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Mega Man 2 Robot Masters - FINISHED

Video game craft projects made with thread and needles...
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YeahYeahYouWere
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Mega Man 2 Robot Masters - FINISHED

Post by YeahYeahYouWere »

So after seeing the awesome 1-up mushroom magnet (and copying it!) I decided to make another set of magnets. I set my sights on the villains from Mega Man 2.

I made the patterns from sprites provided by The Shyguy Kingdom. I did my best to match the colors appropriately, and when I couldn't find them suitably from the RGB values, I used the old eyeball test in store with a printed image. I didn't do enough of a job to pick the skin tone, but I don't think it's a gamebreaker. Also, it was difficult to select the right sprite, as anything with "inside singles" around the edge are difficult to make a running stitch around. In those places, I used a "placeholder stitch" in the same color of the running stitch to make it look better, and I think it worked very well. Also, closed loops were out because I do not have the scissor skills to make that happen, though I may get bold and try it with an X-acto eventually. If anyone would like these sprites or similar, let me know!

As always, my edges aren't perfect but they're good enough, and as I get more practice I hope they improve. I have been using the method of matching a blank sheet of plastic to the back, so I am not gluing magnets to floss. I use Amazing Goop as my glue and it works well.

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It's Crash Man - this is the first I did, and you can see that I was squaring the edges, rather than cutting at a diagonal.

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Heat Man was next - I cut his outline on a diagonal and I think it looks much better.

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Bubble Man came third - I am pleased with how he turned out. I was a bit nervous about the green, as the color KG Chart gave me didn't seem right, so I matched it by eye in the store, and I think I got the right shade.

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Quick Man - the fastest one so far, both because he required the fewest stitches and because I tried a new method for cutting out the backing piece that seemed to simplify things.

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Wood Man

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Flash Man

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Metal Man

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Air Man

Glue is still setting on Air Man, so I will get a picture of them all together tomorrow afternoon! Thanks to all for your comments :)
Last edited by YeahYeahYouWere on Wed Nov 17, 2010 6:31 am, edited 5 times in total.
Current Projects: Legend of Zelda Magnet Set, Mario Kart coasters (50% done - Mario and Peach finished, Yoshi and Luigi or Toad pending)
Finished Projects: Assorted Coasters, Mega Man 2 Robot Master Magnets, Angry Birds Magnets

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YeahYeahYouWere
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Re: Maga Man 2 Robot Masters (4 of 8 done)

Post by YeahYeahYouWere »

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Wood Man! Always my favorite, it just struck me as so silly to make a robot out of wood. But then, I guess Bender had a pretty decent run as a wooden robot so it works out.

I struggled with this one for some reason - a few nights I just had to quit for the night and pick it up later. Really gives me even more appreciation for all the HUGE projects other people complete. I wound up altering 2 bits in the pattern after mistakes, I can only imagine trying to do tens of thousands of stitches!
Current Projects: Legend of Zelda Magnet Set, Mario Kart coasters (50% done - Mario and Peach finished, Yoshi and Luigi or Toad pending)
Finished Projects: Assorted Coasters, Mega Man 2 Robot Master Magnets, Angry Birds Magnets

SephreniaMusic
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Re: Mega Man 2 Robot Masters (5 of 8 done)

Post by SephreniaMusic »

Great work. I have also started making magnets. Will give plenty away for Christmas and I love workinf with plastic canvas. Really nice patterns. I can't make good ones so I really like to see what others come up with. Looking forward to seeing the rest :)

crabbyman
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Re: Mega Man 2 Robot Masters (5 of 8 done)

Post by crabbyman »

These are fantastic! Your edges look really good. I'm going to start making some magnets soon, so if you have any tips or tricks for the edges I'd really appreciate them.

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YeahYeahYouWere
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Re: Mega Man 2 Robot Masters (5 of 8 done)

Post by YeahYeahYouWere »

crabbyman wrote:These are fantastic! Your edges look really good. I'm going to start making some magnets soon, so if you have any tips or tricks for the edges I'd really appreciate them.
Thanks! I have been working on how to do the edges and I am happy with the results. I will try to explain the way I do it and hopefully I can do so in a way that makes sense to someone other than myself...

The first thing I do is cut out the finished character - I just use a pair of kitchen scissors - making sure I do NOT cut into any hole that has a stitch through it. I used to 'square' the edges where I had a diagonal section, but I have started cutting off the corners of each block to make it a smoother edge. Sometimes there's still little "divots" in the edge where I cut into (empty) holes, but those will disappear once you stitch the pieces together.

Next I cut out a backing piece that is the same shape. I usually trace the first cutout using a very fine sharpie, connecting the holes I need to cut through in order to get the right shape. Once I have the shapes matching up, I stitch them together using a running stitch. At least, I think it's called a running stitch (it's helical, or like a candy cane, is the best way I can describe it without knowing proper stitch names). I use 3 strands, same as I stitch with, and usually just secure the first strand through the back of the stitched piece.

In general, I loop from the back to the front, so I am pushing my running stitch down through the front, then around and down through the front again. I usually put 2 stitches through each hole on the front to help give better coverage, and 3 at some corners if needed. Add or subtract as you see fit, of course. Once I have exhausted my first strand, I start the second by pushing it through a couple of the running stitches I've already completed, then pick up where I left off.

There's a couple places where it's a bit tricky - namely where I have an empty block in between two stitches around the outside. Also a bit tricky is where there are 2 empty stitches, though it's a bit easier. If there's a single space, I just put a white cross stitch in there, either while stitching the character, or if there is no white stitches near there I just toss it in as I do the running stitch around the outside.

Here is an example of the 'tricky' stitches on Bubble Man...
stitchesexample.jpg
stitchesexample.jpg (107.59 KiB) Viewed 7782 times
And here is a mockup of how I handle these types of places...
corners.jpg
corners.jpg (198.18 KiB) Viewed 7790 times
Finally, here is a mockup of how to do diagonals...
diagonal.jpg
diagonal.jpg (207.5 KiB) Viewed 7782 times
I hope this helps - if anything is unclear let me know and I will try to explain it better!
Current Projects: Legend of Zelda Magnet Set, Mario Kart coasters (50% done - Mario and Peach finished, Yoshi and Luigi or Toad pending)
Finished Projects: Assorted Coasters, Mega Man 2 Robot Master Magnets, Angry Birds Magnets

crabbyman
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Re: Mega Man 2 Robot Masters (5 of 8 done)

Post by crabbyman »

Awesome, that's way more than I expected, I appreciate it! I'm not sure that you could explain it better after you gave me diagrams and everything. I'll have to try it out soon and see how it works out for me, sometimes I get impatient with cutting things and it ends poorly. :cray:

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YeahYeahYouWere
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Re: Mega Man 2 Robot Masters (5 of 8 done)

Post by YeahYeahYouWere »

crabbyman wrote:Awesome, that's way more than I expected, I appreciate it! I'm not sure that you could explain it better after you gave me diagrams and everything. I'll have to try it out soon and see how it works out for me, sometimes I get impatient with cutting things and it ends poorly. :cray:
Glad I could help! It was a slow day at work yesterday so I had time to make the diagrams - it's amazing how much simpler it is to draw a picture sometimes. My wordy explanations always make sense in my own head, but I figure a picture is worth 1000 words ;)

The cutting is definitely the most trying part in my opinion. Cutting out the stitched figure is actually quite easy, but cutting the backing piece to match (should you decide to use one) can be an exercise in patience. I have tried several methods, such as counting off blocks to cut, sewing the two pieces together along a straight edge to hold them in place and then cutting the backing that way, and using the trace method, and for me tracing has been easiest. Once you go through and make a couple it's easy to settle on the methods that work best. Be sure to keep us posted!
Current Projects: Legend of Zelda Magnet Set, Mario Kart coasters (50% done - Mario and Peach finished, Yoshi and Luigi or Toad pending)
Finished Projects: Assorted Coasters, Mega Man 2 Robot Master Magnets, Angry Birds Magnets

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YeahYeahYouWere
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Re: Mega Man 2 Robot Masters (6 of 8 done)

Post by YeahYeahYouWere »

Finished up Flash Man tonight. Only have Metal and Air left - Metal should be quick and easy, but Air Man is gonna be much bigger and try my patience with counting stitches.

Also, I am out of magnets, so I need to buy some more of those, and find something to back them with since they tend to scratch up my fridge.

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Current Projects: Legend of Zelda Magnet Set, Mario Kart coasters (50% done - Mario and Peach finished, Yoshi and Luigi or Toad pending)
Finished Projects: Assorted Coasters, Mega Man 2 Robot Master Magnets, Angry Birds Magnets

corbin
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Re: Mega Man 2 Robot Masters (6 of 8 done)

Post by corbin »

Coming along nicely, and maybe it is just me but I have been enjoying the background of each one (gatorade a laptop some makeup) not to mention attempting to figure out what was on the tv lols. Good job keep it up! Oh also for the magnet you might think of some clear vinyl to put on it, would be nice and thin so shouldn't affect the magnet but will be nice and smooth on the fridge.
A Stitch is Worth... How much is a stitch worth?

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YeahYeahYouWere
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Re: Mega Man 2 Robot Masters (6 of 8 done)

Post by YeahYeahYouWere »

corbin wrote:Coming along nicely, and maybe it is just me but I have been enjoying the background of each one (gatorade a laptop some makeup) not to mention attempting to figure out what was on the tv lols. Good job keep it up! Oh also for the magnet you might think of some clear vinyl to put on it, would be nice and thin so shouldn't affect the magnet but will be nice and smooth on the fridge.
Hehe, I actually wondered if anyone would notice what was on the TV. It's typically ESPN, though last night it was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

I will have to check out vinyl, that is a great idea. I was originally thinking sticky backed felt, but I was wondering if that would be so thick that it reduced the magnet's pull, so some sticky vinyl would be a much better option I think. Right now I have crude circles of that plastic covering they give you for text books in grade school, as a stand-in, but it's poorly cut and kind of nasty, so I am looking for something else. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.
Current Projects: Legend of Zelda Magnet Set, Mario Kart coasters (50% done - Mario and Peach finished, Yoshi and Luigi or Toad pending)
Finished Projects: Assorted Coasters, Mega Man 2 Robot Master Magnets, Angry Birds Magnets

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