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11:33 AM 9/18/2025
Turn the armhole facing to the wrong side and press a crease such that just a cloth-turn of the right side shows on the wrong side.
Frankly, my dear, I burn my fingers and don't do a very good job when I try to crease it with a hot iron, so I pin the fold while smoothing it. (With SortKwik on my fingers and thumbs. I rub the tip of my index finger on the jellied glycerin, then rub the fingertip on my thumb.)
I stick right-angle pins while forming the crease, then switch them to parallel, in the middle of the four-layer streak, so that there are fewer to pull out while stitching, and less chance of sewing in a pleat.
Trim the allowances of the splicing seam when you get to it. I like SuperSnips for this because they are so small and so cheap that one can stash one everywhere I might want sharp scissors. They are supposed to be for snipping threads, but the tiny blades are convenient when trimming corners off quarter-inch seam allowances.
When edge-stitching, guide on the fold of the bias facing, not on the fold of the fabric.
Press the facing before sewing down the free edge.
1:12 PM 9/18/2025
The sleeve facings of bra B are ready to stitch. I'll do that before heating the iron to press the bias tape I cut yesterday, so that I can press it before stitching down the other edge.
Now it's nap time.
Sunday, 21 September 2025
7:46 PM 9/21/2025
I tucked in all six ends of one dart on bra A while sitting beside a bed today.
Friday was a shopping day, and I plan to write a very dramatic description of Saturday for the Beeson Banner.
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&& Blog &&
Monday 22 September 2025
10:52 AM 9/22/2025
The pattern for the back of "kameez" fell off the nail by tearing through the hole. The last time I heated up the iron, I pressed snippets of sleazy iron-on interfacing over the holes, and today I got around to putting the hole punch over the repaired hole and hitting it with a hammer. When I went to hang it up, I found that the front had also torn free and fallen to the floor, so there's still a pattern draped over the clutter on the ironing board.
Progress is being made on the bras. I expect to do some more hand work this afternoon.
Tuesday 23 September 2025
8:46 AM 9/23/2025
I heated the iron yesterday, but forgot the pattern. Also didn't finish pressing the bias tape, but did press a bias facing and finish sewing it to the bra.
Thursday 25 September 2025
9:17 AM 9/25/2025
Woke up with the elastic of YD#2red untied and coming out. At least I don't have to hunt for a place to pull it out!
Sunday 12 October 2025
9:20 AM 10/12/2025
The snack-bag sewing kit that I used to keep in the arm of the futon (davenport/sofa/couch) has taken up permanent residence in my go bag, in a sandwich bag together with spools of thread and a Sortkwik finger sticky maker.
1:04 AM 10/13/2025 The shiny #26 tapestry needle in the aforementioned kit has vanished, replaced by a tarnished coarse needle. This worked when I tucked ends in in the Chevy waiting room, but just barely.
But when searching my needle collection for a coarse needle to shorten my purse strap, I found two fine needles that appear to have blunt points (they are fine enough that it is hard to tell) in the chenille-needle box. I shall move one of them to a fuzzy-toothpick box when I next foresee end tucking. And cut a wool scrap to fit the box.
The too-long strap on my crocheted Sunday purse has been annoying me for a long time. A few weeks ago, I pinned a fold in it, intending to wear it one Sunday and, if it fit, sew it before the following Sunday. This morning I woke up early, did the job, and still got to church before the service started.
Wednesday, 6:37 PM 10/15/2025 Did some work on my new bras and patched a pattern that had torn off its nail. I keep a square of baking parchment in my box of small important things to contain the glue when I patch something with a hole in it.
Broke off writing to punch holes in the now-cold patches, contemplated hitting my small cubical hole punch with a hammer (which is always necessary when cutting cloth patches) on both holes at once in the hope that two layers would cut more neatly than one, remembered that there is a pliers-type hole punch in DH's room, found that it cut easily and neatly.
Monday, 3 November 2025
9:12 AM 11/3/2025
Put my black pants with a hole in a pocket into my go bag for a long stint at Parkview Regional today.
I may finish my new bras this year.
Put my hand-sewing kit into a fresh snack bag. Adding a magnet to the kit necessitated moving the magnet and the fuzzy-toothpick box of pins it was attached to to the extras bag. (I'm carrying the kit in a sandwich bag of spools of thread and other specific-job tools.)
Thursday, 6 November 2025
Sort of made a warm hat for Dave to wear to bed. After many simplifications while lying in bed, and a couple more while sewing, I cut the very wide hem off the bottom of my worn-out flannel nightgown, cut a length measured around his head, basted it into a tube, ran a gathering thread near the stitches of the hem, and drew it up like a purse with the raw seam allowance tucked inside. It's a very wide allowance, and may make an acceptable lump, but having just had a long session of physiotherapy, he was asleep when I put it on his head and tipped on out.
While working, I found a stiff plastic bag with no zipper, and dedicated it to catching snips and trimmings. Emptied it on the compost heap, then put it into my go bag.
I need to mend the gap left for the elastic I didn't use, and re-stitch the part of the hem that I opened. Don't think I can do anything about my inability to press the seam open before gathering. But the gathering thread is tied with a bow knot.
10:40 PM 11/6/2025
None of that matters; both height and width needed to be taken in. I pulled out the gathering thread and re-stitched lower, leaving the huge tuft outside, and folded on the seam and basted parallel to it, leaving the seam allowance on the right side.
When I use this cap as a pattern -- if he can wear it in bed -- I'll make french seams on the outside, to make it smooth inside. I was thinking of stitching a strip into a torus, but I think I'll make a wide hem so that there is a strip of single fabric to be gathered, and gather so near a shirt-tail hem that there isn't a tuft on either side.
Friday, 7 November 2025
4:17 PM 11/7/2025
During my nap, while thinking about how to make french seams on the outside, I realized that what I need to do is to make a plain seam on the outside, then fold under the edges and stitch it open.
Saturday, 8 November 2025
9:27 AM 11/8/2025
And, open, it can be on the inside.
Sewed hem on machine this morning. Hope I can remember details when I have time to write.
Sunday, 9 November 2025
9:39 AM 11/9/2025
Nope.
Realized that I don't need to turn under the edges of the seam allowances, better without the extra lump. And I made them very wide in case fourteen repeats weren't quite enough, so they can fringe away if they want to. Neat that it was an integral number of stripes. I put the seam through a wide yellow stripe of the plaid so that the stitches don't show from a short distance.
Was fretting on how to finish the edge of the top so it wouldn't make a lump that would interfere with closing the hole, decided to tear the excess off so the fringe could fill in the gap of gathering. I was absent-mindedly thinking of the way a drawstring in a hem never quite closes.
Turns out that there is no gap, and I get a tuft no matter what, so I made it ornamental. Fabric wouldn't tear -- first pull showed that it would turn and tear along the warp threads instead of following the weft threads, so I cut along a stripe with the scissors I carry in my go bag. Started the cut with the SuperSnips from the snack-bag kit, because I'd already sewn the seam.
Absent-mindedly gathered with the cap inside out, thought I'd have to take the gathering thread out and put it back, realized that all I had to do was loosen it enough to turn the cap right-side out before I had removed it.
It still needs to have the seam allowances stitched open. I'll do that today, if he isn't wearing it when I go to see him.
9:56 PM 11/10/2025
Sewed a snap on my black raw-silk shirt in the morning; in the afternoon finished darning my black cotton mock turtle and almost sewed all the undone hem in my attach&eacure; case.
Flannel cap seems to be a success.
Friday, 14 November 2025
2:50 PM 11/14/2025
sewed two eyes on pants coilless safety pin precious black bar time for nap.
1:00 AM 11/15/2025
This morning, I noted that I had some time before my appointment and sewed two eyes on my leaving-the-house pants to allow me to adjust the waist half an inch shorter. I'd thought I needed an entire inch, but didn't have time to refit both openings. The pants are much more comfortable now. I could have done this weeks ago, but distracted by the need to remove the useless extension of the waistband and the need to enlarge the pocket openings, I had thought that tightening the waist was a big project that would require me to wear my old worn pants for days.
And now it's past time to go back to bed; I'll expand the above notes later.
10:56 PM 11/28/2025
Upon turning the feet of Spouse's compression socks right-side-out inside the legs in preparation for putting them on in the morning, I noticed that a thread of one sock had broken, opening a quarter-inch gap between the leg and the fuzzy reinforcement of the heel and sole. The lighter khaki thread bag contained a threaded needle stuck into a scrap of red silk crepe. I thought that I could darn such a small hole over my finger, but was obliged to get a plastic egg out of the non-metal container box.
It took a lot of baseball stitches because I put them very close together. I concealed the beginning and end by pushing the needle through the fuzz, and secured the thread by beginning and ending in sound fabric. When I peeked at the right side, I found that the darn was even less visible on the right side -- not that anyone would see it if it were conspicuous.
1:05 PM 11/30/2025
Yesterday I washed my leaving-the-house pants -- they needed it after being worn every day for more than a month -- and when hanging them up to dry, noticed that it was past time to shorten them a quarter inch. I wish I'd noticed *before* washing them.
This morning I picked out the hems. Black-on-black, I couldn't see whether I'd fore-sightedly used long stitches, but once I succeeded in cutting a thread, they ripped out an inch or more at a time. Leaving lots of snippets of thread stuck in the fabric, of course.
I hadn't zig-zagged over the edge of the turn-under.
There was surprisingly little lint in the crease.
&& Blog &&
&& Weblog && 10:03 PM 10/17/2025 used validator to remove several errors from 2025SEW2.HTM.
&& Weblog &&
2:59 PM 11/6/2025 http://wlweather.net/PAGESEW/RUFFTEXT/TEMP.TXT
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10:59 AM 9/22/2025
Stitching the armhole facings. I'm remembering to keep the work flat on the bed, with the stitching line curved. Calls for lifting the foot when the curve is tight.
8:43 AM 9/23/2025
Yesterday I folded the raw edge of the bottom of bra && up to meet the fold line and basted it into that position.
Friday 26 September 2025
11:25 AM 9/26/2025
Pinning the armhole facings of Bra A. I'll be cutting the first facing three or four inches past the two-foot mark on the tape, and there's a six-foot mark, so I should have plenty.
11:55 AM 9/26/2025
Second facing cut. Scrap is 24 3/4" measured along the fold. Left cut 4 1/2" from 5 mark, right end 8 1/2" from 6 mark, twelve inches between marks.
Having trimmed the incorrect side on Bra C, I'm leaving the trimming of the seam allowances to the last minute. Probably while rotating the pins to seamline pins.
1:48 PM 9/26/2025
Sewed the ends of the tapes together, then it was time to eat lunch and get ready for my three o'clock appointment.
5:11 AM 10/2/2025
While waiting for the car on Monday, I rotated one armhole's pins and picked out a badly-stitched splicing seam on the other, then wove in the threads on a dart.
Sunday, 5 October 2025
6:22 PM 10/5/2025
Sewed the seam I pinned and re-stitched the seam I picked out. I had an attack of common sense when rotating the pins, and put them on the garment side, so that the tape I'm easing on was next to the feed dogs. This worked out well.
I will, of course, do the opposite when stretching bias onto the neck hole.
Monday, 6 October 2025
10:52 AM 10/6/2025
Oh no! I was distracted when preparing to trim the seam allowance, and when I came back, I trimmed the wrong side!
The raw edge showing is short; after the facing is attached, I shall buttonhole over it.
11:16 AM 10/6/2025
Absent-mindedly put a pin on the table, it rolled off. Even though it had a red head, I had to use the fine-tipped broom to find it. Then I had a dustpan of dirt to dispose of.
11:31 AM 10/6/2025
Other seam trimmed correctly, pins all turned, now it's time to take a shower and put on shoes.
6:27 PM 10/15/2025
Today I ironed a shirt that I washed months ago, pressed patches on pattern Kameez Shirt Front, which had torn off the nail, triple-pressed the turn-under of the bias with which I intend to bind the necks of the bras, and pressed the facings of the armholes of Bra A away from the body. I see from the condition of Bra B that I must press the facing after edge stitching and before sewing down the free edge.
6:57 PM 10/16/2025
Pinned the facings of Bra A, ready for edge stitching. Did some of it on the porch, but it's too cool to stay long.
I don't want to use the hard 100/6 or the feeble two-ply that has been hanging in a window to darn the teensy raw edge on the seam, and I'm pretty sure that I never bought white embroidery floss, but I used to have some balls of darning cotton; they are probably still around here some place.
Friday, 17 October 2025
12:55 PM 10/17/2025
Edgestitched the armhole facings, and pinned the free edge to make it easier to press the turn-under, which had come almost entirely unfolded. I plan to press the armhole facings after sewing on the neck bindings, so the next step is to unpack the sixteen-dollar sewing machine and sew easing threads at the front of the neck.
I've put a light weight on the tape destined to be neck bindings, which I triple-pressed and wound on a card.
1:02 PM 10/17/2025
10:02 PM 10/17/2025
Tuesday, 21 October 2025
11:10 AM 10/21/2025
I have found the bra that's marked on the shoulder easier to put on frontwards and right-side out than the bra that's marked at center front, so I plan to embroider a red B on the shoulder of Bra B. The mark on A should be brown, but what shape?
I have made marks one sun to each side of center front on both bras, and the sixteen-dollar sewing machine is out of the box, but not plugged in. I've noticed a push-button in the middle of the hand wheel (more like a hand button).
The diagram in the manual says it is a bobbin winder.
12:34 PM 10/21/2025
I'd forgotten how noisy the little machine is.
The neck pulled in four bu just from three rows of awkward stitching. (I pulled on the threads a lot getting space between the passes.)
Wednesday, 22 October 2025
11:11 AM 10/22/2025
On Bra B, pulling puckers to the center from both sides and flattening them out again increased the decrease to five bu, half a sun. Dropping from two to one and a half is pretty good.
12:40 PM 10/22/2025
Just one pin left over when the neck-binding overlapped. Since I'll need one pin to start shifting, that is exactly enough. (With the armhole facing of the other bra pinned, I thought I'd have to hit the reserves -- if I still have some. {Checks} There are still lots of pins in the box I bought them in.
Two spam calls interrupted the pinning, one the writing.
1:13 PM 10/22/2025
Almost forgot to trim the allowances of the shoulder seams, then came very close to trimming the wrong side of the second seam.
When the pin shifting reached the extra-scroonched center front, I had to take two pins out of the reserve.
1:18 PM 10/22/2025
Pina all shifted, but I'm hungry -- and I turn into a pumpkin along about now. To be continued -- not in the afternoon, because I have to fetch a prescription. Perhaps after supper.
Sunday, 26 October 2025
7:19 PM 10/26/2025
This afternoon, I stitched the neck binding on Bra B, then discovered that it was too narrow to fold to the front, so I shifted the needle and stitched again, and this time the seam allowance was too narrow. In most places, it was wide enough to serve as basting, so this evening I picked out the first stitching.
Next step is to stitch again, but it's pushing bedtime and I'm stupid.
Tuesday, 28 October 2025
8:53 AM 10/28/2025
Getting ready to go to the hospital, I've got time to stitch again and pack the work in my go-bag to finish by hand. So I picked out an overlooked three inches of false stitches, and sewed all around very carefully -- with no thread on the bobbin. I've got two hours before time to leave, but I'm all a twitter. So I'm re-organizing my go bag -- once done, the re-stitching will be all that absolutely has to be done before I leave.
Unless I've forgotten something.
Thursday, 30 October 2025
9:15 AM 10/30/2025
The narrow seam allowance was wooled around a lot, so I stitched it instead of pressing it. I finished that on Tuesday.
I'd trimmed the seams, but bound ends don't need to be trimmed. I had to darn one seam a bit.
Also, I very carefully sewed the binding to the front, to be turned to the back -- and also very carefully made it wide enough to cover the stitches. When I began sewing the binding to the front, I thought that since I was sewing by hand, I could ditch-stitch from the front, but I couldn't be sure of securing the raw edge, so I worked from the back and let the stitches show. White-on-white running stitches don't show much.
He was awake on Wednesday, so I didn't get very far with the second round. I've got the other bra, bias tape, and pins in the go bag in case I finish it -- but I'd probably baste the elastic casing instead. I'm caught up on sleep, and may be able to do some work at home.
Friday 31 October 2025
10:55 AM 10/31/2025
Got most of the binding stitched on Thursday. Plan to sew name tapes on blankets during today's visit.
Monday, 3 November 2025
8:58 AM 11/3/2025
Got up early and had time to stitch the neck binding of bra A, which I'd pinned and spliced at Parkview Regional yesterday. The stitching strongly desired to wander toward the raw edge, but, forewarned by all the trouble with B, I overpowered it and there is seam allowance all around.
Heart-stopping moment when, while checking the stitching, I got off onto the armhole facings and thought I'd stitched with no allowance and the turn-under on the wrong side.
I finished the neck binding of B yesterday, and basted its elastic casing. The bra was cut crooked, but I think I can iron it out -- and I might have time to do it this morning. Will get everything else into my go bag before starting.
11:10 AM 11/3/2025
Here I was fussing about half-inch channels when three eighths will do fine. I shall leave off making the casing on bra B until A is finished.
3:33 PM 11/3/2025
Unexpectedly had time to press and sew the armhole facings on bra A. They look much better than the facings on B.
4:20 PM 11/3/2025
Until I turned the bra over and looked at the right side.
4:16 PM 11/3/2025
No matter how you slice it, that gap is too low. The little hems extend a little beyond the gap, so I shall sew the casing according to the pattern, then pick out stitches as needed to let the bodkin through.
But not today.
9:50 PM 11/3/2025
I put a few stitches into the neck binding of Bra A in the nursing home. Hope I stuck the needle in firmly before dropping it into the bag.
1:01 PM 11/6/2025
1:10 PM 11/6/2025
2:58 PM 11/6/2025
10:38 PM 11/6/2025
10:19 AM 11/7/2025
marked with air erasable, soft-fold a bit more so that inner layer straightens out as it's pulled back as the iron approaches, marks brighten when ironed (?).
2:41 PM 11/7/2025
Bra A needs only to have the casing divided into three channels and elastic inserted.
4:16 PM 11/7/2025
9:26 AM 11/8/2025
9:38 AM 11/9/2025
9:56 PM 11/10/2025
9:37 AM 11/13/2025
Marked and sewed the channels. Cut three 30" pieces of quarter-inch elastic. Put all into go bag to be completed at rehab.
Channels were a tad under half an inch in spots. I marked dots with a seam gauge, using it as a ruler, marking inside the half-inch marks when the ends hung over.
Very nervous working to a deadline even though I still have a couple of hours. Remembered at last minute to put in a bodkin. Fastened its coil-less safety pin around a strap of the bra.
10:51 PM 11/13/2025
No work done in rehab. Tired from trip to Fort Wayne.
2:50 PM 11/14/2025
Friday, 14 November 2025
12:28 AM 11/15/2025
Installed one round of elastic in bra A. Strong desire to avoid mislaying tools affected the order of the work.
Note for bra B: pick out all unwanted stitching in gap, then baste closed with contrasting thread before folding casing.
The bodkin mysteriously refused to enter the casing, even when pressed up against the obviously unobstructed fabric. I spent some time poking and flattening -- pressing the unseen little hem with my fingers seemed to help. When finally confident enough to put the bodkin in elastic-end first, I found little trouble. (It is necessary to push the bodkin in backward, then reverse direction to get through the tunnel. Theoretically, one could go around in the direction that the tunnel points, then back out of it -- but I wouldn't like to try that.)
Much to my surprise, the elastic made the one-eighty turn inside the casing without needing to be pushed, and all stayed flat without effort.
When the elastic had gone round, the bodkin mysteriously refused to exit the tunnel until I thought of feeling for the elastic where it made the one-eighty turn and following it out.
Sewing the ends together went as usual, and the loop and the splice popped into the casing without hesitation when I stretched the casing.
Saturday, 15 November 2025
9:56 PM 11/15/2025
I have three bras! I intend to wear bra A (now Brown One) tomorrow.
Oddly, the bodkin wrapped in elastic went in easier than the smooth point.
In addition to sewing the bodkin to the elastic securely, I tried to avoid putting stress on that joint, always shifting my grip from the bodkin to the elastic before pulling hard. The work was surprisingly strenuous on my sore left arm, and the fingers of the left (pulling) hand got sore. But they aren't sore now, only a few hours later -- or, rather, don't hurt any more than usual and a trifle less than the right hand.
After fretting for weeks over what symbol to embroider on the left shoulder of bra A, I worked a simple bar tack. From the inside: one stitch, work a second with the tail pulled up to lie under it, wrap stitch and tail by slipping needle under once, then a few buttonhole stitches to secure the end and tightly hold the tail. Then I broke the thread by pulling on it, after making one extra buttonhole stitch in case the broken end slipped out of the tight grip. I also broke the thread by pulling after securing the stitches that held the bodkin to the elastic with buttonhole stitches.
Oops, I forgot to check whether Brown One is the bra I bought white embroidery floss for.
8:08 AM 11/19/2025
10:54 PM 11/28/2025
1:03 PM 11/30/2025