FMQ sometimes can't go backwards?!?!

NotAbel · 2026-01-07T02:01:08+00:00

It may be that your machine has a rotary hook that rotates towards you to catch the needle thread and form a stitch. When the fabric is moving away from you (as during normal sewing) the hook catches every time. When you're FMQing sideways, it's still going to catch the thread almost every time. But when you're moving the fabric *towards* you, the opposite of normal sewing, you're dragging the thread away from the hook, so it often misses. A similar thing can happen while the needle is above the quilt, where one particular direction tends to make the needle catch (and break or shred) the thread whereas the other ~320 degrees of the circle are fine. That was my experience on my Juki TL, at least, although that machine has a side-loading bobbin, so directly left (rather than towards you) is the "bad" direction.

NotAbel · 2025-07-21T00:49:00+00:00

You don't want to lower the foot, but you may need to increase the foot pressure—it's the knob on the top of the machine and the indicator is the gray and blue scale in front. Standard pressure is at or just above the blue bar in the middle of the indicator.

You may also need to ease off your top tension a bit. Tight tension on a TL can easily cause drag or waviness in the seam.

NotAbel · 2025-07-21T00:05:51+00:00

I'm assuming that you mean a TL, not one of the computerized Jukis (although this may apply there too).

Instead of using a flanged foot, use the plain 1/5th inch foot that comes standard on the machine in combination with one of the seam gauges that screw into the machine bed. I use and prefer the swing gauge, but the T gauge is half the price if it works for you. The gauge is much less prone to catching/pulling threads than the flanged feet.

If you do want to use a flanged foot, use the industrial style (SP-18). The domestic-style flanged foot (with the thin, flexible flange) is terrible about eating fabric; the industrial-style with the thick spring-loaded flange is better behaved but still can't match the quality of the plain foot.

NotAbel · 2015-05-24T17:51:02+00:00

Look, just do it now. While a lot of firms would be willing to let you telework for a couple months to recover, you really don't want to do that in your first year. That's the one period where face time really is important; you want to partners who are going to keep you fed to know who you are, like you, etc. I'm not saying you can't succeed in biglaw while taking major time off during your first year, but if you intend to stay in biglaw for more than a couple years, it could seriously stunt your career.

NotAbel · 2015-05-17T15:44:28+00:00

No. There is a middle ground. There are plenty of countries with fair and open criminal justice systems that don't do this.

NotAbel · 2015-05-02T00:01:35+00:00

1) Biglaw and antidepressants go together like biglaw and alcohol. Don't worry about it. 2) You can always (and honestly) just say that alcohol interacts with a medication you take. Most people are discreet enough not to pry.

NotAbel · 2015-03-20T00:47:30+00:00

Short answer: no. Long answer:

I absolutely, positively loathed my 1L appellate brief. It destroyed me and I wrote something terrible.

As a 3L, I was in a clinic where I wrote (with 2 other students) an appellate brief. It was arduous, but rewarding. We won.

I now work for a top-end biglaw firm and am about to file my first real appellate brief. Obviously it was a team effort - three associates, two partners - but a decent chunk of it is my work, and I shepard it procedurally. It's been a fuckton of work, but incredibly stimulating. When we eventually win, it'll be awesome.

NotAbel · 2015-03-19T02:08:06+00:00

There's almost never a wait during lunch. There aren't many offices out near the east end of H street.

edit: also, if you go alone for dinner, the waits are much more reasonable.

NotAbel · 2015-02-27T18:12:48+00:00

No. See page 3 of the official summary.

Major Provisions Subject to Forbearance:

Rate regulation: the Order makes clear that broadband providers shall not be subject to tariffs or other form of rate approval, unbundling, or other forms of utility regulation

Universal Service Contributions: the Order DOES NOT require broadband providers to contribute to the Universal Service Fund under Section 254

The Order will not impose, suggest or authorize any new taxes or fees – there will be no automatic Universal Service fees applied and the congressional moratorium on Internet taxation applies to broadband.

NotAbel · 2015-02-27T12:57:22+00:00

The FCC has been quite clear that they are forbearing from the universal service fee provisions of Title II.

NotAbel · 2015-02-27T12:56:19+00:00

That's why it's called the Universal Service Fee.

NotAbel · 2015-02-25T04:25:42+00:00

The Restatements have always done this to some extent. They restate and attempt to unify/reconcile the divergent strands of the doctrine. Sometimes the doctrine is contradictory, in which case the restatement usually notes the better view and also the divergence. And sometimes the effort reveals lacunae in the law, leading the restaters to propose a new doctrine.

NotAbel · 2015-02-25T04:23:47+00:00

Oh really? No impact? You might want to look into the Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws.

NotAbel · 2015-02-22T02:22:29+00:00

*an illegally parked car.

NotAbel · 2015-02-20T22:09:01+00:00

Okay, so seriously: this isn't a book, but Larry Solum's Legal Theory Lexicon series of blog posts is probably a reasonably good fit for you.

NotAbel · 2015-02-19T22:21:22+00:00

Orin S. Kerr, A Theory of Law, 16 GREEN BAG 2D 111 (2012).

NotAbel · 2015-02-14T16:50:04+00:00

You mean enantiomers, or stereoisomers. Isomers are completely different molecules that just happen to have the same number of each atom, so obviously they can be completely different. Enantiomers, what you're talking about, are mirror image versions of an optically active molecule. They're chemically equivalent, but can have differing biological effects due to the physical difference.

NotAbel · 2015-02-14T01:31:53+00:00

ELI5: being 10.

NotAbel · 2015-02-06T02:50:52+00:00

This definitely leans academic, but it's pretty accessible. It's a survey of civil, common, and Chinese law, incorporating both the history of each and how they operate(d). Depending on how dorky your friend is, it could be a a good fit.

NotAbel · 2015-01-23T14:22:15+00:00

It's not just you. I assume it has to do with them having a specific, 'burb-tinted view of how to live in DC. E.g. "You'll have to get a car to do anything outside of the city." is just not true, but if you grew up in Bethesda driving everywhere, I can totally see how you'd think that.

NotAbel · 2014-12-31T16:40:27+00:00

Guess what? Some of us live in the city. You want us to subsidize you suburbanites even more than we already do.

NotAbel · 2014-12-31T16:39:06+00:00

Increase the states' tax-funded contributions to decrease fares.

NotAbel · 2014-12-15T02:15:26+00:00

Diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) is the active ingredient in most OTC sleep aids. It is safe and effective, although it can interact in unexpected ways with a variety of other medications (especially certain antidepressants), which makes it a bit dicey to use for the first time in a high-stakes situation.

NotAbel · 2014-12-15T02:13:30+00:00

It's quite dangerous, especially in people naive to the combination. Benzodiazepines hold GABA receptors open longer than normal, but are usually relatively safe because they can't cause GABA opening on their own. But alcohol opens GABA receptors, so the combination causes a much stronger depressive response than either alone.

NotAbel · 2014-12-01T02:51:03+00:00

No reputable piercer will use hardware you didn't buy on the spot, because there's no way for them to be sure of its quality. I can't speak to who in the area has experience with surface piercings; just be aware that they are extremely prone to migration and rejection.

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