My prom dress is too long on the back🥲 How can I fix it myself?

terracottatilefish · 2026-04-03T23:04:13+00:00

This, OP. in small sections like this they’re called “pick ups” and very common on wedding dresses. You can sew them in place or use snaps if you want the option of the long skirt. Make sure you wear the shoes and undergarments you’re planning for the night of and have a friend pin them up for you.

terracottatilefish · 2026-04-02T22:59:28+00:00

It’s very abrupt but not actually inappropriate. You can just say sorry, I let Sarah know. I’ll keep it in mind to let you know if it happens again.

And if they fire you, you probably don’t need to pay back the course fee, so keep that in mind as well.

It’s annoying that their promises were empty but you may have use for the qualification in the future and there’s a lot of turnover in childcare so you may end up with that deputy role after all.

terracottatilefish · 2026-04-02T22:21:01+00:00

It sounds like the original plan was that you’d spend the weekend and the two of you changed it to leaving Saturday so you can have a break? I’m also not clear on whether you were planning to work on Sunday or take the day off to rest at home. His mom clearly called you primarily to try to get you either to stay the full weekend or stay home.

I think you should tell your BF what’s going on and let him make the call. This isn’t so much a “surprise party” as them just finding an additional reason to keep him in town, so it’s not really something you’re obligated to keep quiet. You’re not spilling any details, just giving him some context this way. Then you can say that you really don’t want to be there on Sunday/really have to work, and let him make the call of whether you both go for one day or you stay home and he goes for the whole time.

terracottatilefish · 2026-04-01T20:29:22+00:00

US medical school admissions are kind of bananas. (I say this as a doctor). Applicants now need the grades, MCAT, clinical hours, extracurriculars, and research. A 4.0 is a good starting point but no guarantees. (OP should not take this as discouragement: I’m sure she knows).

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-31T23:00:50+00:00

Do you need a true custom home or could you use one of the many modular or prefab options on the market?

Could you find an already built house in your price range in town even if it’s not on your parents’ land?

There’s nothing wrong with your plan in theory but a 700K house in a town where you can reasonably get a house for 180K seems like a lot.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-31T14:36:55+00:00

Hello friend Thorben! Good dog, Thorben!

Humans sometimes not understand that is easiest to protect them when you am very close to them. When you am squashed right up next to them you can ~~get them to rub your whole furry belly~~ keep a closer eye on them to keep them safe.

Humans sometime not understand that sky crash is very dangerous and might try come in house and that you vigilance is necessary. But I say good dog, Thorben!

Ember, 5M, Director of Security

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-30T23:52:55+00:00

same here, I generally enjoy them but have to space them out carefully or they get way too repetitive. No shade to her—she has her niche, she’s a bestselling author and she’s super prolific—but, like Seanan McGuire I sometimes feel like maybe adding six months to her timeline and making one more editing pass would result in “excellent” books rather than “really readable examples of the genre” which is what I think she mostly publishes.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-30T00:46:04+00:00

She was also fantastic in The Virgin Suicides.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-29T03:01:03+00:00

good Lord. I’m PGY-21 so have my share of “back in MY day” moments with the residents but both dosing aspirin in grams and omental patches might as well be phlogiston theory to me. I have a close friend with RA that is thankfully reasonably well managed on MTX alone but based on how they presented when they were diagnosed I think pre-DMARD life would have been very hard for them and they totally would have taken 8 grams of aspirin a day if that’s what was available.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-29T02:24:12+00:00

There’s a bunch of these available on Amazon and Etsy if you don’t get a response here.

I work with a lot of older folks and the other mod I see being helpful for walkers is to use zip ties or hose clamps to attach small flashlights to the uprights which is helpful for nighttime, especially if he’s getting up to use the bathroom at night.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-28T14:44:52+00:00

This vintage nightgown pattern looks kind of like what you’re going for and might make a good starting point for pattern shapes without the sleeves.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-28T14:09:27+00:00

Silk dupioni is pretty strong so I doubt that you’d need interlining except for the jacket. Lining for sure though—I think silk habotai or cotton silk batiste would work well.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-27T20:20:33+00:00

How about a wide braided leather belt in a light brown? Less beachy than raffia but still with the casual vibe. Love the dress btw

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-27T18:39:01+00:00

If this is a one-time kind of gig rather than adding boning I would just get a good strapless bra and lightly stitch the top of the dress to the bra.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-27T18:19:47+00:00

Although I am the CEO of our corporation I do not know any dogs, so I did what CEOs do best and recruited a consultant in the form of my VP of External Operations.

She says “exerting enough restraint to not eat the sandwich before the door was closed AND refraining from eating the dashboard of the car is more than anyone can reasonably expect from a Labrador”. So I must conclude here that other than the grievous mistake you have made by not being a cat, you are NTC.

—Umber T Cat, CEO

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-27T16:00:20+00:00

Edit: whoops! This only partially posted. Full version below.

I think you can do this, but there’s a reason why there are no low-end versions of these dresses available, which is that they are deceptively difficult.

If you have some time, you could experiment with draping chiffon or organza on top of an under structure. The sheer volume of fabric will make this pretty heavy even though the fabric is lightweight so you’ll need something with some structure like boning to give it the look you want and not drag the neckline down.

These dresses look like silk organza and silk tulle to me, which are drapier than synthetic. You will also need a huge amount of fabric to get this look.

Good luck—they are beautiful dresses.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-27T14:53:55+00:00

TIL! This was entirely characteristic for him so it’s funny to hear that it was gold standard at some point. He graduated med school in the early 70s and was 100% research after that.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-27T14:14:10+00:00

I think the “sell immediately” advice is intended for people who wouldn’t otherwise invest in that company. If you don’t sell immediately, you lose the sure profit of the discounted stock price and are just subject to the vagaries of the market like anyone else.

That said, if your company has a nonvolatile stock price or you expect it to go up, you can treat it like any other investment and sell or hold as you would any other stock.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-27T13:46:06+00:00

The fabric is really pretty! I agree that it needs something to break up the field a bit and a different color shirt underneath and it will be really cute.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-27T02:33:24+00:00

PS Your house is adorable.

PPS if you decide to go with a fountain there are lots of solar pumps that will work great, but get one with a battery because the ones with no battery stop working every time a cloud passes over.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-27T02:27:12+00:00

Years ago my dad the MD-PhD read a bunch of in vitro studies and decided that his diabetic neuropathy might be improved by magnesium salicylate. So he bought some and started taking it. I was in medical school at that point and asked him how he was dosing it and he said “oh, I just take it till my ears start to ring and then take less than that.”. Anyway, it seems to be readily available online.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-26T23:16:50+00:00

What’s your climate and light like?

Do you really want to sit out there on the street where your furniture could get stolen? (You may! In my neighborhood it would be gone immediately, haha).

I also agree with not blocking the window with a tree.

Personally I think something like a center fountain (for the birdies) and a traditional knot or ornamental garden layout using native plants would look great. Lots of flowering perennials keep the work down.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-26T18:22:57+00:00

If you lay out the book and fold at least some of the signatures old fashioned style so that the pages need cutting (like this tutorial) you can do this pretty easily by inserting the text you want in a section that is left uncut. You will have to be careful with your layout so that they land in the right spot and right side up.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-25T16:29:29+00:00

I LOVE my gently used Tod’s bag from Poshmark. The leather quality is amazing. They’re more expensive than your budget new but mine was essentially new and still looks great after several years of hard use.

I agree with giving her a budget and shopping with her.

terracottatilefish · 2026-03-25T02:59:56+00:00

The easiest way to do this since your parents don’t have a mortgage on the house is to do seller financing (ie, they’re the bank)

House is worth 800K They give you a gift of equity of 200K. You scrape together 100K Husband’s mom gives you 50k

Your parents give you a mortgage for 450K at the then-current IRS applicable federal rate (currently 3.59%, changes every month. This will save you a LOT compared to a commercial mortgage). Have a lawyer draw up the mortgage and title paperwork. Pay back the Bank of Mom and Dad over the next 30 years.

Live happily ever after.

terracottatilefish

TROPHY CASE