***NOTE: DUE TO MANUFACTURING LOGISTICAL ISSUES, THE GOTH SWEATER DRESS WILL NOW HAVE A HEART WINDOW AS WELL! PLEASE DO NOT PREORDER UNLESS YOU AGREE TO THIS CHANGE!*** This preorder store is to help raise funds for what would have been the next stretch goal, the crop knit sweater with zippers on the sleeves. It comes in purple and black, with the sizing as XS-S, M-L, XL-2XL, 3XL-4XL. The same sizing tier is available for the (also crop style) mesh-paneling "R18" jersey top that comes in pink or black with white screenprinting! I chose to add this one to the preorder store so that it has a chance to see the light of day as well, as the design is complete and does not, in my opinion, need to be reworked. *preorder funding for the r18 jerseys and zipper sweaters have failed, so they have been removed.
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Hello everyone!
Between moving, Colossalcon, and then getting sick from Colossalcon, I broke my promise yet again and only just at the last half of June have all finally gone out. I'm sorry, and thank you for your patience. I hope everyone has received theirs by now!
I will have some leftover stock at Tekko this month, but my online shop will probably be closed until August. I need to really sit in the reality of my health continuing to decline and restructure a lot of the admin side of my business, I am far too disorganized and my productivity levels are practically nonexistent due to constant fatigue and pain. I am thinking I may need to switch over to a model of only having my online store open a few times per year at set intervals and durations; I can't yet afford to drop conventions and it feels like one or the other has to go or be reduced.
THE APPAREL
So for the tags, they're sewn in the earmuffs inside the "knot"! This would have been incredibly easy for the factory to do before sewing the strips onto the earmuffs as the bow knots, but they didn't want to do it. They wanted to sew them in an outer seam of the bow, where it would have been really jarring. If you flip the knot inside out a bit, you'll see the tag near the seam of that strip of fabric. I didn't sew tags on any of the stock I sold at the events I was in that I urgently needed funds from between then and now, so no one got tagged earmuffs before you all. I just want to reassure of that.
Honestly, I feel like the earmuffs are incomplete products without the tags... but sewing them on by hand is physically painful for me, which I found out by sewing one on my personal pair when everything first arrived, to make sure it would still be possible. At my fastest, once used to it, it still took me over 10min per tag to sew them on. I told them that was likely due to my arthritis and carpal tunnel, but they didn't care. 🥴 I've had the same thing happen to me before with metal keychains that didn't follow the proof, I had to hand drill all the holes larger because they didn't care and wouldn't remake them. As a result I still have like 50 I haven't listed for sale/drilled. ANYWAY...
These sweaters snag very easily. I should have mentioned this at some point since I was already aware, but my brain disregarded it immediately because of how easy it is to fix the snags (especially compared to other knitwear). So, I'd like to show a quick video of how to fix them! I realized way too late that it might not come to mind to try. I'm sorry!
(I had to embed a link because I'm no longer finding the option to upload videos directly?? Ridiculous.)
After this, if there's still a tiny bit of stretch visible in the area, if you wash it it should be indistinguishable. I also recommend washing them without ANYTHING that could snag (no metal or plastic hooks, or jeans buttons or things like that) because a really large snag would be difficult to deal with like on any knit. But these are definitely WAY more self-healing than any other knitwear I've ever owned. I have a large number of cats, so...please trust me on that. 😮💨 You also should do this to fix any snags as soon as you see them, ones that have been around for quite a while are harder to fix.
THE FUTURE
Since I can't get these remade through the factory I used for them, but they've been a massive hit since release, I am going to try to get them remade next year with the manufacturer I had the dokidoki sweaters made with (I have clearly learned my lesson that testing out multiple factories at the same time should only be done with smaller items...not with things like this, since the other 2 both turned out to be awful options).
I am moving over to Backerkit, so I will likely run a campaign over there after re-sampling with them instead. Colors will change slightly again, inevitably, but I've already had bulk stock produced with this company without any actual issue at all. So I know for a fact it would be easier to get these made with them, even if there are still road bumps.
If you want to follow my backerkit crowdfunding account, here is the link to that.
To get them remade, I'd likely have some other things added too (I'm working on designing matching bags...but I want to make them myself, by hand, so they would be made-to-order), and maybe another colorway. It would be more of a full-scale "collection" this way. I'll have to keep the heart chest window for the goth sweater out of caution, but the earmuffs would stay bat wings! I will get this factory to sign a contract saying they will attach the tags themselves. I'm serious. 😭 ow.
Also, the socks didn't work out. They don't have enough grip on the top even with sock glue, and are indeed a lot shorter than I asked for. So instead I'm thinking leg warmers with drawstring pompom ties, to match the earmuffs too?
IN CONCLUSION
This is not set in stone. I have a lot I have to do with my video game next year too, in order to finally publish it in 2025, so at the moment this is wishful thinking.
If or when I figure out the logistics behind the zipper sleeve sweater and the R18 crop, I will update with that planning. At the moment, those are fully up in the air as there's just too much going on unfortunately. If I just go by cost and potentially needing to self-fund due to lack of social media reach, the R18s would actually be first priority. I know to some that is pretty disappointing.
Thank you for hanging in there through this, it was very stressful but I'm ultimately so happy I get to share these sweaters with you all. Fashion design is genuinely a real passion of mine, and with these having been my own blueprint down to the size charts and small details (like pockets!), it has blown me away the joy and incredibly positive comments I have received from people once they have theirs. From my jewelry to my fanny packs to these, even in the best of circumstances it's often equal parts exhausting and rewarding to get through the production aspect of fully-original designs. However, the reception once they've already been made is the chance to flip the script, and in this case has made the stress I went through worth it thanks to you and others. I hope to continue to be able to pursue this passion within my business.
Feel free to comment or contact me if you have any questions. Take care!
Credit to my models Jenny and Daisy, and bon.komera with the JFashion staff at Fanime for these amazing shots as well as many others!
PS: I am so sorry to the recent round of shipments if any of your packages smell vaguely of pot 😰 it's a long dramatic story as to WHY, but the line at the PO was super long, and I have to have them scan packages or sometimes they lose them, and the person standing in front works at a dispensary and it was extremely overpowering. We are a smoke-free (but pet-friendly) home. Hopefully it didn't permeate anything.
PPS: I will be at Tekko this month! As part of a stamp rally, and with my first ribbons and pudding keychains!
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.