[SAFESPACE] Woman Thread - All Things Women. Period.

[Sungura]

thanks =) I will let you know. I started just sewing it together and it is taking shape and I kinda see how it's working now. Not sure I'm assembling it in the way the instructions mean me to do it, but it's definitly a dress and looking like the picture. I think I might have to add in lining though, because the fabric seems a bit thin? but it only had lining for the bodace section not the skirt. I dont think I finished the edges of the bodace properly but I'll just put bias tape around the edges to make them look a little more professional (since this is for a wedding!) I think somehow I was supposed to do a hidden sort of stitch which i wasn't understanding from the directions and instead I folded under and topstitched the seam edges (neckline and around the arms).

Cathy I dont even know what basting is haha....hope it's not super important but thanks for the tip on making sure I have the right seam allowances!!

[doogly]

Basting is when you pour juices on meat.

[Cathy]

E-How for the win?

Basting, in regards to sewing, is the large stitch work that holds clothes together until a permanent stitch is put in. This stitch can be set by hand or by machine and is often taught to beginners because it's easy to do. Simply put, basting is a long-running stitch with ample space left in between each stitch that holds the garment together until the baste seam is pulled out.

[existential_elevator]

It's that thing that I am lazy and do with pins, then get upset when it really hurts to try on

[Ashlah]

If caught right away, is it really possible to fight off a UTI with cranberry supplements? I felt the possible beginnings of one last night/this morning, and started taking those. I've got some of those numbing pills from last time in case I start feeling pain, but I just don't know if I should call for an antibiotic right away, or wait and see if the symptoms get worse. The only symptom I've really got at the moment is feeling like you have to pee when you don't thing.

[Sungura]

Basting is when you pour juices on meat.

LOL yes this one I knew, but I wasn't sure how to pour juice on my fabric without ruining it

Thanks Cathy!! =) That seems smart...you'd think my fav thing to do was rip out stitches haha.

[Angua]

If caught right away, is it really possible to fight off a UTI with cranberry supplements? I felt the possible beginnings of one last night/this morning, and started taking those. I've got some of those numbing pills from last time in case I start feeling pain, but I just don't know if I should call for an antibiotic right away, or wait and see if the symptoms get worse. The only symptom I've really got at the moment is feeling like you have to pee when you don't thing.

Double blind studies say no. However, most UTIs clear up on their own which is why a lot of people get away with it. But if you've had problems before, I would say don't bother with the supplements and go to a GP.

[Ashlah]

Gotcha. I don't typically get them, I've only ever had one, but that's good advice. Just don't want to pay a $50 in copays if it can be avoided!

[PictureSarah]

My understanding is that cranberry pills can help prevent UTIs, not treat them. So...the cranberry pills might help...but what REALLY helps is the massive quantities of water you should be drinking them with.

[Cathy]

Basting is when you pour juices on meat.

LOL yes this one I knew, but I wasn't sure how to pour juice on my fabric without ruining it

Thanks Cathy!! =) That seems smart...you'd think my fav thing to do was rip out stitches haha.

Hah, you too? I usually do it with pins if I'm machine sowing, but by hand? I can't hand sew in a straight line if my life depends on it.

[Kithplana]

(sewing things)

Sewing with a pattern is a skill in itself. I've been doing it for years and I still find myself confused about how things are put together, or how this mess is ever going to turn into what I want it to be, or... anything. Plus, an "easy" label is not always a reliable indicator. "Easy" patterns can still have tricky techniques or counterintuitive combinations.

I do like patternreview.com for checking out others' experiences with a given pattern. You have to create an account to see much (boo) but there are user-contributed pictures and reviews, and you get a good idea of what the hangups are in a given pattern. It's handy.

[Shro]

I wanted to share this documentary of Demi Lovato and some important but triggering subjects:
It's called Stay Strong and it's about her fight with

Spoiler:

eating disorders and self harm. And her time in rehab and being diagnosed as bipolar.

Be prepared for a good cry if you watch it.
I couldn't help but think how beautiful and brave and determined she was the entire time.

[semicharmed]

Hah, you too? I usually do it with pins if I'm machine sowing, but by hand? I can't hand sew in a straight line if my life depends on it.

The bolded made me giggle like a fiend, because I planted a huge garden this year... by hand, hand tools (and a lot of help from my neighbours). And nothing was straight. My potatoes were particularly egregious, but the beets and carrots wandered too.

I'm impressed by anyone who can properly sew, much less sew from a pattern. I can knit/design knitting patterns, but my sewing skills are limited to mending. And fixing hems, when necessary. In a thread color as close to the pants as possible so that my terrible, wandering up and down lines don't show.

[Sprocket]

womins bahdee is awl fahkd up wit chmikles cuz mkn baabee is teh hard, and so we is crzy and needy so teh sex happins and then d'boyz has to stay round or dey fill gulty cuz we iz sad awl d'tahms.

Or at least I would like to believe there is some evolutionary advantage to the chemical fluctuations I must endure.

I wanted to share this documentary of Demi Lovato and some important but triggering subjects:
It's called Stay Strong and it's about her fight with

Spoiler:

eating disorders and self harm. And her time in rehab and being diagnosed as bipolar.

Be prepared for a good cry if you watch it.
I couldn't help but think how beautiful and brave and determined she was the entire time.

Obsessive Compulsives also have eating disorder stuff a lot too. There's this whole theory that not eating enough makes your brain put out chemicals...or stop producing too much of some chemical, so that it makes you less obsessive compulsive, and it's basically like self-induced therapy...that is ultimately bad...

[lucrezaborgia]

http://www.gbacg.org/great-pattern-review/index.html is a good site too for patterns.

My husband sews like a pro and his hand stitching is amazing. He has an amazing eye for fabric combinations too.

[studyinserendipity]

Oh wow, that is quite lovely! Please tell him that he did a great job on that piece.

Something I read said basting basting basting and something about leaving extra room for seams when you cut the cloth. Or something.

Also, thank you all for the good wishes!

I am late to the sewing party! But I wanted to say this is pretty much the advice my mormor gave me when I spend lots of time sewing my wedding dress with her. We basted everything inside the seam allowance before stitching. When cutting the fabric, we cut the pattern out with a large seam allowance, pinned it to the fabric, then cut both pattern and fabric down to the correct trim and cut small notches to indicate important marks on the pattern. We practiced the more confusing pattern steps on bits of extra fabric. Everything was given a 5/8 seam allowance - we could always cut the extra fabric down once the seam was done.

But the biggest piece of advice I have so far, after working with her and then working through an easy pattern on my own, is to expect it to take easily 3x as long as you initially think it will take. Even a single step, like "sew the back seam," implies a bunch of other steps: Line up the fabric, pin at notches, baste the seam, sew the seam, pull out the basting, press the seam closed, then press it open. It takes SO MUCH LONGER than you think it should, but it's worth the extra work.

EDIT FOR A BASTING TRICK! that I just remembered: My mormor has a special cutting board that she just uses for basting. She lays the fabric on the board and uses the hard surface as leverage against the needle to pick up folds of fabric. Once there are lots of folds on the needle, she can pull the fabric taut and suddenly there's 2 ft. of basting finished. Hm on second thought this might not be helpful because I'm finding it difficult to describe. It kind of looks like she's trying to poke small holes in the cutting board but there's fabric in the way?

[Cathy]

Hah, you too? I usually do it with pins if I'm machine sowing, but by hand? I can't hand sew in a straight line if my life depends on it.

The bolded made me giggle like a fiend, because I planted a huge garden this year... by hand, hand tools (and a lot of help from my neighbours). And nothing was straight. My potatoes were particularly egregious, but the beets and carrots wandered too.

Heeeheee! I'm growing stuff like carrots and beans in planters outside and I tried to do rows... it looks like that didn't work! It's pretty scattered. Some stuff came up in clumps.

[cephalopod9]

Basting is when you pour juices on meat.

LOL yes this one I knew, but I wasn't sure how to pour juice on my fabric without ruining it

Thanks Cathy!! =) That seems smart...you'd think my fav thing to do was rip out stitches haha.

Hah, you too? I usually do it with pins if I'm machine sowing, but by hand? I can't hand sew in a straight line if my life depends on it.

Why was I thinking there was a fabric glue called basting?

I can't do anything in a straight line. A frickin' saw only goes back and forth, and I can't make that go in a straight line.

I seriously need to practice sewing. A lot of the 3-d spatial stuff comes pretty easily to me, but I'm a complete novice, and there's a ton of really basic stuff I'm finding out I have no clue on. Like "look at the edge of the fabric, not the needle, while you are sewing", oh my goodness this is ridiculously obvious. I'm trying some super basic quilt blocks now.


Has this thread had discussions on how long it usually takes a uterus to get settled on The Pill? I haven't stopped sulking about how much spotting all the damn time sucks long enough to think of how to search for that...
It was sort of getting better for a while, now I'm kind of wondering if I didn't understate the problem to begin with.

[semicharmed]

Heeeheee! I'm growing stuff like carrots and beans in planters outside and I tried to do rows... it looks like that didn't work! It's pretty scattered. Some stuff came up in clumps.

Yeah, at one point - this was spring of 2011 - my neighbour's 85 y.o. mother came over to me, took the hoe out of my hand, and went 'what did you mother teach you?', shook her head, and re-made all my rows. Her daughter yelled back, 'she grew up in NY, they had supermarkets, she's never planted potatoes before!'

I won't plant anything this year, since I'm leaving Ukraine in June buuuuut my neighbours have given me ridiculous amounts of tomato and cucumber seeds to plant in spring 2013. Where ever I'm living, I will have Ukr. tomatoes that summer.

[Aightynine]

Has this thread had discussions on how long it usually takes a uterus to get settled on The Pill? I haven't stopped sulking about how much spotting all the damn time sucks long enough to think of how to search for that...
It was sort of getting better for a while, now I'm kind of wondering if I didn't understate the problem to begin with.

It probably depends somewhat on what type of pill/what dosage(s) of hormone(s) you're taking, but my pill's literature says this on the subject: "Many women have spotting or light bleeding, or may feel sick to their stomach during the first 1-3 packs of pills. If you do have spotting or light bleeding or feel sick to your stomach, do not stop taking the pill. The problem will usually go away. If it doesn't go away, check with your doctor or clinic." (This is Junel, the generic version of Loestrin, by the way.) So it can actually take awhile for your body to get used to it, although I admit that three months is an awfully long time to put up with that.

I've never really had spotting except for the odd day here and there. However, I did have four incidents of what I decided to call pseudo-morning sickness over the course of the first three packs. Fortunately, it was somewhat predictable (all but one were on the morning after the second pill) and each incident was less bad than the last. For awhile, I also had to make sure I ate something with each pill, or I'd feel nauseated the next day.

[cephalopod9]

Yeah, spotting was definitely in the long list of possible side effects, and it's the last day of week six... I guess that's only half way to the three month mark and it's early to be complaining (not that that will stop me from complaining a bunch), but in those six weeks there were literally 7 days where I wasn't emitting a noticeable amount of blood. Which is not exactly the results I was hoping for, but I should also say, not significantly worse than before (half of both December and January were heavy enough to be considered period time) and it did get the gobs and gobs of blood days down to a predictable 8 day time frame. The cramps were kind of Worst in My Entire Life though.

What do folks take for Organs Are Tearing Apart cramps?
I'm being a little dramatic here, but I had my wisdom teeth out that week, and I don't know if I had a particularly easy recovery, or maybe the pain meds worked better/longer on different kinds of pain, but Uterus Pain got to be a pain level or two higher than Mouth Pain ever hit*.
Not looking forward to the week of the 16th (I scheduled period weeks for St. Paddy's day and Easter. how fun).
I'm sort of trying to believe the anesthetic or something could have messed things up, but I don't actually want to know if this is just how periods are going to be on the pill, so I haven't looked into it.

It was also about as heavy a rate of flow as previous Serious Menstruation days** have been, but I started keeping track of how often I emptied out a full Moon Cup, and it turns out that rate of flow is Holy Crap A Lot Of Material, and I'm kind of wishing I didn't know that either.

*

Spoiler:

I want to say on the Allie Brosh Pain Scale Mouth Pain was around a 4 or a 5 without meds, and Uterus Pain might have hit a seven. Perspective kinda makes me feel like I should knock that down to about a 3, and a 5.5. On a strictly linear scale, it might be even lower than that, but I tend to think of pain as getting exponentially worse as it increases.
I was definitely making the 7 face though.
Usually menstrual cramps only get to about a 2, 'this isn't fun, but I'm going to take an aspirin and be ok'.

**

Spoiler:

In December I watched an episode of Dexter during which more blood oozed out of me than was in the whole episode. There was only one murder in it, but getting up multiple times during that 47 minutes to empty my cup was a definite "I really need to deal with this" moment.

[semicharmed]

Yeah, spotting was definitely in the long list of possible side effects, and it's the last day of week six... I guess that's only half way to the three month mark and it's early to be complaining (not that that will stop me from complaining a bunch), but in those six weeks there were literally 7 days where I wasn't emitting a noticeable amount of blood. Which is not exactly the results I was hoping for, but I should also say, not significantly worse than before (half of both December and January were heavy enough to be considered period time) and it did get the gobs and gobs of blood days down to a predictable 8 day time frame. The cramps were kind of Worst in My Entire Life though.

**

Spoiler:

In December I watched an episode of Dexter during which more blood oozed out of me than was in the whole episode. There was only one murder in it, but getting up multiple times during that 47 minutes to empty my cup was a definite "I really need to deal with this" moment.

Do you have decent health insurance/access to a low-cost repro. health clinic? Because re: spoiler 2; that doesn't sound good. In fact, it sounds like a 'get thee to a doctor/np and get your script adjusted' kind of situation. There's a staggering variety in hormone formulations for BC pills; and for some people it takes a while to get right.

When my IUD was put in, I was using tampons for the first few months before I bought my Divacup annnnd I'd reliably have a 6-8 hour time each period where I'd be changing jumbo tampons every hour. Because gobs/chunks=tampon fail. That's since settled down, and even on my heaviest days I only need to empty the Divacup every 4-6 hours. And I have the copper IUD, which makes periods heavier.

[Sprocket]

This article is bizarre. I wonder if it's translated from English, or just written by the "how is babby formed" guy.
http://www.sikalosoft.com/comfortable-bra.html

[mochafairy]

Happy International Women's Day! Celebrate by treating all the females in your life like what they are: people.

[Angua]

Is it today already?

At home there's always a walkathon to support the domestic abuse charity which I used to do every year. I miss doing that.

[Sprocket]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Swallow_Richards

[sophyturtle]

On sewing: I made my dress for my brother's wedding when I was a teenager, but it was a pretty simple design. The wedding theme was traditional Scottish, so kilts and tartans all around. My dress was a simple 3/4 length sleeved white dress, and my mom helped me with the zipper.

On International Women's Day, YAY WOMENS

[existential_squirrrel]

international women's day! YAY!!

on another note- shark week is over, but my zits won't leave, and the hormones are still crazy... grrr

and now for something completely different... how does one dress when giving a presentation that is fairly formal? Last year at NCUR, I wore a pair of slacks and a polo shirt, but I felt underdressed when others showed up in skirts and blouses.

[Cathy]

I think slacks and a button-down is perfect. Can find a zillion buttondowns at goodwill if needed cheap!

[existential_squirrrel]

Thank goodness I have a bunch of button down shirts. now I need to find a pair of slacks that I'm not going to get stuck in.

[eaglewings51]

Shark Week just ended and I used my new DivaCup during it. That thing was AWESOME. I am totally sold on it. I'm leaving on spring break tomorrow to visit my family and I'm totally telling my mom and my sisters about it.

Some people mentioned IUD's up there. Can you use an IUD with a cup? I had heard when I was researching cups that you can't or you should ask your doctor. I don't use an IUD because I'm not currently sexually active but I've heard about them a lot in recent weeks from magazine articles. I'm thinking about using one when I become sexually active. It seems like a great option: if you use the copper type, you're not putting hormones into your body which I really don't want to do. Also, from what I've read, they have a higher success rate than any other form of birth control except a vasectomy or tubal litigation. And you don't have to remember it like you do with the Pill, diaphragm, or condom.

RE: presentation.

Slacks and a button down would work great. That or some type of nice blouse and a skirt.

[existential_squirrrel]

I was considering the blouse and skirt option, but only if I'm not going to freeze my ass off... I have a great skirt that I want to wear, but the location of the conference is in a cold place. If it isn't freezing, that is my first choice for this conference.

[semicharmed]

Copper IUD+divacup, for me.

I'm careful about making sure the string is up and out of the way when I put the cup in, I find if it's below the rim of the cup - on the outside of the cup, below the rim - I tend to get drips/leaks, even when the cup is nowhere near full. And then when removing the cup, just making sure I'm not yanking on the string. I've had no problems so far, and I've had the IUD for 2 year, and the Divacup for about 18 months.

[Alder]

I was considering the blouse and skirt option, but only if I'm not going to freeze my ass off... I have a great skirt that HULK WANT to wear, but the location of the conference is in a cold place. If it isn't freezing, that is my first choice for this conference.

Do you mean 'location' as in the town/city is in a cold area, or the conference centre itself? If the first, go with the skirt and a cozy coat to get you there, and then be comfortable inside?

Tangent: I have such a nice new coat that is *juuuuuuust* too snug to wear. I have it hanging on my wardrobe door to remind/motivate me about exercise and eating properly, but it's not quite working yet. Meh.

[Hyphe]

Congrats on the cup joy, eaglewings51! I've also got a copper IUD and use a mooncup. By and large, it's been a resounding success! I have intermittent trouble with the cup not fitting comfortably because my cervix can drop very low when I have heavy periods, but that's nothing more than a minor inconvenience. I've heard rumours that people can yank the coil out by removing the cup too roughly (without breaking the seal first) but I asked my doctor when I had the coil fitted and she said she'd never heard of such a thing and not to worry.

If you're thinking about getting an IUD, bear in mind that the copper ones make menstruating much heavier and more painful for many people. The hormonal coil doesn't have that effect, and the dosage is much lower than that of, say, oral contraceptives, though I can understand if you want to avoid hormones completely (I do, since they do horrible things to my psyche). It's a good thing to talk to your doctor about. (Also, please remember that an IUD won't protect you from sexually-transmitted diseases the way barrier protection such as condoms would!)

[lucrezaborgia]

Spoiler:

Any tips on cleaning deodorant? Not off of clothing or anything, but the applicator itself. I seem to have a particular brand of funk that sticks to the deodorant and then when I reapply it's back on me! As is it, I have to use Cetaphil daily wash under my arms or else the funky mixture of BO and deodorant just does not go away no matter what I use to wash.

[existential_squirrrel]

Dear body:

stop hating on me today.
I understand that it is going to take up to 3 weeks for my hand and wrist injuries to heal, but you DO NOT need to add insult to injury and give me a bloody nose that feels like shark week in the wrong location. It really screws over my ability to do anything with my hands. RAWR!

no love-
e_squirrrel

[Kithplana]

Whee! I've been working on making a corset (to go under a specific dress I want to make) for, oh, over a year now. Today I finally sat down and drafted a pattern (for the third time) from this tutorial. I must have done something right this time because it fits so much better, with so much less tweaking, than other patterns or drafting attempts. I still had to spend a fair amount of time adjusting it, but it was only where I expected: at the waist, to get it to nip in really well on the sides. I don't have a whole lot of squish, and I do have a bit of asymmetry (so my waist looks roughly like > | ), so I focused on the seam between the side and side back.

Protip: I think the kicker for getting this tutorial to work for me was to not place point r dead center when you get to that point. Instead, measure the length between your bust points/nipples, halve it, and use that number as the distance to place r from the center front. You'll want to shift the next two points down (u and v?) the same amount from their original position in the directions. This may not matter quite so much for larger cup sizes, but for an A-cup who needs padding to be able to fill out this style of corset anyway, it prevents serious awkwardness. (Otherwise, the bust points wind up inward from where my natural ones are. Then the whole thing gapes in around the boning and it just looks bad.)

[Hofstadter'sLaw]

Spoiler:

Any tips on cleaning deodorant? Not off of clothing or anything, but the applicator itself. I seem to have a particular brand of funk that sticks to the deodorant and then when I reapply it's back on me! As is it, I have to use Cetaphil daily wash under my arms or else the funky mixture of BO and deodorant just does not go away no matter what I use to wash.

Spoiler:

I'm slightly confused. Your underarm is getting all sweaty and funky, so you reapply the deoderant, but you do so without washing your underarms first? I think it'd work better to use it on clean skin, and then there's the added bonus of the deoderant not getting funky. Maybe buy disposible pre-moistened towelletes (and cut them into little pieces if they're big) to wipe up your armpits? Or, if you're at home, just take your shirt off and wash-up with a washcloth and towel? I've done that before.

Dear body:
...you DO NOT need to add insult to injury and give me a bloody nose that feels like shark week in the wrong location...

I don't mean to make light of your misery, but that was a very amusing and vivid simile.

[existential_squirrrel]

Dear body:
...you DO NOT need to add insult to injury and give me a bloody nose that feels like shark week in the wrong location...

I don't mean to make light of your misery, but that was a very amusing and vivid simile.

that's why I worded it that way. it was amusing and painful at the same time.