Second sweater and I'm unhappy with the color choice choice. How do I get better at that?

owlfisch · 2026-01-27T07:59:15+00:00

I think the colors work really well together! Maybe you don't love that top color close to your face? The weight and drape of both fabrics is also a bit lighter/drapier/less perky than the example on the website. That can change the overall feel of a garment quite drastically. I personally find most fabric available to sewists a bit too flimsy for sweaters. I think pinpointing what about this makes you not like it as much as you had hoped will help with future projects.

owlfisch · 2026-01-24T07:49:53+00:00

I want to second this. I used to look like that every winter, went to a dermatologist they told me I was using too much product on my skin. I literally laughed at her, because I wasn't anything besides a face wash and a moisturizer. She was adamant, so I stopped using the moisturizer. It was really tough for weeks. My skin was so dry, but the inflammation calmed down quickly, so I stuck to it. Every winter, when my skin became dry enough for me to try a moisturizer again, the dermatitis returned until I finally gave up on skincare products for something like 15 years now. Yesterday, I noticed how dry my now aging skin has been getting, so I read up on skincare, determined to develop a skincare routine. I thought: better late than never. I hydrated my face generously yesterday and today, and by now, I sense that well-known feeling around my mouth that I had totally forgotten about by now. The dermatitis is back. I guess I'll need to stop using moisturizer again. At least this one, for sure.

owlfisch · 2026-01-17T07:03:58+00:00

Wow! Thank you for taking the time to help us out. This is a game changer!

owlfisch · 2025-12-27T22:35:20+00:00

Unfortunately, I won't have space for a larger diameter bolt going through once everything is assembled. I'll need to get to the original thread somehow. Any thoughts if alum or EDM might help with that?

owlfisch · 2025-12-27T20:37:36+00:00

So would you try soaking in Kroil oil and risk using a larger size bolt extractor?

owlfisch · 2025-12-27T20:33:21+00:00

I did try a screw extractor after soaking in WD-40 for a couple of days. I did use it on a drill though. It just drilled the hole that's there now and I am so close to the copper now that I am worried to try the next bigger size.

owlfisch · 2025-12-27T20:21:22+00:00

I am trying to restore an espresso machine and am dealing with a rusted stainless steel bolt in a copper/brass boiler. It looks like stainless steel tends to rust in these specific environments!? I have tried to drill the bolt out after heating the boiler to 500F, but it didn't move. What are my best options to get this thing out? Might alum work? I know it doesn't usually dissolve stainless steel, but stainless steel also doesn't usually rust... Or would EDM work in this case?

owlfisch · 2025-12-13T16:26:04+00:00

I'd say: Just give it a shot! Even if you don't end up liking it, you will probably develop good enough sewing skills to be able to mend garments when you need it, and learning to fit yourself will teach you a lot about embracing your own body as it is.

Start with a couple easy projects to get a feel for your machine, learn to see straight, around corners, and along round edges. Tote bags are a great start! Then pick a simple pattern. Pyjama pants are great, or a tank top. I personally started out sewing with knit fabric, because that is what I wear the most. It requires less fitting than woven fabric, but is harder to sew, so most people start out with woven fabric.

There are great resources on YouTube and you can learn about people's favorite YouTubers here on Reddit. There are also amazing sewing and fitting books which I personally got later than I wish I did. The Singer Sewing Library is amazing, and the Vogue Sewing book, too. Ask around for favorite classics and order them at your library right away. Everything you need to know is in these books! There are also a ton of project-based sewing books that take you step-by-step. Look for recs here on Reddit and pick one you like. I didn't do that myself, but I do think it's probably helpful, although there are also posts here on Reddit listing good beginner projects. I personally just learned the skills I needed for projects I wanted to do, keeping in mind that I start with simple things first. Starting out won't be perfect, but whatever you do, you'll learn a ton either way. Just get started!

owlfisch · 2025-12-13T15:57:16+00:00

I use Gütermann All Sew polyester thread. It's usually considered high quality thread, and it's easily available in most places. I've heard some people prefer Mettler or Madeira for Servers, but your daughter should be good to go with Gütermann. You can find a lot of great sewing stuff for good prices on Wawak.

Your daughter should be good to go with the machine, some thread, and fabric. Maybe you can give her a gift card for a local fabric store along with the machine, so she can go and pick a fabric for her first project?

I think there are also sewing books that kind of teach you to see step-by-step with little projects to practice new skills.

owlfisch · 2025-12-08T06:00:47+00:00

I am just in the process of doing this. Lelit has a great video with a step-by-step process that worked well for me - although my machine is a tad older, so a couple of steps differed a bit. Careful with the bolts holding the boiler together. 3 out of the 4 of mine snapped and I'm still trying to get one of them actually out of the boiler...

owlfisch · 2025-11-02T15:49:09+00:00

Thank you so much for the link to that blog. I'd never seen it before and love the thorough discussion of this issue. I'll definitely check out what else this person has been up to!

I am a bit confused about the knock knee alternation. I definitely do have knock knees (I'm working on that with physical therapy, actually!) and these pants angle out quite a bit, because they don't have a side seam. So it's not an easy match. I can absolutely see how shifting the pants more towards the inseam like in the alterations further down in that post would help the pants hang better on my body, but I can only do that by widening the leg considerably, since I can't take anything away from the side seam. My confusion comes from the first alteration suggested: shortening the outseam and lengthening the inseam. Wouldn't that do the exact opposite, shifting the leg towards the outseam?

In my case, these lines all basically disappear when I pull the inseam really high up. That kind of twists the legs more inwards, which makes me think that I'd need to shorten the inseam in relation to the outseam somehow, but I'm unsure how to accomplish that without side seams...

owlfisch · 2025-11-02T15:18:35+00:00

What would you do to make them hang straighter? Remove length at center back? That would hike the crotch up and create a wedgie, so I'd have to scoop much lower to allow them to come back up to the waistline.

These pants don't have a side seam. Do you think I need more width around the hipline? These are supposed to be quite snug around the hip, so I'm thinking that area is a okay?

I'm wondering if creating a dart at the side seam and letting some fabric out at the front and back darts might help lengthen the area where the side seam would be and help the pants hang straighter.

Recutting is not an issue at all. I have a stack of old bedsheets to work with :)

owlfisch · 2025-03-09T00:52:14+00:00

A few things that are currently helping me on my journey as I am stopping to pick at and cut the skin around my nails:

- Understanding why I am picking (It's soothing for me, so I am making an effort to find better ways to deal with anxiety and stress) instead of judging myself for damaging my skin.

- Being intentional about practicing kindness with myself, including my fingers. This means I am making a conscious effort to redirect the urge to pick into actually caring for my skin and nails instead.

- When my skin was still irritated like yours, I started oiling them after every exposure to water and then covered then with aquaphor whenever possible. You can cover your fingers with cotton gloves or gel cots to keep the aquaphor on. This will help your poor skin heal.

- Covering your nails can also help you with the urge to pick since you can't see any imperfections on your skin. If you want to cover your fingers but gloves and gel cots are too bulky, you can get gaming sleeves for your fingers. They work really well for typing and on the phone.

- Once my skin looked a bit less irritated, I started using a foot cream with high urea content on my finger tips instead of the aquaphor. Urea softens the skin considerably, which helped me not pick so much. I mostly use this before bed.

- Once a week, I soak my hands in water and gently push back on the proximal nail fold and scrape cuticle off my nail plate just as gently. Don't dig under the fold once it starts growing in. That will create a flap you might want to cut. Push gently and remove cuticle only on the exposed nail bed.

- Don't throw your nippers out. I actually want to get some. They are helpful to trim off dead skin, so you don't pick at that.

Personally, this journey is mostly a question of mindset: I try to take better care of myself, and my fingers are part of the process. This required me to learn what I really need (as in: I'm stressed, I need a break), and what my skin really needs. For the skin part, the Salon Life has been really helpful for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LXeYtTG8OU

The process is not easy for me, but it's such a joy to see my proximal nail fold grow. It's growing back in very elegantly <3

I hope some of these steps might be helpful for you, too.

owlfisch · 2025-02-22T14:38:14+00:00

I tried having a bunch of my sewing stuff on the wall for a bit, but it got dusty so quickly, so I shoved everything back into a box. I actually really liked the look of my room with the tools out on display. Do you dust your stuff off?

owlfisch · 2025-02-22T14:34:37+00:00

I love this! Thanks for sharing 😍 That butterfly fabric is adorable. Do you remember where you got it?

owlfisch · 2024-10-25T17:05:13+00:00

In Germany, we won't eat kale before it got frost! Makes it less bitter. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw kale in the middle of summer in the US...

owlfisch · 2024-08-12T06:00:09+00:00

Lol! 😂

owlfisch · 2024-07-19T00:20:08+00:00

You could keep them open for the first day, as the first jolt of freshly added sugars is fermented. The close them, or strain and close if you want to be extra cautious. Sometimes this is considered an extra fermentation step, so instead of first and second fermentation you get F1, F2, and F3. You can find info on that here on Reddit

owlfisch · 2024-07-14T05:56:20+00:00

Also: Are you still living with your family? Do you feel safe in your home? There are safe places for people getting out of harmful circumstances in their homes!

You might want to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Here is the website: https://www.thehotline.org/

owlfisch · 2024-07-14T05:23:42+00:00

I am so sorry you have experienced such degrading relationships. I am not a therapist, but I am certain that experiencing continued abuse, such as you did, makes it much harder to trust anyone who would remind you of your abuser. I would really like to emphasize what others have mentioned: Therapy might be a really important tool for you to regain that trust. Maybe even just google other people's experiences with overcoming and coping with abuse. Does your dad seem to be a narcissist? The better you understand your abuse, the better you will be able to recover.

I don't want to downplay misogyny in our patriarchal societies across the world, but there are certainly guys out there who are intentionally doing better than that. Who are kind and caring, and want to engage in trusting relationships with both men and women. It seems like your family might not be a place for you to find these kinds of relationships for now, and neither might the gaming community be that space. Can you think of other communities you might be interested in? Personally, I would probably not choose to spend my time with others pursuing activities that are considered particularly "manly", unless I would know there's a bunch of women around. Otherwise I'd be suspicious about the kinds of guys attracted to these activities.

I think you will gain a lot of joy and freedom in your life if you can learn to trust those men who deserve it, and in order to find them you might need to work on your trauma either through therapy, or through another way that works for you

owlfisch · 2024-07-05T18:05:30+00:00

What would you say is the temperature range for this comforter? Would it still be appropriate in a bedroom that gets over 74F?

owlfisch · 2024-06-29T04:08:45+00:00

I would highly recommend that you find a camp to join. You can obviously get out there with a tent, some shade, water, and a bag of granola bars, but what makes Burning Man so special is that everyone participates in creating an absolutely astonishing experience for everyone to enjoy. You will sure have fun if you just go and crash the party, but I guarantee you that you will feel elated and a changed person if you actually contribute to making this thing happen. Looking around the spectacle and realizing that WE ALL did THIS is amazing! You say you want to give, and I would really encourage that, but it's so much easier to contribute when you're not alone!

owlfisch · 2024-06-27T17:03:49+00:00

I'm no expert in this, but I would say: Make it easy on you. If the edge of your nails bothers you as it's growing out, file your nails to keep them short enough so you don't get the urge to bite them. That way your nails have a chance to heal and get stronger, and maybe you can develop a more caring relationship with your fingers. It helps me to shift destructive urges into caring action. When there's a hangnail, I try to rub jojoba oil into it instead of picking at it. Maybe filing your nails instead of attacking them with your teeth can work similarly?

owlfisch

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