Dispatch no. 42 - Updates Podcast

Two things it is always worth spending money on to make sure that they are comfortable: Chairs and Beds. If you are going to spend 1/3rd of your life in it, it better be comfy. I hope your new office chair is the best.

Hey! Where is your artist located in LA ? I’m looking for a good tattooist and I’m out here in LA.

Add ARCANA: Love this one. Like really, the more I watch it, the more I adore it! Will we be seeing a video or at least pattern for the gold/teal blouse? Would love a crafting video on the patina/gold leaf - what did you do to the handbags. (yes, there are videos on that over the internet, but you just do and explain things better). The green metallic shantung from Allan's - is that collar part of the blouse? and would you mind showing us the drafting of it? and how to adjust it? The opening in the back is really smart as it self-adjusts, kudos! Please take care of yourself, no need to burn out or overwork yourself. We can all live without a few weekly videos. BTW. Found out that a local friend is also your patron, totally independent :)

I'm brand new to your Patreon, but I love the idea of you releasing an older Patreon video now and again to give yourself a little breathing room. Either way, I'm happy to be here and I certainly don't want you to burn yourself out.

As a queer, vegan, polyamorous Portlander I am surrounded by people into woo (luckily not my closest friend groups) and honestly it drives me CRAZY 😄 When someone brings up astrology I grimace internally so I had to laugh when you opened by talking about your relationship with astrology and how you hate when people are exactly what their signs say they should be 😜 Also, you talking about being so squishy and being made of goo makes me want to give you the biggest, tightest bear hug imaginable :) And, if you ever do get into martial arts I highly recommend Brazilian jiu jistu. LIfe changing. (and you don't need to be in shape before going. They actively say the best way to get ready to do jiu jitsu and by doing jiu jitsu. I wan't in shape at ALL....particularly cardio-wise...and then I was a beast within a few months.) (aaaand....please take all the time you need to get the videos uploaded! your health is top priority! I think you should shoot for 60/40, honestly. 💜)

Hi Bianca, I think the word that you were looking for at the beginning of the talk, it is censer“ - that catholic incense „thing-y“/„bag“ 😄. Thank for sharing your thoughts and feelings with us, as always. Best, Judith

If you haven't watch it; check out the documentary of Frank and Ollie. It is about 2 Disney animators.

Let me add to the chorus of people saying that we don’t want you to burn yourself out, and it’s fine for you to skip a week—or, if you need to please The Almighty Algorithm, to post a Patreon Exclusive video on the main channel. Whatever gives you some room to breathe!

Pffft, people who don't click on the look books, uncultured swine....

There are deep thoughts in this podcast and I appreciate every one of them.❤️ The passion for creating and guilt over not deserving what one has is real. I'm 45 and seem to need to keep getting beat up by myself, because I'm addicted to my music but inevitably burn myself out. It's 1000% or 0%, apparently. It's very hard to find a balance. Living alone with no friends/family nearby makes it especially hard. It is a little scary living entirely alone sometimes when it comes to being sick and there's nobody around to help. A few episodes of that and I have slowly begun to learn my lesson to try and build in more rest. Sometimes it takes a catastrophe for a mindset to ease up, though even then it still reverts back to serious hustle mode. I suppose those things could happen when you're in your future house on your own, though let's hope not! Kitties are good friends, but they can't shovel your driveway and make soup when you're sick. Take care and can't wait for your creations when the chef says they're ready!

Hi, Yes it's me again. I don't know if you remember me from the time when I found you, or any of our musings together over the years. If you do you know what I think about what you just pondered over, because... Hi, Here we find ourselves again... First know that I love the you you were, and the you you've become. No, not in a romantic way, I bat for the other team and have been very happily married for 31½ years, and going. But I love how you've managed to go from then to now without selling yourself out. You are now what you were then, but with better funding and more experience. We still had these discussions back then too, with the risks of overextending yourself, and how to give yourself some grace. You aren't doing any better now than you did then to be brutally honest, but you have made me relax and trust that you won't fall down dead from overworking and overextending yourself. I still worry though. I keep that right, even though I don't mention it anymore, because I can see that you know it all to well. And yes, I know I'm a bit mumsy in that. I think I would be of your mum's generation, so maybe it comes with the territory. Or maybe it's because we never had any kids of our own. If I didn't feel so much closer in age with you than you are, you would have made the greatest daughter. (Your parents must be so proud.) We do have a grandson now, though. Our Goddaughter with husband asked us to be grand parents to their son. Of course we said yes, and we were the first to meet this youngster after he was born, as it happened during the pandemic. They were clear from CoVid-19, and we were in isolation because of my very sloppy immune system. I share the grandma title with her mum (my sister in law) and his mum, but my husband is the sole grandad. Both the other granddads had passed away before he was born, and DH has been her dad in reality though her uncle, as his brother took a very long swim in a bottle, and wasn't as reliable there as DH. Wow. Talk about TMI. Just forget you read that if you're not interested. Please. Also I have no clue about the Look Books. They aught to do so much better, because they are insanely good. Honestly I can't see why the French Couturiers haven't beaten a track to your door, to hire you to make upcoming collections for them, but more the lucky are we. I do declare that you'll have at least one person noticing if you don't put out a video whichever week you don't. I won't blame you for it, I would even fully support you for the decision, and throw in a standing ovation. If you have to put out some content, and I can see that you would think you should, how about a look through one of your Catalogs, even without having scanned it to Pinterest yet, because time. I'm hoping/thinking that those won't take too long to make, but who am I to say. Go one week without. I think you would get away with it without repercussions. I do agree with you about the content creators when they get the following they think they deserve pull back on creating content. As a follower it annoys me, because I don't have Instagram. Quite a few of them also have gotten lazier with their content, I feel. I'm still still a subscriber to some of them as I'm very patient and verry faithful, but honestly, if they don't pick themselves up and get back to the level they used to keep, I'm giving up on them. You not so much. You still have almost unlimited goodwill with me. You can afford to miss uploads without loosing me, that's for sure. I can see me growing even older with you. You did inspire me to get my green vintage 1961 Husqvarna back there and I have used it (not as much as I hoped, because medical), but some. Now you have a vintage one yourself and I think we both share the joy of sewing with them. The feeling is great. Mine does everything I ask of him, except button holes, but there are the same kind of contraptions like the one you have, for my guy too. Yes, he's a he. He told me so and who am I to argue? He's the one that would know, right? Well this is another PhD length comment from me. Sorry about that. Go to San Diego, and stay with your grandparents, get your tattoo taken care of. Finish your Look book Arcane, and breathe. Go on vacation to your written world and word, and breathe. Then come back here and live, love and learn. Life-work balance would be good, but as long as you don't do damage to yourself, you know best. With Love, Ann P.S. If you find yourself with time to spare, or a bit of curiosity try google "John Bauer fairies", to see the magical world that are just a couple of generations back from mine. This is the magic that led me to start reading, and in a way collecting, our fairies tales, when I was around 8 or so. With some of his paintings you can hear Grieg's music In The Hall Of The Mountain King, in the background. At least if you have been planted in Scandinavian tradition. D.S

Passion vs the Calendar = my life 🤣🤣 100% relatable and I'm only a hobby sewist lol. Take all the time you need! It's always worth the wait🥰

I am sure everyone has said what I want to say, but I feel like you need to hear lots of us telling you that you need to look after yourself, that we appreciate you, and definitely from me... thank you. You have taught me how to sew over the last two years. You've helped me get through a tough couple of years, but sewing is now a huge part of my self care because of you!! I have been meaning to go through your back catalogue, so missing a week will be more than fine for me. (Though I definitely will notice :-) ).

Okay, wow, I was really excited for Patina, but now I'm even more excited for Arcana! *-* But also: take the time you need! And if YouTube hates you for skipping a week, just start on releasing one of the patreon videos.

I loved Amy Brown & Stephanie Law art too. I'm a bit older than you, but I loved that glam/punk/goth fashion. I worked at Claire's and often wore princess crowns or random fairy wings with all black goth clothes. I've been enjoying your beading videos. I'm excited for your new look book! It sounds really fun, but take all the time you need! We know you juggle too many projects and overwork yourself, but it's ok to give yourself some extra time. Take care of yourself, from your fellow gooey & floopy friend

I haven't finished the podcast yet, but the word you are looking for is a thurible or censer...resuming my listen now...and I'm back. Brain dump in 3, 2 1... I have always thought a video a week is crazy, maybe 1 every 10 days, with 2 days of that for rest would be more manageable without killing the algorithm....I wonder if the look books struggle because there is no voiceover or descriptive title for cross indexing? I dunno how it works, but they certainly deserve a higher profile. What is the digital equivalent of a dust jacket blurb for a YT video? ....You might feel less pressured/precarious and slay the Imposter Dragon if you harvest what looks like some low hanging fruit. How many times have you mentioned Mood Fabrics and Silk Baron by name? It would be totally appropriate to send them some analytics and propose a sponsorship or discount code for sales on fabrics you use ...as for merch, I myself would buy some TCH branded labels to add to my own makes in a heartbeat. And, of course there is your writing, which I'd pay to read in a hot minute. If these only pay enough for someone to take over one task that takes too long or that you don't love, it's an investment in your longevity. Sending an electronic hug your way.

Ditto all of the above!! Everything I was going to say has been said so well by others already 💜 Please, please take care of yourself!

I found your Youtube channel when I was trying learn how to draft patterns last spring. I have been sewing for --40 years? Maybe more? I make a lot of my clothing as well as cosplay but last month I completed my very first completely drafted from my own bodice block dress. Thank you for your generosity in making all those videos! One of the things I finally realized is that I'm short waisted. This never occurred to me before because while I am quite short, 4'11", petite clothing never fits me, the rise is always too short. Turns out I'm short waisted and have a long rise. Boys pants fit me the best. Which makes me wonder if the discomfort you have with your stays is because you are short waisted. I made a new corset recently for a Victorian cosplay and giving the pattern a short waist adjustment made it so much more comfortable and I was having similar problems with back pain with previous ones (although I do have terrible posture as well :) )

Please don't overwork yourself. In the great scheme of things a week is nothing! All of your faithful followers understand the pressure you put yourself under. No other employer would expect this kind of output so be kind to your employee and let them have some time off!!!

You have so many amazing ideas. I want another A-line skirt. Take as much time as you need to make something you love. We will anxiously await your completed look book when you have something you love. I'll be here no matter how long it takes you to post a new video because we enjoy your humor, creativity and the way you explain things. Releasing older Patreon videos to give you more time makes perfect sense. If we haven't seen them it will be a lovely surprise. Burn out is not something anyone wants for you.

Don't worry! U r a wonderful human who works very hard! Post when it's done. We're not going anywhere! Build the suspense! Happy Spooky Season!😺 ps- bead weaving has made it to the top of my to do list! Thanks to your video!

A few quick comments: Love your look books. Your descriptions of works-in-progress made pretty pictures in my head. Like everyone else here, I don't want you to overwork yourself. But if you can't resist posting a something next week, what about one of the old patreon videos now, instead of waiting 'til Jan when you're house-hunting?

You’ve inspired me to get sewing. I’m a procrastinator, there’s always a reason not to start today! But thanks to you I’ve made a 1 hour dress (with your instructions ) and that has broken the log-jam. I’m even planning to try drafting a pattern. I also love that you do take shortcuts in places, it’s made me realise I don’t have to be perfect. And, Please, put some of those balls down and just juggle with a couple for a bit.

You are correct! We do not want you to burn yourself out!! We will not dry up and blow away because you missed a week, for Pete’s sake woman, we’d rather wait for the perfection you ALWAYS deliver than see you burn yourself to bits!!

Thank you for still doing look books! I love all your videos but they are my favourite. They are like works of art, with your amazing outfits, sets, music, lighting and editing skills 😊

I'd say I can't wait to see the look book, but I definitely can wait a week or two. Take more time, maybe throw an old Patreon video so you have chance for a break. It does sound like an epic theme for the video! Now I'm going to try to make a dress and a velvet waistcoat in a week while also working full time... because I am just as bad at not burning myself out 😅

As someone who always holds myself to a higher standard than anyone else, I get it. But like you said, please don't overwork myself. As someone who also works with their hands I am also relearning the quality over quantity thing and it makes me way happier because I can be proud of the end product instead of just going from product that frustrates me to product that frustrates me because it's not up to my standards. So please while you're clearly already stretching yourself thin, don't stretch yourself too thin. Skip next week, if that would piss off the algorithm too much maybe you can already throw up a patreon video to relieve the pressure a little, or just post on the community tab that you're working hard but couldn't make the deadline and have to skip a week, no shame in that at all, you're a human working with your hands, which means sometimes things don't work out. It sucks but the end product will be so freaking amazing. I can’t wait to see what you will bring to the channel in two weeks (NOT NEXT WEEK, DON’T YOU DARE!) Or later, I can wait for your amazing creations. Give the kitties a big smootch in their cute little heads from me because I am really missing my boy and just having a little furball around so thought I hardly go on insta, I check your stories every day for some soul soothing kitty content. Also, go to your grandparents and get that tattoo fixed up. Enjoy some rest after working so hard. You're doing amazing, even while cutting corners so don't be so hard on yourself because what you make is beautiful and so inspiring. Ps. About the contacts, I have never kept contacts that long but I guess if you inspect them well I would say and, if anything seems off obviously don't wear them. But if you do, get a new bottle of contact fluid so you can clean them well before putting in. It's your eyeballs, you only get two

Still listening, but from where I’m at now: my down payment account says I’m not allowed to go to Allyns. Not pushing yourself, and building more time into your schedule is hard, srsly. All you can do is practice. If you burn out we all lose.

I'm so glad you love your work, and I completely understand the frustration that you don't have enough time to produce all of your creative ideas!! I'm not sure if it's feasible, but I'm curious if there are any tasks you don't enjoy that you could hire an assistant to do and free up your time? Perhaps rough-editing the videos, cleaning the floors, re-hanging clothes during quick-changes, organizing footage, recording B-roll, sharpening scissors, etc. Just some ideas! 😊 I'm so excited for Arcana, it sounds delicious!! Also, I would love to see a video about how you sketch your designs. I've been sketching a lot while I don't have energy to sew, and I'm wondering if there is an easier way to prepare the croquis. EDIT: P.S. No pressure to keep responding to all our comments! If you want us to know you saw them, a heart is plenty 💜

I have the opposing work/life issue to you, you can't stop... I can't start! For the daftest reason too (& I had to get really REAL with myself to work it out!) According to my brain I am a talentless lump & I have no place designing & creating clothing, or anything, for that matter... Don't worry the sensible side of my brain knows that's absolute rot! I have just as much "right" as the next human to create (thank you BPD brain!! Lol)- So, so many ideas & designs I need to commit to the physical but I have to keep giving myself a jolly stern talking to, to convince myself I'm doing the right thing (As Charlie Brown used to say "Good Grief") Why do we creatively like to paint ourselves into these corners, eh??

Thank the stars that you’re so open and descriptive about the labours of the Herculean Creative that you are! Otherwise I’d have no one to completely identify with in the dark of an English autumn morning about the joys and burdens of intense creative production. I finally pressed publish on something to free me up to make a monster sewing project with a deadline and I don’t even have to make videos , so really well done, you are awesome!