Ever wonder what goes into a review at the New York Times’ Wirecutter? I can tell you: So much.

Writing guides and reviews for the New York Times’ Wirecutter product site have been some of my most difficult and most satisfying assignments. I’m an avid sewist, so overhauling the site’s sewing machine recommendation guide for beginners was a task I took very seriously. Like, hours spent sewing on more than a dozen sewing machines stacked up in my house, constructing coats and backpacks and quilts and dresses, even packing a few in the back of the car to bring on a family beach vacation—that level of devotion. (By the way, I’m currently in the process of testing a new round of machines, and have the mountain of boxes to prove it.)

I also threw myself into research and testing for a guide to the best fiber crafting kits for adults, and the best resources and supplies for learning how to fold origami.

For one of my favorite Wirecutter pieces, instead of diving headfirst into research, I instead dove headfirst into bed and shared the joy I found in a flexible gooseneck mount and remote control that allowed me to read my Kindle while tightly swaddled in a blanket, horizontal and happy as a highly literate clam.