Sew brite

TLDR: Is there a reason I shouldn't try and use up a BUNCH of old fleece I have lying around to pad out hard dress form (vs batting); dress form will be a regular use item/not one time use for the padded size.
The details: After making the wonky plush dress form the other day, I've decided to embark on a dress form adventure and make myself another dress form that I'll 3d print from the a variant of that model and pad the thing so I can pin into it. I was thinking of doing the following layers (inside to out) and wouldn't mind some insight from folks who have more experience with dress forms. --Insul-brite (maybe) --some random pre-quilted fabric I have left over from a hideous couch cover (it's fluffy and can be pinned into and gets it out of my room) --batting OR fleece --stretchy cover for aesthetics and smoothness (possibly stretch velvet or stretch denim since I have those on hand, but I also have lots of heavy canvas)
Since the guts will be printed plastic, I'll probably end up hot gluing the first layer of padding/cloth down (since it can't be pinned in) and then (heaven help me) shoddily sew the other layers in (because i hate pinning into hard glue and sticky stuff; might need to get some curved needles to serve the cause). And If I was doing the steam-forming of the batting, I'd probably put a layer of insul-brite on the very inside so I don't melt/deform the printed armature accidently; If I'm not steam-forming I don't think there would be a need for the insul-brite.
I'd also like to be able to stab a pin straight/mostly straight into the thing, which seems like I'll be using at least 1.5-2" of padding all over the thing. I know I have enough fleece to more than cover that thickness, but I'm not entirely sure how much batting I'd need.
If anyone has thoughts on this madness, I welcome any input :D (and I'll post the form once I'm done with it because I'm sure some will find it interesting). Basically I'm trying to make the highest quality dress form I can with materials normal people have access to and without spending a bazillion monies. Might try to stash some storage in it. idk. later problems :P

Like to start a thread on this, see where it goes.
Most mats are made out of some variant of PET -- same plastic as pop bottles, sort of. The addition of micro particle carbon (soot) and UV inhibitors lengthens their life in sunlight.
In general once a mat starts to just fall apart, I recommend getting a new mat. I also recommend getting a new mat if it has a major injury in the middle half of it. (E.g: On a 16 foot tramp with a 14.5 foot mat, the central 7 foot circle. On a rectangular mat, the middle 1x2 meter box.
But if the mat is overall sound, but has had a mis-adventure, it may be fixable.
I am not addressing web or string mats.
Any strategy for repair has to take in the following:

• Mats stretch and change shape. Forces at an angle to the weave turn rectangles into trapezoids.

=> Patching material should be oriented to match the weave. => Any adhesive used has to be able to accommodate that change in shape. => Any thread used should be one that has some degree of stretch.

• Mats are made of coarse fibers that are very slippery individually.

=> A tear in the fabric can result the exposed ends unraveling. The tear grows. Any repair technique needs to include stabilizing the ends of the fibers.
=> Some form of adhesive to increase the friction between the mat and the patch is required.

• PET, and HDPE AND Nylon is difficult to glue. You either need a primer of some sort to modify the surface energy of the material, or you need to come up with a mechanical bond -- the adhesive surrounds individual fibers and holes in the fabric

=> An adhesive needs to be runny enough to surround individual fibers.

• A tear puts very high stress at the ends of the tear. As the tear increases in length, more and the fibers at the endo of the tear have to take much of the load of the fibers that are no longer there. So a 6" tear has twice the force (more?) than a 3 inch tear.

=> This can result in a tear extending rapidly, much like a crack in your windshield. A tear can go from 3" to catastrophic failure in a single hard bounce. This is why I suggest that mat that is damaged in the center half be discarded -- higher stress there makes catastrophic failure more likely. Also, a tear spreading on the side of the mat is most likely to spill the jumper on the ground, but one under his feet may result in him breaking his ankles off at the knees.

Fixing it.

Plan

• Salvage a mat. Easiest source is facebook marketplace. I have several unusable mats from salvaged trampolines. Try to match the weight and weave if you can.
  
• Mix up your adhesive. I'm going to use black silicone seal exterior grade sealant. I need to research the right sealant. Sealant can be mixed with acetone to dilute. This still needs some experimenting. I want something the consistency of paint, so that it will flow into the weave. Store excess in a plastic container and LABEL it.
  
• Cut your patches generously. Make them about 3 times the size of the hole. With time I may change this, but at present I want to err on the size of caution.
  
• Mark your patches so you know which side was up on the original trampoline. If the trampoline had any kind of chemical coating applied to one face, it's likely the top face. And the top will have oil from the millions of foot impacts. A paint pen (any welding shop, shippers supply) can do this. Felt marker won't show up. a dot of finger nail polish on the edge would work too.
  
• Clean your patches, and the target area.
  
  • Patches can be cleaning in bulk. Cut extras. Use a cooking pan to soak if you need to.
  • Primary cleaning Use good grease cutter soap. Dishwasher detergent works well. Dawn dish soap works ok. Rinse well. Rinse it again. A scotch brite pad or a magic eraser (which?) will rough up the surface some, which may help. Let dry before going to next stage.
  • Secondary cleaning Apply isopropyl alcohol 99% to the point of running off. This will remove much of the remaining grease. Apply acetone to the point of running off. (Test both of these solvents on both the edges of the tear in the mat, and on the patching material. I don't think they will affect the mat, but 'belt and suspenders'

My intent is to put the patches on the mat while the mat is on the trampoline. This keeps one surface flat. (rueful grin of experience....) I am going to apply the patch to the bottom face of the mat.

• prepare your clamping system. Mats are awkward to clamp. My idea is to take a scrap of heavy plywood, and a post a few inches longer than the height of the trampoline. Scraps of wood screwed to the back side of the plywood create a socket for the pole so it won't slide sideways. A second, smaller scrap with a similar socket and four 1/4 inch holes in it keeps the base of the pole from sliding. Put large nails through the holes to secure the base plate.
  
• When I clamp, put the board against the patch, and wedge in place with the post. On the top of this I plan to put sandbags to get a uniform pressure. Test this. You may have to fasten your tramp to the ground with anchors and ratchet straps. You want a fair amount of pressure. May have a selection of poles ranging from about 3 inches taller than the height of the frame to 9 inches. Need to experiment.
  
• dry fit your patch. Mark the outline with chalk. Go through the rest of this process the first time without using any adhesive.
  
• Fold any lips of the hole back so they won't get trapped between patch and mat. Tape in place, ideally with gaffer's tape (doesn't leave residue. Masking tape is an alternative.
  
• Using a cheap paint brush (1" will do.) paint the BOTTOM side of the mat out to the chalk line. Paint the bottom side of the patch.
  
• Place the patch. Check that the weave lines up.
  
• Bottom clamp: Put a sheet of butcher paper, glossy side up. (test paper with acetone...) or sheet of polyethylene plastic (garbage bag) on top of the plywood. You don't want adhesive to glue a chunk of wood to your mat. Put the plywood in place, place the pole. May need to make a base for the pole to keep it from sliding. May need an anchor and ratchet strap.
  
• Top Clamp On top, untape the lips, apply adhesive to them, and press onto the patch below.
  
• REQUIRED TEST Will climbing on the tramp while the post and lower patch stack are in place disturb the patch. You may need to put a plank across the frame to work without disturbing the patch.
  

I think I will only do one hole at a time. Too much danger of shifting one patch pole while placing the other patch pole.
A hole near the edge will have the patch support on a slant. The patch plank and base described above will allow this slope.
Allow the system to cure. Making up a couple of spare chunks and similar clamping, or just painting a chunk of scrap wood with your goop may allow you to check without touching the patch.
Now remove the mat from the trampoline and using a moderately heavy duty sewing machine stitch the patch in place. For this, my notion is 8 rows of stitches using a pattern similar to that used to bind the edge web to the mat and rings, then to cross the patch with a grid of stitches about 1 inch apart running parallel to the weave.
Testing my technique
How strong is this patch?
As I said, I've got several dead mats. I'm going to try this:
Test 1: Adhesion.
For this series of tests prepare 4 of the following.

• Cut a chunk of mat.
• Cut an inch wide strip of mat about a foot long.. Clean as above.
• Apply glue to mat and strip, leaving 4 inches of strip unglued.
• clamp.
• allow to cure.

1a. Can you peel the strip from the mat? Ideally you want to measure this force. I have a 50 kg fishing scale I can use for this. This doesn't need to be impossible. Just difficult.
1b. Can you slide the joint? Secure the end away from the loose end of the strip. Nailing it to a plank will work. Set up a come-a-long, and clamp the end of the strip in C clamp and couple scraps of wood. Put an eyebolt in the other end of the plank, and use the come along to try to slide the joint.
1c. Sew the test strips as recommended above. Repeat both tests.
If this test looks reasonable, proceed to the next test.

• Set up a frame.
• Cut a strip across the diameter of a mat Probably aim for 4 rings wide on the strip. Likely to be about 16 inches.
• Using my spring collection mount the mat on the frame. If the mat and frame aren't the same size, I can use 400lb test bailing twine to connect rings to springs.
• in the middle of this damage it.
• Patch the damage using the procedure above.
• Test to destruction. My intent for this is to remove the mat from the frame, simulate a foot using a short stack of square scraps of 2x4 fastened to a large tree with a bungie cord, Put the patch over the wooden 'foot' gatherthe ends of the mat and run more of my 400 lb baling twine to create a uniform harness. The use my come-a-long and see if I can force the rupture of the patch. Ideally I have a way to measure this force, and compare it to the force to actually break the mat.

Thoughts?

"You cannot physically beat up people online." § < MegaCockMick > 10:41+9
: . . yew sew brite § < - > 10:42
: . . : . . 😊 § < MegaCockMick > 10:44
: . . You can get a JOB online. < - > 10:45
Why won't you get a JOB?

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So I've been thinking about all the things the military approved at one point that no one ever talks about anymore:

1. Remember when you could have an arabic translation of your name sewn above your nametag in DCUs?
   
2. Remember when the Army first required the U.S. flag for wear in the duty uniform, and National Guard were allowed to wear their state flag?
   
3. Remember when you could wear foreign jump wings on your BDUs?
   
4. Remember when the Army required every deployed civilian contractor to wear the DCU uniform with that stupid civilian triangle rank on the sleeves?
   
5. Remember when you could sew your name directly into your BDUs without having to use a nametape?
   
6. Remember when we had to have two sets of boots because desert boots weren't authorized with BDUs, but then they were and you looked like an idiot wearing desert boots with BDUs?
   
7. Remember when STA-BRITE was technically unauthorized and you had to shine your brass to get it to look good?
   

Anyone else remember anything that we don't talk about anymore?

I found this vintage Rainbow Brite fabric at the thrift store today. 11 feet long by 4 feet wide
Hallmark Cards 1983 Cut and Sew Pillow fabric
One side has a Rainbow Brite on her horse the other has the little sprites. I can only find the doll pillow fabric online, not this particular pattern. I think it’s quite sweet and pleasing to the eye though. I want to craft with it, but if it’s worth a significant amount, I’d rather give it to someone who is more skilled at sewing.
https://ibb.co/3d2ngYt
https://ibb.co/8KntmfG

Quick info: only child, both parents bpd, isolated by their dysfunction and distance thanks to dad being in the Army, moved a lot, and lived far from any family. Family were literally strangers.
So age 7 was a bad year. I think at 7, I had outgrown being the cute dress up doll mom loved so much, and had developed a pesky personality of my own. And anything that aggravated her, pissed off dad. I got badly whipped a lot that year.
We had moved off base to a new neighborhood. We always moved in August at this point, so at least my attendance at my new school started in the fall.
The house was a weird split level, where you come at a landing, and immediately go up or down a flight of stairs. Kitchen, living, dining, baths and bedrooms upstairs, family room, ‘guest room’, weird whore-red jacuzzi tub bathroom and unfinished laundry downstairs. Some areas of the house felt, wrong. Also, I’d seen a ghost documentary and learned about paranormal cold spots, and had started checking out all new homes by walking around with my hands outstretched, trying to feel for ‘cold spots’, trying to determine if anyone had been murdered in our new dwelling. What do you expect from a kid left alone most of the time?
I was always made to play downstairs in all houses, or, in a single story, as far from their room as possible so they’d not have to hear me. I watched TV on the lowest volume possible, loud TV for me now is a little anxiety inducing. Being relegated to the basement involved a dash up the stairs after turning off the lights, to avoid the monsters that obviously lived in the dark and wanted to eat little girls. I was not allowed friends, or to have kids over. Very rarely I was allowed to go to other houses, likely before they got comfortable just leaving me home, alone. Which started this very year.
They had a bad time, this particular year. Lots of fights. Dad’s job had him commuting into DC, his car kinda sucked, so if it refused to start it meant a day on the metro bus. Mom’s health was a mess. I know now she likely had the same immune disorder I have, but instead of pushing through like I do, she resorted to popping as many pills as possible. She still did cooking and chores, but otherwise was in her room, in bed.
Halloween was horrible. She promised to sew me a costume, had the fabric in this kind of kit, where it’s all pre-marked and measured, she just had to cut it and stitch it, and she knew how to sew. She seemed to enjoy it. She hand recovered the living room sofa, and had made me costumes for halloween and Christmas nativity stuff before. All I know is that I was grounded from trick or treat. I don’t even know why. I spent the night crying silently in my room (being hear would have been bad), watching my parents hand out candy to other kids from the window. A few weeks later, I stumbled across the costume fabric, untouched, still in the bag. She”d not even tried to make it. It took me till age 40 to realize I was likely grounded because she felt guilty for not making it for me, and had to punish me for her guilt.
Now, being in my 40s, and feeling the exhaustion from my mcas, I know how hard sitting at a sewing machine can be. I have a stack of masks to be making, but have been so tired, so migrainey that operating a machine with a fast needle and use of scissors seems unwise. But I am willing to share this with others and let them knwo, hey, felt bad, sorry. And, if a child was expecting something, and I still had trouble sewing, I”d find a way to make it happen. Hot glue is less dangerous, and I can cobble something together and throw glitter on em and it would have been fine. And, I’d walk through a few blocks for candy to keep a kid happy, unless I was totally incapacitated. Being unable to drive doesn’t mean I can’t walk.
A week before Christmas, I remember being in trouble again. Again, I have little idea why. My room was hardly a mess, and the notes from school should have made sense after learning I was apparently gifted and bored, and my lack of interest lead to my talking in class. I now think they had a fight about money, and I was blamed as if a child has authority over what was purchased. They did this a few times later, like blaming me that they rented a house that was too expensive because at 14 I ‘liked the pool’ as if my minor input should have overruled reason. We got evicted from that house, but thats another a Christmas story.
I remember being dragged out of bed after hearing them fight for a few hours. All of my letter to Santa toys were in front of me, I clearly remember Rainbow Brite staring at me, and I was told if I didn’t behave, they were all being returned to the store.
Then, Christmas morning 7 years old, everything was wrapped, under the tree, and labeled ‘from Santa.’ All as if nothing had happened.
And over the next several years, Mom would explain how she’d told Santa we’d be at her father’s house for Christmas, not to worry and so on. As if I had forgotten the events of age 7. They were just crazy, and it just got worse as they got older.

I'm not all that great with engaging on social media forums, but I want to change that and switch from lurking to at least occasionally participating. I'm a woman in my late 20's, married to a wonderful man and living on the East Coast with our toddler. I've lived most of my life out in the western half of the U.S., however, so moving out here has actually been a bit of a culture shock. Or maybe it's just living in a big city is so different from the suburbs lollll.
Now as for interests... I really do love magical girls. Starting with Sailor Moon as a small child and moving on to Tokyo Mew Mew, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Rainbow Brite (yes she totally counts!), and then even more beyond that, I've always had a love for this very uniquely feminine way of having and using magic powers. I also enjoy other kinds of anime and Western cartoons, especially in the fantasy and sci-fi genres. The fantasy genre is also my usual preferred reading genre, and my favorite author is Brandon Sanderson (btw his classes that were recorded on Youtube are exceptional viewing material for aspiring writers).
In my adult years I have been diving into video games. RPGs, visual novels, and puzzle games are my favorite types of games right now. My most favorite games are Undertale, Danganronpa, Professor Layton, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and The World Ends With You.
Writing stories (fanfiction and original works), sewing for dolls/cosplay (maybe even doll cosplay in the future!), doodling, and collecting articulated dolls are a few hobbies of mine that are front and foremost to me. I'm also delving into crafty things with clay and/or paint, dressing up in all kinds of cosplay, baking sweets to save money on buying chocolate, and taking wayyyyy too many pictures of my kid lol.
Probably been rambling for a while now, but hey, I'm actually looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone here and surprising people!

I've combed through many of our LA related subreddits, and these are the top posts from this week:

• LosAngeles
  
  • Deep Space 9 predicted modern day LA pretty well - By t_manzo +1642
  • This is the image that Google thinks best captures Inglewood (taken from an email I received from them) - By sumdudeinhisundrware +1495
• FoodLosAngeles
  
  • Jus’ Poke in Redondo. $9.75 for two heavy scoops of poke, 2 sides, and rice! - By honeygia +282
  • The one and only Langers #19 - By pinhead1900 +241
• SoCalR4R
  
  • 25 [F4M] #LosAngeles - looking for cuddle buddy who will make out and masturbate with me - By locks615 +167
  • 25 [F4M] #SantaMonica - Help me with my slutty awakening - By Sexy_throwaway_n +163
• socalhiking
  
  • Taking the hard way up Baldy - By GroundedSpaceMan +153
  • A little place off the beaten path at Etiwanda Preserve. - By Captain-Oceania +153
• SFV
  
  • The Sepulveda Basin, home to thousands of birds and other wildlife, burnt in a wildfire a few months ago. Now, we plan on planting trees in that same burn area. Come join us planting trees by sending me a message to recieve an EventBrite invite. - By IchTanze +62
  • Sepulveda Basin Commute 1/10/20 - By ballgame100 +54
• LAlist
  
  • [WANTED] Los Angeles Credit Union Recommendations - By Defendership +55
  • Moving soon, cheap/free stuff in Glendale - all good to ok condition - By dabbingdandy +37
• FilmIndustryLA
  
  • Reminder to LA Freelancers! Your Small Business Tax is due by Feb 28th! - By edinc90 +53
  • If You Need Free Legal Advice — UCLA School of Law is providing free legal advice to Los Angeles-area music artists through its Music Industry Clinic (MIC). - By crabcakes110 +40
• MotoLA
  
  • To the person(s) downvoting every comment and post in this subreddit since it started... - By Cali_Yamaha +21
  • Proposed Metered Motorcycle Parking - By jameswan +22
• BikeLA
  
  • I am the night! - By Iglo12345 +23
  • Ride this Sunday - By hapatofu +20
• LosAngelesGayBros
  
  • The Sepulveda Basin, home to thousands of birds and other wildlife, burnt in a wildfire a few months ago. Now, we plan on planting trees in that same burn area. Come join us planting trees by sending me a message to recieve an EventBrite invite. - By IchTanze +21
  • Looking for other bros to grab beers / explore L.A. with - By tacotacoloco +18
• LAFD
  
  • LAFD Photos: 011320 - Your LAFD Had A Record Year In 2019 - By LAFD +30
  • LAFD Photos: 011020 - Air Ambulance Hurries Patient to Specialist - By LAFD +23
• LongBeachPost
  
  • Opinion: The spineless dissenting five of Long Beach’s City Council just made affordable housing less of a reality - By LongBeachPostBot +7
  • Man caught on video ripping mirror off Tesla in Downtown parking garage - By LongBeachPostBot +6
• LAr4r
  
  • 20 [F4F] #LosAngeles - Interested in getting more experience with girls. - By tkidd_271 +11
  • 29 [F4M] #LosAngeles #LACounty - Curvy/Bbw Hotwife seeking Hung Friend - By sexymexyhotwife +8
• TechLA
  
  • Y Combinator is hosting a Work at Startup Expo in Los Angeles on March 7 - By ryankicks +12
  • Looking for temporary/contract tech gigs in Los Angeles. Do you have any agencies or links you can recommend? - By GoChaca +8
• LARentals
  
  • [HOUSING] Roommate needed for Jan 15 - Feb 1 move in. Just east of Culver City. Beautiful green property (National Landmark) $1050/m + bills, private garage included. - By hakuwaku86 +6
  • Room in 3bd/2ba in Sherman Oaks - By Stellabear12 +4
• LAjobs
  
  • [Hiring] Senior Account Manager - Digital Advertising Los Angeles, CA, USA - By LaunchPotatoTalent +9
  • English teaching opportunities over in Asia - By Sconsultuk +6
• losfeliz
  
  • The Lieberman House on Prospect ave is an architectural marvel - By AlexAndertheAble +17
• LAsunsets
  
  • Another shot from last night’s sunset in Venice. - By WilliamMcCarty +7
  • Ballona Creek bike path sunset - By WilliamMcCarty +3
• LABeer
  
  • Spots near Staples worth checking out? - By TheSourSicko +9
• venice
  
  • Homeless man trying to kidnap a girl in Washington Square - By crashbangacooch +6
• EAGLEROCK
  
  • Eagle Rock families needed to test out educational games! - By paigerosereddit +6
• losangelesevents
  
  • Anyone interested in joining a competitive karaoke team? - By KaraokeJedi +5
• silverlake
  
  • Please help find robyn - By SewingSquid +5
• palmtrees
  
  • Finding Edibles just became impossible. - By SatansLoLHelper +3
• NortheastLA
  
  • The Miraculous North East Militia - By eliseereclusvivre +3

Hi, I'm a bot. Thankfully, I'm not AutoModerator. My job is just to gather some of the best posts from our neighbors. The intention is to create awareness of the speciality subs that relate to LosAngeles. If you have a suggestion about what other subreddits that I should check out or feedback, please send use the message moderators link on the sidebar.

Brite Now, Family Dental
It took me months to come up with that name. So many days spent doodling in my notebooks during my basic curriculum college classes. What would I need to know the difference between an acronym and an and initialism for? Or the basic plot devices used in poetry from over a hundred years ago?
Dentistry is an art. Classes unrelated to it were obstacles, like yellow teeth to a celebrity. Fortunately for me, I was able to balance my time between those mundane educational requirements and the planning of my career.
Since I was a young lad watching my part-time dad "fix" cars, I've had this obsession with recreation. Goosebumps still arouse my arm hairs when I think about all those days I spent watching rusted, cracking car pieces disappear only to be replaced by new, shiny parts. To my naive mind, it was akin to playing God...on a smaller scale, of course.
My interest in teeth sort of came from nowhere. I've always joked that it was from seeing my old man smiling after finished his work for the day. Face covered in sweat and black grease, yet his teeth would always be perfectly white, a shining star against the night sky. Of course, I can't assume that that's the reason - it's only slightly ridiculous. However, I can't really put a definite point to when I decided digging through the mouths of strangers was my passion.
Passion is what drives all great art, right? And this was art. Maneuvering around inside their mouths, deftly removing ugly buildups with sharp, chrome instruments. I had the hands of a surgeon and the eyes of a painter. English and math bored me to no end. But the infinite possibilities of dental reconstruction and cosmetic dentistry captivated me. I knew, given the time and opportunity, that I could create beauty.
Real art.
The downside of being a student dentist was repetition. I looked forward every week to my lab time - yet it was hollow and unfulfilled. An endless stream of cleanings and whitenings. The occasional tooth extraction. Where was the challenge in that? I longed for the days when school would end and my practice would begin. I would take smiles ravaged by decay and neglect and turn them pristine. Better than new. Perfectly straight, white teeth beaming out like a solar flare in the darkness of the cosmos. I decided early on that I wanted to work the jobs that others would turn down... total reconstructions after accidents, birth deformities, you name it. I craved the challenge. The faces of the unfortunate would showcase my art.
But business is business. You can’t pay the bills on the occasional mangled jaw. “Family Dentistry” brought in money. Scraping plaque off the teeth of spoiled brats whose parents fed them candy and didn’t enforce good dental hygiene. They were guilty of neglect. I saw them parade through the dental school’s clinic on a regular basis. They were looking for cut-rate work to cover up their half-assed parenting. I’ll admit it, I found true enjoyment in every one of their putrescent teeth that I yanked. They didn’t deserve a perfect smile if only to punish their parents. Now more of the same filled my day to day work. Scrapings, cleanings, x-rays. It kept the lights on even if it didn’t fulfill me mentally. I had that creative itch still and it rarely got scratched.
The more time I spent thinking about it, the more obvious it became. During the day, people bring you routine, boring problems. They plan and schedule. But at night… if you need a dentist at night, something interesting has happened. Did you lose a tooth in a bar fight or a car accident? Or let that one cavity rot until it formed an abscess and the pain became too much to bear? The answer became clear as day to me: I would be the only dentist in the area to offer nighttime hours. I would be on call and have the opportunity to take the jobs that I dreamed of my entire career.
It went well for the first few weeks. I was a bit surprised how many people lost their teeth and needed emergency dental work at night. Mostly from being drunk, copying stupid YouTube videos, or just in general acting like a dumbass. My business thanks you banana peel challenge. Of course there were still the people that neglect their dental hygiene, who would wake up in the middle of the night and surprise, their rotten tooth is now the worst pain they've ever felt. Business was great.
Missing teeth and tooth decay quickly became routine, I craved more. I wanted a problem no one has ever seen before. I want something fucked up to turn into perfection. Unfortunately I got what I wanted.
It was a rather dead night with no patients when around 3 AM a man walked into my lobby. He was tall, clean shaven, and wore a suit. After he filled out all the paperwork he was led to my chair. My nurse informed me that he wrote down 'pain' on the paperwork, that's it.
When my nurse sat him down, however, he refused to open his mouth for her. It’s standard procedure for a nurse or dental assistant to have the first look and report to me, the dentist, what she sees. Maybe take a few x-rays. Usually people have no fucking clue what’s going on in their own mouths. This just prepares me for what I’m walking into.
But this guy wouldn’t do it. He just shook his head, and she said he mumbled something incoherent without opening his lips.
“What?” she asked.
“Dnnn-tsssst,” the guy said, keeping his mouth closed. It was muffled and slurred, like he had a mouth full of cotton. He repeated it, “Dnnn-tsssst.” Dentist. He was asking for me.
Shrugging, figuring he was just embarrassed by the state of his teeth, my nurse left to find me. Sometimes patients will do that, perhaps looking for more confidentiality by insisting on only speaking to the doctor, not his lowly assistant. As if we won’t tell the assistant what was up as soon as the patient is gone, especially in an office this small. It’s a bit annoying only because it gets in the way of the exam, but people demand their little comforts.
I was actually excited, entering the room. This guy looked put together, clean, no obvious injuries. Hell, he was wearing a suit. He smelled fine - you can tell a lot about a patient by how the exam room smells when you walk in. In other words, he didn’t seem like someone whose teeth were rotting out of his head. What could possibly be so wrong behind those closed lips that he wouldn’t even show a nurse?
His smile was strained as I approached the chair and leaned him back. I noticed as I got closer that beads of sweat were standing out on his forehead. He wouldn’t respond to any of my chit-chit as I gloved up and sat next to him, just nodded or shrugged occasionally. Finally, I lowered the chair and leaned over him.
“Open up,” I said. “Let’s see what’s going on in there.”
Hesitantly, the guy spread his lips apart to show me.
I was met with an unbroken white surface that filled his mouth, smooth and flawless as an eggshell. It fused together top and bottom jaw, leaving no gap between. No way to open his mouth, eat or drink. No crevices or gaps that denoted individual teeth, either. Just one big, bonelike expanse where teeth should be. At first I thought he might have painted his teeth with plaster or thick glue or something. Cemented his jaw shut. But, even looking close, I saw no obvious demarcation at the gumline - it looked like a wide boney plate had grown from the very tissue in his mouth. Or his teeth had fused together perfectly.
Now, if there’s one thing I know, it’s teeth. They generally don’t fuse, and if they do, it’s never this clean.
“Was this a… recent development?” I asked.
The guy nodded nervously.
“How long? Days?”
Another nod.
“How many days? Hold up your fingers.”
The guy took a second. Then, shakily, he held up five.
Jesus. “You’ve been like this for five days?” I asked. He nodded.
I looked back to the plate where his teeth should be and took a moment to deal with what I was seeing. Maybe insane amounts of plaque or something? Whatever it was, we had to get his jaw apart, stat, or he’d die of dehydration in a few days. Maybe hours.
So, not knowing what else to do, I picked up my sickle probe and started poking at the smooth white surface. It didn’t feel like teeth. It didn’t feel thick or hard enough. It felt like I could poke right through, like cracking an eggshell. It also felt like there was something behind it.
If the man felt my prods, he didn’t show it and I press a bit harder before deciding against it.
“I’m going to need to get through this. I am going to go get my nurse to get you an anesthetic.” I turned to go, but he grabbed my arm again.
“Nnn.”
“No? Do you not want the nurse?”
He made the noise again.
“Can I at least go get the anesthetic myself?”
Again with the no.
That surprised me, I needed to get his jaw open, but not bad enough to do it without anesthetic. Still, I couldn’t very well put a patient under who didn’t consent, and I doubted anything local would work. I leaned him back, pulled on my mask, and got to work.
I started in on the teeth, first looking for a seem. The scrapes I made at his teeth revealed nothing more than the solid white plate. If this had grown together or been build up, I couldn’t tell. It looked as if it had been one piece as long as it had been there.
Satisfied that I wasn’t going to find a natural seem, I gently pressed along where, if there had been one, the seam would be. I hadn’t meant to break through, just to see what happened when I applied more pressure than before. It didn’t crack immediately, it was almost like a liquid momentarily enveloping the tool before hardening around it. The change in density surprised me and I instinctively pulled the tool back. That’s when the cracking started. It spread quickly, black liquid pouring through the ever growing fractures. All the while the man didn’t move, his eyes showed terror but he seemed almost frozen in place.
“Fuck,” I whispered, a mix of fascinated and concerned.
The man started to cough, which broke loose the rest of whatever connections had been left after the cracking. More of the black liquid, closer to sludge now, poured out of his mouth. I must admit, the thoughts of the repair job I would get to do was distracting from the issue at hand. It was when he started gurgling that I realized that if I didn’t do something, I might not have a patient to fix.
I not so gently rolled the man on his side so that the black sludge was able to drain properly instead of pooling in his mouth and throat. After about ten seconds, the drainage slowed to a stop and he seemed to sputter out the last bits. I returned him to his back so that I could take a look at the damage to his mouth. That’s when I noticed the tiny clawed hand grasping at his lower lip.
I squinted into his mouth and requested that he open wider so that I could fully inspect the issue. The claw that had found hold on his lip was one of many, each tiny appendage protruded from what appeared to be the man's decaying tongue. The entire muscle had the appearance of a slimy gray millipede, and I had to steel myself so the man wouldn't notice my confusion. I'd hate to seem unprofessional.
I wanted something difficult, something groundbreaking, but this was something that no one could anticipate. I was baffled about what this could be, but still determined to be the first person to cure such an ailment. I'd be all over the news, a star in the world of dentistry and medicine, and all I had to do was fix this man.
I lightly prodded at his sickly tongue and found myself quickly reeling backwards in surprise. It was at this point that the smell finally hit me-- rot, stomach bile, copper. I nearly gagged, but the man beat me to it. He convulsed and clutched at his neck as the small claws on his tongue dug into the flesh of his throat.
It hadn't occurred to me until this moment that this man no longer had a tongue. Whatever this gray mass was had begun slowly pulling itself out of his throat, taking the place of a tongue that I can only assume was devoured. The man seemed in great pain, yet kept his whimpering to a minimum. I could only imagine how it must have felt to have something tear your throat apart from the inside as it tried to escape.
As the tip of the mass raised itself my suspicions were confirmed, a tiny mouth filled with rows of razor sharp teeth was located just below the featureless head. No eyes, no nose, just a tubular gray creature with hundreds of claws. Upon this discovery my initial thought was that I was dealing with some sort of incredibly rare oral parasite.
I could do nothing but watch as the parasite's small mouth latched onto the remains of a seriously decayed tooth. The sound of teeth grinding against each other made me wince, and all I could think of was to place my hand over his mouth so that the creature wouldn't escape while I planned a course of action.
This was the worst mistake I could have possibly made. I regret it. God damn, do I regret it. Chalk it up to shock and panic. Maybe a bit of stupidity. I don't know.
As soon as I placed my hand over the man's mouth, the most ungodly damning pain I've ever experienced in my life forced a scream from my throat. It felt like thousands of miniature needles were mauling on the flesh of my palm.
Like touching the surface of a hot stove, I yanked my hand away as quickly as I could, and it wouldn't come off the man's mouth.
UUUUUURRRRR, the man in chair groaned. His arms and legs kicked wildly in agonized convulsions like he was trying to touch every wall in the room at all once. Yet, his pain didn't concern me at the moment.
If I was going to be a dentist, perform the most complicated surgeries, create art from the devastation of decay and abnormality, I was going to need my hand. My entire future. My livelihood. Everything I was and was ever going to be was getting shredded. As much as I wanted to help the man, as panicked, agonized, and suffering as he was, there wasn't anything worth the sacrifice of my hand.
Pulling once more, much harder this time, a ripping sound filled the room before the man and I both screamed at the top of our lungs. The man's muted shriek was expressed more in his flailing arms and legs and his attempts to stand from the chair. Unfortunately, the more he squirmed, the more painful it became for him. For me, my hand was searing hot. The tiny needles of the creature’s mouth burrowing into the meat of my palm like a sewing machine punching through fabric.
Luckily, my nurse heard the commotion and came running into the room. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped at the sight of us locked together.
"What's happening?" she asked rushing over.
UUUUUURRRRRRRRRRR, the man in chair answered and swung his arms at the nurse as if trying to harm her. She ducked away from the man's reach and stood to my side.
With a deep breath and all the focus I could muster to ignore the pain and speak, I said, "Check under my hand and tell me what you see."
The nurse followed my instructions crouching down.
"Can you lift you hand a little?" she asked.
NNNNHHHHH, the man replied and waved his hand to the negative.
"Yes, tell me what you see," I said and lifted my hand as slowly and as slightly as possible. It didn't help the man in the chair. He cried out once more and the nurse gasped.
"Holy shit," she said. Somehow her eyes went wider than when she entered the room. Her face went flush and her expression was one of disbelief.
"What?" I asked.
"Don't pull anymore. His lips and your hand are fused together."
I panicked, “Are-are you fucking kidding me?”
“No,” she began to well up, “I don’t know. I can’t to this!” She attempted to leave but turned back to me before she did, collecting herself. “I can do this. I can help.”
I nodded.
My hand was at risk. I know I should have been more concerned with the supernatural fucking monster trying to become me, but I had a career to think about and I had no intentions of retiring or dying that night.
“In my desk, there’s a small folding knife. We’re cutting this thing off.”
The nurse left. When she came back and handed me the knife the man began thrashing and flailing his limbs limply at us. He was protesting what we were about to do but...it didn’t seem like he was the one doing it. HIs eyes were now milky white and his skin gained a sick, jaundice-yellow tint to it. I knew I couldn’t waste anymore time. In one fast, upward motion I severed the man’s lips from my hand.
The nurse pushed him away once we were separated. I wish I could say that I was brave in that moment. Went up to him while he was on the ground, held the knife up to his neck, and demanded an explanation...but I wasn’t. We stood there, paralysed, waiting to see what the man was going to do next.
After a moment, he stood up. He began to brush his his jacket off and straighten his lapels.
“Thanks, guys.” He said to us with a wink.
We couldn’t respond. Confusion overtook any ability we might have had to act. After everything that happened in that room, on that chair, and now this man was upright, perfectly fine, and talking?
“Here, take this.” He handed me a business card. “You’ll need this in a couple months. Tell them, Pete sent you.” The man walked out of the room.
I looked down at the card.
Yorktown Dental
Dr. Mark Mallory, D.D.S.
The police were unable to locate the man from the room, but they genuinely seemed to believe our story about the man with a creature in his mouth. Assholes.
I’ve spent the past few weeks looking into any oddities that this Yorktown Dental might be attached to, as well as Mark Mallory but I haven’t been able to find anything. What I do know, however, is that my teeth have been looking whiter and whiter as time has gone on. It might be time to schedule my appointment.

Expecting any day now, and hoping to CD from more or less the beginning (I have like 30 disposables I got for free).
20 Kawaii newborn pure & natural with 40 mf inserts
48 small (I think) prefolds 10.5"x13.5"
5 small bummi's super whisper wrap covers
2 small bummi's super brite covers
1 Sandy's xs bamboo fitted
12 sm Cloth-eez workhorse fitteds
11 motherease one size fitteds
7 of what appear to be adjustable/OS fitteds with snap in soakers. (2 persnickety, 2 goodmama, 1 bagshot row bamboo, 1 bububebe, and one dick&jane which may be an aio) Some have rise snaps, some just have the snaps on the inside so you can fold them down, some have both.
6 assorted OS pockets (mostly Alva and similar)
1 Bumgenius OS aio
1 Grovia OS cover with mesh lining and snaps
2 med sugarpea fleece covers
1 large sugarpea fleece cover
36 large (I think) prefolds 12" x 18.5"
16 assorted med & lg bummi's covers (I'll figure it out when I fix the elastics, but mostly med, I think)
3 motherease lg Ricki covers
1 best bottoms cover
2 best bottoms snap in inserts
7 assorted inserts (2 mf, 2 terry, and 3 unknown)
2 size 2 snappies
2 large wetbags
I've also got a small sugarpea wool cover and a disana soaker that I'm not sure is worth the extra work, or the risk that my partner will just toss them into the wet bag.
I'm wondering where the holes are in my stash. I'm concerned I don't have enough for the newborn stage. My last baby was close to 8lbs, so I'm not expecting a super small baby or anything.
The fitteds with the snap in soakers seem like the soakers will be too long on the smallest settings. Am I supposed to fold them down? They're all double soakers, so I'm not sure how well that would work. Will they work without the soakers when baby is little?
Other than the kawaii diapers, I got everything second hand, though the cloth-eez/Sandy's fitteds, the wool covers, and a couple of the OS pockets were still in packet. All the new stuff I just put through the washer a few times and then dried on soft heat (except the wool, of course), and the used I did (or will do) a bleach soak/wash.
I'll probably pick up some OS pockets once I'm looking at daycare, if the daycare will use them. Or if we decide that pockets are what works best for us (I suspect will be easier for my partnebabysitters), in which case I'll look at selling off a bunch of the stash, but I'll probably keep some prefolds (for inserts) and a few covers for emergencies.
I'm also making cloth wipes. I got a piece of flannel from a thrift store, and should get around 50 8"x8" squares out of them I was planning on sewing them with pieces of old towels or pieces cut from a 100% cotton sheet (also thrifted). Any thoughts on that?
And how many diapers should I pack in a diaper bag? I'll use disposable wipes when out and about, but still want to CD.
And what are the advantages to liners? Fleece vs disposable vs Viva paper towels? I don't trust my plumbing (old house), so I wouldn't be flushing anything that isn't poop, I don't think.
Recommendations for wipe solution? I was going to do a combo of water, witch hazel, and aloe gel, but maybe that would be too drying?
Should I be applying some sort of barrier cream (coconut oil maybe?) at every change? Just if there's a rash?
Anything I'm maybe not thinking of?

Over the windows in our new house are these built in wooden valances like so and they are plain honey oak to match the honey oak windows. There are no rods inside. I believe the last owner put toppers on them like this. We have no immediate need for curtains or blinds since we live in the country but I've never seen these things before and was wondering how they could be used in a more attractive way. If it matters, our style is a classy country chic with dark leather and wooden furniture.

A while ago I bought 2 metres of this beautiful Alexander Henry fabric to make some couch cushions, but I love the fabric so much I haven't been able to bear cutting into it just for cushions that only a few people will see! So, naturally, I think I'd like to make some clothes out of it but I'm struggling to come up with something I can do with only 2m of fabric (and since it's $22 a pop, as much I'd love to, I don't think I'll be getting more anytime soon! Unless of course someone knows somewhere to get it cheaper in Aus.) I only really sew/wear midcentury style, and usually full of ideas but I'm drawing a blank on this one. I thought about doing a gathered skirt, but I'm worried that might obscure the lovely ladies in my fabric. If anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them!

Hacklab.to is holding an open-house this coming Saturday, February 28 from 2pm until 8pm (or whenever people decide to leave, which is sometimes quite late) at 1266 Queen Street West, Unit #6. This event is 100% free.
Full details are here on the hacklab.to website
We also have a totally optional EventBrite listing, if that sort of thing floats your boat.
Everyone is welcome regardless of technical skill or age. If you're interested (or want to get interested) in things like electronics, programming, wood/metal working, wearable electronics, sewing/knitting, cooking, encryption/privacy, lock-picking, DIY biology or photography, we're probably the sort of people you might enjoy hanging out with. The lab has a wood/metal shop, a general hacking/electronics area, a darkroom, a kitchen, a lounge, and various other nooks which have weird and wonderful stuff in them.
Come hang out with us on Saturday. Use the buzzer panel beside the front door to request entry.
There will be free food! We mostly cook vegetarian/vegan so foodies of all varieties can eat what we prepare, but feel free to bring noms of any type for yourself or others.
If anyone has any questions, I'll gladly answer them. Post them here or PM me.
Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you there!
Edit: put in that the event is free -- I was asked this last time I posted an event here.

Hey folks,
Hacklab.to is holding an open-house this coming Saturday, February 28 from 2pm until 8pm (or whenever people decide to leave, which is sometimes quite late) at 1266 Queen Street West, Unit #6. This event is 100% free.
Full details are here on the hacklab.to website
We also have a totally optional EventBrite listing, if that sort of thing floats your boat.
Everyone is welcome regardless of technical skill or age. If you're interested (or want to get interested) in things like electronics, programming, wood/metal working, wearable electronics, sewing/knitting, cooking, encryption/privacy, lock-picking, DIY biology or photography, we're probably the sort of people you might enjoy hanging out with. The lab has a wood/metal shop, a general hacking/electronics area, a darkroom, a kitchen, a lounge, and various other nooks which have weird and wonderful stuff in them.
Come hang out with us on Saturday. Use the buzzer panel beside the front door to request entry.
There will be free food! We mostly cook vegetarian/vegan so foodies of all varieties can eat what we prepare, but feel free to bring noms of any type for yourself or others.
If anyone has any questions, I'll gladly answer them. Post them here or PM me.
Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you there!
Edit: links, because apparently I can't reddit.
Edit2: I keep forgetting to put in that it's free -- I get asked this often.

So, those of you who have seen me on TinyChat have made comments about my horrible green walls and yellow curtains that currently occupy my computer room. Quick picture here. Now, I am not much for interior design, so that's where we're at right now.
I'm running this contest so that I don't have to choose the colors for my walls or design for my curtains. I know that the wonderful DamnYoureLoud will be sewing my curtains with the amazing sewing machine she was gifted from RAoA.
Four (4) winners will be chosen - this means that four walls will be painted different colors.
Here are the rules:

• Tell me a colocolor combination of your choosing i.e.. pink.. pink/black.. yellow/green with no more than two (2) colors. I also need to add. I am a male. I am limited on colors I can see. I am also slightly red green color blind. Please, nothing too off the wall. I'm also not doing any crazy patterns either. I have NO artistic talent.
  
• Link me a pattern for my curtains from Amazon. (this has to be a cotton/cotton blend pattern... because this window faces the street, and is the easiest for DYL to sew.) of the four winners I will choose my favorite curtain pattern. (GO RAINBOW BRITE)
  
• Link me something from your WL for $15 or under that you would like to help decorate your house. (I do have Prime)
  
• We're playing russian roulette on this one. Winners will be gifted by Reddit Raffle - Use the phrase "Let's change out those curtains!" and if you win, I will (eventually) get the color, and paint one of the walls your color(s).
  

Edit: I had to prolong this contest. Something life changing came up, and I haven't been around. I also may not paint the room based off what happened, but I will gift the winners this Sunday!
I reserve the right to not choose the color made by reddit raffle in the event the color coordination is something I will not be able to do, but I will go with a similar color to the winner.
Contest will run until Sunday - 6/30/13
Good luck. (Please be kind!)

I need help with some suggestions for Halloween this year. The last two years I was Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Rainbow Brite. I typically pick an idea, find a good dress or outfit, and sew on the remaining touches myself. I like ideas that aren't too slutty, are fun, and comfortable to wear. I still live in a college town, so big parties are definitely going to happen, but it's typically pretty cold outside on Halloween. Do you have any suggestions? Also, my hair is pretty dark, long, and curly. I was thinking catwoman, but it might be overdone this year. Here is a picture of the unfinished rainbow brite costume: http://i.imgur.com/5Al2I.jpg
Thanks in advance!!