Jimblasted AU masterpost

The post for easier navigation that I'm going to keep editing and updating.

The tag for this au on my blog is jimblasted au for additional info and asks related to it!

What is it about?

Comics

Miscellaneous art

(Nathaniel Orion // Cousin Marnie)

RIP Joann, now what?

I wanted to make a post I could copy and paste and or link when I see folks asking where to buy fabrics when Joann is gone. I sew a lot, generally between 100-200 items a year and I don't do it on a big budget. Stores are not in a particular order.

Notions:

Wawak.com - start here, mostly stay here. Wawak is a supplier for professional sewing businesses and have the prices that show it. I will not pay for gutermann Mara 100 anywhere else. I buy buttons, tools, thread, and most elastic here.

Stitch Love Studio - this is where I buy lingerie supplies https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchLoveStudio?ref=yr_purchases

Fabric:

Fabric Mart - this is one where you want to sign up for emails and never buy unless its on sale. They run different sales every day and they rotate. Mostly deadstock fabrics but I buy more from here than anywhere else. Fantastic customer service and if you watch you can get things like $6 wool suiting or $4 cotton jersey. https://fabricmartfabrics.com/

Fabrics-Store - again, buy the sales not the full price. Sign up for the emails but redirect them to a folder because it is TOO MANY. They stock linen or good but not amazing quality. https://www.fabrics-store.com/

Purple Seamstress - This is where I buy my solid cotton lycra jersey. They have other things, but the jersey is what I'm here for. Inexpensive and very good quality. If you ask she will mail you a swatch card for the solids. https://purpleseamstressfabric.com/

LA Finch - deadstock fabrics with a fantastic remnant selection https://lafinchfabrics.myshopify.com/

Califabrics - mix of deadstock and big brands, easy to navigate and always seem to have good denim in stock. https://califabrics.com/

Boho Fabrics - good variety, nice bundles. I have also gotten some really great trims from here. https://www.bohofabrics.com/

Firecracker Fabrics - garment and quilting fabrics, really nice selection and great sale section. I've bought $5 yard quilting cottons here several times. https://www.firecrackerfabrics.com/

Hancock's of Paducah - Quilting fabric and some limited garment fabric. AMAZING sale section. Do not sleep on the sale section. This is my first stop when buying quilting fabrics. Usually the last stop too. Not particularly speedy shipping. https://www.hancocks-paducah.com/

Itokri - This is something a little different. Itokri is an Indian business with incredible traditional fabrics. Shipping to the US is expensive, but the fabric is so inexpensive it evens out. I generally end up paying like $30 for shipping. Beautiful ikat and block prints. https://itokri.com/

Miss Matatabi - this is a little treat. This isn't where you go to save money, but there are so many beautiful things in this shop. Ships from Japan incredibly quickly. https://shop.missmatatabi.com/

Lucky Deluxe - Craft thrift store, always has an incredible selection and fantastic customer service. I need to close the tab fast because I never go to this website without finding something I need. https://www.luckydeluxefabrics.com/

Swanson's - the OG of online craft thrift stores, but I find their website harder to navigate. https://www.swansonsfabrics.com

Honorary Mentions: I haven't shopped at these places yet but I have had them recommended and likely will at some point.

A Thrifty Notion - https://athriftynotion.com/

Creative Closeouts - https://creativecloseoutsfabric.com/ being rebranded to sewsnip.com on March 1 - quilting deadstock

Hawthorne Supply Co. - I just got this rec and I think I need to not look too closely or I'm going to slip with my debit card. https://www.hawthornesupplyco.com/

This is not an exhaustive list of everywhere you can buy fabric, or even a full list of where I shop. There are SO many options out there in the world. You also need to think outside the fabric store box. I thrift men's shirt fabrics for quilts and sheets for backing fabric. I don't do a ton of in person thrifting and my local stores don't get a lot of craft materials but every thrift store is its own universe and reflects the community it is in. Go out and find something cool.

Oh and final note: Don't shop at Hobby Lobby.

Friendly reminder as we head into tax season (for US Americans), that the major tax preparation companies are fully prepared to lie and mislead you into paying for their tax preparation software when you might qualify for free software through the IRS.

Don’t fall for their bullshit. Visit IRS Free File and see what services are available to you. The requirements vary depending on your household status and income, but if you make less than $79,000/year (which is nearly everyone I know), you probably qualify for something.

If you live in the USA and you're pleading for donations to pay your rent, bills, or get food then dial 211! Please dial 211 before the last minute!

It's a toll free service with people who will help you find programs in your community to pay those bills, find food, and find housing! They will give you numbers to call so you can get help.

It is not 100% foolproof. Their job is to direct you to a program they believe will help your current issue, but it's still a step up from praying random strangers online will give you enough cash before a deadline! The added benefit of these community programs, which get funded by the local government most of the time, is if there are more people using them then they can get more money to help more people.

You're not taking resources from other people if you use your community services. Your taxes pay for them. Use them.

Dial 211 first to see if they can help, and if for some reason they can't, then make your donation posts!

https://www.211.org/

Hi I work for my state's 211 service. It really breaks my heart how many people only know to call us at the last minute. 211's can provide a whole wealth of resources to use before things ever get to a cut off utility, eviction, or homelessness!

I can't speak for all 211's but most should also have a website detailing all the agencies in their database. if you don't like phone calls, this can be something to reference instead.

If you don't have health insurance but you need to see a doctor, reference 211! We list clinics that provide free or discounted general care, vision, and dental services to low income households and people without insurance! Many hospitals also have financial aid policies that can severely reduce your bill if you had an expensive procedure!

If you're stuck in a dead end job or need educational resources reference 211! There are a lot of programs focused on providing basic adult education as well as trade skills or other high demand fields! State governments are generally more interested in funneling people into work than providing benefits, but you can still use this to your advantage especially if you have some form of disability but are still able to work. That includes if you're neurodiverse or have mental health issues! Most of these programs are extremely underutilized.

If you believe you qualify for public benefits but the bureaucracy of the process is in your way, reference 211! There are agencies specifically geared towards helping people obtain the benefits they qualify for- for free!

If you need help with your taxes-

If you need help finding a pro bono lawyer-

If you need help finding affordable housing/section 8 housing-

If you need help finding food pantries-

If you need help paying for your prescriptions-

If you need help obtaining disability aids or assistive technology-

If you need help finding transportation options-

If you need help following a natural or personal disaster (like a home fire)-

If you need help repairing a home you or your family owns or it needs modifications to be accessible-

If you need Queer resources-

Reference your 211!!!!!

I had no idea what 211 was before working for it but I wish I had. I've learned so much about what resources are actually available to the community even in a ho hum area of the country like my state. I've saved my partner literally thousands of dollars just from the medical resources I've gathered.

Not enough young people know about or utilize these services but they are there for you!

P. S.

This isn't an intended use of 211, but I like to reference the agency listings when I look for jobs. Many of the agencies listed are non-profits which, while they certainly are not perfect, generally have lower barriers of entry to decent paying jobs with benefits. The work environments tend to be much kinder and at least pretend to be forward thinking. You're more likely to find jobs without as many people applying as well, especially if they're only advertising their positions through their own website.

I've been trying to spread this around to everyone, especially writers and artists, without spamming anyone.

First: Sky Follower Bridge. This is a plugin that enables you to follow any Twitter users you follow who also have Bluesky accounts. I've been running it every few days as Bluesky gets more users.

Second: importing your tweets to Bluesky. Here's a free method:

Then you can mass-delete your posts using this:

Deleting your account could allow someone else (like trolls or spammers) to take the name. Also, keeping your account allows you to run Sky Follower Bridge regularly.

The new terms of service go into effect Friday November 15th 2024.

IMPORTANT!

It’s the no-internet dinosaur’s birthday!!

Turn off your internet! He has a hat!!

SOMEONE PLEASE PUT A DATE ON THIS POST! I HAVE TO KNOW WHEN!

Its Sept 24

!!! Happy Birthday, no-internet dinosaur!!

World Heritage Post

Fun, someone said the words “prior authorizations” around me and now I’m pissed off at 730am on my day off. I go off on this rant all the time. ALL THE TIME.

Oof. This man gets it.

Every time I have to send a fax to a doctor saying "hey this med needs a PA" I get violently angry.

Hint: if your PA gets denied call your insurance and ask for the credentials of the person who made that call. Usually they will approve it instead of admitting they hired some 18-year-old with no relevant training or experience to scan for buzz-words and just deny everything

If you get denied, appeal. It's within your rights and if the appeal is overturned, you will be approved. It happens enough that it's worth the effort. Sometimes it's just a phone call.

propublica made this helpful tool: Find out why your health insurer denied your claim.

man this year is gonna be the year i either die or become someone else i dont know which one maybe both

Everytime i think of the future i nearly throw up

hate to say it but the cow is right

Oh plush cow we're really in it now

I don't know why, but I find it even more comforting to look at it this way:

i know we joke about cis artists having the weirdest sense of anatomy, but also even when the anatomy is fine, no one seems to want to draw women doing normal things

Drawing challenge: draw your favorite male characters like this

this is exactly why i’m a huge fan of posemaniacs!

you get 3d model pose references with the option of having a male or female anatomy for each pose

they have a WIDE VARIETY of poses that you can search for using a TAG SYSTEM

(as you can see by the scroll bar in the second image there is Even More Tags)

you can select a pose you like for larger viewing and the convenience doesn’t stop!!!

you have full 360 viewing range of the pose plus zooming in and out

and what’s that? a TOOLBAR?? MENU?? THING??

Correct!

the eye button hold a very fun menu

negative space blacks out the background and fills the pose with a solid white silhouette

the “texture” refers to the skin situation of the model with the “color” and “grey” shown below

(i usually use color personally)

then there’s the option of different sized drawing grids(4 and 16 below)

idk wtf bounding box is about but it looks like this if it matters to you

“floor” toggles all shadows on the floor, “floor grid” you guessed it puts a like perspective guide grid on the floor that goes to forever, and “shadow” toggles ALL shading. there is NO lighting happening if you turn that off. NONE.

NEXT ITEM! that box thing with the line through it? flips the pose horizontally.

the little person symbol? lets you switch anatomies

camera icon? you can choose from a selection of preset camera angles PLUS an option for … idk what to call it but you can do this!

less flat right!! i’m sure there’s a word i just don’t know but this is maximum *that* so there is less *that* if you want it

the lightbulb gives you a menu like the camera one but it offers a selection of lighting styles with variable intensity

CHARMING!

and that’s not even everything this site provides!!!!!!! they have tutorials, instructional videos, lessons, all sorts of shit!!! (although they are vast majority if not all in japanese just a heads up)

AND ITS ALL FREE

DONT EVEN NEED TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT OR APPROVE OF COOKIES JUST GET IN DO YOUR THING GET OUT NO STRINGS ATTACHED

and if you don’t have ad blocker or are on mobile(like me) NOT TO WORRY

the ads are few and far between! ZERO video ads, NONE take over your screen or glitch you at all, they are of no concern i forget they’re there!

(this is not at all sponsored btw i’m just a genuine fan of this site and i’m happy to spread the good word unprompted)

telling a vampire "youre not allowed in my house anymore" and they get blasted out through the nearest wall

"I have HAD IT." In a bar claiming to be closed for renovations, the owner stood from his stool. He had offered his business as a neutral ground for the city's supernatural elements to come to SOME sort of accord, so that the area around his business might know a little peace. But one group just wouldn't capitulate on a single thing, or even understand the basics like "missing persons cases don't help our vibe". This particular vampire clan wasn't even liked much by their own kind, as some could tell by the sight of others in the room rolling their eyes or tch-tch-tch-ing almost inaudibly as if to chide a child in secret. But when the owner spoke up, there was a hush caused, probably by the audacity...the one completely ordinary mortal in the room speaking up. "Your demands are ridiculous, and endanger not just my bar, but your own safety, if I understand correctly." A few people murmured the human did have the right of it. "It's bad enough we're to be lectured by lesser supernaturals, but I will NOT take lip from a base human!" The leader - probably by right of being the biggest arsehole of his lot - hardly even turned the man's way. "You can and will while you use MY livelihood for this meeting, and while you endanger it to get your undead rocks off." He crossed his arms much like a bouncer - he'd been his own more than once. That got him to turn...stalk up to the man, and stare down at him. The head of this clan was tall and broad, and clearly made use of it. "You have no right to speak on our business. Sit down and shut up." "How about you get the hell outta my bar. You ain't welcome here until you can look at folks some way OTHER than down yer nose. Same goes for your buddies, too." "Why you smarmy little-" The Vampire's words were cut off by the whole building seeming to rattle...until the front doors burst open and a strong wind seemed to issue from the far wall, sweeping through the room...while clothes flapped about at the draw, only the clansmen made part of the ultimatum found themselves so violently pushed by the gale that they had to lean into it, step back to brace themselves...then fall backward and find themselves soaring past others, juggled about to not so much as graze a one, and be dumped upon the curb or roll into the parking lot. Those still within had mere seconds to look at the vampires in an ungainly pile on the asphalt before the doors slammed shut behind them of their own volition. The room was silent...none had actually seen an invitation rescinded in ages, and for a moment, stared at the owner as if he had intended it all. He stared as well, before clearing his throat and trying to ease the moment, just like any other drunk toss. "So, uh...anyone know what I gotta give to be able to do that to my other customers?"

telling a vampire "youre not allowed in my house anymore" and they get blasted out through the nearest wall

Getting blocked irl^

telling a vampire "youre not allowed in my house anymore" and they get blasted out through the nearest wall

thank you audience for this absolutely heinous addition

STOPPPP 😭😭😭

you ever meet a guy you just KNOW would get enthralled by the amulet 🙄

this is about my new coworker btw

telling a vampire "youre not allowed in my house anymore" and they get blasted out through the nearest wall

thank you audience for this absolutely heinous addition