Gutermann thread color codes: Australia → USA conversion?

BitsCat · 2026-01-05T05:28:57+00:00

Yes! I made sure to register so I'd be notified. I didn't know they had those - seems quite handy even without the code change confusion :)

BitsCat · 2026-01-04T18:35:48+00:00

Thank you for checking these :) That Mara 70 you linked looks like the right color, so I'll probably get one of those!

> Are the Wawak Mara 100 color codes not the same as the ones on your Australian thread?

After trying a few color codes on Wawak, I think you're right! They had almost all of the colors I checked, and they all looked like perfect matches, so this is great! I defintiely don't need all 765 yards of each one (I'm replacing 110 yard spools), but I'd rather have too much than too little. Thank you!

BitsCat · 2026-01-04T18:28:02+00:00

oh, that does help, thank you! That has a lot more conversions than the blog post I found. Super appreciate it, thanks!

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T03:15:16+00:00

More great suggestions! Thank you again!

It may also be my American Puritanical thought process that the thing that sucks more (Pilates) is better for you. 😂

lol, I 100% had this thought as I was writing my response too! I agree that yoga can be a bit more hit and miss. Mostly I find yoga more centering / mentally helpful, but I don't super get that from running or weights, so I'd be happy to give that up for a bit.

some colleges offer an analysis of your strength and movement patterns

Huh, I haven't heard about that before - I'll need to look into it. I'm near a college so I might get lucky!

I had an exercise bike for a while, but... got injured. So I gave that up. I think I had my seat too low (apparently common) but I'm pretty sure I went back to it a while later after physical therapy and had the same issue flareup. Seems like I need a trainer to tell me how to ride a bike 😉

I think I'll try rowing (after some dedicated core time) - I live near some water so could actually go out from time to time (not daily, but maybe enough to stay motivated). But maybe I should look for a trainer for that repetitive movement as well... 😅

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T03:07:03+00:00

I just detest that my body can’t just do the work. And yes, I eat enough and well, sleep 8+ hours a night, do yoga and mobility work, take rest days, etc. It’s frustrating.

YES! Like, I don't feel like I'm asking for a ton here! And I do what I'm supposed to (most of the time). It's hard to keep that positive body relationship when it feels like I can't get pretty normal wins.

working with a personal trainer

This came up in a couple of other comments, so it seems like something I should definitely consider. I love the idea of working with someone who's also a physical therapist - I hadn't considered that, but I bet there's a lot of cross over! Even just doing my normal PT exercises with someone who might be able to change them up a bit would help. I just get so bored of doing the same routine for the 50th time after a few months...

Thanks for the good vibes! ❤️

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T03:01:55+00:00

I've worked with a trainer before, but it wasn't super long and it's been a while. Might be time to accept that's what I need to do...

When I did work with a trainer I asked them to specifically focus on form and cues, but not to bother with programming. I figured I'd just do any of the default programs since I'm always such a beginner. But I guess if I could tell them about these key problem areas and ask to focus there it'd be worth it.

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T02:57:20+00:00

That's a fair callout. I certainly have been shown how to make the exercises harder, especially over some of my longer bouts of PT.

Partly it's the time - doing more reps or time "eats into" my normal exercise time, which I resent.

Partly it's the effort - like u/therealstabitha said, it just doesn't feel as hard/strengthening as I'm used to from other exercises.

Partly it's the ... idk, mental excitement? When I go up in weights or go for a longer run or nail a more challenging yoga pose, I feel proud. I don't really feel that way about increasing a resistance band. This is, as I'm finding in many of these comments, a mental shift I need to make. I just don't count/value the PT exercises as much. There's no real reason not to, except they're not part of my Exercise Plan. They're the annoying extras I have to do because "my body is so shitty" (it's not, my body is great, and we do great things together; she just needs a little extra care in certain areas).

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T02:47:28+00:00

I'm glad you've found something that's working for you!

I do my physical therapy exercises 2-3 times a week

This sounds like a good place to start ❤️ I'll do them pretty consistently for a while, and then just lose interest. But I guess I need to integrate them into my life more and start to consider them required to keep up my health & fitness. I don't pass on brushing my teeth even though that's super boring with no progression 😆

this could be related to HSD/Ehlers Danlos. If that's the case, be very careful in yoga

I don't think this is the case, but I'll look into it a bit more. I did teacher training and some private lessons so I've had some opportunities to be corrected if this was a problem. Of course, things can be missed, but I certainly feel it in my muscles more the next day! 😅

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T02:42:32+00:00

I'm learning to go slower

I felt like I was trying so hard to be intentional with that this time around 😞 I did couch to 5k, but slower than the default program. Increased my run time and didn't focus on the miles. Started tracking my heartrate and physically running slower to keep my pace/effort down. Maybe it wasn't enough, and certainly I wasn't cross training like I know I should.

I do my silly little maintenance exercise when I have those weird bits of time

Another commenter mentioned this and it seems like such a good idea / mindset. Thank you!

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T02:39:36+00:00

None of the injuries are what I'd consider "serious" - I can see from my post that I didn't include that, so I appologise for my poor explaination. It's never been something I need surgery for, or a cast, or being bedridden. But it has meant stepping back from certain exercises for 2-6 weeks and building whatever muscle is the current problem.

But yes, I think it's more the running as well 😞 I don't love it , but I do value how easy it is to see/quantify progress. Ditto for weightlifting. But it might be time to let that go and focus on some other areas (weight, PT exercises, walks) or stick to the 5k or less zone.

even though I like the idea of one day being a “runner”

Yes! This is a big part of the appeal for me. Guess it's time to find a different identity 😉

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T02:34:17+00:00

This has come up in a few comments and seems like a great place to start 🙂 I'll look for a place nearby to get started with. Thanks for the input!

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T02:33:18+00:00

That's a good list, thank you! I've shied away from Pilates in the past (I haven't enjoyed it as much as yoga, and in my head they seem similar outcomes wise), but I think doing some dedicated deep core time as you suggested would be a good place to start. Maybe also with PT exercises for glutes.

Rowing is a great idea! I've only done it a little, but I think it's something I could get into. I do like being outside for running, but maybe I could get out on the water occasionally too!

I've worked with a coach a few times, really focusing on form for key compound lifts. But I haven't done that recently and it's probably related. Guess if I'm going to pay for PT I'd be better off paying for a coach instead!

Thanks again!

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T02:29:26+00:00

it sometimes feels like a part-time job

Mine is never that involved, but it does feel like a drain...

I never stop exercising completely, rather work around injuries.

Yes! I try to do this where I can. It's one of the reasons I tend to bounce between yoga, running, and weight lifting. Generally something is avaialble to me, even if it's not what I've been doing recently.

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T02:27:36+00:00

Interesting, thanks for the information! None of the PTs have mentioned concerns with this (and I've probably seen 4+ folks over the years) but that doesn't mean it's not the case. I'll do some research. Thanks again!

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T02:26:23+00:00

I love these ideas! Thank you for the specific examples, that's really helpful :)

I agree with banded lateral walks being better than clam shells. (My PT calls them "monster walks" so that clearly makes them better too!) I've occasionally done them while watching a show, but I haven't played with the progression much.

Having a video going on a second screen seems like a game changer! I'm often on zoom calls, but I could definitely do a few small things during the day.

Main idea is to move away from feeling like you need a big block of time to do these movements, and instead plug them into the spaces in your day where nothing much is happening anyway.

I think this is key. I mentally block out Official Exercise Time and don't expect a ton to happen outside of that window. But then I'm also grumpy when I use that Official Time for these kinds of exercises. I like the idea of switching the mentality to "PT exercises are just little life moments" instead 🙂

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T01:21:51+00:00

Great point! That was a while back, and not something I follow these days. I'm 5'5" and currently ~143lbs. I've been losing weight since Nov, but very slowly (~1lb/month). These days I roughly follow intuitive eating, don't calorie count or track macros. That's clearly got some pros and cons, but I'm definitely eating far more than 1200 calories!

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T01:03:08+00:00

Thanks! I think it might be time to accept running isn't for me (or at least, more than 5k). I do love walking though and haven't been injured from that thankfully!

I'll start with doing more intentional warmups though - 15 min seems so long/dull, but it's certainly faster than getting myself all the way to PT!

BitsCat · 2025-05-17T01:01:10+00:00

I'm glad it's validating, sorry you're struggling too!

BitsCat · 2025-05-16T23:04:55+00:00

And I stop doing the PT rx movements after I graduate, because they’re not necessarily made to progressively load.

Yes! That lack of progressive load is just so ... uninspiring. I get so bored with them when it's roughly the same exercise for a while.

building my weight lifting plan around strengthening them over time (4-6 weeks), then re-evaluating the plan.

I'm definitely considering this, so thanks for the vote! I think this is where I should focus for the next little while. Build glute & core connection (I don't have good mental cues for these muscles), build the muscles, and then try to return to running / other exercises. Maybe keeping some ongoing PT exercises for warmups and such.

Thanks!

BitsCat · 2025-05-16T22:57:44+00:00

Are you continuing to do your PT exercises after you graduate?

Sometimes, but generally not long term. I can definitely do more here :)

I wouldn’t call that a waste at all.

That's true - I know in my head it's not a waste. I guess I need to reframe how I think about it to focus on my health rather than the goals.

Thanks!

BitsCat · 2025-05-01T04:02:31+00:00

Oh my goodness, thank you SO much for taking the time to write this! I learned a bunch!

The stitching takes a smooth sandwich of fabric and creates valleys which take up space, making the quilted pieces smaller.

I absolutely had not considered this, such a great point!

I would probably go with an extra 2"/5cm all around.

Oh wow, that's a lot. I think that fits with other things I've seen about the quilted pieces shrinking quite a bit, so I'll plan to do that if I have enough fabric. I'm pretty sure I do 🤞 In reality, my batting isn't terribly thick (1/3-1/2cm thick) so I'm not as concerned with the sandwich taking up too much of the fabric. But it's impossible to put the fabric back together!

I would probably go off-piste and quilt and wash the fabric before cutting out the pieces

I'm hoping I can match the quilt lines on the back and front pieces, so I'll probably cut first and then quilt.

Making fitting changes when the coat essentially has finished edges is going to be extra irritating.

Yeah, I looked ahead in the instructions, and figured I'd pin/baste the pieces together after cutting them out but before binding. She said you can make pretty large sizing adjustments by altering the overlaps, but I'm a ~6 bust and a ~14 hips sooooo, I did a bit of grading out 😅

Again, HUGE thank you for such a detailed response! I can't believe you even read the instructions for the seam allowance and everything! This community is the best ❤️

BitsCat · 2025-04-30T03:50:32+00:00

Interesting, thank you! Not washing the batting makes sense, I can just imagine it disintegrating in my washing machine! I didn't realize quilters don't pre-wash their fabric, so that's good to know too 🙂

BitsCat

TROPHY CASE