Unique And Out Of The Box Language Learning Resources You Probably Haven’t Heard Of!

RIP Joann, now what?

I wanted to make a post I could copy and paste and or link when I see folks asking where to buy fabrics when Joann is gone. I sew a lot, generally between 100-200 items a year and I don't do it on a big budget. Stores are not in a particular order.

Notions:

Wawak.com - start here, mostly stay here. Wawak is a supplier for professional sewing businesses and have the prices that show it. I will not pay for gutermann Mara 100 anywhere else. I buy buttons, tools, thread, and most elastic here.

Stitch Love Studio - this is where I buy lingerie supplies https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchLoveStudio?ref=yr_purchases

Fabric:

Fabric Mart - this is one where you want to sign up for emails and never buy unless its on sale. They run different sales every day and they rotate. Mostly deadstock fabrics but I buy more from here than anywhere else. Fantastic customer service and if you watch you can get things like $6 wool suiting or $4 cotton jersey. https://fabricmartfabrics.com/

Fabrics-Store - again, buy the sales not the full price. Sign up for the emails but redirect them to a folder because it is TOO MANY. They stock linen or good but not amazing quality. https://www.fabrics-store.com/

Purple Seamstress - This is where I buy my solid cotton lycra jersey. They have other things, but the jersey is what I'm here for. Inexpensive and very good quality. If you ask she will mail you a swatch card for the solids. https://purpleseamstressfabric.com/

LA Finch - deadstock fabrics with a fantastic remnant selection https://lafinchfabrics.myshopify.com/

Califabrics - mix of deadstock and big brands, easy to navigate and always seem to have good denim in stock. https://califabrics.com/

Boho Fabrics - good variety, nice bundles. I have also gotten some really great trims from here. https://www.bohofabrics.com/

Firecracker Fabrics - garment and quilting fabrics, really nice selection and great sale section. I've bought $5 yard quilting cottons here several times. https://www.firecrackerfabrics.com/

Hancock's of Paducah - Quilting fabric and some limited garment fabric. AMAZING sale section. Do not sleep on the sale section. This is my first stop when buying quilting fabrics. Usually the last stop too. Not particularly speedy shipping. https://www.hancocks-paducah.com/

Itokri - This is something a little different. Itokri is an Indian business with incredible traditional fabrics. Shipping to the US is expensive, but the fabric is so inexpensive it evens out. I generally end up paying like $30 for shipping. Beautiful ikat and block prints. https://itokri.com/

Miss Matatabi - this is a little treat. This isn't where you go to save money, but there are so many beautiful things in this shop. Ships from Japan incredibly quickly. https://shop.missmatatabi.com/

Lucky Deluxe - Craft thrift store, always has an incredible selection and fantastic customer service. I need to close the tab fast because I never go to this website without finding something I need. https://www.luckydeluxefabrics.com/

Swanson's - the OG of online craft thrift stores, but I find their website harder to navigate. https://www.swansonsfabrics.com

Honorary Mentions: I haven't shopped at these places yet but I have had them recommended and likely will at some point.

A Thrifty Notion - https://athriftynotion.com/

Creative Closeouts - https://creativecloseoutsfabric.com/ being rebranded to sewsnip.com on March 1 - quilting deadstock

Hawthorne Supply Co. - I just got this rec and I think I need to not look too closely or I'm going to slip with my debit card. https://www.hawthornesupplyco.com/

This is not an exhaustive list of everywhere you can buy fabric, or even a full list of where I shop. There are SO many options out there in the world. You also need to think outside the fabric store box. I thrift men's shirt fabrics for quilts and sheets for backing fabric. I don't do a ton of in person thrifting and my local stores don't get a lot of craft materials but every thrift store is its own universe and reflects the community it is in. Go out and find something cool.

Oh and final note: Don't shop at Hobby Lobby.

The biggest lie in fanfiction is that everyone has a first aid kit in their house. I have never owned one in my life

This database holds a ton of useful materials for embroidery! many different types of stitches in various difficulties, all incredibly useful!

>100,000 notes - mass market slop

10,000 notes - well executed crowd pleaser

1,000 notes - cult classic

100 notes - uncompromising avant-garde art for those of discerning taste

10 notes - misunderstood genius that the culture is not yet ready for

1 note - direct admission of suicidal ideation

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again but it is absolutely an example of civilizational inadequacy that only deaf people know ASL

“oh we shouldn’t teach children this language, it will only come in handy if they [checks notes] ever have to talk in a situation where it’s noisy or they need to be quiet”

Table of Contents

Abbreviated Arguments

Preface

1. Philosophy of Ethics

2. Paradigms of Choice

3. Fallibility of Empathy

4. Fallacy of Bodily Autonomy

5. Value of Futures Like Ours

6. Parallels with Feminism

7. Exploitation of Women

8. Humanity as an Inviolable End

9. Incongruity of Right to Refuse

10. Consistent Life Ethic

11. Family Planning

12. Unsubstantiated Claims

13. Efficacy of Laws

14. Uncertainty of Personhood

Answers and Submissions

Links to crisis support for pregnancy, parenting, and post-abortion

Send a Question

Secular Pro-Life Advocates

Learn More

Disclaimer

Decorative front cover taken from ‘The Art of Heraldry’ by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies.

Published 1904 by T.C. & E.C. Jack.

Boston Public Library.

archive.org

Summer Horror

I recently hosted a TTRPG game jam with the premise of summer horror.

The games that came out of it were fantastic, and can be found by going to the submissions tab on the jam page.

A couple spotlights, though!

Ritual is a Wicker Man / Midsommar style cult horror game that doesn't use a GM. Instead, players who aren't in a scene switch to playing cultists, and as the PCs get killed off more and more cultists can concentrate on the remaining players.

Letters Home is a game about being at summer camp and gradually realizing something is Terribly Wrong with the place. It's two player, and involves actually exchanging letters, and is a great little device for co-writing a horror story.

Sleepless Seas is a solo fishing game that mirrors stuff like Dredge. The tone is gloomy and liminal, and there's the lingering implication that you might be stuck in some sort of piscine purgatory.

Ash Trapped In Cracked Lips is difficult to describe, but the phrase I would use is "Cormac McCarthy's Dark Souls." It's also big, the biggest game submitted to the jam, and features adventurers wandering through a burned out afterlife where there's little movement beyond the circling of vultures.

Haunt is built on the same engine as Ritual, but focuses instead on Hill House style hauntings. Like Ritual, it's a focused, scary experience where the ghosts multiply as the living players dwindle, and it packs a stellar sense of atmosphere.

There are also several more games in the jam, including some of my own, and again they can all be accessed via the jam page.

Summer is ending, but if you want to get in one last good scare (or prepare for autumn), check some of these out!

itch.io

Cthork Borg Presents: Summer Horror

A game jam from 2023-05-01 to 2023-07-31 hosted by kumada1. The spooky season is upon us. No, not that spooky season. The other spooky seaso

If there was a way to run SUPER MEGA AD BLOCKER on this website I fucking would

Apartment hacks masterpost

Kitchen

How to clean up kitchen (particularly the sink, burnt pots and small aplliances)

How to take care of kitchen stuff so that it lives longer

10 commandments of a clutter-free kitchen

Organizing kitchen mini masterpost

5 things to do in the kitchen before you go to bed

What is soapy bowl and why it’s awesome

How to organize your fridge (also here, here and here)

Thins you should know about your fridge

Adding more storage space in a tiny kitchen

Cleaning

Lots of cleaning tutorials and tips. And some more

How to clean up pantry

How to make your house look cleaner than it really is

How to wash pillows

Cleaning the bathroom

How to clean the nastiest places (and get rid of bad smells, etc.)

Floor-to-celling guide to spring cleaning

Recaulking your bathtub

Cleaning grout

How to dispose of toxic waste

Cleaning the medicine cabinet

How to make chores more fun

You mustn’t skip these chores, but you can delay these if you’re busy

Easily forgotten things that you should clean/replace

Why you need a catch-up day

Small cleaning tasks to do in under 15 minutes (also here)

Looking for a flat/moving

First apartment checklist

Where too look during an apartment hunt (and some more tips)

Negotiate these things with your landlord

What to do first in a new place

What do clean before moving out

How not to get crazy during moving flats

How to downgrade to a smaller place

Organisation, storage

10 habits for better home organisation

How to store off-season items

10 storage ideas for small spaces (more here)

Storage secret weapons

How to organise your closet

Things to do before twice-yearly closet switchout

How to store and maintain your sweaters

Decluttering

Why it feels great

How to get rid of clutter

How to declutter (not only a flat)

What needs to be thrown away from your flat

How to let go of the things you no longer need

Things you own too many of; you can throw away these too

Decuttering the bathroom

Decluterring masterpost

Decorating

Projects for every room in your home/flat

Add style to your home

DIY decorating ideas

How to use negative space

4 common decorating mistakes and how to avoid them

Questions to ask yourself before buying something new

How to choose furniture that’ll be easier to clean

Season-specific tips

Things to do before the cold season

Household hacks for winter

Preparing for Christmas

Green thumb 101

How to take care of succulents

Never kill a plant again

Living alone / Sharing a flat

How not to be lonely when living alone

12 things you can only do when home alone

What you learn by living alone

Things you learn while sharing a flat

What to pack when leaving for a dorm

How to seamlessly share a kitchen (or a flat in general)

Safety issues to discuss with flatmates

Benefits of living with strangers

And also how to turn a house into a home