Friday, April 19, 2013

Altering a Dress Form for Long Torsos - Tall Dress Form

I'm sure anyone who is taller than average or has a long torso can relate to the frustration I've felt when buying clothing, sewing with commercial patterns, or finding a dress form to use when altering / test fitting clothing.  Adjustable forms sold at fabric stores offer the ability to change girth, and some are even able to adjust back length (with a change made at the waist), which helps, but doesn't solve the full problem.  There's also the issue of extra length above the bust line (which is why store-bought empire waist shirts/dresses or anything with a defined waistline, like jackets and coats, never work for me -- one of the main reasons I wanted to learn to make my own clothes).

After much searching online I found a jersey covered, fiberglass dress form with somewhat realistic measurements (which were actually very close to my own).  It looked something like this:

[I don't have a full step-by-step since I purchased this dress form and did the initial alteration about 9 years ago.]  I knew it needed to be elongated in two different places so, after removing the cover, I marked a line around the chest above the bust and at the waistline.


Then a took out the hack saw and had at it.  I admit I felt strange sawing away at something that resembled a human form...

After the from was cut, I spaced out the pieces using some things I had around the house -- big Glue Dots and a somewhat rigid plastic folder.  I cut the folder into wide tabs long enough to overlap between the pieces of the from and space the pieces out as much as I needed.  I used the big Glue Dots to attach the tabs to the inside of the form.

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Inside the dress form (at the neck)
When that was done I used strips of muslin dipped in plaster of paris to wrap around and solidify the extensions.  After letting it dry for a few days I added some batting for padding on a few areas to make it my  measurements, and put the cover back on.

Over the years and after two kids, my body changed a little bit, so I needed to change the padding (take away in some areas, add in others).  I also decided to sew a new cover and re-stain the wooden tripod base.   I'm much happier with the form now. :)

Dress Form Alteration 4

Dress Form Alteration 3

Dress Form Alteration 1

Dress Form Alteration 2

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I'll be linking up to these fabulous link parties:

Monday -  Craft o Maniac Monday -- Craftastic Monday -- Tuesday -  Get Your Craft On -- Sew Cute Tuesday -- Tuesday Talent Show --  Wednesday -  Sugar and Dots -- Your Whims Wednesday -- Create and Share -- Whatever Goes Wednesday --  Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna -- Thursday -  Strut your Stuff Thursday -- Transformation Thursday -- Thrilling Thursday -- Make It Wear It -- The 36th Avenue Party Time -- Friday -  Flaunt it Friday -- Frugal Friday -- Weekend Wander -- Tickled Pink Fridays -- Weekend Wrap-up Party -- Catch as Catch Can -- Friday Flair -- Feature Yourself Friday -- Simply Link {Party} -- Pity Party -- Frugalicious Friday --  Saturday - Strut Your Stuff --  Lovely Crafty Weekend --  Sweet Saturday -- Sunday -  The DIY Showoff Project  Parade --  Sunday Showcase Party -- Creative Bloggers Party -- I Heart Naptime -- Think Pink Sundays

Monday, April 1, 2013

Stash-Busting Sale - Fabric, Beads, Leather, Lace

Help!

I need your help clearing out my stash of fabric and supplies!  It's decided -- I just have too much, way more than I can use in a reasonable amount of time.  So I'm having a stash-busting sale over at my Etsy shop - Cat on a Limb Accessoriz.  Although I find it hard to part with some of these awesome supplies (all those projects I had planned!), I'm putting them up for sale so you can use them instead!

I've listed fabric like this lightweight pinstripe wool suiting --


Beads like these flower pendants made from sea shells --


Feathers like these --


Leather bundles like this --


And much more!  Click here to stop by my Etsy shop to check it out!  I'm also including some coupon codes to choose from (feel free to spread the word and pass these along!) --

CLEAROUT -- 15% off your order
CLEAROUT25 -- 25% off your order when you spend at least $25
CLEAROUT50 -- Free shipping when you spend at least $50

Maybe if it goes well it will motivate me to add more fabric and supplies.  Thank you for your help!

Oh and P.S.  This is not an April Fool's joke. :)

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Whole Wheat Mini German Pancakes

Whew!  What a busy semester this has been!  Needless to say I haven't been posting as frequently as I would like.  I'm finishing up a couple of projects in my [infrequent] spare time and will be posting a bit about some things I've learned in my classes so far.  For now, here's a recipe for a fun breakfast food I made recently.

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I first learned to make German pancakes in my cooking class in middle school. (Yay elective courses!)  I've made them regularly over the years and was delighted when one of the blogs I subscribe to posted a recipe for minis.  Perfect, my kids would love them, especially how they puff in the oven!  I altered the recipe slightly and we had a great breakfast... even if mine didn't turn out as perfectly intact as hers.  :)  I think I needed to grease the muffin pan a little more.  

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Whole Wheat Mini German Pancakes
(adapted from Chef in Training)
makes 18-24 pancakes

6 eggs
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c milk or equivalent
1/2 t sea salt
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 c butter, melted

Syrupy Raspberry Sauce
1 c water
1/4 c sugar or honey
1 t lemon juice
2 1/2 T cornstarch
1 1/2 c raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease two 12-count standard muffin tins, for a total of 24.  Blend together eggs, flour, milk, salt, vanilla, and butter until smooth.  Pour batter into prepared muffin tins until each cup is about half full.  Bake for 15-18 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.

For raspberry sauce: Cook water, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch* in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it thickens up. Stir in raspberries and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Fill each mini German pancake with sauce, sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional) and enjoy!

*To keep it from clumping, place the cornstarch in a measuring cup, add about 1/4 t of water and mix until evenly combined, add a few drops more and mix again, continue several times until the cornstarch is evenly blended and thin enough to pour.  Then add to the pan of other ingredients. 

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I'll be linking up to these fabulous link parties:

Monday -  Craft o Maniac Monday -- Craftastic Monday -- Tuesday -  Get Your Craft On -- Sew Cute Tuesday -- Tuesday Talent Show --  Wednesday -  Sugar and Dots -- Your Whims Wednesday -- Create and Share -- Whatever Goes Wednesday --  Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna -- Thursday -  Strut your Stuff Thursday -- Transformation Thursday -- Thrilling Thursday -- Make It Wear It -- The 36th Avenue Party Time -- Friday -  Flaunt it Friday -- Frugal Friday -- Weekend Wander -- Tickled Pink Fridays -- Weekend Wrap-up Party -- Catch as Catch Can -- Friday Flair -- Feature Yourself Friday -- Simply Link {Party} -- Pity Party -- Frugalicious Friday --  Saturday - Strut Your Stuff --  Lovely Crafty Weekend --  Sweet Saturday -- Sunday -  The DIY Showoff Project  Parade --  Sunday Showcase Party -- Creative Bloggers Party -- I Heart Naptime -- Think Pink Sundays

Monday, February 18, 2013

YouTube Video Sewing Course and Sewing with Tigers

Source
I've been thoroughly enjoying my classes this semester. One of the classes I'm taking is "Apparel Construction". I love it because it's helping me get familiar with commercial production methods and industrial machines.  Most of what we have been doing so far is learning about and practicing with lockstitch machines and sergers.  While explaining about lockstitch machines my teacher said home machines and industrial machines are very similar in their functionality, although a home machine is like a house cat and an industrial machine is like a tiger.  I love that analogy and can definitely attest to its validity -- they are so powerful and SO fast.  It's somewhat difficult to get used to and my first sewing samples were laughable at best.  But I'm determined to wrangle that machine!  I love the idea of sewing with tigers.

I also learned that my school produced a series of videos on DVD to go along with the course.  Apparently these videos have been used by educators around the world and my school is frequently asked to produce more.  These videos also happen to be available on YouTube!  So if you're interested in getting more detail feel free to check out the series.  Here's the first video, all about tools used in sewing:


I hope you enjoy!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Order Glasses Online with GlassesUSA.com


Has anyone ever purchased eye glasses online? For the longest time I didn’t even know that was an option. Then last year my kids broke my glasses (for the second time), I happened to come across an ad online, and decided to give it a shot.

I went to an optometrist to obtain a current prescription and took that information online to order my glasses.

This is where GlassesUSA.com comes in. They offer great prices on frames and lenses, including prescription sunglasses. They also have designer frames at a discount. The prices listed actually include basic lenses. That’s a huge savings over regular stores! Also important is the 100% satisfaction guarantee. (Definitely a must when shopping online.)

At first I was somewhat hesitant to purchase glasses online since I couldn’t see what they would look like on me, but GlassesUSA.com has a solution for that. You can upload a photo of yourself and “try on” the glasses frames! For me that’s even better than trying on glasses in the store since my eyesight is so bad, I can’t see what I look like in a mirror without the prescription lenses!

Right now they’re offering 15% off plus free shipping (on orders over $50 – Just enter code FS15 at checkout) or 10% off any order of prescription eyeglasses (enter code Blog10 at checkout).

I love the glasses I got and of course loved the huge savings, especially during a time when we didn't have insurance. Has anyone else had experience purchasing glasses online?

(This is a sponsored post but the opinions are truly my own.)

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Back to School with Fashion Design

Monday marks the start of a new semester of my schooling.  This time I decided to put aside accounting (at least for the semester) and take a couple of courses in the fashion design program at my college.  I will be taking "History of Fashion" and "Apparel Construction" (it will be focused on industrial construction methods, which I'm excited to learn, and I'm hoping it will help me in my home sewing as well).

Since those topics are along the same lines as my blog, some of my posts between now and the end of May will be devoted to them.  I will try to do an update every week on what we covered in class, if it seems interesting enough to share.  Anyone care to follow along?  If you're interested, here are the books I'm using:



I can't wait to get started!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Necklace Alteration -- Two from One

Has anyone else discovered the Styled by Tori Spelling line of jewelry?  I really like a lot of the designs, but I've found that using the system as-is makes necklaces that end up being an awkward length, or I would like it to be just a little bit different.  Whenever something like that happens I usually just end up doing what it takes to make it the way I want it.

Take this necklace, for instance.

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I loved the open metal flowers, but personally, I felt like the Y style didn't quite work here. So I decided to take off the dangling part in the middle and make two different necklaces.

I attached the middle portion of the original necklace to a long-ish chain using jump rings and made a closure and extension (like in this post).

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Draped Chain Necklace 9 - Cat on a Limb

I created it in such a way that the flowers would hang to one side of the necklace instead of in the center.

While wearing it I noticed the flowers would twist and turn a lot, so I added another jump ring between the flowers, which helped it stay flat.

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For the second necklace I attached a pre-made "necklace top" from the Styled collection, which I shortened to make the center of the necklace lay just below my collar bone.

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Using jewelry wire cutters I clipped the extra loop off of the center flower.

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As you can see it left a couple of barbs sticking out. I used a small rotary tool (kind of like a Dremel, but way cheapy, although it still did the job) and ground them down until it was smooth.

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Which gave me my second necklace.

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Two for the price of one... gotta love that! Has anyone else had projects where you were able to get two from one?

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I'll be linking up to these fabulous link parties:

Monday -  Craft o Maniac Monday -- Craftastic Monday --nbsp; Tuesday -  Get Your Craft On -- Sew Cute Tuesday -- Tuesday Talent Show --  Wednesday -  Sugar and Dots -- Your Whims Wednesday -- Create and Share -- Whatever Goes Wednesday --  Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna -- Thursday -  Strut your Stuff Thursday -- Transformation Thursday -- Thrilling Thursday -- Make It Wear It -- The 36th Avenue Party Time -- Friday -  Flaunt it Friday -- Frugal Friday -- Weekend Wander -- Tickled Pink Fridays -- Weekend Wrap-up Party -- Catch as Catch Can -- Friday Flair -- Feature Yourself Friday -- Simply Link {Party} -- Pity Party -- Frugalicious Friday --  Saturday - Strut Your Stuff --  Lovely Crafty Weekend --  Sweet Saturday -- Sunday -  The DIY Showoff Project  Parade --  Sunday Showcase Party -- Creative Bloggers Party -- I Heart Naptime -- Think Pink Sundays

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Fashion Week Highlights - Spring 2013

In the fashion world seasons are a little backwards, or rather, forwards. In the spring designers showcase their lines for that year's fall collections, and in the fall they show their lines for the coming year's spring collections. Although the Spring 2013 Fashion Week happened several months ago, I thought I would hold off commentary until now (the time of year when I start dreaming of warmer weather).

I love how much of the content of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is posted online after the event. I thoroughly enjoy looking through each collection, or watching highlights from the runway shows. They are not shown completely, but it's a great way to get a feel for each designer.

I admit, I'm fairly picky when it comes to clothing, and I definitely know what I like or don't like, so there are usually only a few looks that stand out to me. Here are some that caught my eye for spring --

These first two images are from Anna Sui.  The first one I love because it reminds me of a vintage sheet.  I have a couple of vintage sheets I'm planning on using to make dresses or skirts at some point.  


The second look I really like for a few reasons.  The pop of orange is great.  My wardrobe is lacking in yellow and orange because those colors don't look very good against my skin.  However, using a print with yellow or orange in it is a great way to incorporate the colors without them being too overpowering or right against the skin.  I love the mix of prints at the hemline, minus the lace leggings.  In general I am not a fan of leggings.


I am totally intrigued by this next dress, by Carmen Marc Valvo.  It's an interesting take on a ruffled, tiered dress, except the tiers are folded flat and are irregular in length.  I think I may use this in some form in the future.


Next up, more orange, this time from Carolina Herrera.  I love the color, although it may be a bit too much for me.  This is probably made from some sort of silk organza, although I could also see it in a sheer cotton gauze.  I love the movement in it.


Here are a couple of solid black numbers from Ralph Lauren.  The first one is a little difficult to see, but it's basically a little black dress with great lines.  It's a faux wrap and while I'm not crazy about the fringe, I love the angles and shirring on the side.


For the second dress I love the structured black lace on the bodice and the flowing, delicate skirt. 


I don't actually know the name of the designer of this next dress.  It was part of the show of students of the Art Institute of NY.  I like the structure and angle of the waistband/belt and the easy flowing-ness of the dress. 


These next two are from Fotini.  I appreciated them for their simplicity.  I love the delicate lace and skinny belt on the first dress.


The second dress is another one that reminds me of a vintage sheet (and I mean it in the best way possible!).


I think I'm a little obsessed with obi belts, because I just can't seem to get enough!  Here's one from Supima (in orange!). 


And finally, I'm going to gush a little bit about a new designer I discovered.  She's been around for a few years now, but this is the first runway show of hers that I've watched.  I love the timeless style of her clothing, and the fact that she uses models that vary widely in age (from teens to 80+ years).  I enjoyed watching an interview with her where she stated that she's disappointed in her generation for their emphasis on disposability, and that clothing should be made to last.  Those are a couple of the things I've been trying to focus on myself.  She also emphasizes gratitude and knowing that she is not doing this by herself.  That's awesome!  Such a relief from the diva attitude that can so easily happen in the fashion industry.  Also, I found a full-length video of her runway show, so if you have 17 minutes to spare, click here to watch it.  Otherwise, see a few of my favorites from her show...




Thank you for joining me for this glimpse at New York Fashion Week Spring 2013!  Now it's just a few more weeks until Fall... in the beginning of February. 

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Kale Green Smoothie Recipe

I absolutely love whipping up a green smoothie in the morning. It helps me feel energized and ready to tackle the day.

One of my favorite greens to use is curly kale. There are other types of kale, but I've found some of them to be too bitter. In general kale is one of the most nutrient-rich greens around and I've found the bitterness often associated with it is easily masked with bananas.

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Kale Smoothie Recipe

2 large leaves curly kale, main stems removed
2 bananas
1 cup plain yogurt (or non-dairy equivalent)
1 cup milk (or non-dairy equivalent)
honey or other sweetener to taste (it doesn't need much)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until nice and smooth. 

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The great thing about smoothies is that they're totally customizable to your personal preferences. What kind of smoothies do you like to make?

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I'll be linking up to these fabulous link parties:

Monday -  Craft o Maniac Monday -- Craftastic Monday -- Amaze Me Monday -- Make it Great Monday --  Tuesday -  Get Your Craft On -- Sew Cute Tuesday -- Upcycled Awesome -- Tip Me Tuesday -- Tuesday Talent Show --  Wednesday -  Sugar and Dots -- Wallet-Friendly Wednesday -- Create and Share -- Whatever Goes Wednesday --  Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna -- Thursday -  Strut your Stuff Thursday -- Transformation Thursday -- Thrilling Thursday -- Make It Wear It -- Friday -  Remodelaholic Friday -- Flaunt it Friday -- Frugal Friday -- Weekend Wander -- Show and Share Day -- It's Fun to Craft! -- Tickled Pink Fridays -- Weekend Wrap-up Party -- Catch as Catch Can -- Friday Flair -- Feature Yourself Friday -- Simply Link {Party} -- Pity Party -- Design Dazzle --  Saturday - Strut Your Stuff --  Lovely Crafty Weekend --  Sweet Saturday -- Sunday -  The DIY Showoff Project  Parade --  Sunday Showcase Party -- Creative Bloggers Party -- I Heart Naptime -- Think Pink Sundays

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Assembling a 12" Child's Bike

Before I continue on with all the fun posts I have planned, I wanted to finish the assembling of the kids bike (from this post) that I transformed for my daughter.  If you've stumbled across this post looking for how to disassemble a children's bike, just start at the end and work backwards.

Cat on a Limb-Pink Princess Bike


After I painted the bike (using self-etching primer and standard spray paint -- since the more durable metal paints don't come in pink!), I was ready to put things back together.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Draped Chain Necklace and Happy 2013!

Happy new year everyone!!  

I, for one, am so happy to have 2012 over and done.  That year was kind of an overall fail for me.  But I've got high hopes and big plans for 2013 which will totally make up for last year.  Some of the plans include a more concerted effort and focus for my blog.  I'm going to focus more on fashion, with patterns, tutorials, style, jewelry, accessories, etc.  It's one of my main areas of interest.  I will also continue posts about food and DIY projects as I love those subjects, too, and don't want to give them up. :)  So, in practice the blog may not end up being very different, but I do plan on posting more frequently and trying to build something that will offer inspiration and help others be successful in their various projects.  And by "they" I really mean you, my wonderful, awesome readers!  Thank you so much for taking the time to visit, leave comments, and support me in my creative journey. 

My first post of 2013 is a tutorial for making a dramatic draped chain necklace.  It was inspired by those long necklaces with large circle links.  I've wanted one of those for a while but each necklace I found in stores was so lightweight and seemed that one tug from a small child would result in a broken necklace.  So, as often happens with things I would like to buy if they were available, but can't find, I ended up making one myself.  Thankfully it ended up being fairly simple. 

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NOTE: This tutorial requires some basic working knowledge of how to use jump rings and jewelry-making tools. There are tons of great guides out there for the very new beginner, but I just don't take the time to explain every detail here.

I gathered up a few different types and colors of chain. (Minus that one in the middle... my kids made off with it and I completely forgot about it while I was making the necklace. Haha, I guess "out of sight out of mind" works for me sometimes, too.)

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I started with the two chains made of large circle links. I removed the extra small links on one end (used to connect more than one length of chain) to even them out.

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I laid out the chains to plan the placement, and to make sure they would actually look good together before putting the work in to assemble the necklace. I also took a picture to help me remember how I wanted things to look.

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The large circle chains turned out to be several inches too short for the length I wanted, so I added a couple of inches of regular chain on each side, plus a little extra for an extension, using two jump rings for extra reinforcement to help distribute the weight of the rest of the chains. (At least in my theory, haha)

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I assembled the closure and added a metal bead dangling at the end of the extension.

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For connecting the chains I started with the smaller circle chain and carefully laid it out so it would lay flat when worn, making sure it wasn't twisted at all. I placed the larger circle chain where I wanted it to connect with the longer chain, then attached it with jump rings.

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After getting the first two connected, I found working on the necklace with it on my dress form helped.

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Instead of having all the chains go completely around the necklace, I ended them, slightly to the back, securing them on the longer circle chain. I attached them all to one of the circles since it is solid, without a break, so it can't pull apart. For each chain I added, I started by attaching it to the solid circle with a jump ring, bringing it around to the solid circle on the other side of the necklace and adjusted it to the length I wanted.  Then I opened the chain, removed a link to make it that length, and attached it with a jump ring.

For me, the whole necklace, following the bottom chain, measures 33" with 2" extension.  The bottom chain alone measures 26". 

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And all done!

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I really love it and I've already worn it more than once. Yay!

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I'll be linking up to these fabulous link parties:

Monday -  Craft o Maniac Monday -- Craftastic Monday -- Amaze Me Monday -- Make it Great Monday --  Tuesday -  Get Your Craft On -- Sew Cute Tuesday -- Upcycled Awesome -- Tip Me Tuesday -- Tuesday Talent Show --  Wednesday -  Sugar and Dots -- Wallet-Friendly Wednesday -- Create and Share -- Whatever Goes Wednesday --  Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna -- Thursday -  Strut your Stuff Thursday -- Transformation Thursday -- Thrilling Thursday -- Make It Wear It -- Friday -  Remodelaholic Friday -- Flaunt it Friday -- Frugal Friday -- Weekend Wander -- Show and Share Day -- It's Fun to Craft! -- Tickled Pink Fridays -- Weekend Wrap-up Party -- Catch as Catch Can -- Friday Flair -- Feature Yourself Friday -- Simply Link {Party} -- Pity Party -- Design Dazzle --  Saturday - Strut Your Stuff --  Lovely Crafty Weekend --  Sweet Saturday -- Sunday -  The DIY Showoff Project  Parade --  Sunday Showcase Party -- Creative Bloggers Party -- I Heart Naptime -- Think Pink Sundays
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