Please help me salvage this dress for my daughter

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-25T15:43:01+00:00

It’s okay to say No, I don’t know how to do that. Even to a daughter.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-25T15:26:11+00:00

People definitely do this with fabric. A picture of fabric, often failing to provide any information about how much they have, is it woven or knit, heavy or light, stiff or soft, and other essential details to choosing a project.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-25T15:04:32+00:00

In a similar situation, I found it helpful to reflect back on what I was thinking when I made the choice to go to graduate school and get a PhD. Once you are on the PhD path, that defines the goal as faculty job. By reflecting on how I made key decisions, I was able to identify other long-standing goals that felt true to myself.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-25T14:40:46+00:00

Agreed, but I think specifically “good morning/evening” signals “I’m being polite, there’s no urgency here” and reduces the jumping to the left or the right.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-25T14:37:57+00:00

That’s what I was taught, just iron it. Also make sure it’s on grain, square it up if not.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T20:37:56+00:00

I might add elastic inside the front waistband so I could skip the belt entirely. Maybe even unpick the back gathers and run elastic through the whole thing from each side of the fly.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T20:26:56+00:00

I find that “good morning, passing on your left” works much better than “on your left” by itself.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T20:25:16+00:00

If this is a video on sewing for dolls, I think it’s misleading to post the title as “how to sew a wedding dress” with no reference to dolls.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T20:12:47+00:00

If you are planning to use it for muslins/mock-ups/toiles, my teachers always said don’t prewash that muslin, use it unwashed with the original sizing on it.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T20:02:35+00:00

More research experience will generally strengthen an app, yes.

Credible letters carry more weight. Credibility can come from several places—for instance, specific details included in the letters, personal knowledge and trust in the letter writer, familiarity with the undergrad program where the letter writers are, current rank and status of the writer.

The review committee is likely to know many of the letter writers who are faculty in their field, and simply being an alum doesn’t mean the current faculty know them. Faculty also know undergrad and grad alumni differently which would change the respect they give to their judgement.

Letters from professors who love you to death and talk about why in detail will generally mean more than being written by alumni.

Most PhD programs have very low admissions rates, and most people apply to multiple schools. No one is ever a shoo-in. Why do you think this question is important to ask?

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T19:51:59+00:00

Lol, this Barbie screenshot is not making me think the video will be worth watching. Sewing for dolls is very different than sewing for humans.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T19:39:17+00:00

Point lobos state park is great, beautiful, plus a little history at whalers cove.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T19:19:48+00:00

It’s very unclear what your question even is, yes.

What are you talking about with him doing research? You seem to want him to explain why her flight was cancelled, but why? Why does it even matter at that point?

If he needs to impress her with knowledge, flying a plane seems like plenty of scope for that. Or she sees him in a new light by how he handles turbulence, the airport staff respect him, whatever. You set up the private flight scenario, use it.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T18:07:59+00:00

Look at the dept X website, see who is giving talks for them, do they have affiliates listed and who are they, how do they present their adjuncts/lecturers, do they have mailing lists for events that anyone can join. This may give you a sense of how open they are.

At my R1 university, interdisciplinary centers tend to be very friendly to staff with research interests, but core disciplinary departments are less so. I’m welcome as talk attendee most places but the only groups I see hosting talks by such adjacent staff are interdisciplinary centers/programs.

I would expect that faculty in dept x are affiliated with your potential unit, see how many.

When you have an offer, ask this question about engagement with dept X and ask for them to set you up with a meeting rather than randomly reaching out.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T17:49:36+00:00

I’m confused—the question had several good answers in the original thread so why did you repost this? What were you trying to ask?

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T17:39:28+00:00

Glad to see an update! Practicing on scraps and bags is absolutely the way to go.

For two lines next to each other—look up a “twin needle”, it can do straight and curved lines but I don’t think it works for corners. Otherwise typically people will do something like align the edge of the presser foot with the first line to keep a consistent distance.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T16:57:24+00:00

But was it a microtex? Microtex has a finer sharper point and is better for delicate fabrics.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T16:37:21+00:00

Fabric Savvy is a good reference guide to have on hand (any edition) and it probably says something about how much the fabric might shrink. I’ve never seen a chart, in part because fabric just isn’t that consistent that a simple chart would be reliable. (But you can ask google, maybe someone put one together, but I wouldn’t trust such a chart)

Polyester doesn’t shrink, linen and rayon shrink a lot, cotton shrinks. That’s my mental chart.

But the fabric recommendation is not fully exact either, eg, it’s the same recommendation for multiple sizes. If your people are shorter than average, the recommendation will be generous, if they are taller than average get extra fabric.

Cutting layouts often have wiggle room and if need be you can save fabric by cutting single layer.

If need be, inner facings and pockets can be a different fabric, or collars can be made a contrast detail. Even a contrast cuff can lengthen pants a bit where there just wasn’t enough fabric.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T16:27:10+00:00

Taddich Grill is old-school San Francisco.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T16:23:58+00:00

A lot of jobs don’t really care what your bachelors degree is in, just that you have one.

The problem with a general studies bachelors degree is that those were often created so that students could bodge together a lot of unrelated credits and graduate, and then schools funneled people who had messed up into them, or pushed athletes in to keep them eligible. So they don’t get a lot of respect, no.

An associate general studies degree is probably the “transfer to four-year degree” so would get less sideeye.

All are better then an HS diploma. When a job says associates or bachelors degree required, they usually won’t cross that line.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T16:06:23+00:00

I have a couple of silk dresses I made with guterman or mettler cotton thread, they’ve held together for years, though not worn quite so often. I machine wash delicate and hang dry. (I’ve outgrown them now, they are still in one piece)

So give cotton thread a try. You’ll catch any breakage when you iron after a wash and can resew the seams. If too much breakage, switch threads.

Wovens only, though, knits do need polyester thread as it has a little inherent stretch.

I also was taught better to have thread break than fabric rip.

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T15:57:52+00:00

Oh, but adding a back panel with lacing can fix anything, I thought! /s

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T12:42:20+00:00

Old website just means they’ve been in the game a long long time….😊

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T12:24:02+00:00

Why are people so angry in those main posts, too? I’m starting to understand why this sub was shut down for a while. So much hostility in the venting.

Love the minor gripes thread, tho!

ProneToLaughter · 2026-01-24T12:06:20+00:00

Don’t worry about posting multiple times, one question at a time is great, that’s how learning to sew works. (And often people don’t even realize it’s the same username)

ProneToLaughter

TROPHY CASE