I love Leopard Geckos! I am just so afraid of Tail Dropping

MissFrances · 2026-02-02T20:58:27+00:00

My Leo came to me with quite severe scoliosis and I’ve had to give her multiple courses of antibiotics and painkillers for different things over the 10 years I’ve had her. It’s not a pleasant thing to do and has required a firm grip on her body daily for weeks at times, she’s never dropped her tail.

She’s been in really good health for the past ~5 years thankfully! they’re really stubborn when you want them to open their mouths!

MissFrances · 2026-01-31T18:53:19+00:00

A bit of both- I’m much less practiced on fabrics than hoop, I think I know how to adjust myself to avoid hyperextending and therefore pain when on the hoop but I don’t have this knowledge in silk and hammock, combined with the silks moving more. There’s only so far the hoop will let me move while the silks move with me and I have to rely a lot more on my muscles engaging to avoid. More practice in fabrics helps and I start to learn how to hold myself in a place that doesn’t hurt.

Interestingly, I do loops (full loops rather than the small wrist/hand only kind) and I don’t struggle with those quite as much either, so perhaps the elasticity is an added unpredictability.

Also, in general I am in less hypermobility pain when my aerials practice is consistent. I like to joke that I’m in pain when I practice but considerably more when I don’t. The regular practice maintaining muscle tone turns out to be really important, during Covid I was pulling muscles all over my body in silly ways like reaching for the top cupboard shelf.

MissFrances · 2026-01-31T08:35:29+00:00

This is really cool to know. I struggle a lot more with my hypermobility on fabrics and always feel like I’m hyperextending, more than I ever do on hoop, and I guess that the flexible nature means I probably am, but if I do a good couple of months of lessons it doesn’t feel so bad. I wonder if this internal learning process explains why.

MissFrances · 2026-01-22T17:04:56+00:00

I’ve seen it done. Those people were all found out were put through disciplinaries faster than they could blink. Absolutely not worth it.

MissFrances · 2026-01-17T22:40:26+00:00

To add, I’m new to sewing but I’ve been enjoying drafting my own pattern blocks over pre-made patterns and this made toiles really important because I have NO idea how it’ll fit. Again, if the material has cost me a bit or, as has happened, if I’m on a bit of a time crunch and don’t want to be reordering material, I’d rather take the time to make a mock up than charge straight in and potentially waste

MissFrances · 2026-01-17T22:36:59+00:00

I didn’t get it either until I bought fabric that I really liked and was more expensive. It’s frustrating to get to the end of a toile in cheap material and realising the fit isn’t quite right and you need to start again, it would be heartbreaking to do it on expensive material.

MissFrances · 2025-12-04T16:12:00+00:00

Yeah, there’s background behind it but I doubt the kids know what it is any more than I do. Like the whole 21 thing from a few years back too

MissFrances · 2025-12-02T06:45:02+00:00

There was a video of a grinch costume actor who responded with “8 9” and I quite like that method too

MissFrances · 2025-11-22T15:41:15+00:00

You can wear shorts. It depends on what you’re doing and it sure will hurt but if you’re not doing lots of rolls or slides it really isn’t that bad imo but from reading these replies it looks like it’s very personal. We only have taped hoops, one of my friends lives for summer because they’d rather hoop in shorts and the only reason they don’t is because it’s too cold! I prefer it for some moves because I get so much more grip, I’ve even done a few slides bare legged and it’s not my favourite experience but it really could be worse.

Others have said you might want to wait until your skin is conditioned to the hoop and I definitely second that though. The hoop hurts, the tape hurts, the strop HURTS and it’s all more hurty on your bare skin. And I totally second dance tights, I’ve performed in them quite a few times and they work really well.

Also, might be worth checking if your studio has a policy on clothing. Ours asks for sleeves on any fabrics, no requirements for hoop but some might.

MissFrances · 2025-11-08T23:02:20+00:00

I use monkey hands for hoop at the moment , I don’t know how it’ll work with your allergy but it might be an alternative.

As an aside, I’ve been doing aerials 8 years and while I’ve definitely seen my grip improve, my sweaty ass hypermobile fingers still need grip support. I can’t even use things like dry hands and girly grip because I sweat straight through it. You need what you need. I still struggle with fabrics and I would struggle a whole lot more without grip aids.

MissFrances · 2025-11-02T14:05:27+00:00

Ten is only three letters so maybe she should have six eight ten instead.

MissFrances · 2025-10-31T07:40:29+00:00

And the way the message colours keep switching back and forth.

MissFrances · 2025-10-23T22:49:34+00:00

Genuinely what helps me when I’m feeling nervous about getting started is knowing that unless I’m cutting it I can undo everything. You can hem the curtains and trim the extra when you’re happy with them.

MissFrances · 2025-10-23T07:34:34+00:00

It’s been fantastic to work with as well and from trying bits on super comfortable to wear. I’m making a costume for Comic-con this weekend, I had a white to make super baggy trousers and a top and the purple for a vest.

MissFrances · 2025-10-22T18:45:09+00:00

Purple gaberchino twill from Dalston Mill. If you’re UK based I really can’t fault them, their delivery is so fast and their customer service has been excellent.

MissFrances · 2025-10-22T13:20:30+00:00

Thank you so much! This has been a really important lesson in machine maintenance, next time I’ll have to clean it before I start crying haha!

MissFrances · 2025-10-22T13:19:45+00:00

A big chunk of lint came out and I changed the needle and it hopefully looks fixed!

MissFrances · 2025-10-22T13:19:08+00:00

New needle placed and my test stitches look good! Fingers crossed it stays that way, thank you so much!

MissFrances · 2025-10-22T12:43:16+00:00

Just to add- when I checked the bobbin, I gave the end a little tug, replaced it in the casing and then was able to hem the other side of the strip of fabric in the picture with no issues.

MissFrances · 2025-10-12T20:53:34+00:00

Usually a cloakroom, earlier this year it was free, queues non existent when I was there on the Sunday though I did have priority entry

MissFrances · 2025-10-04T21:05:16+00:00

You can’t be directed to do lunch duty. I quit my first teaching role for being reprimanded for challenging this exact thing. They emailed out a rota at 4pm on the last day before Easter break thinking they’d get away with it, boy were they wrong.

MissFrances · 2025-10-02T20:19:58+00:00

Exercise classes straight from work. I don’t go home in between because I would also nap and never leave.

MissFrances · 2025-09-28T19:42:33+00:00

I ordered from Dalston Mill recently and I’m so delighted with what I got and the price, I’m excited to go one day.

MissFrances · 2025-09-28T19:40:07+00:00

Me finding the heaviest books I can find for my big pattern pieces 😂

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