I was wondering... Do you know of any other well made Garashir fics centered around raising children? More along the lines of the one fic where Julian takes in the Cardassian orphans from Bajor. I really enjoyed that one because of the humor (poor Julian, people assuming he's courting his new daughter), the pacing, and because I felt it was in character and not super mushy-- which I feel sometimes happens when writers tackle the ship. It felt believable to me.
This EPIC series (over 300,000 words) includes, among many other elements, adoption as well as an orphanage. It’s so long, though, I warn you, you may want to pace yourself :) And it’s while before you hit the kids, but definitely they are built out characters. (Eventually I will post a review of this.)
There are definitely more, some sentimental, some not. I am building my list and as I do, posting review. It’s going to be a long time until I post even the ones before I started this blog.
While a sewing machine is super convenient, having access to one is not required for mending. Most mends can easily be done by hand. If you're really patient, you can even make entire garments by hand, just like they did in ye olden days.
So, let's take a look at a few basic hand sewing stitches to get you started.
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(Image source) [ID: hand stitches for quilters: the running stitch, slipstitch, backstitch, whipstitch, and blanket stitch.]
The running stitch
The running stitch can be used for many purposes. It's popular in embroidery, and can be used to outline shapes or baste (temporarily secure) pieces together. It can also be used to ruffle fabric by hand, and I personally use it a lot to secure patches in place when covering up holes in garments. The running stitch is also the base stitch for sashiko, a popular style of visible mending.
The slipstitch, also known as the ladder stitch, is my go-to stitch for closing tears and fixing torn seams. This stitch is frequently used to sew pieces of knitting together, too. You can also use it to make small size corrections in a garment, for example to add a quick dart or to make a side seam smaller. It's invisible on the outside, which makes it a great stitch to fix up things like plushies, duvet covers, or pillows.
The backstitch will likely be the stitch you'll be using the most when working on a project. It's a strong, clean stitch that can be used for almost anything: seams, hems, embroidery, attaching two pieces of fabric together, zippers,... This is also the best stitch to imitate machine sewing with. If you're only going to learn one hand sewing stitch, then make it the backstitch!
The whipstitch, also known as the overcast stitch, can be used to stop fabric edges from fraying and is great to finish seams off with. It can also be used to quickly sew two pieces of fabric together, for appliqué, or as a decorative technique. I personally prefer the blanket stitch over the whipstitch because it's a little cleaner, but the whipstitch is faster than the blanket stitch.
The blanket stitch is great for finishing off seams and stopping fabric from fraying. It's also frequently used for appliqué and embroidery, and can be usedto make button holes by hand. It looks neater than the whipstitch, but is also slower to get done.
Get yourself a spare piece of fabric and try these stitches out before attempting them on a real project. I promise you'll get the hang of them quickly!
If you're only going to learn one of these, then make it the backstitch as it's the most versatile hand stitch.
Weather is getting warmer and I've been thinking about Cardassian swimwear. It should definitely cover both body "spoons", but since it is swimwear it could be a bit more casual and revealing.
Sooo, have a look at Damar in swimsuit relaxing somewhere on the beach!