the Bottle?

61:Have you ever TPd someone’s house?

62:Who do you text the most?

63:What was the last movie you saw?

64:What’s preventing your current boyfriend/girlfriend from going back to their ex?

65:How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have in 2011?

66:Is the last person you kissed younger than you?

67:Do you curse around your parents?

68:Are you happy with where you live?

69:Picture of yourself?

70:Are you a monogamous person or do you believe in open-ended relationships?

71:Have you ever been dumped?

72:What do you most like about making out?

73:Have you ever casually made out with someone who you weren’t seriously involved with?

74:When you kiss someone for the first time, is it usually you who initiates it or the other?

75:What part of a person’s body do you find most attractive?

76:Who was the last person you talked to last night before you went to bed?

77:Had sex with someone you knew less than an hour?

78:Had sex with someone you didn’t know their name?

79:What makes your heart flutter and brings a big cheesy smile to your face?

80:Would you get involved with someone if they had a child already?

81:Has someone who had a crush on you ever confessed to you?

82:Do you tell a lot of people when you have a crush?

83:Do you miss your last sweetie?

84:Last time you slow danced with someone?

85:Have you ever ‘dated’ someone you’ve never met?

86:How can I win your heart?

87:What is your astrological sign?

88:What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

89:Do you cook?

90:Have you ever gotten back in touch with an old flame after a time of more than 3 months of no communication?

91:If you’re single right now, do you wish you were in a relationship?

92:Do you prefer to date various people or do you pretty much fall into monogamous relationships quickly?

93:What physical traits do you look for in a potential interest?

94:Name four things that you wish you had!

95:Are you a player?

96:Have you ever kissed 2 people in one day?

97:Are you a tease?

98:Ever meet anyone you met on Tumblr?

99:Have you ever been deeply in love with someone?

100:Anybody on Tumblr that you’d go on a date with?

101:Hugs or Kisses?

102:Are you too shy to ask someone out?

103:The first thing you notice about the opposite sex?

104:Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you babe?

105:If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was in relationship, would you go for it?

106:Do you flirt a lot?

107:Your last kiss?

108:Have you kissed more than 5 people since the start of 2012?

109:Have you kissed anyone in the past month?

110:If you could kiss anyone who would it be?

111:Do you know who you’ll kiss next?

112:Does someone like you currently?

113:Do you currently have feelings for anyone?

114:Do you like to be in serious relationships or just flings?

115:Ever made out with just a friend?

116:Are you happier single or in a relationship?

“You know what I mean?