I keep hearing bitchy posts about people who sell hand-crafted items for less than...well, less than almost anything short of the sun, moon, and stars.
Usually, these rants come from people who, in any other situation, would laud a fellow crafter on their accomplishment, popularity of wares, and general skill level. But as soon as one hears that a crafter is selling their wares at thrift-store/big-retail-giant prices, all hell breaks loose and the pack swoops down on the unwary with varying degrees of vulturesque ferocity.
One of these will be a harpy extremist, who will often go so far as to curse at the offender, and begin an unwarranted diatribe about how my low cost is not only undermining whatever talent/effort I may have poured into the item, but also deliberatly devaluing their own work, by perpetuating some stereotype that crafted items are kitschy and not worth enough to make a decent living on. "How dare you" will be thrown into the same screeching hiss-fit as buzzwords like "sweat shop", "small business", "living wage", and "hourly rate".
My question is not the obvious "Why are you so angry at this crafter's low prices?" but "Why do you think anyone understands the cost-of-production well enough to comprehend the astronomical fees you suggest?"
Why do we price things so far below their actual cost, in terms of materials, time, and effort? Because that is the purchasing method we use everyday. I pay about $3 for a gallon of milk. I would not pay more than triple for absolute organic 100% green milk. This is because I am purchasing the milk itself. The end item.
The average consumer does not consider the actual production costs of that milk. Stop a moment, and explore what costs are probably involved in that single grocery item. A baby cow must eat every day up to and throughout it's life until it can produce the milk I desire It also needs shelter, and hay for the stall. It may require vet visits, and medication to overcome some illness or injury. After the milk is available, the costs only continue to escalate. Equpiment and wages to milk the cow, special processing equipment necessary to pasteurize, package, and lable the milk, as well as transportation costs and wages to get the milk to the store. All in all, it must be an incredibly expensive endeavor for this one item to arrive at my grocery shelf!
However, once it has arrived, those things do not matter to me. I would not, in any way, consider that absorbing all of these costs into the price of my jug of milk to be fair to me as a consumer. I would undoubtely enjoy my million-dollar milk just as much as the cheap stuff, but I can only afford one of these options.
Knitwear and handcrafts are no different to the consumer. They are not considering the years of training/practice you went through to achieve your skill. They do not consider that you had to scour the world for that yarn/wood that would perfectly complement the idea you had for your wares. They do not include the cost of paint/needles into their consideration of the item itself, and they do not care whether you spent years or days making the item. Why should they?
To justify the prices that some professional knitters suggest to mom-and-pop crafters, you must fight the very system you currently reside in. You as a retailer are not just competing against other local and skilled artizans, but you are asking customers to suspend all of their understanding of how-to-shop just for yourself and your own wares. I can understand your motivation (to get a living wage by knitting or crafting), but really, stop blaming the non-customer who won't pay your prices, and quit hating on the crafter who is pricing their wares according to their own plans.
If I sell for a dollar, and you sell for twelve, then I'm automatically going to be more popular than you. That's not my fault. It's not yours. However, if you consider salesmanship to be part of the process, then my job is harder. I have to sell 12 of my items to equal the success you could make with one of yours. Don't bitch because some local knitter sells dishcloths for 50 cents. Just work harder to either educate your consumer base on the reasons behind your higher prices (and accept that some people will always vote with their wallet), or find another venue for your higher-priced wares.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
My soul is burning.
I want a FooPet.
I don't even care what it is. Who knows why they invented this program? It could be the cutest spyware ever, and I just want it to scamper on screen and love me.
They company, aptly named FooMojo, even warns that I should consider my emotional avialability before adopting a FooPet via online account. The thing would need feeding/watering every day, as well as occasaional medication for illnesses. I can not do this. But the Bengal. I loves me. We are MEANT TO BE TOGETHER! However, the approximate lifespan is 10 years. I don't even know what the internet will look like in 10 years!
Maybe G will adopt one with me? The site does recommend sharing account information to ensure the thing gets fed on weekends...
I need this thing, people. Well, no, I don't, but when it's staring at me, I can feel my resistance waning...
I don't even care what it is. Who knows why they invented this program? It could be the cutest spyware ever, and I just want it to scamper on screen and love me.
They company, aptly named FooMojo, even warns that I should consider my emotional avialability before adopting a FooPet via online account. The thing would need feeding/watering every day, as well as occasaional medication for illnesses. I can not do this. But the Bengal. I loves me. We are MEANT TO BE TOGETHER! However, the approximate lifespan is 10 years. I don't even know what the internet will look like in 10 years!
Maybe G will adopt one with me? The site does recommend sharing account information to ensure the thing gets fed on weekends...
I need this thing, people. Well, no, I don't, but when it's staring at me, I can feel my resistance waning...
Friday, October 9, 2009
Please pick a side
If the Bible is your basis for argument, please consider taking an "all or nothing" approach to better illustrate your beliefs to us terrible, uneducated, heathens.
Either homosexuality is bad AND selling your daughter into slavery is fine, incest is fine (and almost common), multiple wives is fine, children are property and acceptable marriage fodder, rape is fine if marriage results and all clothing and hairstyles should have FOUR CORNERS.
Or.
Homosexuality may have been written as bad once, but in light of our modern society, this opinion should be reexamined, much like the biblical stances on women's rights/role in society, red meat on friday, and the above examples. Some things might squick you out for the rest of your life. Sister 2 happens to think that tapioca pudding is gross. That doesn't mean she thinks no one should have it or enjoy it.
Please to educate yourself.
Either homosexuality is bad AND selling your daughter into slavery is fine, incest is fine (and almost common), multiple wives is fine, children are property and acceptable marriage fodder, rape is fine if marriage results and all clothing and hairstyles should have FOUR CORNERS.
Or.
Homosexuality may have been written as bad once, but in light of our modern society, this opinion should be reexamined, much like the biblical stances on women's rights/role in society, red meat on friday, and the above examples. Some things might squick you out for the rest of your life. Sister 2 happens to think that tapioca pudding is gross. That doesn't mean she thinks no one should have it or enjoy it.
Please to educate yourself.
I will go to war for Wil Wheaton.
Who is awesome.
So the story seems to be this: Wil Wheaton*sez'don'tbeadick'* , who is awesome as a person, and didn't like Wesley Crusher so much either, has an audiobook of his awesome memoir "Just a Geek." When he wrote the book and produced the audiobook, he wasn't given some huge green-ink-smelling royalty check to pad his wait for the residual royalties. He was probably given bills, instead, and ate canned cold beans while waiting for this slow-growing cult classic to find its way into the hands and hearts of appreciative readers.
Some people have pirated the audiobook file, (which is what asshats do, besides molest small animals and think dirty thoughts about their grandparents) and someone is probably selling it for less than the actual distributor, without paying any money to either the distributor or Mr. Wheaton *whoisawesome*, or even considering that this is not only illegal, but also morally wrong. (See, I do understand that sometimes those two identifiers do not occur at the same time.)
Enter the internet forums, where douchebags and self-centered opinionists can hash out the morality of this issue. I will attempt to remain calm and lucid, but this is honestly the stupidest argument I'm seeing, very similar to the Roman Polanski nonsense, but closer to my home interests.
Enter the Douchebag/Asshat arguments:
1.)The business model of money for physical item is outdated and outmoded, therefore I will spend my money where I choose in order to achieve the item/file at a speed of my choice.
Actual application: Well-intentioned, but still illegal. The business model may, in fact, be behind the times, but pirating files is still against the law. Reputable companies will someday catch up to your enhanced intellect and needs, but a career in business models and planning might help more than hoping your miniscule non-contribution to the current system will effectively highlight a large enough trend to gain notice by the very company you (hopefully) wish would cater better to your needs.
2.) Screw you, big Pharma (or equivalent). They're overcharging when I deserve it for free.
Actual application: A common misconception is that everyone should have everything they desire for free, in the belief that if life isn't fair, anything that makes it seem fairer is a legitimate excuse for all kinds of asshaberdashery. Life isn't fair. That's not just an axiom, kids. It's a provable fact. Children die before they have a chance to prove their worth to society. Rich jerks get better lawyers and escape punishment for crimes that would have anyone else shivved and raped before bedtime. You may feel like you deserve something, but really, it's very hard to prove that definitively. If by it you think you are "justified" in getting something, that's easy to disprove, if you consider justice = legal system/ruling. If you feel like you merit it, then certainly anyone would be happy to give you free things with their blessing, once you explain the many ways you have benefited them/society/your religion.
In short, this argument is almost circular, and therefore invalid for purposes of proving your opinion to be superior. "I deserve it for free" "Why?" "Because I work hard." "Well please explain that to the provider" "They might not believe me/I am too lazy" "'Lazy' means you aren't working hard, and disbelief couldn't occur if you are truly meritorous of this thing." People who use this argument should cut to the chase of either "you don't know me" or "Because I said so." They may not be more worthwhile, as arguments go, but they're faster and don't offer false indications of willingness to embrace logic.
3.) Screw you, Wil Wheaton. You don't deserve my money. You are stupid.
Actual application: Stupid. Why do you want to read his ideas/thoughts/diary/tea leaves if you feel he has no worth? You are spending your time, which immediately disproves your professed non-interest in him or his life. He made this item. You want this item (for whatever reason). The law says $ = item. If you're spending it, you are still losing it, so you may as well lose it legally. If you're downloading it for free, you are stealing from the very person whose worth you reaffirm by reading/listening to his work. Why would you believe monetarily hurting the object of so much of your time is acceptable?
Keep in mind the best and most reputable speakers for disavowing others always purchase their fodder legitimately. You can't eat from a dumpster and claim the restaurant food is bad. Don't steal the file and expect me to credit your arguments.
4.) Other people do it. (a.k.a. I didn't steal it but my acquaintance/relative did and now it's on my computer so I'll take advantage of it).
Actual application:
Please do one of the following:
Find some way to make this up to the object of interest, either by an anonymous donation of the worth of the item, or by purchasing your own copy and never downloading it.
Please begin emulating other persons who kill themselves. (Effectively, please. We don't need to make your family suffer through your coma and resulting hospital bills.) See how harsh that sounds? Do you see how following "other people" can be considered in many ways? The method that is therefore recommended is: Consider others whom you respect, and how they dealt with a similar situation. Do you think that you, in your current situation, (not in a substitutional "If I were Kanye" scenario), would benefit from a similar solution? Then, consider whether that solution is legal. If these two questions result in a "yes", then the solution can probably be followed to a more acceptable result.
4.) Your opinion of my alleged "theft" doesn't matter.
Actual application: This response is another self-hating cycle. If my opinion doesn't matter, it should not have registered on your "refuting response necessary" meter.
Also, while it may legally be true that my opinion has no legal bearing on the issue, the position of legality should have some bearing in the decision. It is hard to adequately explain that the very document and system that guarantees your right to express your jackassery should be ignored when it comes to issues of theft. Please consider the "all or nothing" Bible approach.
5.) I didn't have the money for it, so I stole it.
Actual application: As a reason for theft, this is one of the most honest and supportable arguments you can make, so long as you are consistent. Don't tell me you spent the money on a purse. If you must steal in order to make your life bearable, please carefully consider your table of priorities to ensure that as many people as possible are left unharmed.
However, DO NOT believe that this makes the theft legally or morally acceptable. Please see "life is not fair." Theft is theft, regardless of income. Theft is when you take something that has value to another without their consent or compensation. It has nothing to do with whether or not: the item/file was made available in your area in it's original format; the item/file was too expensive for you to afford easily; etc.
Recognize that what you did was at least legally, if not (provably) morally wrong. You can argue the morals all you like, but stick to your reasons, rather than the legality.
The reasons may piss me off, but at least you're not lying.
So the story seems to be this: Wil Wheaton*sez'don'tbeadick'* , who is awesome as a person, and didn't like Wesley Crusher so much either, has an audiobook of his awesome memoir "Just a Geek." When he wrote the book and produced the audiobook, he wasn't given some huge green-ink-smelling royalty check to pad his wait for the residual royalties. He was probably given bills, instead, and ate canned cold beans while waiting for this slow-growing cult classic to find its way into the hands and hearts of appreciative readers.
Some people have pirated the audiobook file, (which is what asshats do, besides molest small animals and think dirty thoughts about their grandparents) and someone is probably selling it for less than the actual distributor, without paying any money to either the distributor or Mr. Wheaton *whoisawesome*, or even considering that this is not only illegal, but also morally wrong. (See, I do understand that sometimes those two identifiers do not occur at the same time.)
Enter the internet forums, where douchebags and self-centered opinionists can hash out the morality of this issue. I will attempt to remain calm and lucid, but this is honestly the stupidest argument I'm seeing, very similar to the Roman Polanski nonsense, but closer to my home interests.
Enter the Douchebag/Asshat arguments:
1.)The business model of money for physical item is outdated and outmoded, therefore I will spend my money where I choose in order to achieve the item/file at a speed of my choice.
Actual application: Well-intentioned, but still illegal. The business model may, in fact, be behind the times, but pirating files is still against the law. Reputable companies will someday catch up to your enhanced intellect and needs, but a career in business models and planning might help more than hoping your miniscule non-contribution to the current system will effectively highlight a large enough trend to gain notice by the very company you (hopefully) wish would cater better to your needs.
2.) Screw you, big Pharma (or equivalent). They're overcharging when I deserve it for free.
Actual application: A common misconception is that everyone should have everything they desire for free, in the belief that if life isn't fair, anything that makes it seem fairer is a legitimate excuse for all kinds of asshaberdashery. Life isn't fair. That's not just an axiom, kids. It's a provable fact. Children die before they have a chance to prove their worth to society. Rich jerks get better lawyers and escape punishment for crimes that would have anyone else shivved and raped before bedtime. You may feel like you deserve something, but really, it's very hard to prove that definitively. If by it you think you are "justified" in getting something, that's easy to disprove, if you consider justice = legal system/ruling. If you feel like you merit it, then certainly anyone would be happy to give you free things with their blessing, once you explain the many ways you have benefited them/society/your religion.
In short, this argument is almost circular, and therefore invalid for purposes of proving your opinion to be superior. "I deserve it for free" "Why?" "Because I work hard." "Well please explain that to the provider" "They might not believe me/I am too lazy" "'Lazy' means you aren't working hard, and disbelief couldn't occur if you are truly meritorous of this thing." People who use this argument should cut to the chase of either "you don't know me" or "Because I said so." They may not be more worthwhile, as arguments go, but they're faster and don't offer false indications of willingness to embrace logic.
3.) Screw you, Wil Wheaton. You don't deserve my money. You are stupid.
Actual application: Stupid. Why do you want to read his ideas/thoughts/diary/tea leaves if you feel he has no worth? You are spending your time, which immediately disproves your professed non-interest in him or his life. He made this item. You want this item (for whatever reason). The law says $ = item. If you're spending it, you are still losing it, so you may as well lose it legally. If you're downloading it for free, you are stealing from the very person whose worth you reaffirm by reading/listening to his work. Why would you believe monetarily hurting the object of so much of your time is acceptable?
Keep in mind the best and most reputable speakers for disavowing others always purchase their fodder legitimately. You can't eat from a dumpster and claim the restaurant food is bad. Don't steal the file and expect me to credit your arguments.
4.) Other people do it. (a.k.a. I didn't steal it but my acquaintance/relative did and now it's on my computer so I'll take advantage of it).
Actual application:
Please do one of the following:
Find some way to make this up to the object of interest, either by an anonymous donation of the worth of the item, or by purchasing your own copy and never downloading it.
Please begin emulating other persons who kill themselves. (Effectively, please. We don't need to make your family suffer through your coma and resulting hospital bills.) See how harsh that sounds? Do you see how following "other people" can be considered in many ways? The method that is therefore recommended is: Consider others whom you respect, and how they dealt with a similar situation. Do you think that you, in your current situation, (not in a substitutional "If I were Kanye" scenario), would benefit from a similar solution? Then, consider whether that solution is legal. If these two questions result in a "yes", then the solution can probably be followed to a more acceptable result.
4.) Your opinion of my alleged "theft" doesn't matter.
Actual application: This response is another self-hating cycle. If my opinion doesn't matter, it should not have registered on your "refuting response necessary" meter.
Also, while it may legally be true that my opinion has no legal bearing on the issue, the position of legality should have some bearing in the decision. It is hard to adequately explain that the very document and system that guarantees your right to express your jackassery should be ignored when it comes to issues of theft. Please consider the "all or nothing" Bible approach.
5.) I didn't have the money for it, so I stole it.
Actual application: As a reason for theft, this is one of the most honest and supportable arguments you can make, so long as you are consistent. Don't tell me you spent the money on a purse. If you must steal in order to make your life bearable, please carefully consider your table of priorities to ensure that as many people as possible are left unharmed.
However, DO NOT believe that this makes the theft legally or morally acceptable. Please see "life is not fair." Theft is theft, regardless of income. Theft is when you take something that has value to another without their consent or compensation. It has nothing to do with whether or not: the item/file was made available in your area in it's original format; the item/file was too expensive for you to afford easily; etc.
Recognize that what you did was at least legally, if not (provably) morally wrong. You can argue the morals all you like, but stick to your reasons, rather than the legality.
The reasons may piss me off, but at least you're not lying.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
UPS, why do you tease me so?
I love UPS. I love their clever commercials. I like their trendily understated marketing slogans. I like that as soon as a horse named Big Brown became famous (during the middle of the "What can Brown do for you?") they went out and sponsored the hell out of him.
What I do not like is how their tracking service seems so touch-and-go. I am overjoyed to live in an age where I can even get a rough approximation of where a package is on a given day, unlike olden times where we had to trust that the mail wagon could be dragged along without something happening to the mammoth in the traces on the way. However, why must the updates be so sporadic, even considering the time differences? Why is my last update at 3:00 am yesterday morning? Why is my package seemingly stalled a single state away? Does this mean my package has already been delivered, and the data wasn't updated? Does this mean it will remain in package limbo until the scheduled delivery date on Friday, despite geographical approachability? Why are there so many listings for Monday, and just the two for Tuesday? Did it party too hard? Is it hungover now?
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
What I do not like is how their tracking service seems so touch-and-go. I am overjoyed to live in an age where I can even get a rough approximation of where a package is on a given day, unlike olden times where we had to trust that the mail wagon could be dragged along without something happening to the mammoth in the traces on the way. However, why must the updates be so sporadic, even considering the time differences? Why is my last update at 3:00 am yesterday morning? Why is my package seemingly stalled a single state away? Does this mean my package has already been delivered, and the data wasn't updated? Does this mean it will remain in package limbo until the scheduled delivery date on Friday, despite geographical approachability? Why are there so many listings for Monday, and just the two for Tuesday? Did it party too hard? Is it hungover now?
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
Saturday, October 3, 2009
It's on, bitches!
I'm done with the heel turn on my bayerische socks (though the current configuration of needle/stitch distribution is awkward), and am headed toward the toe as fast as I can stomach.
Also, ordered my DD stuff today and am freaking insane with happiness.
Sadly, my happiness will soon be turned to less cheerful purpose, as I must stomach going through a few tupperwares containing my childhood and see what I need to retain in order to maintain a healthy sense of personal history. Dad is selling the house, and there seems to be no further guarantee that my things will be put into storage as originally planned. I have feelings about the reasons for the change that I shall spare you, o gentle readers, lest the slow trickle of concentrated bile render your eyes useless for further reading.
Anyone want a Babysitters' Club doll? I think I have Kristi and Mary Kate...
Also, ordered my DD stuff today and am freaking insane with happiness.
Sadly, my happiness will soon be turned to less cheerful purpose, as I must stomach going through a few tupperwares containing my childhood and see what I need to retain in order to maintain a healthy sense of personal history. Dad is selling the house, and there seems to be no further guarantee that my things will be put into storage as originally planned. I have feelings about the reasons for the change that I shall spare you, o gentle readers, lest the slow trickle of concentrated bile render your eyes useless for further reading.
Anyone want a Babysitters' Club doll? I think I have Kristi and Mary Kate...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Still no pictures
Okay, my super late present is finally here, and I'm going sort of haywire with Volks Dollfie Dream stuff. I'm ordering her a whole new torso, (AND testing their hair-dryer plan at home), some wig sticky, a wig cap, a body suit that helps to protect her from staining, and some freaking socks.
Then! I will investigate knitting some laceweight sweaters, since the outfit from volks that includes a VERY loosely knit and sheer sweater (and a cute skirt) is way out of my price range. I do have sock needles, and hell if I can't knit something just as good, and possibly with more shaping, and definitely less see-through.
The shoes are still an issue. A ridiculous issue.
My main gripe is this: there have GOT to be other Continental North American Dollfie Dream owners out there. People for whom the aesthetic and price were met and merged in this economic and adorable collectible. The ultimate in customizable figures, she stands an impressive 25" tall (approx) and has fantastic poseablility and is even able to stand on her own. Extra head molds are also available, as well as hands, body parts, wigs, and eyes to make each doll as unique as the owner's vision can allow. However, customizing your character or ideal collectible is not complete without clothing. )At least, for those who aren't planning on simply displaying their doll as a poseable anime-esque nude.)
Granted, I know where the other owners are (denofangels, mostly, or hiding out as normies without devoting much online presence to their doll), but WHERE are these people getting clothing for their doll. AND SHOES?!?
Volksusa sells things custom-tailored for Dollfie Dream, and they're always great, but they don't offer a lot of variety or options. Where are the standard blouses? The skirts? (THE SHOES!) Where is the plain underkimono, and elaborate outer kimono? The different school shoes or loose schoolgirl socks? Surely the whole world doesn't plan to knit such socks in such tiny gauges? I mean, I can on some 000 needles or something, but really, shouldn't this be the age of industrialism, where my every desire is met in huge quantities for a reasonable value of work-to-cost? Do these other owners not care that their home-made outfit looks horrible because it came from a pattern for a completely different doll? Do they like that the print on their doll's sundress is way too huge for any concept of realistic scale to apply? Did they always dream of a doll with a rabbit fur wig that looks like matted crap? Don't get me started on face-ups, also. I've seen some good ones, but for every one that looks professional, there seems to be another person perfectly proud to own a crack-whore clown.
You spent money on this. A lot of it. If you have the budget to waste these things, please just send me your money and pretend that you bought, ruined, and have "stored" another ABJD. I will pretend also, and we can chat about your not-real (and therefore not ruined, wasted, or stored beyond your sight) doll. For every $200 you send, I will give you 6 months of fake friendship, during which time I will listen, rapt, to your every rambling about this idealized character you've imagined for your doll, gush over your description of the outfits, wigs, and accessories you envision, and devotedly sigh when you itemize the contents of it's tiny purse. It will be like having a doll so perfect that it can't exist in this reality. And your money will be put to entertaining use, purchasing things for my own doll that are suited to this reality, yarn for my knitting habit, and a big screen tv for my front room.
Still, if you spent the money on a this hobby, and feel that you'd like to save up for another doll or five, why aren't you taking the effort to either pony up for tailor-made outifts, or at least attempting to create something that looks feasable yourself? Why do things half-assed? If you're going to do it, go all out. Stop wasting money on brand-name food, and spend it on your dolls. If you must, craft these necessities yourself! You took the time to learn the lingo, browse hundreds of yahoo!Japan auctions, and familiarize yourself with every nuance of your new toy. Now try learning new skills to further your domination of this retail sport! Sew a decent skirt, but not just something that covers the doll pelvis. Look at a skirt in a store, and then imagine that shrunk down porpotionally. Don't tie a strip of fabrick from armpits to knees and belt it with a rubberband. That is not a dress. Anyone who wears that in public, and believes they look normal, either needs medication and therapy, or euthenasia. Surely we, who produce such geniuses that can paint masterpieces on pinheads and craft intricately detailed miniature homes and embroidered coinpurses can figure out fabric scale, design, and sewing. And the shoes...
Barefoot is only an option if it matches the outfit's theme or implied location. A beach dress? Fine. A winter coat? Not fine.
People used to make shoes from SCRATCH, after all. We relied on cobblers (or lots of wrapped rags) for hundreds of years before we came up with the whole extra-continental child-labor factories. Surely it can't be that hard to figure out, right?
There has GOT to be an easier way to achieve shoes that don't look like Cabbage Patch shoes on a Barbie. I'm thinking thin plastic soles cut to match the doll feet, and then making a shoe form by doing a mold of said foot with clay (safely wrapped in saran-wrap), and baking this impression into a mold. Then, fill the mold with white clay, and the baked result should render a feasable model. The white clay appendage will not only be much less valuable, in case of breakage, stabbage, or gluage, but also might show staining hazards long before I put the item on the actual doll. I could also glue or sew a thin material liner to the interior to help prevent staining.
Then I can stretch heavy starched canvas or thin leather over the foot mold however I want, and wet/stretch to shape. Stitch to size/shape, glue to sole, and done, right?
If I can figure this much out with my limited grasp on clothing creation, where are all you nutty people who could do it better? Are you all so intensely devoted to completely opposite crafts/hobbies? All of you?
Then! I will investigate knitting some laceweight sweaters, since the outfit from volks that includes a VERY loosely knit and sheer sweater (and a cute skirt) is way out of my price range. I do have sock needles, and hell if I can't knit something just as good, and possibly with more shaping, and definitely less see-through.
The shoes are still an issue. A ridiculous issue.
My main gripe is this: there have GOT to be other Continental North American Dollfie Dream owners out there. People for whom the aesthetic and price were met and merged in this economic and adorable collectible. The ultimate in customizable figures, she stands an impressive 25" tall (approx) and has fantastic poseablility and is even able to stand on her own. Extra head molds are also available, as well as hands, body parts, wigs, and eyes to make each doll as unique as the owner's vision can allow. However, customizing your character or ideal collectible is not complete without clothing. )At least, for those who aren't planning on simply displaying their doll as a poseable anime-esque nude.)
Granted, I know where the other owners are (denofangels, mostly, or hiding out as normies without devoting much online presence to their doll), but WHERE are these people getting clothing for their doll. AND SHOES?!?
Volksusa sells things custom-tailored for Dollfie Dream, and they're always great, but they don't offer a lot of variety or options. Where are the standard blouses? The skirts? (THE SHOES!) Where is the plain underkimono, and elaborate outer kimono? The different school shoes or loose schoolgirl socks? Surely the whole world doesn't plan to knit such socks in such tiny gauges? I mean, I can on some 000 needles or something, but really, shouldn't this be the age of industrialism, where my every desire is met in huge quantities for a reasonable value of work-to-cost? Do these other owners not care that their home-made outfit looks horrible because it came from a pattern for a completely different doll? Do they like that the print on their doll's sundress is way too huge for any concept of realistic scale to apply? Did they always dream of a doll with a rabbit fur wig that looks like matted crap? Don't get me started on face-ups, also. I've seen some good ones, but for every one that looks professional, there seems to be another person perfectly proud to own a crack-whore clown.
You spent money on this. A lot of it. If you have the budget to waste these things, please just send me your money and pretend that you bought, ruined, and have "stored" another ABJD. I will pretend also, and we can chat about your not-real (and therefore not ruined, wasted, or stored beyond your sight) doll. For every $200 you send, I will give you 6 months of fake friendship, during which time I will listen, rapt, to your every rambling about this idealized character you've imagined for your doll, gush over your description of the outfits, wigs, and accessories you envision, and devotedly sigh when you itemize the contents of it's tiny purse. It will be like having a doll so perfect that it can't exist in this reality. And your money will be put to entertaining use, purchasing things for my own doll that are suited to this reality, yarn for my knitting habit, and a big screen tv for my front room.
Still, if you spent the money on a this hobby, and feel that you'd like to save up for another doll or five, why aren't you taking the effort to either pony up for tailor-made outifts, or at least attempting to create something that looks feasable yourself? Why do things half-assed? If you're going to do it, go all out. Stop wasting money on brand-name food, and spend it on your dolls. If you must, craft these necessities yourself! You took the time to learn the lingo, browse hundreds of yahoo!Japan auctions, and familiarize yourself with every nuance of your new toy. Now try learning new skills to further your domination of this retail sport! Sew a decent skirt, but not just something that covers the doll pelvis. Look at a skirt in a store, and then imagine that shrunk down porpotionally. Don't tie a strip of fabrick from armpits to knees and belt it with a rubberband. That is not a dress. Anyone who wears that in public, and believes they look normal, either needs medication and therapy, or euthenasia. Surely we, who produce such geniuses that can paint masterpieces on pinheads and craft intricately detailed miniature homes and embroidered coinpurses can figure out fabric scale, design, and sewing. And the shoes...
Barefoot is only an option if it matches the outfit's theme or implied location. A beach dress? Fine. A winter coat? Not fine.
People used to make shoes from SCRATCH, after all. We relied on cobblers (or lots of wrapped rags) for hundreds of years before we came up with the whole extra-continental child-labor factories. Surely it can't be that hard to figure out, right?
There has GOT to be an easier way to achieve shoes that don't look like Cabbage Patch shoes on a Barbie. I'm thinking thin plastic soles cut to match the doll feet, and then making a shoe form by doing a mold of said foot with clay (safely wrapped in saran-wrap), and baking this impression into a mold. Then, fill the mold with white clay, and the baked result should render a feasable model. The white clay appendage will not only be much less valuable, in case of breakage, stabbage, or gluage, but also might show staining hazards long before I put the item on the actual doll. I could also glue or sew a thin material liner to the interior to help prevent staining.
Then I can stretch heavy starched canvas or thin leather over the foot mold however I want, and wet/stretch to shape. Stitch to size/shape, glue to sole, and done, right?
If I can figure this much out with my limited grasp on clothing creation, where are all you nutty people who could do it better? Are you all so intensely devoted to completely opposite crafts/hobbies? All of you?
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