sewing
Latest
ICYMI: Family seamstresses will be replaced soon enough
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Robots have finally gotten around the 'needing human assistance' thing when it comes to sewing clothing. The Sewbo is one such option, which can stitch together clothing as long as the garment is first dipped in a stiffening solution that makes it feel like cardboard.
Robot sews a shirt automatically using stiffened fabric
Garments have been sewed together by humans since time immemorial, but a company called Sewbo wants to replace us with automatons. It has developed a robot that can assemble a T-shirt by simply stiffening the fabric so that it's more like a piece of cardboard. The arm then picks up the pre-cut pieces using suction and feeds them into a sewing machine. When its finished making the shirt, the bot simply drops it into hot water to remove the non-toxic polymer stiffener.
Ever, Jane meets Kickstarter goal
Good news, Austenites: Your shared dream of a backstabbing dinner party MMO is one step closer to coming true today as Ever, Jane has met its Kickstarter goal. "Thank you all so, so much!" Lead Developer Annabel Smyth gushed. "I can't quite put into words what I feel right now -- overjoyed, overwhelmed, over... over the moon, if you'll forgive the cliché. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The Jane Austen-themed title passed its $100,000 funding goalpost just before its campaign month was finished. The team said that while it will continue to run the free prototype, the weeks ahead will be concentrated on setting up an account system, establishing funding stretch goals, and hosting in-game end-of-year parties.
Jane Austen MMO looks for funds and decorum
Say goodbye to swords and sorcery, and say hello to gossip and high society relationships! Ever, Jane, a social MMO that takes inspiration from the works of Jane Austen, is looking to raise funds through a Kickstarter project. Ever, Jane puts players into prim and proper avatars who build stories, gossip against each other, explore family connections, and go to dinner parties. Mini-games are there to flesh out the challenge of navigating this type of life and include sewing, ballroom dancing, and puzzles. 3 Turn Productions is attempting to raise $100,000 to get the modest MMO off the ground by May 2014. Currently there's a downloadable prototype available to tinker with, so give it a whirl and see if it's worth your investment dollars. [Thanks to Sharvis for the tip!]
Keep your bands straight with Adafruit's Ohm Sweet Ohm cross-stitch kit (video)
Doesn't it just seem like yesterday when Grandma used to embroider your resistor charts for you? But now that you're grown up, Adafruit wants you to cross-stitch the Ohm Sweet Ohm color band guide yourself with their handy kit (dog not included). Spec-wise, it's loaded up with 16 skeins of floss, two size 24 tapestry needles, 15 x 18-inch 14-count aida cloth and a 6-inch "super grip lip" embroidery hoop, all for $29.95. You'll also get a full color printed pattern with instructions on making the project, then how to mount it on the wall or sew it onto Spot's favorite pillow. So if you can never remember whether yellow in the C-band is four significant figures or five, and want an Ohm-y reminder -- then check the video after the break for more info.
Hand-sewn, hyperlinked book is a thing of beauty, and a joy for several minutes
It's not every day that you see something handcrafted with time and care on the internet, but what you see above certainly qualifies. An art / craft project by German designer Maria Fischer, it's called Thoughts on Dreams, it contains threaded 'hyperlinks' which are there to help guide the reader to links between important passages. The book is sadly (for us) in German, so we can't know what it says, but we can imagine that it's all sorts of beautiful, mysterious things that can only be conveyed by paper and colored string. There is one more image after the break, just because.
Plush Moonkin by Serthida of Bloodhoof
Put another entry into the catalog of cute WoW-related dolls, because this plush Moonkin, made by Serthida of Bloodhoof, definitely fits the bill. Unfortunately, Blizzard has only ever released a Murloc plush, but that didn't stop Serthida from putting this together. It looks amazing. She even wanted to put a voicebox in there that made the moonkin hoot when squeezed, but we're guessing she doesn't want to buy a whole case of them from China. She does, however, have mats (see what we did there?) for a second Alliance version -- she says as soon as she can figure out the antlers, she'll get it started.This one is just her personal project, so it's not for sale at all, and once again, we're guessing it's too much work for her to mass produce anyway. But since the Murloc toy was one of the best-selling items at BlizzCon last year, maybe we'll soon see some more official plush product for sale.Thanks, Xascha!
Musical bra is not as sexy as it sounds
The fine folks over at Instructables have posted some wild mods in their time, but the musical bra you see above inhabits its own realm in terms of weirdness and lack of usefulness... unless you really want a bra that makes music of course. The speaker is on the front, with a battery pack between the shoulder blades at the back, and each cup is equipped with eight different "sounds" culled from a small keyboard, which are triggered by custom-made buttons sewn into the bra. Hit the read link for the full rundown of how to make one of your very own, but fair warning: you're going to have to be pretty adept with needle and thread to get this project done, but the final result should be fairly priceless. After all, who doesn't want a clunky, hideous sports bra that makes noise? Exactly. [Via Music Radar]
Donkey Kong quilt will keep your lonely self warm
Honestly -- if you're super into Donkey Kong and quilts (yes and yes), it's also probably likely that you're... well, single. But take cozy comfort with this specimen of craftsmanship for a cool $450 -- or you can always buy a $9,000 sewing machine to help you make your own. [Via Geeky Gadgets]
Brother Quattro 6000D hands-on
We just got a nice look at the beastly Brother Quattro 6000D sewing machine here at CES. We've done a fair amount of embroidery in our day, and we have to say, seeing this machine in action is pretty impressive. Disappointing Disney branding aside (yup, that's Mickey Mouse beneath the giant 4.5 x 7-inch Sharp HD LCD), the Quattro boasts a 50 square inch workspace that is probably any quilter's dream, and it's also got 3 USB ports. Sadly, the purchase price ("about $9,000") is probably prohibitive for most of us casual stitchers. No word yet on availability, but check the gallery and video after the break.%Gallery-41216%
The Quattro 6000D: this ain't your grandmomma's sewing machine
The latest piece of tech in the war on grandmas has gotta be Brother's Quattro 6000D sewing machine, a beastly machine with specs that will help even the most diligent granny patch up those quilts or ripped teddies more efficiently. Once you get past the huge 50 square inch workspace, you'll notice the 4.5 x 7-inch Sharp HD LCD display and embedded runway lighting. Brother's "InnovEye" and "Up-Close Viewer" technology places a camera right next to the needle to give the user a birds-eye view on the LCD to allow perfect placement before stitching. Advanced embroidery features and built-in tutorials should certainly mitigate any mishaps, and should you get the urge to plug every flash drive you own into it, there are 3 USB ports. From our perspective, it looks like the hardest part will be getting this monster home from the store and finding a place to store it -- and what to attack with embroidered flowers first. No word on price or release date yet, but there are a few more glamor shots after the break.
Five handheld accessories you should continue to live without
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Five_of_the_worst_handheld_accessories_ever_PICS'; Portable game systems are completely self-contained. Unlike home systems, which require a TV, multiple outlets, and a separate controller unit, handhelds contain everything you need to play games, built right in to the unit. They are self-reliant. They are also-- and this goes without saying-- portable. They're designed to be small so you can carry them around.Why, then, do jackasses feel the need to make accessories for handhelds? Accessories needlessly add bulk to Game Boys, effectively exiling them from casual pocket-drops. Here are five of the most pointless things you could ever graft onto a handheld system. We're giving a lot of attention to the Game Boy Color, as it turned out to be a focal point for idiotic doodads. Hopefully, these companies are still tired from their furious crap-assembling, and will largely pass over the DS.
Sewtendo brings the hand sewn Nintendo nostalgia
No idea if Blythe relied on the Brother Innovis sewing machine in order to construct his latest pieces, but the nostalgic arrangement of hand sewn Nintendo merchandise sure brings back a myriad of fond memories regardless. Currently residing at Argyle Fine Art, these works consist of a sewn television, NES console, controller, Zapper, and interchangeable screens with Super Mario Bros. 3 and Duck Hunt (the unreleased immobile versions, apparently) as your game options. Click on through for more detailed snapshots.
Orc & Troll "monsters" oh my!
Many people have crafted cool WoW-themed items for their friends and families. We've seen cool WoW cakes, nifty paper non-combat pets, We've even seen different takes on people's characters. Recently, I was gifted with a "monster doll" of my own character -- the Troll Rogue on the right. She now sits above my monitor, protecting my desk from any bad guys who decide to raid it. (Sadly, my dear little monster Rogue is not terribly effective at staving off the dreaded Housecattus Napimus though.) In the interest of sharing some of the neat things dreamed up by the WoW community that are out there, I sat down with the artist, Nicole, to find out more about these WoW 'monster' dolls!
The DS gets its first promotional sewing machine
Oshare Majo Love and Berry, the arcade-game-interfacing, rhythm-actioning, dressing-up smash from Sega, is popular enough to support even the most tenuous promotional items, as evidenced by the Janome sewing machine seen above. When Japanese gamers buy Love and Berry DS Collection stuff, they'll receive postcards they can send in for a chance to win this Love and Berry DS Collection sewing machine, as well as a Love and Berry DS Collection jewelry box. Oddly enough, this is not the first time the worlds of Nintendo handhelds and sewing machines have collided.No matter what you think of it now, we guarantee you'll be pining for one of these machines when it goes up on eBay in five years. Or are we the only ones like that?
