Kids' Garb

I like kids.
I like to see kids at events, dressed up in garb and having a great time.
Trouble is, there's a lot of bad garb for kids out there: wrong size, too hot, in bad repair, unpleasant scratchy material….  and sometimes just plain bad design. 

Oh, I know there are people out there with the time and skill to make nice garb for the young lordlings and maidens, but it's hard to keep up with the way they mess up, wear out and outgrow their clothes.

That's why I sew garb for kids -- for the joy of seeing them play the same game as their parents, in period-looking-but-comfortable wash-and-wear outfits. Eight of those kids are my own grandchildren. The younger ones usually wear hand-me-downs but the older ones need two or three new outfits per year to make it through Quad War. I also donate a few new outfits to the LOVE kids' clothing exchange which is held at Quad War each year.

And I sell some garb for kids. It's not a money-maker. The materials are cheap (fabric and trim left over from making garb for adults) but the labor is almost the same as for adult-size clothes (same number of seams and hems). And the parents don't want to see adult price tags on the clothes their kids will outgrow in a year or two.

Each time I go down to my sewing room I'm faced with this dilemma: should I sew garb for adults (getting a better return for my time and working through those big piles of cloth faster) or garb for kids (using up scraps and making the kids happy but barely earning a minimum wage)? Usually I choose the first option…. and create more scraps for option #2! Now the boxes of scraps are getting in the way of bigger projects. I have to process them or toss them out. No, that's not an option -- I can't bear the thought of tossing all that lovely potential!

Guess I'll be making a lot more kid garb in the coming year….

The grandkids try on their new garb but have trouble striking a serious pose

Yeah, those are (some of) my piles of fabric…..

And that's a closetful of scraps (hidden in there just before the out-of-towners arrived)

More kids' garb…. but not nearly enough for next summer

The Affair is Over!

After five (or is it six?) years of playing Tribal Wars, I am done!

No more hanging around by the computer waiting for one more report before sending more attacks. No more Skype conversations with tribe mates until the wee hours. No more dodging incoming attacks.

World 30 of this highly addictive online game is closing down. I've played on other worlds (14, 17, 19) but this one was the most intense. It demanded a lot of my time…. time that could have been spent on reading, sewing, gardening -- even housework!

Now I'm looking forward to more "free" time. First on my to-do list is reorganizing my sewing/cutting/storage areas so that a. there is room for the imminent arrival of the Steadman horde and b. I can reacquaint myself with my many unfinished projects. 

Maybe I'll even blog more -- but that means I should do more blogworthy projects, right?

As a final goodbye to TW I want to share a poem Raven wrote a few years ago. It summarizes beautifully what the affair has been like for us.

ODE TO A JEALOUS LOVER

We've been together for nearly three years
you've made me laugh, you've had me shed tears,
Though there are others who vie for my heart,
among all my Loves, you stand apart.

No other affair has controlled me like you
You take my hard-earned money, and all my time, too.
But I want you, I need you, I'd give you much more,
You're no simple browser game, you're my sweet Tribal Wars!

We met over a banner ad, on FaceBook, I think
You promised "Play Free!"... I did not even blink
I clicked and I joined, and I gained a small village,
I built and recruited and learned how to pillage.

Those early days with you, you were sweet, you were kind.
If I left for a day or two, you didn't mind.
My warehouse would max, my queues all run dry,
but when I came back, my love, we would fly.

The heady rush as I cleared a new farm
the PM's I'd get full of shock and alarm…
They drew me in deeper, made me want to log in
Each village I conquered brought a new grin.

You introduced me to people all over the world
Our circle of friends grew, new vistas unfurled
You invited me to dabble in scripting and code
and promised adventure down every new road.

Soon I was buying you gifts of Premium, and Ads-Free.
I played multiple worlds (and the odd round of Speed)
You demanded another payment from me every time,
but baby, I love you and I really don't mind.

I flirted with WoW, games of skill, and of luck,
but they really don't give the same bang for my buck.
So I came back, and promised that I would be true
that I'll stay to the end of the World with you.

That's when you sank your teeth deep into me,
took my mornings and evenings and any time free.
I log in on my lunch hour, call you on my break,
and if I forget, you point out my mistake.

I have to be home, just to spend time with you
I skip movies and date nights and bars and good brew
The yard work has suffered, the garage's in a state,
but my resources are balanced and my sniping is great!

Sometimes I want to have back my old life…
go for coffee with friends, or spend time with the wife.
But you give me no freedom, you cut me no slack,
I say that I'll quit you, but I always come back.

I get angry, resentful, I threaten to leave,
but then you'll have some new war up your sleeve,
or a bit of diplomacy I just can't let lie
so I log on, buckle down, give it one more try.

And you reward me with captures, with rank and with fame,
The adrenaline rush of a well-played game.
I'm hooked, I'm enthused, and I'm back on your chain.
You have me under your thumb, your slave once again.

Some day I will leave you, my darling, my dear.
I'm married to Real Life, and you're just an affair.
Some day I'll decide that I don't need to play.
I know it will be soon... but it won't be today.


- Raven

And another one…. much more recent:

I share a tale of dearth and woe, of hardship through the land,
Of World 30's stalwart men; for EndGame was at hand.
They'd toiled for years, both night and day; They gave up normal Life
to conquer foreign villages, and save their own from strife.

This wasn't what we signed up for, for most of us at least.
We didn't know we'd work and slave in service to this beast
Lesser men played for a time, and beat a quick retreat.
It takes a special stubbornness to see a world complete.

Early game has a heady rush, it's easy to log in:
Your empire grows, your tribe explodes; you feel you're sure to Win.
And middle game is 'Coaster ride of alliances and NAPs.
But it all comes a-tumbling down when the bond of friendship snaps.

Lies and spies, betrayals breed… That game's no fun to play.
You want to quit, but can't quite seem to turn and walk away.
The Ops are endless, nukes rain down; besieged, you give up hope.
Though friends desert, you still log in, not knowing how you'll cope.

Tribes rise and fall, you fight to stay somehow upon the map.
as your foes rewrite history, and you take all the rap.
Its not about the right or wrong, or how to save the day,
but whether you can outlast those who took your pride away.

And then, one day the end's in sight! A closing date declared.
Some focus on their Rank while others say they never cared.
Barbs are eaten, points inflate, they scramble for reward.
ODA means little now, and village count's ignored.

Its just a race for number one. We're so quick to forget
that anyone still standing tall is part of a special set.
We are the ones who lasted 'til 5 grueling years were done.
We who remain on World 30 are the ones who WON.