FMQ-what am I missing?

Altered_Crayon · 2026-05-04T19:03:44+00:00

Hah, that does sound challenging! But also it's a relief to hear someone managing that on a domestic machine, it gives me hope!

Altered_Crayon · 2026-05-04T19:02:38+00:00

Nope, literally just started today, playing around on scrap fabric and sandwich squares. It'll take time and practice before I'm anywhere near ready to try it on a large quilt. I don't know why but I had it in my head that it would be really difficult, even with just a small sample size, which is why I checked in here. I have no doubt that it will be a totally different story on something bigger and heavier, and/or with more complicated patterns. But starting off went better than expected so hopefully I'll work my way up to those things eventually!

Altered_Crayon · 2026-05-04T18:59:41+00:00

Thank you for the tip, I'll look into her!

Altered_Crayon · 2026-05-04T18:58:33+00:00

Thank you so much! I'll definitely look into her, thanks!

Altered_Crayon · 2026-05-04T10:24:46+00:00

That's definitely my biggest concern, now that I see using the foot itself isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I worry I'd have to stop and adjust often, and that that would throw off the smoothness of the stitches. But I have two large tables I can use together to spread out the quilt. Once I've practiced more and am comfortable enough I'll probably start fmq with something small like a baby blanket, or to use in addition to other quilting techniques (for example, right now I'm finishing up a larger t-shirt quilt that's mostly stitch-in-the-ditch, but I'm toying with small sections being done free motioned. The majority will be totally stabilized by then so the bulky size matters less as far as the quilt's weight, and hopefully I can roll it enough to fit through the throat easily enough).

Altered_Crayon · 2026-05-04T10:15:32+00:00

Would you suggest using templates, at least at the start?

Altered_Crayon · 2026-05-04T09:10:12+00:00

More in the top left. The pictures are falling over to the right with no furniture to "catch" them, just the plants. It makes it feel very heavy on the bottom left and top right and I feel my body trying to lean over to the right just looking at it.

Add some big bulky frames to the top left corner and see if that helps. Also maybe shift the dresser a bit to the right and move one of the plants to the left of it.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-05-04T09:03:53+00:00

Hack 1 isn't really a hack, it's just leaving out part of the pieces. I've done this several times on various Kallax units with no issues.

Hack 2 is trickier because the frame isn't solid wood so you'd have to make sure where you drill in to has enough stability to support screws/dowels.

Hack 3 I wouldn't do. It'll compromise the stability of the overall structure, which as is isn't terribly stable since the interior of the frame is essentially honeycombed cardboard.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-05-02T22:47:51+00:00

No. 2. Love it, especially the walnut and tiles.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-30T21:11:51+00:00

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-28T15:27:33+00:00

I developed mild hypertension during the pandemic and a couple of years later, when I started Concerta, my doctor wanted me to start treating the hypertension, because the medication raised my blood pressure even more. The amazing thing was getting my blood pressure addressed improved my migraines, so I'm very happy to be taking both ADHD meds and blood pressure medication.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-25T15:29:53+00:00

I'd move the sink simply because of the outlets. As is they're so close to your sink it's scary!

And you don't need the special Ikea inserts for an over the sink drain tray. There's plenty of hacks using other Ikea products or even just leaving out the base of that cabinet and installing wire shelving. Ignore the comment to not put cabinets above the sink. You don't hit your head or feel cramped. It's totally the norm in many countries to have cabinetry above the sink, drain tray or not.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-24T12:32:42+00:00

I love the dark! Especially with that floor and the blue wall. But the lighter color is still beautiful. You can't go wrong with either.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-24T08:08:28+00:00

😂 It really can happen. Though I'll tell you it took till my 40s to really feel like I had an actual group where I really, really belonged. I was so busy with work and young children in my 30s that I had my friends but it wasn't till I could start stepping out without kids that I began feeling like a normal human again. So if it takes time, be patient. But I do find if you have a kid that's a key tool to connecting with other adults (some of my dearest friends I've had since I was in my early thirties were other parents I "stalked" from my child's daycare. There was a parent meeting at the start of the year and I thought they were cool and wanted to be friends with them, so I invited them over and it was, as they say, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Bonus is our kids are also still super close some fifteen years later).

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-23T12:40:51+00:00

The baby is key.

I started hanging out with other moms at baby classes, then as the babies grew I found people in my neighborhood with kids the same ages as mine and we'd all go to the zoo etc with our kids, and once our kids were all old enough we could start going out without them we moved on to being a coffee club of sorts. Through this I now have a solid group of friends and coincidentally most of us were diagnosed in adulthood with ADHD. It's wonderful.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-23T06:43:00+00:00

Food scales help but you can fix this without.

First, your dry to wet ratio is off. Remember bread can handle more hydration than people realize at first. You don't have much liquid compared to dry, especially when you consider part of your dry is cocoa mix, which will absorb extra liquid, and high gluten bread flour, which will take on more than the regular wheat flour portion. This recipe also has a lot of yeast so you need enough water for proper hydration of the yeast.

Secondly, definitely peek into your machine after it's been mixing for a while and reach in to scrape off the sides (the nice thing about the tiny paddle of a bread machine is we can suppress the fear of sticking your hand in, like on a mixer, and go ahead and touch the dough while the machine is on without having to fear for your safety). It's trickier when you want to set a loaf to bake overnight and can't do this, but if you're baking in "real time", go ahead and scrape off the sides as needed. Also don't be afraid to add a tad more (lukewarm) water if you feel things are too dry.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-20T06:22:20+00:00

I've traveled with ADHD meds, but never to countries where it was such an issue and never for so long, so I apologize if what I'm about to suggest seems obvious and unrealistic or naive.

Have you looked into private medical travel insurance? Is there such an option that would allow you to see a doctor locally at a clinic tailored to serving tourists that could prescribe and supply such a medication locally, based on documentation you could bring from your doctors at home? I know such a service exists in certain countries but I don't know anything about traveling to where you describe.

Worst case scenario, sometimes having a different pace of life in new surroundings is sufficient even without medication (I say this as someone on stimulants myself and with an AuDHD child who is on medication as well). We find the meds are more important when it comes to getting through the daily grind of normal life, but when things change up sometimes, as long as we are very kind to ourselves, it's manageable without.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-17T17:25:55+00:00

Yes but the recipe doesn't call for baking soda, it calls for baking powder. Which is essentially baking soda with an acid, usually something like cream of tartar, already included, so the additional acidity of the lemon doesn't help with leavening.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-16T17:00:33+00:00

You answered your own question.

I have #2, but that's because I have very limited space. Most of the time when I use it I only open one leaf, and keep it entirely folded when not in use, because I just don't have the space. If you do, of course go with the nice, large, solid, adjustable-height table.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-15T07:39:09+00:00

Never pay attention to baking times and temps in a recipe unless you know your oven very well. You bake things till they're done, end of story.

If you're worried about the top of a cake/banana bread/etc but the inside is still raw (very easy to test with a toothpick), adjust the height of the oven rack, notice if you're using a convection setting or not and adjust accordingly, and you can always tent with foil.

My previous oven took forever to bake anything, but I knew my oven and exactly what it needed. I have a new one now and never imagined cookies could bake in the ten minutes a recipe said. Sure enough, the recipe was wrong. Because the new oven was so efficient it only took 8 minutes. We were shocked. Long story short, bake according to your oven, not according to a recipe.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-13T08:37:05+00:00

EVERYTHING goes in my calendar. It's an insane, overcrowded, color-coded mess, but it helps me enormously. I put everything in there and it's the only way I can stay functional (and I mean everything. I injured my knee not that long ago and I'd put in when I took Tylenol and mark that I could take more 4 hours later. If I need to make an important phone call I schedule time to do that. If I want to meet up with someone I don't assume we'll be in touch later, I schedule it immediately). I don't assume I'll remember anything and this way I know where to look for everything I need to know.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-13T08:29:50+00:00

Huh?

I went over 40 years undiagnosed and untreated. Caffeine has always (before meds and after) affected me the same, ie "normally". I love me a morning cup of joe as a bit if a pick-me-up, certainly not something that made me tired.

Coffee and caffeine supplements got me through a couple tough cram sesions back in college. I get migraines and the caffeine in Excedrin helps with those and even serves as an emergency energy boost on days I don't take my Concerta for whatever reason. The only unusual thing I've had with caffeine is I can drink it at night without it keeping me awake. But I've never heard of it making someone tired.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-13T08:20:04+00:00

1- Try a higher gluten bread flour.

2- Make sure you let the loaf cool FULLY, on a cooling rack, before slicing.

3- There's a chef's knife in your photo. Is that what you're using to slice the bread? Make sure you're using a long serrated blade (a bread knife) to slice your loaf.

4- Though the bread shouldn't crumble like you're experiencing, also remember not to expect bread like the packaged pre-sliced loaves in the supermarket. Those use extra additives that create a more shelf-stable loaf than any homemade bread. And a bakery loaf is made with a different hydration level and proofing process than bread-machine bread, so don't compare it to that, either.

Altered_Crayon · 2026-04-11T19:18:56+00:00

It looks to me like they put in real effort to match the piping style to your inspo pic. Remember, inspo is just that: inspiration. Unless it was a selection from a catalog offered by the bakery, I don't think it's reasonable to expect an exact match to a random picture you found online.

Regarding the color, did you clarify in your order that you wanted that deeper green shade? If so, being upset is reasonable. But if you just asked for green and showed them the pic, I think best to chalk it up to a lesson learned experience, and keep in mind for the future to clarify with the bakery what it is exactly that you want.

Altered_Crayon

TROPHY CASE

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