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Miss Diana

Miss Diana

Miss Diana is all gussied up and ready for a long drive. A long, long, long drive. Well hey, it's for charity!

My first completed Desert Bus for Hope 2014 chocobo! And wow did that take... some time. In extremely massive hindsight, maybe I should have waited until Desert Bus 10 before making a Desert Bus-themed chocobo, but... Desert Bus 8, ∞, infinity and beyond... uh, there was a reason in there somewhere. Not important.

My initial thought had been another armored chocobo, which I was perfectly prepared to do, and then... well. I wanted to change up the legs a little. Changing up the legs kind of required changing up the body type a touch, which I was perfectly okay with since I'd wanted to incorporate various chocobo types. But then that meant changing up the tail and the head/face a little too, and... well, the body became more advanced, so I thought instead of armor (and accidentally making her look far too much like another chocobo I'd already made; they're each individuals) I would just go ahead and make her a little hat. Which was a production in itself, but the Desert Bus for Hope symbol came out decently (and unfortunately looks much better in person) and the hat worked out. I knew that I wanted her to have a sash of some kind, so I just decided to bead one so that I could add an optional expanding section to turn it into either a choker or a double-wrap bracelet for whoever's lucky enough to wind up with this little lady for a companion. Then came the little tail decoration. Because... I'm me and she needed more sparkly.

The result: a fully poseable bus driving chocobo! Her bottom jaw, crest, head, neck, legs, toes, wings and each individual tail feather are all individually wired. And she's just so stylish, too.

She was ultimately sold for $1,300. I'm still recovering.

Date: 01 August 2014
Materia Bracelet Commission

Materia Bracelet Commission

Finished commission for a materia bangle.  Leather made to look like metal, lined with soft black suede.  Took an insane amount of time, but that was partly the fault of work schedules and… well, partly my fault.  I did suggest the “sword strike” and “wounded materia” and, well, you’d be surprised how long it takes to figure out how to make things look broken but still be exceptionally strong.

That was the idea: make it look like metal but be flexible, but let it be flexible while still being strong enough to last for years.  Now, I knew a bit about leather working before this, but… I learned a lot.  I broke a lot, destroyed a lot, and learned a lot.  Then I got a dremel and things went so much faster.

I’m not gonna downplay it: I love this.  I love how it tells a story.  I love how you could find it on the ground somewhere and know that what you held in your hands was something beloved.  And shiny as hell, let’s just cover that now.

Also.  When a commissioner is as excited about a commission as you are, even the most painstaking process is fun.  This whole experience, while absolutely work, was a blast, and I learned so much.  There are already plans to make use of this knowledge, indeed; but this particular design belongs only to one.

Date: 27 March 2014
Ewan

Ewan

Ewan's shy.  Really he is.  It's just that when he gets the opportunity to shine, he turns out to be a charisma bomb.  He'll play just about any game quietly, but give him a chance at something action-y and he'll be making the kind of moves and commentary that'll have a whole room enamored and laughing.  Well, if you can understand chocobo, that is.

To say that I "went a little overboard" may be an understatement.  I think I rocketed straight to the sea floor only to rip through the molten heart of the planet and emerge on the other side.  But, you know, shiny results!  So beyond just spending however many days (over a week; I refuse to figure out more) making this poseable chocobo with wired legs, head, neck, wings and tail, I spent several weeks hand-sewing and hand-beading his blanket, headpiece, those two decorative "front flaps" (I r a artist I no wurds), all of the various bands for the saddle, then of course formed the saddle and panel armor from scrap leather, added several layers of iridescent gold pigment, and finished off with a little decorative gold chain with three lovely Swarovski crystals and a couple of tail pieces comprised of glass beads and gorgeously dyed jade.  I feel as if I succeeded in... something.

A note on the leather panel armor: it's not so much the weight but the way the weight is carried that makes it necessary to adjust his legs so he's not going to go tumbling forward when the armor is on.  The "tail pieces" are actually counter-weights to help alleviate that problem, but adjustment is still necessary.  There's a whole bunch of stylish combinations to be achieved from all of these pieces, so of course Ewan's set to be a star in any situation.

Very soon he'll be on his way to join Desert Bus for Hope's lovely crowd of awesome goodies.  More on that soon.

 

Date: 08 September 2013
Ren

Ren

Ren is really quite fond of showing off.  He's got a bit of a habit of overdoing it sometimes, so what he really needs is a companion who can balance him out with a little "common sense".  Of course, this doesn't mean there can't be some mutual showing off.  I bet he could out-perform any human on Dance Dance Revolution--if only they made a chocobo-compatible version.

So I was trying something.  I wanted the look of my "classic" chocobos with a little more internal structure and... here you have Ren.  His legs and toes are wired as usual, but there's extra poseability in his neck/head, tail and wings.  He is a touch "bejeweled" as well, with a number of secure glass beads for a touch of sparkle.

Of course the "way more than a touch" of sparkle comes from that parade ensemble he's got there, a beautifully deep midnight blue real silk velvet hand-sewn with an assortment of glass beads and 98 real Swarovski crystals.  Ninety-eight.  I really wish I hadn't figured that out.  Luckily I lost track of how many weeks this took altogether, but my hands are currently trying to scream the answer at me.

Ahem, point being.  This guy will be off to Desert Bus for Hope headquarters very soon.  More details as the date approaches.

 

Date: 16 August 2013
Lady Abigail

Lady Abigail

Lady Abigail (or just Abby to her friends) is still a little new at this.  Oh, she knows how to march, knows every whistle and command, can walk in step or run ahead and around.  It's the whole armor thing that she has yet to get used to.  Her handler thought it might be a good idea to get her started with something custom-made, something unique and personal.  Hey, even chocobos like to feel special.

I'd been thinking about making a fully-wired, completely poseable chocobo for some time now.  I just hadn't actually given in to such insane ideas until now.  The reception to my Desert Bus chocobos was just so good that I felt I should really push myself and rise to the ridiculously complicated challenge.  But I'm glad I did!  The result is lovely Abby with a wired beak, head and neck, legs, toes, wings (all of her primary feathers are also wired) and tail.  And she has claws!  I've been wanting to put claws on a chocobo for years!

And then, after all that, I decided she needed armor.  (Because I'm kind of unsmart.)  So... I went right for some scrap leather I've had for years and started cutting.  Well that was a learning experience, but seeing as how the result makes me extremely happy, it was worth the work.  Stylized forget-me-nots are the flowers that grace Abby's armor, and once I figured out how to firmly secure rhinestones to leather, I couldn't resist having some "flower buds" on her helmet/mask.  Both pieces of armor attach easily with little handmade hook and eye findings and chain, and it's really easier than it looks.

She also needed that lovely blue velvet blanket.  Yes, real silk velvet.  Yes, it attracts light colored fuzzies like crazy, but it's SO SOFT and shimmery and yes.

And of course she's my chocobo, so she needed a touch of bling.  I beaded her a couple of wired "anklets" and then decided her wings needed a little sparkle, so I made her some "wingbands" too.  She seems to like them.

Abby's a big girl.  In her "natural" pose, she stands 12 inches high to the very top of her crest.  With her tail up, she's 6 inches from her chest to her tail, but with her tail extended out that measurement jumps to just over 10 inches.  Fully extended, her wingspan is 15.5 inches.  She can quite solidly support a Square-Enix action figure bareback, and can easily support the lighter ones with full armor on.

She's playful, sweet and loves her greens.  But she won't turn down a slice of cheesecake.  Just so you know.

(Sold.)

Date: 05 January 2013
Estelle

Estelle

RPGs.  All day, every day.  She can cast magic with her eyes closed, level up a character with one foot while having a snack with the other, plus a casual conversation.  EXP is the spice of life, but it's how you use it that really matters.

Estelle is the third and final chocobo made specifically for Desert Bus for Hope's charity auction. If you're interested in getting this gal for yourself or checking out the rest of the handmade geekery up for auction, please check in with Desert Bus for Hope on November 17.  If at all possible, there will be previews available the week before.

Standing at 9.5 inches in height to the very top of her crest (just over 5 inches from chest to tail, and 3.5 inches at her widest point) she's a little bigger than my standard adult chocobos.  But all rules go out the window with rainbow birds, y'know?  Her body is soft and squishy and poseable to a point, made of acrylic yarn and filled with fiberfill.  Underneath layers and layers of yarn, her feet are wired for balance and poseability.  (And she should be able to hold up relatively light figures just fine, hint hint.)  Her eyes are blue fiber optic/"cat's eye" beads that have a really lovely glow that the camera decided it didn't really want to capture.  Pft.  If not already obvious, this is not a toy for the young'uns.  I do hope she'll manage to make a fine gamer's companion, though; especially when you've got a lot of grinding to do.  There's nothing wrong with teamwork and trading off.

Date: 31 August 2012
Ferdinand

Ferdinand

Fighters, brawlers, racers; Ferdinand is a fan of them all.  You wouldn't think six toes and a beak could manage to pull off a dozen special moves in a row, but he's more than happy to prove you wrong.  Don't make any bets, okay?

Ferdinand is the second chocobo made specifically for Desert Bus for Hope's charity auction. If you're interested in getting this guy for yourself or checking out the rest of the handmade geekery up for auction, please check in with Desert Bus for Hope on November 17.  If at all possible, there will be previews available the week before.

Standing at 10 inches in height to the very top of his crest (5.5 inches from chest to tail, and 3.5 inches at his widest point), he's a little bigger than my standard adult chocobos.  But all rules go out the window with rainbow birds, y'know?  His body is soft and squishy and poseable to a point, made of acrylic yarn and filled with fiberfill.  Underneath layers and layers of yarn, his feet are wired for balance and poseability.  (And he should be able to hold up relatively light figures just fine, hint hint.)  His eyes are drilled stone beads, though exactly what stone has been driving me a little nuts.  They're obviously dyed, regardless.  And obviously this is not a toy for the young'uns.  I do hope he'll manage to make a fine gamer's companion, though.

Date: 31 August 2012
Nadia

Nadia

This is Nadia.  Oh sure, she looks sweet and innocent now, but if you haven't had the experience of watching a chocobo own your posterior playing an FPS with her feet, then you ain't seen nothin'.  She likes adventures, too.  RPGs.  Hack and slash, on certain days.  Platformers are a favorite.  She'll help you through horror games and wait with you until that one game you've been desperately waiting for finally gets released.  But she's not snobbish about digging into the classics, either.  Look out for your snacks, though.  They may just "disappear".

Nadia is part of my contribution to Desert Bus for Hope; specifically, their always amazing charity auction. If you're interested in getting her for yourself or checking out the rest of the handmade geekery up for auction, please check in with Desert Bus for Hope on November 17.  If at all possible, there will be previews available the week before.

Giant chocobos tend to take about 10 full days of work from start to finish, though admittedly I never started counting with her.  Can you blame me?  She's incredibly soft and huggable, made of super snuggly acrylic yarn and polyfil, with big beautiful aqua glass eyes--so she's not for the young'uns.  She sits at a full 16.5 inches to the very top of her crest, is 9 inches from chest to tail, and every so slightly over 8 inches at her widest point.  Every single knot made in her creation is a surgeon's knot that's been further reinforced with just a touch of fabric paint medium; a perfectly clear and utterly undetectable way to assure she remains in tip-top shape for those gaming sessions.  Or, you know, hugs.

By the way, if you’re interested in contributing to the Desert Bus Craft-Along, there’s still time before the must-be-physically-at-headquarters deadline, October 12You can get all the details in this video.  Then e-mail Tally, the magnificent Desert Bus for Hope Craft-Along Coordinator, with your proposal!  (And please be patient, as she’s probably ridiculously busy.)

Speaking as someone who knows a thing or two about “video game therapy”, this cause is kind of important to me.  And it’s fun to watch these poor people be paid to torture themselves with the most boring video game of all time, isn’t it?  Major plus, in my opinion.

("Nadia" means "hope", by the way.  It seemed appropriate.  ...But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly influenced by Nadia G.  She's my hero.)

Date: 16 August 2012