DreamStitcher Custom Costume

09/15/2026

The DreamStitcher (me) will be at the Fables and Flames Romantasy Gala event this Nov 5-8th, with a party room and the Costume Emergency First Aid Station.

If you're there, do stop in for tea and cookies !

A magical weekend celebrating romance and fantasy literature! Dive into a world of stories with exclusive author signings, unique vendors and crafters, engaging panels, live readings, and cozy room parties. Highlights include a tea party with beloved authors, a quiet room for readers, and a book exc...

09/12/2026

Hopefully, our children can save us from our polluting excesses.

09/11/2026

Solar panels raised above crops could offer farmworkers something valuable beyond renewable electricity: noticeably cooler working conditions during hot days. ☀️🌱

New modeling research on agrivoltaic farms suggests that overhead solar panels can lower the temperature people actually feel while working beneath them. In one 2026 study, the average perceived temperature during working hours was about 4.46°C — roughly 8°F — lower under an agrivoltaic setup than in an open field. The shade also reduced crop temperatures and water loss, while cooler panels slightly improved solar-energy performance. Separate field research has found that farmworkers themselves value the shade, cooler drinking water and reduced fatigue available at agrivoltaic sites. The exact cooling benefit will vary with climate, panel height, spacing and airflow, so 8°F is not a universal figure. Still, the findings suggest solar farms designed around agriculture could simultaneously produce electricity, grow crops and create more comfortable conditions for the people working beneath them.



References:

Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems: Food, Energy, and Health Implications of Agrivoltaic Farms.

Eos: Solar Panels Can Cool Crops—and Workers.

AGU Newsroom: Solar Panels Over Crops May Boost Farmworkers’ Comfort.

09/11/2026

🎆‼️HISTORY MADE! It took over a decade to get to this point, but Uber and Lyft drivers can finally call our union their home!

Let’s comment a “Congratulations” below to the drivers who led this movement to have a voice on the job in one of the most challenging industries to organize in.

09/11/2026

09/11/2026

Scientists covered sections of Southern Illinois cornfields with enormous nets and revealed just how much work bats can do after sunset.

During a two-year experiment, researchers closed the nets at night to keep bats out, then reopened them during the day so birds and other predators could forage normally. The difference was striking.

Corn protected from bats had:

59% more corn earworm larvae
56% more damaged kernels per ear
Fungal growth on 20% of ears, compared with 12% in open plots
Higher concentrations of fumonisin, a toxin produced by certain fungi

Corn earworms begin life as eggs laid by moths. By hunting adult moths and potentially influencing their behavior through echolocation bats can reduce the number of caterpillars that later feed on corn.

Less insect damage may also mean fewer opportunities for fungi to enter damaged ears and produce toxins.

When researchers scaled their findings to global corn production, they estimated that insect-eating bats provide more than $1 billion in pest-control benefits every year from corn alone. That estimate did not include the additional value associated with reducing fungal growth and toxins.

A bat flying over a cornfield may seem insignificant, but healthy bat populations can provide a powerful layer of natural pest control.

Protecting bat habitat can therefore benefit biodiversity while also supporting farmers and food quality.

Sometimes some of the most valuable workers on a farm begin their shift after everyone else has gone home.

09/11/2026

In Japan, some cedar trees are managed almost like living platforms, growing straight timber shoots again and again without felling the original tree. 🌲🇯🇵

This traditional technique is called daisugi. Foresters carefully prune and shape a cedar so a broad, raised trunk base remains, then allow multiple vertical shoots to grow from the top. Those straight shoots can later be harvested as timber while the “mother tree” stays rooted and continues producing new growth cycles over time. Daisugi is especially associated with the Kitayama cedar tradition near Kyoto, where it helped provide long, uniform timber for architecture, tea houses and fine carpentry. The practice developed centuries ago and is often linked to periods when high-quality straight wood was in strong demand but forest resources needed to be used carefully. Rather than cutting the whole tree for each harvest, daisugi turns one living cedar into a renewable source of repeated timber production.



References:

Kyoto City Official Travel Guide: Kitayama Cedar and the Daisugi Technique.

Japan House London: Kitayama Cedar and Traditional Japanese Forestry.

Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute of Japan: Traditional Silviculture of Kitayama Cedar.

09/11/2026

"I think he’ll be putting the money behind his favorite politician — the person he most admires, who represents everything he believes in, who he considers the single most important and talented living person in the entire flaming firmament of the known universe.

Himself."

09/11/2026

What it still means

09/10/2026

I m up to my gussets until after Twin Cities Con. so
I will be taking no more commissions for the rest of the year (including anything for Halloween).

(And have decided NOT to do any more 'rush orders' - NOT worth the lack of sleep, the anxiety, and the customer's lack of understanding of how labor intensive 'rush' projects can be.)

If you want something for MarsCon or beyond, please contact me now, so we can get you on the appointment calendar asap.

Thanks for understanding.