Project : Mr. Muggles

Project : Mr. Muggles
Date : July 2008 - September 2008
Materials : Yarn (3 types), fabric (2 types), beads, wire, chain, foam, stuffing, tiny buttons, thread, glue
Tools : crochet hook, pliers, scissors, cat brush, needled, hot glue gun
Finished Product:




Process:


First panic because there's a set of restrictions applied to the project that you must meet (see below). Then just sorta start crocheting and see how you feel. Start at the neck and work down the body, putting a hunch in for shoulder blades. When done, go back and work from the neck up, including a bulge at the back so a stocking hat that you're never actually going to make can be worn.

Avoid finishing/fleshing out the face because you're afraid and go back to work on the body. Half-assedly stick some wire through the body where the limbs are but since you didn't wire a spine, it doesn't really do all that much. Crochet some limbs! But not all of them at once, because that would be commitment. Skip around between legs, stopping at the knees. Add a super stubby fox tail with a white tip. Then start brushing the body with a cat brush because you're too eager to try it out rather then waiting like a sane person. However, realize that this look is not actually a good one and stop before you destroy the entire piece. The end of the project will have brushed haunches, rump, and tail to cover for your failed experiment.

Suck it up because you have to and go back and finish the 4 limbs you got. Use black instead of red because you still have foxes on the brain. For this same reason & the beard requirement, use white for the lower jaw of the face. Crochet basically a bent O several rows deep around the mouth, then cut fabric to shape and sew it in. Bend a wire in place on the "inside" and sew that down as well. Now pull out the red and finish off the head. Be sure to build up around the brow region with sharp increases/decreases and doubling back for shape.

Because the requirements call for it, go back and stick more wire through the body where it looks like you can, and crochet another pair of arms. Then select the most adorable little black matte beads and use them for eyes. I confess to not remembering how I did the nose....

At this point embrace the fact that your 3rd pair of limbs looks terrible, especially where they join the body. Therefore draft a vest pattern and sew it together to hide this yarn connection. Don't sew it directly to the monster itself, but feel free to sew the arm holes and hem it while the toy is wearing it so that you need only make it look good while worn. Also, don't worry about arm hole size, the vest is never coming off you decide because you sew the vest flaps closed when affixing adorable little buttons to close it.

Realize you still have hat + glasses + beard requirements. Shred some nice white yarn to get those wool chunks that make it. Use a yarn needle and thread them through the chin and hope no one pulls too hard on them. Bend that wire you used for armature into the shape of eyeglasses and then solder the bends together to make it stronger/not look as tacky. Leave a wire protruding on one side so you can shove it into the nose and have it stay. Because the monster is beginning to look posh and because the glasses easily fall out, take a segment of necklace chain and solder it to the glasses and sew the end to the vest. Then use foam to make a top hat- a rectangle, circle, and doughnut shape being cut out and hot-glued together to do so. Now stop before you ruin it.

Thoughts :
Mr. Muggles originally started out from a list of requirements, put forward during a Ravelry exchange. The list : “Head: Beard, Long Pointy Nose,Open Mouth, Extremities: Big Ol Feet, Extra Arms/fingers, Body : Scales, Extra Bits and pieces: Hat, Glasses”. "Ugh!" I thought. What a terrible list to work from. The beard, hat, and glasses made it far too human for what I normally like to do. For some reason I was positively gripped with the notion of a fox early on. I also desperately wanted to apply the "brushing yarn" technique I had heard about. There were a number of sketches done for him, before and during the process of his creation. For the longest time he looked older and wiser- a longer beard, simple un-chained classes perched at the tip of his nose, and a stocking knit sock cap with a bell on the end. Phfff... How quickly things can change when I'm actually crafting something.

The clothing improved him greatly, helped define the body. The brushing of the red failed because the red was too solid and the creature lost form. Sad. The hat idea I had gotten from a friend's gift. I'm only mildly sad that I forgot the "big feet" requirement. The open & wired mouth was positively awesome. Fun and very expressive.

In the end, I love how nervous and stuffy he strikes me as.

Mr. Muggles fidgeted with his glasses as he lifted the saucer and took a tip of tea from a delicate china cup. This whole situation was quite distressing and it appeared that, after his fifth cup, simply sipping tea and hoping would not make it disappear. The velvet that the mechanism had lain in was still indented with it's shape- the glass shards of the display case simply dusting the fabric hills and valleys without disturbing them.

It was gone and he, the curator, had no idea where it had gotten off to. All the devices on display weren't wound- he shuttered to think of what level of chaos would be obtained if even a crank or two were applied to some of the artifacts. If the device certainly hadn't made off on it's own, then what? None of the others had been touched. Why just this one? Muggles lifted his cup again but found it to be empty. Sighing heavily, he set it down on a nearby, intact case and hunched down to think. His fuzzy black paws fidgeted with the phantom archival tag he could already imagine tied about his leg. Oh heavens above, she was going to send him away! He looked around, forlorn. He needed another cup of tea.

Project : Egg Shell Monsters

Project : Egg Shell Monsters
Date : Mid to end of September 2007
Materials : Egg shells, clay, solder, pins, copper tape, flux, hot glue
Tools : Soldering iron, hot glue gun, pliars, oven
Finished Product:


Process:
So you make some hard boiled eggs. Then you eat them. Best instructional steps ever, yes? Just be careful when you shell them- I used an exacto knife on one to pre-crack around the center. I found trying to salvage only one side of the shell per egg was best- the big endians working better. Let them sit for a day or two to dry and what not.

For the robo-egg, just lay down copper tape around the inside of the shell, prime with solder. Pre-bend the pins so that they poke out from the edge of the shell after a tight u-turn and attach. Then add the next segment of the leg. The end.

Hand-egg used twisted tinfoil as the base for the hands. Sculpt accordingly. I did not glue until after both were done. Be mindful of how the clay will contact the shell. Hot glue into place after legs are baked.

Thoughts :
The legs on robo-egg aren't insectil enough for my tastes. The angles at the joints are too wide, leaving it to sit too low to the ground. I've since picked up T-pins which I may use for another version later. The hand-egg was meant to be a leg-egg but I couldn't sculpt legs. This makes me sad. The hands aren't actually the same size, but it's okay because it looked like overly dramatized perspective. Feature, not a bug. Riiiight....

    Curios, she picked up the little creature as it scuttled past her yet again. With a delicate touch she pinched the shell and lifted it straight off the table, its tiny legs kicking frantically. She turned it upside down in an attempt to examine how the furiously moving legs attached to the shell. Look at it as she might, she felt her eyes unfocus or simply slide to one side or another.

    "Please put him down," the witch said as she returned to the room, carrying the tea tray.

    Sam felt guilty being caught prying and quickly did as the woman asked. Dropping the creature, she chipping the rim of it's shell with her haste. Unphased by the damage, the thing quickly scurried away around a corner as the witch came over and set the tray down.

Project : Steampunk Hair Piece v.2

Project : Steampunk Hair Piece v.2
Date : Aug 20th, 2007 one evening
Materials : Adjustable crescent wrench, wire, philips screwdriver (broken), streach red velvet, hot glue, solder, flux, thread, copper tape
Tools : soldering iron, needle, pliers, hot glue gun
Finished Product:

Process:

Images from v.1, now lost

Ridiculously simple. Cut/break/hack up the handle of the desired screw driver. Solder to end of of the wrench. On the first version, I had to saw off the end of the wrench (which ate up a new blade) and only hot glued. On second version, I cut nothing but had to lay down copper tape onto the wrench handle for the solder to take. Thing wire was twisted about and soldered to for extra stability. A thick layer of hot glue was added for stability but mainly to smooth out the uneven surfaces. Stretch fabric was then wrapped around and sewn into place. Make sure the stretch runs around the girth of the tool.

Version 2.0 is 6" long. The wrench half is 1.5" which is ideal. The center is 2" and does not taper smoothly on the screw driver side which makes it difficult to wear. This could be fixed if I were to cut the fabric off and reshape with more hot glue. The screw driver is 2.5" which is okay, but I could have done with a bit more length.

Thoughts :
These things are very easy to make and very pretty to wear. The screwdriver on the first came in handy several times and I suspect the adjustable wrench wont be neglected. The only complex bit is in fact how to properly twist your hair up to wear it. Perhaps I'll document that next. Version 1 had a better looking tool while Version 2 makes for a better hair piece.

The boys at work always carry around their Lethermans and other fancy tools in their belts or in boxes. Whipping out pliers with a crack or folding up a blade with a snap. I've decided to not be outdone and designed my own tool to be carried around at all times. It makes no loud sounds when brought into use, signaled instead by a cascade of hair falling down my back.
Elegant and functional, I find it to be a key item to display my thoughts on the idea of "steampunk"

UPDATE: While visiting Seattle, end of August, Logan sort of sat on it and the solder joint broke. I now have an excuse to go back and make it better, which I've not complaint to do.

Project : Wooden Bug

Project : Wooden Bug
Date : End of June 2007
Materials : Wood, pins, flux, solder
Tools : Soldering iron, pliers, hammer
Finished Product:

Process:
Find yourself a piece of drift wood that has a lot of character. Add to this character by burning into it patterns and designs with your soldering iron. Hammer a couple of pins into the body, bend them, then solder another set of pins onto the ends of them for segmented legs. A drop of solder on the first bent pin's turn adds to the look of large segmented bug legs. The end.

Thoughts :
It's a good idea, but I just don't know how to burn wood interestingly. The sucker patterns- neither patch of which are pictured here- were the most successful look. I will definitely try more of this, it is a pleasant mixture of nature and metal.

Project : Damaged Messenger

Project : Damaged Messenger
Date : July 12th, 2007
Materials : Type writer parts [most notably the N/n striking bit, levers, and springs], copper tape, copper wire, pins, nails, a screw, drift wood, flux, far too much solder
Tools : Pair of pliers, soldering iron, saw, hammer
Finished Product:



Process:

Yank out all the parts from the machine. I found gripping at the base with the needle-nose pliers and then just agitating it with constant little wiggles eventually broke the metal. Attach the striker to the.... 'tail spring' part. Cut a notch in drift wood and then cut to 'body' length. Line notch and base of wood with copper tape and spend far too long trying to both wedge the tail into place and solder it to the tape. Oh, and be sure not to let the tape fall off the wood. Score the wood with a soldering iron and wrap the base with wire- preferably catching it in the groves you just burnt. If you make a mess like I do, consider hiding it behind a screw which can also work in as a sort of anchor for the wires.

Now consider the hind legs. Wrap a thin strip of copper tape where you want one half of the spring to connect, then solder it down. Try, somehow, to bend them into a fitting position. Wrap the leg's connection point in copper tape and liberally apply solder to the entire thing. Struggle for at least 30 minutes to attach the legs straight to the tail, give up and wrap the wire around them for support. Now you'll find it's super easy to solder them down. Oh, if you really want to do it the Sithel way, be sure to damage your soldering tip somewhere at this stage. Now bend some nails and solder them to the copper tape, this can also help prevent wire wiggling and further anchor down the tail.

If you're not lazy, you might consider permanently attaching the other half of the springs, but I didn't bother. Add flare for personality such as pins for antennae and a stupid burnt gash for a mouth.

Thoughts :
So I found an old, semi-electric typewriter at an recycle store and nabbed it for a reasonable price. The keys are far from pretty, but I found myself drawn to the myriad number of springs and levers in the back, as well as the strikers which are so unique to the machine.

I list this as being quick- about 3 hours total- but I had spent nearly an entire evening previous pulling the machine apart and getting familiar with the pieces. It helped that I sad down the evening of construction with a relatively clear image in my head of what I wanted and how I'd get it from the start.

My original intent was a sort of scorpion feel, it turned out more grasshopper-esque, and photographs like a spider! The pivot for the "tail" is a unique and very fine piece I pulled from... somewhere. It was a fight to overcome the "I must save this till the *perfect* project comes up" feeling in order to actually *make* something. The key is of corse unique, but I'm not overly fond of the letter. The legs came jointed- they connect to the strikers so I've got quite a few left. The springs from below the keys- no shortage of supply there- and are of a very pleasing tension. At the same store I grabbed the typewriter, I scooped a bag of random bits for $0.50. During construction, I was quite sad to find that my first choice of black screws for the legs from wouldn't take solder and then that I only had 3 nails. My firm intent to finish the piece before the night was over drove me to using the nails and suffering the absence of a leg. Given how, upon finishing it, the story for the piece *leapt* out at me, I'm happy with my choice.

The screw was just added to cover my mess and the pins a last minute attempt to add pins to the project since I love them so. After I used the spring for the tail, I was determined to incorporate more spring joints into the piece. Playing with the tail is fun and pushing that extra bit to "squish" it- where its leg gives out and it drops to its tummy- is a quaint feature.

Like all things made by her, the creatures served a practical purpose that was obscured by a layer of secrecy and infused with a feeling of spite. The little assembly of messengers might appear impractical at first glance- larger then any folded slip of paper and prone to being noticed due to scuttling sounds as they traveled. A flock passing down a dark corridor would make the hair of any listener stand on end, so eerie was their faint metallic clicking of furiously moving limbs. But unlike a slip of paper or a errand boy prone to cracking under torture, the little constructs would never give up their message to any but the designed recipient. And while a slip of paper can be burnt before opening or a mortal messenger evaded, these devices would not rest till their intended knew exactly what the Master Architect wanted them to, no matter how unwelcome the words may be.

The contents which were spelt out via miniscule metallic twitches and the striking typebars were of course encrypted along with fall-backs in the event that not all arrived. The reactions of the message recipients varied. Some found the creatures to be delightfully quaint and amusing. Others shuddered with revulsion as they pressed the constructs' quivering typebar tales to encode their response. Miss Wells abhorred the little constructs- no doubt viewing them as perversions distantly related to her beloved press- and took every opportunity to vent her irritations and frustrations of them and their creator upon their delicate forms. If the messenger was not required for her response she would catch and destroy it, a task becoming increasingly difficult as they seemed to have learned to fear her. Any returning to Master Fletcher were sure to be damaged up to, but just shy of, being incapable of functioning: legs torn off, antenna battered, springs bent. One wondered why the Architect spent the effort on such a clearly doomed creation and if perhaps she would stop should Comrade Wells be less obvious in displaying the irritation they caused her.

Project : Glass Box

Project : Glass Box
Date : Some time in June 2007?
Materials : Glass, solder, flux, copper tape, wire, [mirror for Trisha's]
Tools : glass cutter, plier, soldering iron
Finished Product:


On the left is my box, on the right is Trisha's.

Process:
Who knew cutting glass was so easy? The blade fairly flies across the surface with ease and speeds that in truth make it a tad bit difficult to control. Anyway, you slice up the glass, wrap copper tape around the edges, and liberally apply flux to the tape so that the solder will take. If you're smart, like Trisha, you lay solder down on the edges individually. Then try to hold the pieces together and re-heat the solder to attach them- or in my case, struggle to hold two pieces of glass, an iron, and apply solder at the same time. My addition of wire was easy- bend it about, tape it down, and seal with some solder. Afterwards, you wash everything off and declare it done.


Thoughts :
Mine turned out lumpy, unevenly cut, and unattractively thick with solder. Also, the "door" doesn't stand up. But, considering it was my first attempt at anything involving glass, and my first artistic use of a soldering iron, I absolutely love it. The speed of the project counters many negative qualities since it does not hold much "lost time". As fabulous as I found it, I don't think I'll get much into glass. I lack any talent with geometric shapes and have little interest in developing one. I can appreciate and marvel at Trisha's works yet feel little compulsion to try a rival work- an interesting and pleasant sensation for me.

"You didn't actually expect it to stand up, did you? I mean... two hinges are common in all doors for a reason."
"I know, I know... It's just..."
"Maybe if you made the coil longer."
"I know..."
"Or tighter, less wiggle room."
"I know."
"But really, two-"
"I know damnit."

Project: Bullet Bugs

Project : Bullet Bugs
Date : Weekend of July 1st, 2007
Materials : bullet casings, pins, solder, flux, a tiny watch part, some screw extender part, tiny sliver of copper tape
Tools : Soldering iron, pair of pliers, tweesers, knife, clay
Finished Product:



Process:
You take some pins, bend 'em. You take some casings and slap some solder down. Solder the tips of the pins and then join 'em. Ta-da! Very easy. The "snout" of the silver headed one didn't want to take to the solder so I laid down a strip of copper tape that Trisha had given me from her stained glass supplies.

The proboscis, which came from a watch winder I think, was lost in the wilds of the rug for no short period of time. But I was intent on that look, no other part would suffice! And so I brought over an unshaded lamp and proceeded to examine the carpet. I felt much like a crime scene investigator, waving my magic light in search of that one little speck.



Thoughts : -- will hunt inspiration links down later. Mainly, I wanted to use pins.
Written by Eric & inspired by Rival Guy:

Bullet Bugs:

Due to poor accuracy, mostly harmless in small numbers. But disturbing a swarm will lead to a synchronized attack that showers an entire room with bullets instantaneously.

Afterwards, their surviving kin will come and reclaim their corpses to cannibalize parts for building others. They'll also check the corpses of their victims for munitions to build new members. They can convert nearly any type of round. Large swarms have even been known to convert artillery rounds into their own, leading to the military's abandonment of several bases after their munition stores became infested. There are unconfirmed reports of one swarm attempting to convert missiles...