Neuroscientist + Curious Mind + Passionate Maker
The mileage I put my workout clothes through is unreal. Sweat, dirt, more sweat, lots of movement, frequent washings—and yet they still hold up. But it’s time to add to my closet. I wanted to branch out with new styles that weren’t just plain leggings hacked into biker shorts. Back in July, I started exploring... Continue Reading →
Ryan has desperately needed new jeans for several years now—not because his jeans didn't fit or were too old, but because even after prewashing the fabric, they still shrank significantly lengthwise over time. Annoyingly, his jeans ended up several inches too short and looked ridiculous. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough fabric leftover to add panels... Continue Reading →
It's been nearly three years since I talked about adding a front dart to Ryan's basic trouser block. At the time, it was a completely improvised solution—something I pieced together from studying bespoke trousers in James Bond films and trusting my instincts about what needed fixing. Since then, I've deepened my understanding of how fabric can... Continue Reading →
To the extent that we believe we can skip steps, avoid the process, magically gain power through political connections or easy formulas, or depend on our natural talents, we move against this grain and reverse our natural powers. We become slaves to time—as it passes, we grow weaker, less capable, trapped in some dead-end career.... Continue Reading →
Hiking and smiling at 11,000 ft. Now that I’m able to get back into hiking more regularly, I figured it was a good time to try out the sun protection shirt trend. Years ago, I used to wear long sleeves like the Patagonia Self-Guided button-down to avoid sun exposure, but I’d usually overheat in it.... Continue Reading →
Content Warning: This post contains medical content and images related to surgery, including visible blood and clots from my dad’s lungs at the end of the post. Please proceed with care if you’re sensitive to that kind of content. After my disappointing experience with the LilypaDesign Mysa pattern, I needed a new bralette pattern that... Continue Reading →
Silk pillowcases and sleep bonnets have definitely saved both my hair and Ryan’s. He’s a pretty aggressive sleeper—most mornings his hair used to look like a bird’s nest, sticking straight up in all directions. Since we switched to silk pillowcases, he usually wakes up with bedhead that’s way more manageable, often not even needing a... Continue Reading →
Hey look, I can see my bra! One unexpected consequence of surviving my bilateral pulmonary embolisms is that I now have absolutely zero tolerance for uncomfortable bras. For the first three months, while I was also dealing with pleurisy, I didn’t wear bras at all. Since then, for the past year, the only thing I’ve... Continue Reading →
This image was generated with AI For years, I’ve kept this blog going simply because I love sharing what I create and write about. I’ve kept it ad-free (because I loathe ads) and accessible to everyone. But the truth is, running this blog comes with real, ongoing costs — and those are starting to pile up in... Continue Reading →
After getting hooked on making my own trail gear in 2023—thanks to my successful day pack builds—I knew I wanted to keep making my own gear. This time, I wanted to make a lumbar pack that could comfortably carry 2 liters of water, some snacks, and still sit nicely on the hips. Fitting the Hipbelt... Continue Reading →
By now, you may have heard about using a separate fitting waistband to simplify pant adjustments. I cover fitting waistbands in Chapter 4 of my eBook. https://youtu.be/iqK71g05jyc?feature=shared Recently, I came across a similar concept applied to bra fitting (HERE and HERE). That got me thinking—why not apply the same idea to hipbelts for the lumbar... Continue Reading →
I can’t help but feel like I’m tempting fate by making these pants again almost exactly a year later! Last year, I was rushing to finish them before a trip to San Francisco, only to end up in the ER with pulmonary embolisms, canceling the trip entirely. Despite that rough start, the hiking pants turned... Continue Reading →
