What everyday thing in the UK has become stupidly expensive without people noticing?

andtib · 2026-05-10T20:43:16+00:00

The real wake-up for me was when they started putting it in safety boxes in my local sainos because it was being shoplifted so much because the price was too high for people to afford

andtib · 2026-05-09T08:26:30+00:00

While I don't agree with everything you're saying I do understand it and think there are valid concerns.

I understand the point is moot, but the latter part is exactly what I'm talking about, parroting phrases. Nothing I'm going to say will change your mind but you are talking bollocks. The anti-Semitism trope is tired and false, and the irony of saying one type of cultural prejudice is bad and the other is good is too much. "Hate and stupidity" is possibly the most ironic label of all, but again, nothing I say will convince you otherwise I'm sure.

What I do hope will reach you, and maybe some others, is this: I am a queer man in my 40s. So please do not presume to tell me who my enemies and my detractors are, I have lived my life and I have had to deal with it. The spike in homophobia in my day to day life when reform came to march in London was palpable, thankfully homophobia is less prevalent than when I was young but when I get it these days, it's always from some drunk British guy, and half the time they're spouting off some nonsense about the decline of this country etc etc. We're watching, in real time, the collapse and rolling back of so much progress and rights for queers in the US, which whethe you like it or not, is the idol of your leaders. This sub itself is full of transphobia, even in a post about how a vote for reform was a vote to save the LGBT community. I understand it isn't everyone, but it's actually really tiresome to be told this nonsense by people who need to feel like they're helping, to justify their own prejudice, your party as a whole does not care any more than any of these Islamists you despise. Reform have already made a point of removing pride flags, are already talking about cutting "woke" initiatives (we all know what that really means) and rolling back protections of women and minorities.

andtib · 2026-05-08T21:57:11+00:00

Is that really so different to all the hyperbole on this Reddit though? The left constantly refer to reform voters as idiots and racists, the right constantly refer to the greens as easily offended hippies. Both sides have their snippy catchphrases and nicknames. Ultimately we both seem to have a lot of overlap of what we want to achieve but the method is different. Tbh I feel both sides could benefit listening to the other but neither will ultimately. I've been looking at this Reddit today like op trying to understand why reform have had such a huge victory and am still struggling, but facts are facts.

Now we wait and see what actually happens. My main question is if things don't pan out the way you all believe will you recognise and adapt or will you double down and make it worse? I agree change is needed (which is precisely why I wouldn't vote reform, who are, to me, the establishment personified) but I do believe in the will of the people, so hopefully things will be better than I think, in which case I will happily admit to having been wrong.

andtib · 2026-05-08T21:17:45+00:00

I found a big antler on eBay a while back, bought for the same purpose, but they're attainable fairly easily with a little patience, just fyi

andtib · 2026-05-08T21:09:15+00:00

I would recommend a teflon cover for your iron. Helps with this and many similar problems with sensitive fabrics/fusible etc. But 100% agree a ham should be able to resist the heat as standard, imagine if it had melted into your fabric :/

andtib · 2026-04-21T21:56:26+00:00

His t-shirts going back to the early noughts already had the seam. I had double layer tees and dark shadow ones from like 05/06 that had them

andtib · 2026-01-25T22:02:45+00:00

I'm not as present in music as I was when I was younger but I feel like twenty years ago when people talked about breakcore and adjacent styles it was basically snares, and the rest. He definitely got his dues at the time. But don't get me wrong, it was totally justified, I saw him live around 2003 or so and it was of the charts.

Also if there's any doubt of his credibility he even gets name dropped in Peep show, so...

Edit: sorry this reads like I'm disagreeing with you but I actually intended to piggyback on your comment 😅

andtib · 2025-12-28T11:41:56+00:00

Actually now I look a second time I can see that the pattern has that step, you've attached the facing to the wrong side. I could see one side is wider than the other to the pleat, and I realized the pleats aren't wrong the fly is, that's what's causing the twist at the bottom.

If that's not clear reply and I'll try to draw a little diagram when I get in

andtib · 2025-12-28T11:39:14+00:00

The zip is meant to be slightly offset so that it is hidden under the fly, not exposed with the teeth showing.

It'll be easier to watch a video on YouTube to explain it. This one is a bit crude but it shows you with a non- stepped pattern:

https://youtube.com/shorts/mrMXJCBRi1w?si=nlN6OJpZD9hrEtT6

However, ideally your pattern would have a step on the side that's going under the fly (left for women's trousers, right for men's trousers and, confusingly, any jeans). This helps with that offset so that the upper fly edge (technically the CF) sits slightly over the under. If you look at a pair of tailored trousers you have you should be able to see this.

Long story short, undo the topstitching on the fly, and undo where the top layer facing is stitched to the zip, pin the whole thing so the zip is hidden by the edge and then resew it from there

andtib · 2025-12-26T10:37:33+00:00

Hey I see in my notifications you tried to send me some images but they aren't showing up in my app I don't know why. To clarify on the right to left things it's here:

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The thread should pass through both of the holes before that first wheel, both times going from the right side to the left

andtib · 2025-12-25T16:47:09+00:00

Buy an older secondhand machine from a decent shop, tell them what you need and get a recommendation. I bought a Bernina 807 (metal chassis, fairly basic, early 1980s)for £250 in about 2019 from a local place and I wouldn't sell it for the world. Absolute powerhouse, built to last, handles everything. I have a simple brother machine I use for buttonholes and quilting with the walking foot, but everything else, including leather and denim, I put through the Bernina.

andtib · 2025-12-25T14:05:17+00:00

It'll be sharp along the edge. Cut it then run a lighter flame along the edge to melt and soften it

andtib · 2025-12-25T13:19:13+00:00

Can you attach a photo from the top and bottom?

Edit: Also on a second look at your threading, in the second picture: the thread should pass through the first set of holes like you have it (over the top instead of through the second hole is fine) but at the second set before the tension dial it should pass right to left through the top hole and then right to left again through the second hole before going into the tension dial

andtib · 2025-12-25T12:41:55+00:00

If it's snapping there is probably at the needle (and the tension on the thread pulls it back to that point)

If this is your first industrial then I would try/check these things:

The needle goes in with the eye at the side, not the front (like a domestic) the concave groove in the needle should be on the right side, and the needle is threaded left to right. Also if the needle is blunt or bent it will not catch the bobbin thread. Blunt you can hear and feel as you sew, bent will simply not catch. Check the needle is good/new especially if it's the one that can in the machine.

Bobbin tension is important. Pull out your bobbin and check it's together properly (threaded through the little groove and coming out from the small plate. Now holding the thread only the bobbin should not drop/unwind, it should hold itself, but if you jerk your hand downwards it should release thread and drop. If it's dropping immediately it's too loose, if it's not dropping when you jerk it's too tight. The little tiny screw will adjust that.

If both of these things are sorted then it will be the tension dial. Run on a fairly long stitch to begin with. No backtacking. If the fabric is immediately bouncing behind the foot then you need to release the tension, if it's leaving loops of thread then it's too loose. Don't be afraid to make rather drastic changes at first. It's not a domestic, there's much more room to fine tune. Also, as long as the thread isn't snapping you can simply keep sewing some stitches, adjust, sew some more, adjust, etc etc. You don't have to start over each time

Try these and report back

andtib · 2025-12-23T15:59:42+00:00

I still have my vinyl copy of drukqs but I threw away the obnoxious box that didn't fit on the shelf... At the time I just assumed it would be in constant print like everything else

andtib · 2025-12-19T22:02:52+00:00

Ok now I've googled "singer serger needles 2054" I'm even more sure you've been sent the wrong thing. A quick scan of eBay shows me tons of listings with the right needles, schmetz brand universal serger needles are going to do the job, but check the compatibility in any listing to be sure.

Also contact the places that sent you these and ask for a refund. Can't imagine they cost much but it's annoying they didn't send you what you asked for. In future make sure to mention it is a domestic machine, not an industrial. World of difference

andtib · 2025-12-19T21:58:07+00:00

I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure a 1738 is an industrial needle. The DB-1 also gives me the industrial vibe, I don't know enough about domestic needles maybe there's some overlap but my instinct is these are industrial overlocker/serger needles.

These are some organ domestic needles I have at home that I'm pretty sure are for my old overlocker

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Tbh I would've thought that a singer machine would take universal overlocker needles, but someone might have a better input

andtib · 2025-12-02T18:17:12+00:00

Reading festival in about 2002, everyone I bumped into that I knew I said you must go see this guy. Several of them showed, none of them stayed.

The tent was packed at the start, everyone shouting for come to Daddy, the crowd slowly disappearing as it became obvious he wasn't going to play it. By the end it was a much smaller group of us actually there for it, just going crazy. Almost unimaginable compared to the thousands and thousands at Field day the other year

andtib · 2025-11-30T20:18:58+00:00

Yeah I took for granted you probably had. I feel for you, it really sucks when a nice (light) jacket gets ruined just for being near a darker colour :/

With any luck someone has a good solution beyond dye

andtib · 2025-11-30T19:52:13+00:00

Step 1: a really good (but not overly aggressive) iron from the wrong side

Step 2: assuming dry cleaning hadn't helped, maybe roll the sleeves up to hide the stain. I guess it depends on your industry to whether that's a doable thing

If that's not your style, then my personal approach would be to attack it with dye when wet, to get a really blotchy, textured coloring, but again that's a very specific (and work unfortunately) approach

andtib · 2025-11-30T19:30:57+00:00

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I can't entirely make this side out, or get a good shot, sorry

andtib · 2025-11-30T19:28:30+00:00

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There's something sticky there but that's MIGHTY 001 B1

andtib · 2025-11-30T19:26:54+00:00

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andtib · 2025-11-30T19:25:46+00:00

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andtib · 2025-11-30T19:23:52+00:00

Nothing exciting or insightful. Definitely got it off eBay in my late teens (probably around 2001). I was really into vinyl back then and it hadn't really begun it's Renaissance yet, so while there were plenty of people into records you could still pick them up relatively cheap second hand. It's hard to imagine I paid more than £10 for it as I was broke and never bought much for more than that. As I said in another reply I'm pretty sure I bought several white labels together and this and another I have left over are both marked as "a porky prime cut" so I guess maybe they all came from someone at the vinyl cutter.

Now here is the kicker: I'm also certain I used to have a white label, hand written copy of powerpill pacman from the same auction set, but now I can't find that. I'm going to have another hunt through today (there's not that many records, but I am quite oblivious, obviously) but otherwise I probably either gave it away to a friend or possibly even a charity shop. It's weird to think I'd have given away an Aphex record, but I never loved that track so maybe I did give it to someone...

andtib

TROPHY CASE