DRAGONMOUNT

Welcome back to another edition of “Fandom Flair.”  As promised, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of the Aes Sedai shawl, one of the most important pieces of clothing in the series.    One of the first things I did upon reading the books of The Wheel of Time was try to recreate as many Aes Sedai type accessories as possible.  I sculpted Great Serpent rings out of clay.   I bought a cheap turtle broach because it reminded me of the angreal that was found in Ebou Dar.  I fell in love with paisley designs due to its similarity to the Flame of Tar Valon.   It wasn’t until recently that I actually set out to sew myself an Aes Sedai shawl.  The fringe was the intimidating part.  Anyone could cut out a triangle, but having that beautiful, long, flowing fringe… that was the only thing holding me at bay.  Lucky for me, my sister beat me to the punch.  For Christmas in 2012 my sister crafted us Aes Sedai shawls.  They were simply done, plain fabrics, and added fringe.  For her own shawl, she sewed a Flame of Tar Valon onto the middle; for mine, she drew in on with a black permanent marker.  For a first ever attempt, they were amazing!   At JordanCon 7, I retired my old shawl and had it signed by Team Jordan.  Now it’s hanging on my wall along with all my Wheel of Time artwork.   Now, before we go any further, let’s establish what exactly an Aes Sedai shawl is.  To do this, I turned to Wheel of Time expert, and esteemed member of Team Jordan: Maria Simons.  She told me that, “According to Jim [Robert Jordan], the only mandatory elements of the Aes Sedai shawl were the White Flame and the fringe of a color to match one's Ajah. Other than that, there could be great variation in size, the length of the fringe, and the fabric of the shawl itself. Many times (perhaps even most of the time; I'm not entirely sure), the shawl was embroidered with vines and leaves; the choice of vines and leaves was left up to the Aes Sedai. The actual color could vary as well; a Blue's shawl could be fringed in any shade of blue.” In terms of style, that leaves this project wide open!  You can literally choose any fabric you want, and as long as the fringe is your Ajah’s color, you’re good to go!   Step 1: Materials   Here’s a quick list of materials you’ll need to complete this project: About 2 yards of main material About 2 yards of a liner/backing material About 3 yards of fringe White fabric scraps for the Flame Sewing machine Thread Pins Fray Check (Optional)   As previously stated, you can pick any fabric you want.  Silk, satin, gauze, jacquard, cotton, etc.  In most cases, crafted shawls are typically done in fancy, shiny fabrics.  Satin is a good choice because it’s very beautiful (though tricky to sew with).  Jacquard was my first choice because how thick it is, and the shiny quality (but it’s usually expensive).  Cotton is also a great fabric because of the ease of use, and how well it could be embroidered with vines and leaves if the desire arose. In the end, I picked an outdoor upholstery fabric.      It was the perfect combination of thick, durable, and decorative!  It has a sort of leafy pattern which fits very well into the Aes Sedai theme.  While making a shawl for myself (in my Ajah color of White), I also picked up extra fabric for all the other colors as well.  The Yellow and Green I gave to friends.  The Blue and Gray are finished and hanging up in my closet.  The Red and Brown still need to be completed.   Now a word on lining/backing fabric.  This step is technically optional.  Since most people will never see the back, if it's not nice and neat, that's not a problem.  But there are some advantages to having a backing fabric.  If you use a cotton, or a non-slip fabric, the shawl will sit nicer on your shoulders.  I stupidly used a white satin-type fabric for my backing and it constantly needs to be held in place.   Lastly, you’ll need fringe.  I found mine at a fabric warehouse.  It’s about 4-5 inches long.  Personally, I like longer fringe, but it’s very difficult to find in-store.  Your best bet is buying online, but then you risk the colors not being what you expect.  A great place for online fringe is Crazy Crow Trading Post.   Almost everyone at JordanCon recommend buying fringe there.   Step 2: Triangles Seriously, this project is very, very simple.  It consists of sewing three straight lines to form a triangle.  That’s basically it.  Sure, there is the added difficulty of the Flame on the back, but if sewing those curves is what’s stopping you, there are other ways to get the Flame secured.   Start by measuring your wingspan—that is, your right palm across your shoulders to your left palm.  You want the width of your shawl to be AT LEAST this long.   Next, measure the length from the base of your neck to the middle of your calf.  This is the rough estimate of the length of your shawl.  Of course, this is all based on the personal preference of the Aes Sedai, so if you want a shorter shawl, make it shorter; want it touching the ground, that’s where you measure to.   For my shawl, my wingspan was 60 inches.  My length was 38 inches.  The fabric I bought just happened to be 60 inches across, so all I had to do was measure 38 inches and cut my rectangle.     Next, you want to find the center of your rectangle on the longest side.  This center spot will be the point of the shawl.  Mark it, and then trace a line from that point to the top right corner.  Repeat the line from the point to the top left corner.       Cut along the lines and you have your basic shawl already done!  If you want to use a backing fabric, you can repeat these directions and make another triangle, or you can trace your shawl on top of it and cut it out that way.   At this point, you have the option of using Fray Check on your fabrics.  Fray Check—or something similar—is used to keep the material from fraying after it’s been cut.  Some fabrics don’t fray, like knits, spandex, fleece, and velvet.  If your fabric does fray, applying Fray Check makes the seam so much nicer!   Step 3: The Flame   Adding on the Flame is an essential step to any Aes Sedai shawl.  It is what makes it an Aes Sedai shawl.  You also have a few choices about how big you want it to be, what fabric you want to use, do you want it fancy or plain....  This is a great way to customize your shawl and make it your own.   Since I had scraps of my beautiful, white material, I used it as the Flame for the Green Ajah shawl I made.  This turned out really cool, because I was able to line it up, and keep the pattern continuous.  For my shawl, since it was already white, I needed a material that would stand out enough.  I used the same white satin I used as my backing.   First, you need to cut out the pattern.  I just printed one from online.  This way, you have perfect lines, and you can blow it up or shrink it down to the size you want.   Cut it out, and trace it on your fabric.  For the Green Ajah shawl this was a bit more complex because I had to get it lined up properly:   I also applied Fray Check to the Flame.   Pin it on.   And sew! I started at the point because that was the trickiest part.  But you're welcome to do it the way that's more comfortable for you.   And here we have it:     Now, an alternative to sewing would be using a fabric adhesive.  You can get fabric adhesive that is double sided—I used Pellon Peltex Two-Sided Fusible fabric adhesive.  This is basically a glue that melts with the heat of an iron and binds the two fabrics together.  I’ve used this method successfully on quite a few projects.  If you cut out a layer of adhesive that is the same shape as your Flame, you can glue it to your shawl in as little as five minutes.  Super simple! Step 4: Sewing the pieces together   Here’s where it all starts to come together.  Think of your shawl as a sandwich.  You have the top and bottom buns (the shawl face and the backing) and you have the yummy toppings (the fringe).  That means, you need to sew with each item in the proper order to get it looking right.   FIRST place your shawl face (the one with the Flame sewn on) face down on the floor.   NEXT put your fringe on top, layering it so it completely covers both sides and the point at the bottom.   THEN put your backing fabric face up.  Think Grilled Cheese: you want the top and bottom to both have the yummy browned buttered side showing.  So you want the right side of your shawl and the right side of your backing fabric to be facing out.   Pin this all together.     Sew only the angled sides with fringe.  Start at the point and sew a straight line to the top left corner.  End your seam.  Start at the point again and sew a straight line to the top right corner.  End your seam.  Sew a line straight across the top to completely close in the shawl.  End your seam.  Trim off any excess fabric at the top and apply a coat of Fray Check if necessary.   Another method would be to tuck the top of the shawl under a half an inch or so and sew it close.  This is the way I did it, but it was more difficult.  It caused bunching at the corners, which is not very pretty.   Step 5: Finishing touches   Now all you have to do is pull off the fringe safety string and cut off any stray strands that are too long!       Wear your shawl with pride!  Not only are you filled with the sense of accomplishment, but also with saidar.             Next time, we’ll switch gears a bit and show how to make fandom shoes.  Thanks for reading! 

Members of Dragonmount, It is with great regret that I must inform you, do to ever increasing cost of internet services, servers, networking equipment and electricity, Dragonmount now costs us more than ever to run.  The Administration and I have discussed a number of options and have decided that, to help cover the costs for running and upkeep of the site and forums, we will be switching to a downloadable content system wherein certain features will cost money (USD) for you to use. We are hereby giving all our users a two week notice that, as of April 14th, the following changes will be placed into effect. Users will be allowed to select one free avatar when they join the site, after that, each Avatar Change will cost $5. Users will be limited to 50 posts a day, after that you may pay $5 for an additional 50 posts. For those who wish, an unlimited number of posts may be purchased for $100 per month. In addition to these changes, we are also implementing a few other new features New Signature Controls - Under the new system, you may have separate signatures for each board/group. Setting a signature for one group area will not set it for any other area. Multiple charges will be made for each area you wish to add a signature to. To facilitate this, your current signatures will be removed on the 14th and will cost $10 per month to add to your profile for the selected board. Voice Chat - The old text based chatroom will remain free, however, a new chat system allowing for voice chat between members, will cost $10 per month to access. Video Chat - What's better than voice chat?  Video Chat!  For just $20 per month you will have access to video chat with other members. Group Swap - Are you tired of your old social group but not wanting to loose all the effort you put in raising your points and internal ranking? For $25 you can move to a new Social Group and migrate to the internal rank closest to your current one. Obviously: April Fool's!

Welcome to the March Forum Roundup! This month, I’d like to highlight our Debates and Discussion Forum.  It is an election year here in the United States and D&D is the place to voice your opinion.  Of course, the forum isn’t exclusive to the United States and you will find topics that range from climate change to Europe’s immigration crisis. Mafia games are popular here at Dragonmount.  Members put in quite a bit of time to make the games unique and fun.  The games can be found in its own section, as well as other Social Groups that allow for it. The Black Tower featured Mafia memes and a Winter Shadow event.  Moving on to Spring……we’ll see what direction the group takes in next month’s Roundup. The White Tower and Warders have been busy.  A both informative and fun event was held for International Women’s Week.  The Red Ajah hosted and did a bang up job.  The Band of the Red Hand is busy training new recruits, discussing music, and talking about who has re-read The Wheel of Time books. The Aiel Social Group offers a March discussion on “What is Truth,” and fun stuff including “Typing With Your Eyes Closed” and “50 Things Never To Do On A First Date.” The Ogier are discussing “Winter Unpleasantness” and “Edgar Allen Poe vs Stephen King vs H.P. Lovecraft.”  Plus, there's a game of hangman that has been ongoing for a few years. The fun-loving Shayol Ghul Social Group is featuring a couple new games: “Mating Dance” and “Executioner–Issue II: The Chopping Block.” The Wolfkin are having fun "Stating the Obvious" in their very exciting game. ACW Tuathan’an Camp’s Hobby Wagon is featuring “Accidental Gardening.” There's still plenty going on around the Dragonmount forums, so see what else you can find!  See you next month!

Welcome back to another edition of Fandom Flair.  As promised, today I'll show you my mistcloak.  My inspiration from this—besides just the fact that having a mistcloak would be amazing!—was a couple of fans at the Phoenix Comicon in May of 2013.  Brandon Sanderson was in attendance, and that meant we all tried hard to impress him.  This group did a great job of it, dressed as Vin, Eland, Sazed, and Tindwyl.      I adored the mistcloak and realized it's really only lots and lots of strips!  What could be hard about that? Step 1: Gather materials This project required a lot of different kinds of fabric, but not much of each.  I went in on this with my sister, Mavin, so we were able to buy the fabrics in bulk and make two cloaks. This cut down on the price. First, you need a base material, which serves as the solid around the shoulders and neck that the strips get sewn to.  In my inspiration photo, you can see how her base material was thick and decorative.  I went with a cheaper option.  I chose poplin, a semi-heavy but durable fabric, in a solid gray.  This material is great to work with, easy to sew and very forgiving with mistakes.  It flows well and has great weight if you used it for a project that required a lot of length. I only needed about half a yard of this material for the base, but I also liked it enough to include it in the strips.  Therefore, I bought about 2 yards.  I got it relatively inexpensive, about $4 a yard. For the strips, I chose a variety of fabrics.  I picked a sheer, gray organza, and a gray satin. Again, I got 2 yards of each material.  However, the satin I got at Walmart for $1 a yard, and the organza was about $2 a yard at a fabric warehouse.   So, a list of materials would include: 2 yards of 3+ fabrics Sewing machine Scissors Pins Tailor’s chalk Pinking shears/pinking rotary cutter Lace/fringe for embellishment (Optional)   Step 2: Get your pattern The best way to start this is with a circle.  If you've ever made a circle skirt, you know what I'm talking about.  The circle will be the fabric that sits on your shoulders, the cloak-like part that is solid. For this, all you need to do is measure the circumference of your neck and divide by 4 (you can add on an extra inch if you don’t want it completely flush with your neck).   The next measurement you want is from your neck (where it meets your shoulder) to the end of your shoulder.  I started with a neck to shoulder measurement that was much longer than necessary, and I wound up trimming it as we continued.    Once you have your measurements, you can draw your pattern.  Take your base material, lay it on the floor, and fold it in half.  Find the center and make a mark.  If you have tailor’s chalk, that would work very well.  If you don’t, you can use any sort of marker that will be dark enough; just make sure you cut on the inside of the marker so you don’t see it in your final product.   From your central mark, use measuring tape to find the correct distance (neck circumference divided by 4).  Mark that distance.  Repeat on the other side.  Then, using a compass, or a string and a pushpin, connect those two points using an arch.   Next, do the same for your shoulder-neck length.  Mark on both sides and connect using an arch.     Cut along both lines and you have your shoulder base!      Now, onto the strips.  This all depends on your height, as the strips need to be as long as you are (well, from your shoulder to your feet).  I’m only 5’2”, so my strips only needed to be about 50” or so.  What we wound up doing was making them too big, just to be on the safe side, and then pinning them to the appropriate length.  More on that later.   To cut out the strips, we used a rotary cutter.  This was one of our many bad ideas on the project.  This decision would have been okay if I wasn’t totally lazy.  But since I am, once I had my strips, I wanted to sew them on.  I didn’t take into account the fact that all three fabrics frayed like crazy.  The ideal solution would have been to have a serger (which I don’t have), or to stitch under the edge of every single side of every single strip.   Our lazy solution was to use pinking shears (or you could use a pinking rotary cutter) to finish the edges.  This was also difficult to do with the shears because we had to redo the seams on each strip.  Using a pinking rotary cutter from the start would have been the best lazy option.   We used 36 strips per mistcloak.  Obviously, more would have been better.      Step 3: Pinning and Sewing   First, let’s tackle the base.  We have the circle, so now we just need to cut a vertical line straight up and down to make our opening.  To create clean hems, fold each side under and stitch.  Do the same with the circle that is closest your neck.  I (stupidly) used white thread which makes the seam super obvious.  I would suggest using a color that blends in better.   Next, I cut two long strips of the poplin and turned them into ties.  Mavin decided to use a clasp to keep her cloak together.  Again, this is a way to make it yours and unique.     With that done, now it’s only a matter of pinning the strips into place.  This would be difficult to do on your own, so I would suggest having a partner help.  I put my base on and Mavin pinned all my strips in place.  We did a bottom layer, with the strips next to each other, and a top layer, with the strips staggered.       Here was lazy mistake number two.  After they were pinned, I didn’t want to bother with removing the extra length at the top.  I just sewed them all down.  This created a very ugly, tattered look, with random strips cut off near the base.  To cover this, we decided to add a little bit of frills in the form of lace.  I bought a double layered black lace, about two inches long.  Mavin went with a three layered lace that was about four inches.  Again, customize.   Lucky for us, this covered the ugly seam and made it look a little fancy!   Step 4: Accessorize   We wore these mistcloaks to the Phoenix Comicon the next year.  I was going for a Vin look, but Mavin was more or less just another mistborn.  We both had our allomancer metal vials that we bought from Brandon Sanderson’s official store.  I even added in a single stud earing to my ear.  Complete the look with black leggings and a black shirt.  Now you’re ready to rock your mistcloak!     And here I am with a No Face cosplayer.  I adored the detail on her outfit!     Stay tuned for next time when I’ll show you how to make an easy Aes Sedai shawl!

For this edition of “Fantasy Review,” the book covered will be Calamity, the third and final installment of The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson.   There will be slight spoilers below.  Read at your own risk!   Calamity By Brandon Sanderson     Synopsis After the events in Babilar, David and crew are out on a new mission: remove the darkness from Prof—AKA Limelight—and free him from the evil of his powers.  To do this, the group needs new allies and new plans.  After getting what they need from an unlikely source, they set off for Atlanta (Ildithia, the city of salt).    However, there are a few things left to worry about.  First, David still hasn’t come to terms with the fact that he might be an Epic himself.  And there’s still the little problem of finding out Prof’s weakness before they can face him in combat.  Not to mention that the David still have plans of killing Calamity, the Epic of Epics.    Pros I will not deny that I’m a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson.  His writing is phenomenal, thought provoking and humorous, dark and optimistic, and this novel is no exception.  He’s a master with action, moving the plot forward constantly.  At the same time, the depths of character development and motivation is clearly explored and satisfying.    David’s character is wonderful.  He’s funny, dedicated, hardworking, and a true leader.  As the new leader of the Reckoners, he grows.  He suddenly sees how difficult it is to be the one in charge, waiting for the right moment to strike instead of rushing in prematurely.  His underlying powers—used more by accident—are interesting in the way they don’t shape him.  All the Epics we’ve seen have been driven by their abilities and it’s nice to see the flipside of that in David.   I also loved the dynamic of the relationship between David and Megan.  It’s a partnership, each one risking their lives repeatedly as they continue their mission, and letting the other risk their life.  It’s so common in fiction to see a partner become overly protective, and while David and Megan do fear for each other’s lives, they understand that it’s necessary.  There’s no coddling or making the other sit out; they respect each other enough to know that is not an option.    Cons While the pace of the book was well done—the action keeping the story constantly moving—there was a feel of being rushed with the ending.  David sets up his plan early on to 1) Rescue Prof 2) Destroy Calamity 3) Save the world.  So when the book’s three-quarters done and step one hadn’t been completed yet, there’s a bit of a sense of rushing.  And while the ending was very well done, greatly satisfying, and absolutely logical, it was difficult to not feel impatient for the conclusion.    Conclusion This book was fantastic, a truly wonderful read.  David’s observations were often comical and I laughed a lot throughout the story.  It’s a great combination to have war and death mixed with light-hearted humor.  Of course, that’s always something Sanderson has excelled at, in my opinion.    Though the trilogy is complete, I feel there is a lot of room for exploration in this world (and parallel worlds).  I really hope that, if Sanderson has time, some of these avenues will be revisited in the future. Rating 5/5

Welcome to another Forum Roundup.  I look forward to bringing you some of the monthly goings on here at Drangonmount.   I'd like to start with the "Wheel of Time Discussion." Think you have heard it all? Readers continue to discover the series and present new theories and questions such as "What happened to those who were 'turned' and other issues not addressed in the Companion" and "How can I get people to read it?"     Now onto the Tinker's Guild. The Writer's Wagon notes that our very own Mashiara Sedai has finished her 6th novel and in the Arts and Crafts Wagon, Nynaeve continues to bring us her wonderful and creative bead animals.   The Aiel presents with some interesting topics such as “Relationships that have changed you” and a discussion on the merits (or not) of “Higher Education.”   The Band of the Red Hand offers a fun place to relax and have a beer with “The Beers of the Red Hand.”  In addition, the Band has a very active Skype Group.   In February, the Black Tower hosted a Valentine’s event and “Book Challenges and Reading Advices.”  Most importantly, the Shadow wished two newlyweds well.   The Ogier Social Group offers many games!  Hangman, Winter Unpleasantness as the Stedding protects us-from A-Z, The Name Game: Plant Edition, Movie Quote Game, Change a Letter, and Choose your own Adventure: Journey under the Sea, just to name a few.   Shayol Ghul has started a “Mating Dance” and announced a “New Moridin.”  They also offer a new story “Grayman’s Task” and “The Executioner.”   The Brown Ajah of the White Tower and Warders held a “Chocolate Fest!”  Check out "Chocolate Videos" and "Chocolate recipes."   The Wolfkin are “Freezing their Tails Off” and engaging in “Chili Dunking.”  Their discussion this month is “Magical things in Life” and the game is “State the Obvious.”   As you can see, Dragonmount offers something for everyone.  This is only a short selection of the "goings on" and if you don't see something that interests you, suggest a new event, activity, or game!   See you next month at Forum Roundup.

Introducing a new design from artist Paul Bielaczyc!     Ta’veren Tees is proud to have worked once more with officially licensed WoT artist Paul Bielaczyc on a new shirt, “Duty and Death,” now available for preorder at www.TaverenTees.com/dutyanddeath.     The 100% cotton tee can be preordered for a special price of $23 (regular $26) and will ship by March 7. All items ordered at the same time will be held and shipped with the new tee. The art on the shirt shows a distant mountain – perhaps it is Shayol Ghul – with a heron marked blade in the foreground and a crane in flight, all framed by feathers. The concept alludes, of course, to the quote “Duty is heavier than a mountain, death lighter than a feather.” Though Rand takes up this mantra in the series, it is said to him by Lan Mandragoran and the sentiment fits both men’s stories, two journeys of burden and sacrifice.     Fact: In the real world, this phrase is very near one that is part of the first precept of the Imperial Rescript to Japanese Soldiers and Sailors.   To preorder your shirt, head over to www.TaverenTees.com/dutyanddeath now!

Welcome to an exciting new addition to our Front Page Blogger lineup: Fandom Flair! In this blog, I want to demonstrate and feature different ways to incorporate fandom love into your life. For me, displaying my many fandoms makes me happy. From a subtle necklace to an all-out cosplay uniform, there are so many ways to show off what you are passionate about! I do want to stress that everything I make is for my own, personal enjoyment. This is not something I make for others, or sell for profit. If you'd like to buy licensed Wheel of Time merchandise, please check out Ta'veren Tees. Naturally, for this first edition, I want to feature one of my many Wheel of Time crafts.  It was hard to pick just one!  I decided on showing off my Aes Sedai dress tutorial.  Besides my shawl, it’s the item I get the most use out of. Step 1: Pick a pattern This is actually pretty tricky.  There are so many different styles of dresses that fit into the Randland theme/descriptions.  Typically, we think of anything “Renaissance-y” as being fantasy, so you’re safe if you go in that direction.  I went that route, choosing Simplicity Pattern 1773, Option C.   You can also be a bit more adventurous.  For example, you can be a Tinker Aes Sedai and go with something like this: Or a Cairhienen sister with something like this:   Even a Domani: The options are endless.  You can combine any nationality, with any color, with any pattern, and have it be an Aes Sedai dress. Step 2: Acquire materials Patterns can be difficult because they usually require a lot of fabric.  For my pattern, I needed 6 yards.  This can get pricey if you’re going with fancy fabrics.  For that reason, I went to the cheaper side and selected crushed velvet, which is much cheaper--and less hot--than regular velvet. Other materials needed will vary, but most likely include: Sewing machine Lining fabric Thread Scissors Pins For a price total, this can range from $20 for fabric and materials to $100+.  It all depends on where you want to take it. (And here’s a tip from people I trust--if you’re looking for multiple fabrics that match or compliment, try an inexpensive bed-in-a-bag which would have sheets, shams, bed skirts, and a comforter.  When on clearance, you can’t beat that price!) Step 3: Cut out pattern and fabric This is my least favorite step because it’s time consuming and boring.  But since it’s the first task, it’s nice to get it out of the way and move onto more interesting endeavors. Cut out your pattern for the size you need.  I always suggest to cut bigger because you can take it in.  It’s much more difficult to increase the size afterward. Next, lay your pattern on your fabric. It may take some adjusting and playing around to get all your pieces to fit.  The pattern should include a diagram on how to do this, but it’s not always the best solution.  For me, I had my crushed velvet in two pieces since I bought them on different occasions, so the suggested layout didn’t work. Once you find what works for you, pin the pattern onto the fabric and cut them out.  I always leave my patterns attached until I sew them so I don’t accidentally mix any up!     Step 4: Sew! This is the fun part, in my opinion, because it’s when the dress starts to take shape.  At the same time, it can be the most frustrating because you need to decipher the sometimes-difficult sewing terminology in the directions.  Take breaks when you need them.  Breathe deeply.  You’ll get through it, and it will be worth it! If you run into a snag with this step, there’s several outlets in which to find help.  One being Dragonmount’s very own Tinker Social Group!  There’s always someone to offer assistance to any craft project in the Arts and Crafts Wagon!  You can also try other crafter’s forums like Craftster. Step 5: Add embellishments Besides choosing your style and fabric, you can also choose different ways to spruce up your dress.  My pattern did call for ribbon along the neckline, but I decided to take it one step further and add lace. When I was done with the neckline, the dress still looked a bit plain, so I mimicked the ribbon and lace motif with vertical lines running along the front of the dress along the seams.  This gave it a nice pop of color and a little more frills! Step 6: Enjoy Now, just be seen in your Aes Sedai dress.  Bask in the praise of those around you.  Keep your chin raised and make sure to sniff at appropriate times.  Before long, you’ll be projecting that Aes Sedai spirit!   Have you made an Aes Sedai (or some other fandom) dress?  If so, please share your pictures, the patterns you used, your frustrations and joys!  Next time, I’ll show you how to (poorly) make your own mistcloak!

Welcome to a new edition of Fantasy Review! This time the book being reviewed is The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. The Last Wish is one of the two short story collections preceding the main Witcher Saga. This review may contain spoilers.  The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski    Synopsis The book contains seven main short stories. The stories are independent yet connected.    The story The Voice of Reason connects all other stories. Other stories are flashbacks that occur during the course of the main story.  The Voice of Reason takes place in the temple of the goddess Melitele. Geralt, a witcher, is recovering in the temple after suffering some serious wounds trying to reverse a spell on a striga. Here he meets some characters that play an important role in some other stories. The local lords are not happy that he is staying there and try to make things difficult for him.  The Witcher is the story of the striga that caused the wounds from which Geralt is recovering from in The Voice of Reason.  A Grain of Truth tells the story of a monster like figure that Geralt meets during his journeys. The monster lives in a mansion in the middle of a forest. He has a rose garden and if anyone steals a rose, they have to give their daughter to him for a year.   The Lesser Evil is the story where a wizard asks Geralt to kill a girl because she might be a monster. The queen had tried to kill her on various occasions with the help of the wizard. She had ordered a huntsman to take her to forest and kill her. She escaped and lived with some dwarves for some time. When she meets Geralt, she asks him to help her kill that wizard.    In A Matter of Price, Geralt is asked to help a queen but told to figure out the details of the mission by himself. It introduces the Child Surprise, someone who has an important role in later books.  The Edge of the World is the story where Geralt and his friend, Dandelion, travel to the edge of the world. A "deovel" is destroying the fields and some villagers want Geralt to get rid of the "deovel" but the wise woman forbids him to kill it.  The Last Wish, the story after which the collection is named, introduces the sorceress Yennefer, someone who has been mentioned various times in the book. Geralt and Dandelion had found a genie and Dandelion tried to make the genie grant him three wishes. He does not get to utter the third wish because he is injured in the confrontation with the genie. Yennefer agrees to cure him so that she could use the genie for her own purposes.    Pros Some of the stories are alternate versions of some popular fairy tales. It is easier to sink into the story once you find something familiar.    Geralt has a simple yet complicated character. He claims to be a mutant designed to kill monsters but his idea of monsters is different from everyone else's at times. Just when he starts emerging as a righteous character, an incident happens that makes him look evil and saves the story from becoming too dull.    Some of the stories are beautiful. A Grain of Truth has some lines that make you think twice. The ending of the story is bittersweet and managed to make way into my memory.    Cons The book was originally written in Polish and the English version is a translated version. There are bound to be some things that it misses because of this interpretation.    Sometimes the characters are infuriating and the motive for their actions are contrary to what I had perceived the character to be.  Conclusion All in all, it was an enjoyable read. It takes time to get used to the format of the story but after that it's fun to read.    Rating I would give it a rating of 4.5/5

Are you interested in an officially licensed The Wheel of Time™ coloring book? If so, please read on and respond in the poll over at Amy Romanczuk's blog.   The poll is in the right sidebar. Your response will help determine how many coloring books to print. The more commitments to pre-order the sooner they'll be printed.   Details that will hopefully help to answer your questions:   •"Patterns of the Wheel" is an officially licensed book of coloring art based on The Wheel of Time™ •The book contains 20 designs by Amy Romanczuk •Book dimensions are 8.5 x11 inches (21.2 x28 cm) •Each drawing will be stand alone on a page of high quality paper (i.e. no bleed through to a drawing on the backside, or for easy removal should you want to display your art.) •The drawings are all in my pysanky-inspired style. If you are not familiar with my art, you can visit www.czukart.com and check out some of my other works, including my first coloring book. (I will also post some thumbnails of in the comments.) •I anticipate the pre-order price will be $20 (USD) plus shipping (my website will calculate USPS postage.) •Preorders can alternatively be picked up at JordanCon, if that option is selected when ordering. •A few books may be available for sale at JordanCon in the print shop and in the charity auction. The price will be the regular (TBD) price, not the preorder one. •I am not able (my own reasons, not the Con's) to (wo)man a table in the dealer's hall, though I will have a display in the art show and some of the originals will be available there. •Books will remain available on my website, after the pre-order time period is over, until all are gone. There are no plans for a second printing at this time. •I can mail overseas (my site will calculate postage and include it in the purchase price.) •Currently working with Ta' veren Tees so that some will be available through their shop/convention tables at other conventions. •Poll results will be tallied in mid February and I will place the print order accordingly. •You will still need to preorder when that option opens up. I will post in this thread and separately when that occurs.   If you could indicate the likelihood of your pre-ordering Patterns of the Wheel, a coloring book based on the WoT, please indicate so in the poll. There also are options for ordering multiple copies. At this point, there is no differentiation as to how you plan to receive your pre-order, but there will be on the website when the ordering opens up. Though this poll appears in several locations online, please only vote in one place.   Thank you all so much! Robert Jordan has the most wondrous fans!