Sew it Swift, Sew it Sweet

Last year, I made these pillows for loved ones, but stitching them by hand took hours:

So this spring, I asked MJ to teach me how to use her sewing machine. I practiced my first machine-made stitches along these letters:

With the sewing machine, it was speedy to make this pillow for my skull-loving hair stylist:

For Mother's Day, I sewed a clef note my musical mom, and a peanut for MJ's elephant-loving mom:

MJ then showed me some YouTube tutorials on how to sew animals from socks.

So I sewed her a bunny from a sock:

Then I made an otter:

And this summer, I sewed a queen bee for MJ's birthday:

It's super when we learn new ways to make gifts for loved ones, swiftly!

Making the 'Woomi Wins' App - From Crochet to Code

When learning to crochet in 2008, it was confusing and frustrating at first. In 2013, I felt the same way when learning to code. Since we learn best by building a project, I thought about bringing Woomi to interactive life...

An early sketch of Woomi's app.

I imagined Woomi's app to be an adventure story with many interactive pieces. Users would control crazy machines and vehicles as Woomi plotted world conquest with his clones.

Of the many software development kits to use, I eventually picked Corona SDK because it can build 2D apps that run on both iOS and Android platforms. It's also free. 

For the next couple of years, I learned to code the way I learned to crochet: by following tutorials, watching YouTube guides, and reading reference docs and forums. The bit of math required was simpler than most crochet patterns. Instead, writing an app was like teaching a young robot: “Do this. Then, if this happens, do this. Or else, do that.”

My mantra throughout: "If teenagers can learn this, so can you!"

Woomi Wins was sparked by a sketch of Woomi's clone-making machine. Here it is, alongside the finalized scene in the app:

 Woomi's crocheting/cloning machine, before and after.

Another early sketch next to the finished scene:

Woomi's IGWOO compound.

*View/download the Woomi Wins sketchbook here (85-page, 21MB PDF file, free)

Woomi Wins was drawn with the same Wacom tablet I've used to draw for print publications since 2004. I also used custom Photoshop brushes that mimic natural media. 

I also made basic sprite animations, which were fun to preview:

A speed bump: the app required three sets of each drawing, to match the resolution of a user's device. Also, my 2010 laptop liked to crash a couple of times a day. Remember to backup! The spacebar too stopped working, so I used a clicky-sounding external keyboard.

For the sound effects, I relied on user-contributed sounds from the freesound community. I also recorded sounds with a USB mic and an old iPad:

Recording foley of dropping boxes&pylons for the app's sound fx. Classy setup, I know.

A photo posted by Howie Woo (@woopix) on Jul 16, 2015 at 5:22pm PDT

For the Woomi Wins soundtrack, my mom played the harp and piano while I played the theremin:

Recording mom's harp skills for the 'Woomi Wins' app.

A photo posted by Howie Woo (@woopix) on Jul 30, 2015 at 10:58am PDT

VIDEO: Rehearsing the theme-song I composed for 'Woomi Wins'. Me on the theremin, mom on the piano!

A video posted by Howie Woo (@woopix) on Jul 28, 2015 at 11:32am PDT

The final tracks can be heard here:

I used Audacity—another free program—to edit all the sounds.

Publishing an app on Apple's App Store and Google Play invites a global audience, but it costs $100US/yr to be an Apple developer, and a $25US one-time-fee to be a Google developer. Both companies also take a 30% commission from each app sold. It's free to be an Amazon developer.

  

Woomi Wins finally landed in the app stores on September 15, 2015—at $1.99US—among the millions of other apps. Woo!

If you download Woomi Wins onto your phone or tablet, I hope you enjoy Woomi's comic, cosmic misadventures! The app was made with love and built to entertain, clear of ads or in-app purchases.

When learning any new craft, confusion and frustration will greet you. Stick to it, and creative joy will greet you too.

Whether crocheting or coding, even basic techniques can lead to detailed designs. And fun stories can be told with those designs.

Thank you for all your support—then and now—from crochet to code! 

Behind the Wheel

Here are bonus photos from the previous "Woo on Wheels" post! Also, a PDF of last week's comic is downloadable here.

Old Man Woo races again

The official poster for the 1938 Woolen Hills Senior Care Home Grand Prix

Racer Woo with Old Man Woo in his "W" Racer car

Putting on my racer face

Old Man Woo's racer face

Old Man Woo driving fast and furiously

Motion-blurred: Old Man Woo

Motion-blurred: Howie Woo and Old Man Woo

Our racing helmets resemble fedoras.

Front view of the "W" Racer

Rear view of the "W" Racer

Presenting Old Man Woo in the "W" Racer

Mugshot of the Woo Crew: Shy Howie, Woomi, Howie Woo, and Old Man Woo

Here's a behind-the-scenes video about the construction of the "W" Racer and Old Man Woo:

Racing to the finish line

The secret to creating the above pic is revealed in more behind-the-scenes photos on the WooWork Facebook Page or on Flickr.

Thank you to MJ and Mom for helping photograph and videotape this project,
which took three to steer.

And thank you for visiting WooWork and participating in the grand race!

Bird is the Word

My mom and MJ's mom are both songbirds...

My mom plays classical music on the piano and harp, and sings when she strums folk music on the guitar.  My girlfriend's mom listens and sings to a wide range of music, from 1940s jazz standards to 1970s disco to 1980s rock ballads. Her ringtone is a recent hip-hop song.

For Mother's Day, I made two songbirds for two songbirds:

Here's a video of both moms doing some bird-spotting:

In the same week, my hairstylist (since 1993) celebrated her birthday. Jeannie and I play a Scrabble-like word game called "Words With Friends" on our gadgets. For her birthday gift, I crocheted a word tile of the most valuable letter in Jeannie's name:

*Chirp-Chirp* to our moms, and *Triple-word Scores* to our friends, all year long!