10:35 PM 1/2/2023
Meant to do some pressing today, but clearing the ironing board brought my attention to an old T-shirt that I mean to downcycle into a much-needed dirty-work shirt by adding a timer pocket.
The note pinned to it said to repair a couple of places where the hem had come undone, and I thought, hey the machine is already set up with thread suitable for that from sewing the beta pair of yellow cotton briefs.
Sat down to mark the places that needed repair and discovered that the entire hem needed to be picked out, and sewn back wider to cover the frayed edge. So I did that, brushed off the snippets with my horsehair brush, then dabbed all around the hem with diluted bottle starch and hung it up to dry.
The sponge I dabbed with had rotted at the middle, so I put it on the compost plate -- it's cellulose, so will be good for soil -- found the sponge I'd cut it from, and cut three slices to put into the syringe jar where I'd found the rotten one.
The sponge was discolored in the middle. I think I must have spilled bottle starch on it; my starch turns that color when rotten.
Which is why I cut three slices. I expect that I'll use each one only once before tossing it.
Now I need to iron the starched hem tomorrow, along with the white shirt I washed a couple of washdays ago and the seams in the veil I started a while back. I'd like to finish the veil in time to wear it on Wednesday; I'm tired of wearing the white one inside-out to hide the mysterious stain.
5:12 PM 1/5/2023
I'm wearing the new old shirt now.
I marked "bar tack pocket" off the note pinned to it because I examined all the bar tacks and they were good. But yesterday, I noticed that a corner of the right pocket was dangling down, and there was a patch ironed on to the back. The patch hadn't stuck, and it still isn't stuck even though I pressed it through a wet cloth, but the mending stitches will hold it.
(Did I examine one pocket twice?)
I got the villa olive scraps down; they appear to be enough for at least one more T-shirt. Went through the small scraps folded inside, selected one just a tad bigger than was needed, re-folded everything and put it away.
When I started to cut the pocket, the scrap turned out to be a tad smaller than what was needed, but rather than climb up on the Kik-Step and get the scraps back down, I made it work.
The pocket is a tad big for my shoulder, but the busy print disguises that. I think that next time I add a pocket, instead of trying to make room for my phone in the timer pocket, I'll sew a snap on one of the smock pockets.
I've plugged the light into the outlet that can stand high current, but I can't warm up to climbing up on the KikStep and plugging the iron in. You'd think I'd be more eager to get my new veil.
Perhaps it's the distraction of the wash. I think I'll calculate how much pink cotton-linen I need to reel off for my new jersey. I'm pretty sure I was forethoughtful enough to make a note and leave the note with the yellow linen scraps.
And I could mend the split seam in my "banana" wool jersey.
1:06 PM 1/6/2023
Wash done, lunch eaten. I'm going to mend the jersey and go to bed.
5:17 PM 1/6/2023
Well, I got out the tools for mending the jersey.
In the afternoon, I used up all the light trying to thread the needle. I had on my +4 reading glasses, and the light was still good (at first), so I could clearly see the thread jump aside as it approached the eye. Eventually the thread zigged when the smart money was on zag (to quote _Emergence_) and I was able to backstitch the fell, but by then, I had to sit under a lamp.
The smaller scrap yielded four crotches and one crotch lining. I haven't cut them out yet, as they will be easier to keep track of all in one piece.
Yesterday I unrolled as much jersey as the card tables would allow (which is just enough to cut a row of backs comfortably), and spray it with water until well damp. It relaxed overnight and is now ready to mark for cutting, but I'm going to take a nap instead. I think that I can dampen the next row without disturbing the water- erasable marks, so I plan to lay out everything before cutting anything.
I think that once I have four fronts and four backs, I'll cut them out and pin them to the four crotches. A smaller piece of fabric will be easier to handle.
Of course, I will have to mark three crotch linings too.
In marking the smaller scrap, I made a mistake and had to wet a finger-wrap of washrag to erase it. I had to leave some of what intersected correct marks, but there won't be any confusion in cutting.
Afterward, I discovered that if a rag is just barely damp, you can wipe wash-out marks off paper without damaging the paper, so now my crotch and crotch-lining patterns look much better.
Those patterns were made from an old file folder, and might be more resistant to damage than Dollar Tree posterboard. [When writing that, I forgot that the front pattern is on thin corrugated cardboard and the back is a piece of desk calendar.]
12:21 PM 1/13/2023
Marked the second and third backs, then cut the four backs off the main piece, but left them in two pieces.
Measured the fabric while putting it back on the card tables: a tad more than three yards full width.
I did today's marking and cutting on the freezer, which has a brilliant light above it.
4:36 PM 1/13/2023
The freezer has better light than the card tables, and it doesn't have a crack in the middle, but if I lose my grip while working on the card tables, the fabric doesn't fall into an uncleanable slot and get unutterably filthy.
I've marked three fronts and two crotch linings, and I'm about to cut them off the main piece.
5:10 PM 1/13/2023
This row remained connected, but I had to make a point of it.
I shook it well and added it to the pile of briefs parts. Shaking and the air compressor got most of the cobwebs off, but a lot of what I blew off with the compressor made a bee line for the uncleanable slot. Blowing down into the slot doesn't seem to make the dirt inclined to leave.
There's two yards and a foot left now. I must iron the lengthwise edges before marking any more. It won't flatten them, but it will make it easier to uncurl them.
I don't think the cut making the tube into flat fabric was precisely on-grain, but it's the only grain guide that I have.
I believe that I'll cut out each piece just before sewing it to another piece.
5:20 PM 1/14/2023
While undressing after today's ride, I noticed that the fell of the shoulder seam on the other side of my tight wool jersey also needs to be re-stitched.
Someday, when I have some spare time and ambition, I'll work a point d'Venise darn over the stain on the front of that jersey.
I pressed the curled edges of the fabric, which will make it easier to uncurl them when marking.
One of the factory-cut edges is dramatically ragged, the other is fairly straight. Shouldn't each tab on the ragged edge be matched by a hollow on the other, and each hollow matched by a tab?
I didn't get to the pressing until afternoon, but I did iron the pockets and hem of my new old shirt while I had the iron hot, so it's ready to wear again.
It wasn't very bright of me to make an old shirt that has to be ironed, but it's only the smock pockets that require it. The timer pocket would have been improved by a swat of the iron, but I didn't think of it.
This morning I marked three fronts, and began the next row without cutting off, because the scrap is now short enough to pleat up on the back of the freezer lid without too much danger of slithering into the slot.
After marking a back and a front, I got hungry and wanted into the freezer, so that's probably it for today. I want my nap now.
I was thinking that I could mark the rest of the fabric without cutting off, but I'm starting to get confused. I think I'd better start organizing the pieces into sets. I think I'll sew a crotch to each of the fronts, and pin a crotch lining and a back to each set.
I may embroider my monogram on the beta pair -- it looks like a "B". I'll mark the rest with resistor-code bar tacks. Don't know how I'll mark #4! (yellow on yellow)
Four backs sewn to four crotches are on the sewing machine. I pinned numbers to four fronts and three crotch linings.
I think I'll mark crotch linings only when there isn't quite enough room for crotches, until I have a crotch for every back. If I come up short, I can use a different fabric for the linings. I have some of the hemp-cotton jersey that is good for linings, and there might be some small pieces of the thin white HCJ I got when I tried to buy more of the coarse unbleached hemp-cotton jersey, and made into the briefs that I'm now replacing. And I think that there is some white PFD cotton jersey also.
There are nearly two yards beyond the two rows marked on the big scrap, and the two rows don't come to much more than two feet. Three rows would be nine half pairs.
I'm going to have a *lot* of these panties! I do hope they aren't too skewed.
make pillowcase to fit small feather
pillow
The two pieces I cut off body-pillow cases when we threw out the body pillows need only to be hemmed. The plaid is ugly, but my eyes will be shut when I'm using the pillow, and the fabric is very soft.
I'll remember the name of that fabric any day now. It's Indian, and it's supposed to bleed.
*** evening
Madras! Probably fake, since I didn't pay a lot for it, but even the fake is obsolete now. And it doesn't bleed, according to Wikipedia, unless you mistreat it. Which may be why mine hasn't bled. It has faded some.
I have numbers pinned to eight fronts and four backs. The backs are "5" to "8", since I've cut out four. Also two crotches (5 & 6) and three linings. Since I used #2 pencil to mark the fronts and linings, I used a red Sharpie to write on the paper I'm pinning to the backs and crotches.
The paper I'm using tears neatly into eight squares, so I mark all of them and those that haven't been torn off yet help me keep track of what I still need to cut.
Sewing these things is going to be anti-climactic.
Oops! I realized this morning that crotch #6 was actually lining #4. I corrected that, then cut out back #5 and crotch#5 and sewed them together.
No other sewing done. I think I'll cut the marked rows off to make it easier to mark the rest.
4:45
I cut off two of the three marked rows, leaving a marked row to guide the next.
Until today I've been placing patterns by measuring from the edge or a reference line to the center line at the bottom, then measure at the top and nudge it to match, nudge at the bottom, nudge at the top ... nudge, and when they finally match, find that the pattern must be shifted up or down. When finally in place, I would mark the ends of the center line so I could draw the notches for matching seams/turning hems, and after drawing around the pattern, mark both notches at once by drawing a line across the pattern.
Today I drew two reference lines, one two feet from the edge and the other two feet from that. Then I placed the pattern, measured, and drew the center line by measuring from the reference line. Then I could just lay the pattern on the center line and draw around it. More often than not, I got the center line wrong the first time, but with the wrong line as a guide, it was easy to draw a right one, then mark arrowheads at each end of the line that should be used in sewing.
I've marked a row of three fronts and a crotch, and the first back of the next row. With my newly-sane method, I should get the next two backs marked before I have to turn into a cook even though I took time out to write this.
6:45 p.m.
Only one back, because of some colorful language when I brushed against the dangling fabric halfway through marking. When I went out to mark the third back, I discovered that I was too stupid to mark the centerline, so I folded up.
Still need to pin on some numbers and mark some arrows. Nap doesn't matter, but I've been alternating right-side-up and up-side-down for economical cutting, and that triggers the habit of marking arrows that all point to the same end of the fabric.
I plan to match arrows when sewing fronts to backs as much as I can. I also arrow the crotches and crotch linings, but no matter what, the crotch is going to match nap at one end and not match at the other.
Eight plus three is eleven. I may make all of the remaining fabric into crotches and crotch linings.
But if I make it an even dozen, I think there will still be plenty of fabric left.
No sewing done on Sunday, but I did draw nap arrows on everything and pin numbers to the marked pieces. After seeing a red 8 on the pincushion and wondering whether that was for a back or a crotch, I put "C" or "L" on half the new number tags that I made.
This morning I put away the clothes I washed yesterday. I think I'll cut out crotch #6 and back #6 and sew them together, then mark some more crotches.
12:07
I absent-mindedly cut out front #8 instead of back #6. When I went looking for back #6, I found that I'd pinned its tag to front #9. When the dust settled, I had twelve fronts and the back I was too stupid to mark is only #10. Fortunately, there is enough fabric to mark two more backs. Six more crotches, I'm not quite sure.
18:05
After marking back #10, I cut out back #7, since it was an inconvenient tab dangling off the fabric and I planned to sew it pretty soon. After marking backs #11 and #12, there is room for one more back or front in that row, but the next row is too narrow -- but plenty wide for cutting crotches.
I think that I can cut six crotches without encroaching on the end of the two-back row. Then I'll sew them to the six remaining backs and use up the already-marked linings before marking more linings. The clearing of the card tables is in sight!
But I really, really need to buy groceries and cat food tomorrow.
It has been years since I could do more than one thing a day. When I was first married, I would walk to a grocery a mile away, walk back carrying two gallons of milk or one grocery bag that I would balance on my head when nobody could see me, put on my apron, and start the day's work. Nowadays, driving to a grocery *is* a day's work.
I've been noticing my diminishing supply of pins with some wonder, but not until I wondered whether I had enough to pin crotch #7 to back #7 without raiding the box did I realize that I have forty-eight number tags pinned to pieces.
Minus eight lining tags.
I marked five crotches this morning, but rumpled the cloth while marking #12 and messed it up enough that I had to erase most of it. That, of course, left the fabric damp. I figured it would dry while I was sewing #7 and maybe cutting out #8, but it was lunchtime and some dishes had to be washed and I was due for a nap, so I'm quite sure that it's thoroughly dry now. (3:09 p.m.)
7:36 p.m.
All twelve crotches sewn to all twelve backs, and a lining pinned to back #1. Much of this was done in the afternoon and evening, so I have hope of sewing the four marked linings after my appointment tomorrow.
Then I can make quite sure that the number of fronts matches the number of backs and mark more linings.
I lacked only one pin of having enough to pin crotch #7, but with the eight unpinned tags in mind, I took all the pins that stuck together and that turned out to be eleven.
Fancy B for beta? Why not a simple *black* bar tack for zero? I'll make two, crossed to make an X, just for emphasis. Or maybe a +.
01:30
Couldn't sleep, got up at one to read Friday's funnies.
Yesterday afternoon, I sewed the lining I'd pinned, and cut out the lining I marked on the smaller scrap where there wasn't quite enough room for a fifth crotch. After supper, I felt stupid, so back #2 and the lining are still lying on the open drawer of the typewriter stand. (An old typewriter stand from after they added a heavy motor to typewriters and before the platen stopped thumping back and forth makes a perfect sewing-machine table.)
10:17 AM 1/27/2023
Ooops! When I sat down to pin lining #2, I found that the crotch had been sewn right side to wrong side, and had to pick it out. And the stitching I had to pick out was perfect!
It didn't take *too* long by the peel back, snip, peel back other side method, but having to snip this pair off the chain after I re-stitch the crotch is going to mess up my filing system.
10:32 AM 1/28/2023
Sewed lining three, cut out and sewed lining four.
Then I counted the twelve backs, first by counting three in this string, three in this string, six in this string, then by checking the pinned-on numbers to see that all were there and in order.
Now to count the fronts, then start marking the other eight linings.
11:04 AM 1/28/2023
Cat washed, pillowcases installed, filthy comforter discussed (spouse is proving that it will too fit into the washing machine), fronts counted, scrap on freezer, marking pen and rotary cutter in pocket.
I first counted, then checked that the numbers were all there. Definitely twelve.
12:09 PM 1/28/2023
Instead of cutting, I changed the mat under the cat's food and swept the carpet around the food and the litter box. Then I was hungry, and now it's nap time.
It looks as though about six linings can be cut from the remaining scrap.
6:32 PM 1/28/2023
[put pictures here] Yup, six linings.
I absent-mindedly cut out lining #7 instead of #5. Easily dealt with by swapping number tickets, I thought, but the arrow lining I cut points the opposite way to the arrow on crotch #5, so I cut out what had been #6, and shuffled the tags around.
Then I took the fleece quilt off the card tables, put it on the bed, and put the cutting mat and linings on the card tables. I don't think I'll do any pinning, sewing, or cutting tonight.
Might see whether Windows Explorer can get pictures out of my camera. It won't be as easy as using Z-Tree, but Z-tree died with computer JOY98.
The last few entries have mysteriously vanished. Oh, how I hate working with a crippled computer, and above all, how I hate Explorer's imprecise drag-and-drop way of moving/copying files!
And now I'm too bummed to write today's entry.
15:00 - 3:00 p.m. - after my nap
When it was time to sew lining #9, both of the remaining crotches were napped the opposite way to back #9. Doesn't really matter, but after a moment of thought, I cut out both and put #10 with the #10 back.
Then I got the coarse hemp-cotton jersey out of the briefs box, and put the small pieces on the pile I intend to put into the pocket-scraps box when I bring the KikStep in here. Which will be after I stop adding scraps to the pile.
I was a bit surprised to see that the jersey had been shipped as a tube, not sliced open, which is one of the reasons that I regret not being able to buy more.
I marked and cut out a lining, then pinned the #9 tag to it and pinned the #11 and#12 tags to what had been #9.
After sewing #9 and #10, I cut out one more crotch and put the remaining HCJ (that's what it says on the shipping bag, which is still in the box) back into the briefs box. This box now contains only that scrap and the paper patterns I made my trace-around patterns from. It will probably be four years before I open it again.
Then I laid eleven and twelve on the ironing board and spread out the fronts on the card tables. Front #1 has the nap arrows pointing in the same direction as back #1, so I may get through this without shuffling tags.
With the snow and the even overcast, there was good light in the parlor, so I did all of today's cutting on the card tables.
Now to copy this file into PAGESEW and upload it to the Web. Oh, man, I miss Z-Tree.
In the intervals of a load of wash, I sewed front #1, which I pinned yesterday, cut out and attached #2, and cut out #3. I was wise to postpone cutting; edges that were cut earlier are curling enthusiastically. The light was good, so I cut #3 on the hard-top card table. I used the smaller mat and made the first cut separate this front from #4, so that I could turn the piece this way and that to keep all of the edge I was cutting on the mat.
The more-expensive padded-top table is worn; the cheaper hard-plastic top looks brand new. Except for needing a good scrub.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Friday, 3 February 2023
10:51 AM 2/3/2023
When I was cutting crotch pieces, shrinking of the
clutter on the card tables was imperceptibly slow.
Now that I'm taking fronts, progress is zipping
right along.
11:27 AM 2/3/2023
Just as I was getting ready to pin #8, the front I
cut when I meant to cut a back, my stomach
announced that it was lunch time.
12:25 PM 2/3/2023
About to pin #9. The three remaining fronts are
all up arrows. I doubt that the same is true of
the three remaining backs.
12:45 PM 2/3/2023
#10 is an up-arrow. I think I'll go to bed after
sewing this one.
12:59 PM 2/3/2023
To bed, you brat! First, I checked: #11 is an up
arrow, #12 is down.
Saturday, 4 February 2023
10:06 AM 2/4/2023
I folded up one of the card tables yesterday.
Wednesday, 8 February 2023
1:03 PM 2/8/2023
All that was on my schedule this morning was
putting away briefs and socks that I washed
yesterday, and I haven't done that -- so how come
at lunchtime I'd sewn only one seam?
I want to unroll the burrito at once after sewing
the crotch to the front, to be sure that I did it
right, so I'm cutting off in pairs and intend to
complete each set of two before cutting off
another two.
After lunch, I sewed the remaining three side
seams in #1 and #2, and I've pinned one crotch
lining to the crotch to keep it in line while
pinning the leg casings. My notes say that I did
this on my sleeve board, but the sleeve board is
far too narrow to make everything flat, so I did
it, awkwardly, on my larger ham.
When I make #3 and #4, I'll pin the crotch lining
*before* I sew the side seams!
You'll notice some missing posts. On Monday or
Tuesday, my crippled computer ate the Beeson
Banner, and I've been dispirited about writing
valuable remarks with its unreliable aid.
I've been keeping my bottle of glycerin on the
sewing-machine stand. It's a major help in
matching the raw edges of slightly-fuzzy cotton.
8:13 PM 2/8/2023
I sewed the waist casings of the two pairs that
have side seams so that I could put them into my
go bag with the beta briefs, an old pair made from
this fabric, and a pair of socks with indistinct
inventory marks. I was surprised that all the
pins in the crotch of #1 didn't interfere with
folding it up to put it in the bag.
I lacked six pins of having enough to pin a waist
casing, so I got seven out of the box.
I wanted a generous half inch for the casing, so I
drew a line 17/32 inch from the end of a narrow
strip of appointment card. I measured at the
center front, center back, and side seams, but
mostly eyeballed in between.
Probably took me more than an hour to put my
resistor-coding kit into the go bag. I knocked
my collection of thin cardboard and a bunch of
other stuff off the shelf when I got my
embroidery-gig box down to get additional colors
of embroidery floss.
Thought for a while there that I didn't have any
gray embroidery floss.
Also had to move ten pairs of panties before I
could open the trunk where I keep the marking kit.
I'd been using the top of the trunk to catch the
chain as it fell off the back of the sewing-
machine table, to keep the work from hanging by a
thread and stretching out of shape.
Thursday, 9 February
2023 6:08 PM 2/9/2023
Now I need to re-wind threads on a fresh card, in
proper order, in neatly-separated windings, and
with no more thread in a winding than will fit on
a needle.
I got all the marks marked, and darned a sock.
To my pleased surprise, the mate to the sock was
already darned, so now I have a pair of black wool
socks to wear, as soon as I select some silk
thread and make marks to distinguish it from the
other pair, which appears to require very little
darning. What occasion will be sufficiently
special?
Once upon a time, one could *buy* black wool
socks.
While I was darning the sock, one of the nurses
asked me what I was doing and I had to define
"darn" for her.
I free-handed a six lazy-daisy (detached chain)
flower in golden yellow on the old pair of briefs.
I'm glad that the mark doesn't show up very well.
Seems to me that I used to free-hand very neat
lazy daisies. Is it poorer eyesight or better
judgement?
Briefs #3 and #4 are sitting on the ironing board,
pinned into burritos ready to sew. I must have
done that after signing off yesterday. Not going
to sew them tonight; I missed my nap, and waiting
quietly is surprisingly tiring.
There isn't a lot of difference in the color of
the old pair and the beta pair, but those differ a
*lot* from the briefs in progress. The old pair
is lighter than the beta pair, which is to be
expected, but the beta pair is less bright. The
new pairs almost glow.
The results of the surgery are as good as could be
hoped for. The surgeon is pretty sure that the
melanoma hasn't spread, and DH is walking already.
Friday, 10 February 2023
1:18 PM 2/10/2023
Sewed the pinned burritos, then pinned a leg
casing into #1. It took exactly all the pins on
the magnetic pin cushion. [I found one on the
floor later.]
Remembered that I wanted the side-seam allowances
sewed down inside the casing, to keep the bodkin
from snagging on them. Grabbed a needle with pale
pink thread in it and hand-sewed running stitch
near the raw edge, starting well away from what
would end up inside the casing, and also did the
other seam.
After I finished the pinning, I found a bright-
yellow spool of Coats & Clark O.N.T. in one of the
bags of thread I bought at garage sales, and sewed
the ends of the side seams of #2. I think it
shows more than the pink thread does. I should
have also looked in the other bag; there are a
couple of spools of a less-aggressive yellow, and
they might be cotton.
At least two of the spools in the bag I did look
into have needles jammed into them; I should
suspect that the threads have not been stored
under ideal conditions.
Monday, 13 February 2023
1:29 PM 2/13/2023
Sewed the leg hole in #1, pinned and sewed the
other leg hole, folded it up and put it into the
drawer without elastic. Threw away the slip of
paper with #1 on it and put the pin on the magnet.
Then I pinned the crotch lining of #2 to keep it
centered and took a nap. Removed one #2 tag, but
left the other, attached with one of the pins that
center the crotch lining.
Tuesday, 14 February 2023
10:20 PM 2/14/2023
#2, sans elastic, is in the drawer. (I'm going to
need a bigger drawer.)
#4, out of order, is on the ironing board with the
crotch-lining pinned.
HCJ#5 and its waist elastic came out of yesterday's wash separately; I presume that the washing machine untied the elastic. Pushing a bodkin through such a frayed casing wasn't easy; I had to open the seams with a large tapestry needle. There were, of course, convenient holes by each seam.
The last time I wore it, I noticed that the cord elastic in striped jersey R had come untied, and decided to wait until it was washed to repair it. When I closed the casing after putting the elastic in the first time, I paid attention to maybe wanting to *find* the stitches, but no attention to the possibility of wanting to pick them out.
Eventually the stitches came out and the briefs are back in the rotation.
I referred to it as "R" because I made two pairs (there *must* be a singular word for such a conspicuously *not* paired garment!) from scraps of striped jersey, and sewed the lining on one pair inside out, so instead of embroidering inventory marks, I dubbed them "right" and "wrong".
While making the bed, I noticed a hole in the small madras pillowcase. It's near the seam and I had already decided to cut it narrower when I hem it. I briefly considered taking it apart and treating it like new fabric, but it is very worn and the stitches are small.
Side seams of #3 and #4 are sewn, and I've sewn down the allowances at the waist end of #4.
I saw a needle in the needle organizer (strips of wool hanging from a spare bracket in a standard of my "standard shelves") with a long piece of orange thread in it, and thought it was the needle to use. The needle was coarse and hard to sew with, and the thread contrasts sharply with the fabric. (Perhaps I should use it to bar tack #4).
Looking for another needle, I found a #10 crewel with yellow-orange thread in it. This was easy to sew with, and the thread blends into the fabric. I held it up to my spool of orange Subsilk and it appears to match; I must have basted something with that needle.
What ho! I thought all my yellow threads were polyester, but I forgot that I bought thread to match the yellow linen that I made into bras, and another spool to match the yellow quilting fabric I bought to make a summer jersey. (But I've about convinced myself to use the petal- pink cotton-linen blend instead.)
The bra thread should be perfect.
(I'm sewing the briefs with white thread because I want 100/6. But I think I'll re-thread the machine with ecru.)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Friday, 17 February 2023
12:38 PM 2/17/2023
The side seams in #3 and #4 have been sewn.
This morning, I sewed down the remaining seam
ends. The thread bought for the bras is perfect,
but the needle in the bag proved to be a bit
coarse, so I threw away the yellow-orange thread
and added its needle to the scrap of jacketing in
the Col. 1600 bag.
I'm working running stitch near the cut edges,
secured only by leaving a centimeter or half an
inch of thread flapping around, and by stitching
farther from the cut edge in the parts that will
be exposed. One seam end had been improperly
sewn, and I corrected that with baseball stitch as
I went around. I always make sure that a stitch
bridges across the unsecured end of the seam.
When the allowances had been sewn down, I pinned
one leg hole. I had to get another pin out of the
box even though a few tag pins have been moved to
the pincushion. Perhaps I'd pinned only one
lining when I sewed the previous leg hole.
A good reason for finishing the assembly two by
two instead of keeping everything at the same
stage is that I don't want a mountain of pins on
the magnet when I'm done.
1:01 PM 2/17/2023 -- time for a nap.
6:09 PM 2/17/2023
The waist casing is longer than the leg casing,
but I had three pins left over. Perhaps I put
them farther apart when the edges is mostly
straight.
Again, I measured at the center marks and seams,
and eyeballed in between.
6:43 PM 2/17/2023
#4 is casinged, bar tacked, detagged, and in the
drawer.
I'm working the bar tacks on the wrong side to
make it easier to secure the ends. I leave the
end long enough that I can twist the main thread
around it a couple of times, which makes it stay
under all subsequent stitches. A couple of
buttonhole stitches would be more than enough to
secure the other end, but I cover the whole bar
tack to make the inside neat. Then both ends are
trimmed close.
Tomorrow is an all-day bike ride, the next day is
Sunday, and Monday looks like good weather for
shopping.
Wednesday, 22 February 2023
1:35 PM 2/22/2023
Monday was even better weather for washing dish
towels and cleaning rags and drying them in the
sun.
Tuesday was Fat Tuesday and we went out for lunch.
This morning I hemmed and bar tacked #3 and put it
into the drawer with #1, #2, and #4. Also cut #5
and #6 off the chain and laid them out for the
next sewing session.
I came up with a better idea than re-winding the
threads in logical order: I unwound the needleful
of orange thread, wound the thread in the needle
on the newly-vacant space, and put the needle away
with the orange thread in it.
Before stitching the casings, I re-threaded the
Necchi with ecru 100/6. If I look closely, it
does contrast with the bright-yellow fabric less
than blanc 100/6. (The spools are labeled in
French.)
And now it's nap time.
7:34 PM 2/22/2023
I had a little time before supper and decided to
pin the crotch linings to get #5 and #6 ready for
stitching the side seams. Oops, they haven't been
burritoed yet. So I stuffed the front and back of
#6 between the crotch and the crotch lining and
pinned it, but didn't feel bright enough to
stitch.
Later on, I rolled up the front and back of #5 and
pinned it while waiting for my computer to reboot
after crashing.
Crash seems to be over, so back to reading the
funnies. After backing up this file in three
places.
Thursday, 23 February 2023 1:23 PM 2/23/2023
One of which places had vanished, but pulling a
USB drive out and pushing it back in retrieved it.
Stitched the final crotch seams of #5 & #6, threw
away three tags on each and put six pins on the
magnetic pin cushion, pinned the linings to get
ready for the side seams, checked my resistor-code
kit, started a new card by using a paper punch to
make six notches on each side of an appointment
card, put a needleful of green floss on the new
card.
Naptime. After making three back-up copies.
Friday, 24 February 2023
12:34 PM 2/24/2023
Sigh. I've been reading 2020SEW and finding
little mistakes -- but I can't simply open the
file and correct them because my computer is
crippled.
There must be a DOSBOX that would run under Linux
-- I had one, and was about to transfer all my
files to it when the computer it was on blew two
capacitors. The DOSBOX on the replacement
computer runs, but can't display a file in a
format that allows me to see what I'm editing.
3:03 PM 2/24/2023
Once again, I wake up saying "The whole day to
sew! I'll make real progress!". And then it's
noon and I haven't touched it.
Managed to baste both ends of both side seams of
#6 open, pin a leg hole of #6, and stick the
baste-ing needle into #5 before a belated nap.
I've been running-stitching a little farther from
the raw edge in the not-under-the-hem part, this
time I began to overcast-hem some of the inside
part. Also taking a single back-stitch when
crossing the seam.
One has time to think while hand sewing; I
realized that I really, really ought to put the
elastic in #1 before I go much farther with the
scheme of baste-ing to keep the bodkin from
catching.
Why the hyphen? "Basting" is the present
participle of "bast", and "basteing" looks funny.
It's one of the words that can be said but not
written.
Monday, 27 February 2023
12:10 AM 2/28/2023
Put elastic in yellow dozen #1. I think I also
need to baste down the allowances of the seams
joining the backs to the crotches. But only half
an inch of stitching per end, since the lining
covers half of the inside of the hem.
Haven't mended the entry-holes yet. I think that
machine stitching will be easier to remove in case
of expired elastic. I'll lengthen the stitch to
make the mend easier to distinguish from the
hemming. The holes are very small because I'm
using a needle as a bodkin. I've found that the
needle can also be used to persuade the knot to go
through the very small holes: I put one of the
ends sticking out of the knot into the eye of the
needle and push it in. There is enough friction
to pull the knot through before the end pulls out
of the needle.
Tuesday, 28 February 2023
1:37 PM 2/28/2023
Once again, it somehow got to be lunch time before
I touched my sewing.
I zig-zagged over the gaps in the stitching of the
casings on YD#1 and put it on top of the pile in
the drawer, meaning to wear it to my blood draw
tomorrow.
I always wear presentable briefs to medical
appointments even when it's the dentist or a
mammogram. Perhaps it's a quirk, or perhaps it
makes psychological sense.
Then I sewed the leg casings in YD#6 and pinned
the waist casing. There was plenty of time to sew
the waist casing, but I feared one-more-seam
syndrome, so I put a blue bar tack on it instead.
I should make a file for the resistor-code kit,
now that I appear to have figured out how to make
one, and include a discussion of bar tacks.
When I split off 2023SEW2, I think I'll make it
2023SEW.TXT. Shame I can't create it with PC-
Write, which makes hypertext easier than plain
text, but a plain-text file is easier to read than
the scroonched-up mess browsers make of
"preformatted" text.
Wednesday, 1 March 2023
11:14 AM 3/1/2023
I finally emptied my camera into PCW, deleted some
failed photos with Explorer, and made three copies
of the folder, one on my website.
Some of them date *way* back. The photographs of
my face after last year's surgery are late in the
list. Some are of my sewing; hope I can remember
why I took them, put them in the right places, and
write captions.
Don't think I can work on it now. I leave for my
appointment in forty minutes, and fear of failing
to notice that it's time to leave makes it
impossible to focus.
Couldn't get the pictures out of my phone. I
think the resident engineer can. And I *think*
that the phone will allow me to delete failed
photos. Perhaps I should do that while waiting
for time to leave.
Thursday, 2 March 2023
11:30 AM 3/2/2023
Labeled all the camera photos in a file called
ED.TXT, and copied the filespecs of the surgery
photos into a file called FACEHEAL.TXT. When I'm
a little brighter, I'll move the surgery pictures
and the key to them into LETTERS/2022BANN/
11:57 AM 3/2/2023 The resident engineer copied
the fifteen photos in my phone onto a USB stick,
and I'm about to copy them onto my desktop. I'll
be surprised if any of them are worth anything.
He thinks that my Linux computer can read my
phone; I must take some more pictures so I can try
it out. My Linux isn't on the local net, but I
can make the Web back-ups first, then download to
JOYXP. And there's always Sneakernet.
12:36 PM 3/2/2023 The blue floss in my resistor-
code kit is too dark. The bar tack on YD#6 looks
black. But I used two crossed bar tacks on #0 in
case of just such an emergency. (/Leghorn
Foghorn)
#6 (sans elastic) is in the drawer, and I'm
beginning #5.
Friday, 3 March 2023
11:44 AM 3/3/2023
Purged the phone photos of totally hopeless, can't
write comments until I figure out how to copy the
data shown in Explorer into a text file. Could
copy them into Pcw, then export from ED.DIR, then
move the file to where it's wanted, then delete
the copies, but there must be a less-clumsy way.
One of the filespecs belongs in FACEHEAL.TXT.
12:46 PM 3/3/2023
Ironed a couple of patches onto my softened-linen
jersey so I can wear it tomorrow, but Weather
Underground says that I'm going to walk to the
clean-up for the funeral dinner at WLCC instead of
riding to the bazaar on Lake Street.
Better climb all the stairs while I'm there; I
haven't been getting any exercise at all.
I also ironed patches under the four upper corners
of the two smock pockets on my new old shirt, but
haven't bar tacked them yet. This shirt is frayed
all over. I must inspect my leaving-the-house
shirts and downcycle another one fairly soon.
Monday, 6 March 2023
7:21 PM 3/6/2023
Rode to both the bazaar and the church. The
bazaar was disappointing even though it was at
least twice as large as last year. Got to the
church just in time to dry some dishes and wipe
out three of the sinks. (I forgot the other two
until Sunday morning.) I climbed the stairs on
Sunday. Still haven't bar tacked the pockets of
my new old shirt.
One-more-seam syndrome strikes again! As I was
folding YD#5 to put it into the drawer, I noticed
that the green bar tack was in front.
Won't take long to make another in the back, but
I'm not going to take scissors to the one in the
wrong place. I came perilously close to snipping
the fabric while ripping out a mistake I'd made
while stitching the waist casing.
Tuesday, 7 March 2023
11:28 AM 3/7/2023
Lunchtime!
Dave's new sweat pants arrived yesterday. I
basted a turn-up and washed them, and this morning
he tried them on again and they were still the
correct length. So I put a wash-out dot a hem
width from the fold, and looked for a way to
measure from there to the current hem end. Got
the bright idea of making an air-erasable line on
one of the useful little cardboards that used to
come inside three-yard skeins of bias tape and
rick-rack. The bright purple line is easy to see,
and won't hang around to confuse me when I use the
card again. So I put the end of the card on the
wash-out dot and made a self-removing dot on the
edge of the card at the current hem. Now how to
draw a line at right angles to the edge through
this dot? Duh, use another card of the same
size and shape.
Upon unfolding the turn-up, I found an astounding
amount of lint.
The closest to grey I could find among my threads
was the beige thread I bought to sew my long-gone
"oakwood" pants. It looks as though it's time to
buy another spool, but I think there's enough
thread on the bobbin to zig-zag two pants legs.
I'm not at all sure there's enough on the spool to
wind another bobbin and have thread left to sew
with.
By good luck, I hadn't re-threaded the machine
when I remembered the two bags of threads I'd
bought at garage sales. Then, when I put what
I'd cut off into the box of offcuts, shirt tails,
and a Lazy-Boy patch, there was a box marked
"notions" on top of the offcut box. What's in
here? Yes, a tiny tray of antique
miniature spools of thread.
But not one of those threads is grey.
So next I need to put the Oakwood thread on the
machine and sew the hems I've pinned, but now it's
naptime.
This afternoon I should complete the job.
4:55 PM 3/7/2023
All done and in his lap. When I took the bobbin
out of the machine, there were five and a half
inches of thread on it.
I must remember to buy another spool of Col. 3400
-- it blends with everything. Dave thought I'd
found some gray thread.
Wouldn't hurt to buy a spool of medium gray while
I'm at it.
I hope the knot in the supply line of cord elastic
will have untied itself before I go downtown
again.
Thursday, 9 March 2023
5:03 PM 3/9/2023
The side seams in #7 and #8 have been sewn.
8:27 PM 3/9/2023
add elastic to Terra Sky tights
I just now hung the tights up to dry after rinsing
them to make them ready to take to Our Father's
House. On inspection, they were knitted as a
seamless tube, with a knitted-on waistband, and
then split and a gusset added to make legs.
There is no seam to open to put in elastic. True,
the waistband was folded in half and sewn down,
but the stitches are so inconspicuous that opening
the hem would spoil the tights. Far better to
give them to someone they already fit.
Friday, 10 March 2023
10:26 AM 3/10/2023
First chore today was to sew the casings of #7 and
#8, but I didn't feel like doing the preliminary
hand sewing, so I burritoed #9, #10, #11, and #12,
and plan to sew all their side seams before
proceeding to the casings.
I hope cord elastic is available soon!
Also, I've got to get around to buying a bigger
chest of drawers. Twenty-two years of using a
glove chest for a dresser are quite enough!
4:19 PM 3/10/2023
I didn't feel like machining after my nap, so I
did the hand-basting on #7. A hand-sewing station
has developed on the foot locker under the window
in the parlor. After sewing the side seams on
#9, I noticed that the "yellow" bar tack on #4 is
little different from the orange bar tack on #3,
so I overcast it with pale yellow.
And now I'm too hungry to focus, and pretty soon
after supper it will be too dark for hand sewing.
(I do, at long last, have a bright lamp that can
shine on my work.)
Supper is mostly ready; taco meat and black beans
are on the stove. Need to cut some peppers &
onions at the last minute.
Time to read the newspaper: 4:28 PM 3/10/2023
Sunday, 12 March 2023
8:01 PM 3/12/2023
Thanks to Devil Satan Time, there was a little
light after a belated supper, and I put some token
stitches into #8. Left the needle in the fabric.
Yesterday was a lovely day for a ride. Today,
despite snow in the night, the streets and
walkways were clean -- I could have left my oxford
shoes and cane at home.
Monday, 13 March 2023
1:25 PM 3/13/2023
All side seams are sewn, #8 through #12 are piled
neatly on the handwork footlocker, and #7 is
ready to pin the elastic casings.
I did a little work on #8 while waiting for my
breakfast to cook and the washer to wash.
It's roomba day in the parlor, so the footlocker
(which is on a dolly) is in the living room. So
is the rocking chair and the biggest window in the
house, but it's nap time.
I note that the beta pair is noticeably faded, and
the old pair is still paler. I hope that isn't
the same yellow used on the quilting fabric I
bought to make a summer jersey from. [30 August
2023: It is. One washing and the tops of the
sleeves are strikingly pale.]
Not to mention my yellow-linen jersey. It's past
worn out, and still bleeding.
Tuesday, 14 March 2023
12:23 PM 3/14/2023
All ready to pin the waist casing on #7, and my
hem gage has vanished. But when I searched this
file for "card", the account of how I made it was
the third hit, and it took only a minute to make a
new one.
1:45 PM 3/14/2023
#7 is in the drawer. I had to re-arrange the
drawer to get it in.
Since it is nap time, I was very careful to make
the bar tack in the back.
The violet bar tack looks black.
I've put the yellow cotton into the laundry bin;
must sort out the pattern pieces soon. The whole
pattern wall needs sorting, and the tags that the
indoor leaf blower blew off must be put back.
Friday, 17 March
12:40 PM 3/17/2023
#8 is in the drawer -- sans elastic, of course. I
wasn't sure what the gray bar tack was, and I
can't tell the violet and blue from black.
Perhaps when the light isn't so overcast it will
be easier.
Yesterday, I lost a lot of sewing time to vain
attempts to re-fill my phone, but when it finally
happened, I got it into my name instead of Dave's.
I'll phone first next year, instead of using it as
a last resort (as it's intended to be).
Spent most of this morning neatening up the
Banner.
I commented out the to-do list because it was
cluttering up this diary, but I'm going to un-
comment it so that I can read it when I don't have
access to the source code. I'm not going back
into DOSBox now because I'm hungry. Will do some
hand sewing that's already laid out and doesn't
need thinkum.
7:12 PM 3/17/2023
Sewed double-ended darts into my blue pedal
pushers to close up a couple of rips I tore
yesterday when pulling them off my knees during
evening exercises. Then zig-zagged over the torn
edges and an old repair that was coming undone.
I'm going to need new summer old pants real soon
now.
All the tears are in the left leg. I think that
the thighs of my pants get worn when I'm typing,
but both elbows are on my legs right now. Perhaps
I take the left elbow off more often?
Checked that ROUGH61.HTM is on the Web. I'm going
to try editing it in situ with Notepad -- there's
an error to correct -- to see whether a disaster
happens.
I lost some stuff the last time I tried that.
Better make a fresh back-up of PAGESEW before
beginning.
10:24 PM 3/18/2023
Looked over zippers at Lowery's today. Bought two spools of cotton thread, 3400 and the gray above it, 3630.
I should have looked to see whether 3400 came on 600-yd spools.
Sewed down some seam allowances on #9.
Resumed writing in ROUGH61.HTM. Notepad seems to be working.
Oops, haven't made a fresh thumb drive.
Allowance-securing has evolved. Instead of leaving a centimeter of thread flapping, I hide it under the allowance, and I begin right next to the seam and stitch toward the edge at a shallow angle, so that the end is in a place that doesn't catch any stress.
re-wash yellow calico
Stitched near the torn edge of a pillowcase to return it to service two inches shorter than it was.
Sewed leg casings of YD #9.
According to the receipts I just copied into Quicken, I bought khaki and dark khaki thread on Saturday.
Did a major grocery shopping in the afternoon.
Put #9 into the drawer yesterday and started pinning #10 after my nap today. Since I didn't want to machine while hungry, I started the other leg before turning back into a cook. There appear to be plenty of pins to finish the job.
This morning, I sorted out the pattern pieces for my cotton jersey, and neatened the patterns west of the drop cord in the process.
Then in the middle of typing this, I dug out the scraps of black linen I used for the yellow linen jersey, and disarranged all the pattern pieces without actually trying them on the black scraps. In putting them back, I hunted all over for #9, finally went to the freezer to find out what it looked like (I'd left the list on the freezer after determining that all the black pieces were rectangles -- and failing to note that not all of the rectangles had their measurements on the list.)
It was the back pocket, and I'd already hung it on the nail.
I'm pretty sure the largest scrap is long enough to cut the facing for the back pocket -- or should I call it a binding, since it covers both sides? That means that it is also long enough to cut the back casing.
The sleeve casings will be narrower, since I have determined that putting in more than one round of elastic makes the wrists too warm.
I can cut out all the black pieces before ironing the yellow cotton.
Still pinning the second leg hole in #10. I stopped and marked the front pattern to have a little wedge added to the seam allowance the next time I use the pattern. I grabbed the first red pencil I saw, which was a non-working iron-on transfer pencil.
Later on I brisked up an old eraser on a lightweight block of concrete (that was passed off as a pumice stone), erased that mark, and re- marked on the correct end of the cutting line. I was rather surprised that erasing worked. But this is tough corrugated cardboard, and is a bit lighter in color where I rubbed it.
I should re-test that iron-on pencil the next time I have the iron hot. Even a common wax- crayon pencil should iron off *some*.
It's after noon, and I haven't spread out the black linen and the patterns on the freezer yet. Gone take a nap before using scissors. Or a cutting wheel; these are all to be cut along drawn threads.
Definitely nap time. I puzzled over "black line" for a while before realizing it was a typo for "black linen".
I have an appointment for 10:15 tomorrow, and plan to stay out all day.
Later: twenty-four minutes before time to start making cornbread. Used up all my time making a map, packing the bike with a change of clothes, and so forth.
Dast I sew the leg holes when I'm hungry?
7:00 pm
I dast. Sewing the second leg casing used up precisely all the bobbin thread, and re-filling the bobbin used up precisely all the remaining time.
The "facing pattern" that I thought had fallen down among the computers when I got the woven-jersey patterns down was lying in front of the sewing machine. It says "Back/neck patch/2 September 2005", but doesn't say what it was a patch for. I put it back on the brad it fell from.
By the time I finished breakfast, it was lunch time. I figured the first thing to do today was to iron the cotton I washed last Sunday, but decided to finish the veil that has been cluttering up the ironing board first. Took a while to select twill tape for the hangers, but the veil, band, tape, veil I want to copy, and pins are on the footlocker now.
On Sunday, I also washed my windbreaker for the first time in its life. It came out looking so fresh and new that I hated to roll it up and put it in a bag to carry on the bike on Friday.
adjust elastic in wrists of
windbreaker Yes, the elastics are loose,
but when I wear the windbreaker, I pull its wrists
over the wrists of my gloves.
Darning needle-cut hem won't take long, and there is black thread already on the footlocker. Moved turtleneck to footlocker so I wouldn't forget.
sort out pattern for summer
jersey Did that a while ago.
Found and deleted another copy of "adjust elastic on windbreaker wrists."
Find writing mitts A
while back, they turned up on the floor under a
shelf where I was making room for some
uncatalogued children's books.
Darn needle-cut hem on black mock
turtle -- finished that this
morning. I baseball-stitched some of the
side seam too.
Getting the black embroidery floss out of the resistor-code kit took some doing.
In the process, I made a new floss winder. I made nine marks three-eighths of an inch apart on one edge of an appointment card, leaving two eighths on each end. Then I used another appointment card to mark air-erasable lines across the card, and used a hole punch to make a notch at each end of each line.
This spacing calls for rather more precision in the use of the hole punch than was deployed. I haven't used the card yet.
After finishing the shirt, I marked YD#10. I made the marks horizontal to make it easier to center them. Somehow I had it in my head (it *is* almost nap time) that the black floss was the one that would repeat, and put the black bar on top. I'll also put the brown and the red on top, saying that I put the bar with more information in it in the more-conspicuous place.
Perhaps I shouldn't sew the waist casing of YD#10 before lying down after all.
I *meant* to make pinning the new veil the first chore when I sat down, and measured the old veil before throwing it into the washing machine, but there is no glycerin on the trunk, so I did chores that required what was already there.
Evening:
I noticed, when putting clothes in the washer that the waist casing of the briefs made from a black scrap and a white scrap was coming unstitched -- but only on the black half. That seems rather weird. Before I put them in the drawer this evening, I lengthened the stitch on the Necchi to 4 (four what? I thought it was millimeters, but twelve stitches on 4 are only three and a half centimeters.) and mended the casing with the ecru thread that was on the machine.
Later I fetched the kakhi thread and whipped a side seam that was starting to come undone on striped jersey briefs W. I still haven't noticed any difference between the purl-side out crotch liner and the knit-side out crotch liner.
And just now I sewed the waist casing of YD#10. This exceeds the capacity of the drawer; I must look around Big Lots for a bigger dresser during tomorrow's Sprawlmart tour.
elastic on cotton tights -- I'm
wearing those tights at the moment, and have been
wearing them frequently. There is no
tendency to fall down even though the elastic in
the waist is significantly longer than my waist
measurement.
Anything else on the to-do list I can strike off?
Nope. I really ought to get with "hem up black print skirt one inch"; I'm wearing that skirt every Sunday because of its huge pockets. I decided that it's silly to spend a lot of brain power trying not to wear the same outfit twice in a row, and might as well wear the most-comfortable clothes I have every time.
In the forties, one *owned* only one Sunday dress. At least growing children did. Each time I got a new dress, it was my Sunday dress until I got another, then it was a school dress. I don't remember how that combined with not being able to wear a garment more than one season before it got too small.
new veil
To make the band stretch the veil, I simply pinned the corner attachments with the veil stretched and the band relaxed. And pinned the tapes slanted out a bit.
This version is completely reversible, something not possible when the band is twill tape. It was rather difficult to get the tapes between the layers of the band until I got the idea of holding them in tweezers. I pinned the end tapes on top of the band, traced around them with air-erasable marker, and poked them in. Now I must stretch the band firmly while sewing, lest the stitching draw it up.
I've set up the card tables in the parlor, and the yellow cotton (still not ironed) is on it. Also a Smokey Bear bandanna that I want to iron while the iron is hot. (I've no idea how I came by a Smoky Bear bandanna that says "Always give matches to an adult.") I'm wearing the dirty-work shirt I need to press a couple more patches on. (Just got up and added the torn linen jersey to the pile to be ironed.)
Got all that ironed, including the shirt I'm wearing. Left the fabric draped over the ironing board to cool.
Mark black "wool" pantyhose feet
I discovered, when they were laid out flat, that the reason I've been having trouble putting them on is that the toe seams are at almost right angles to the direction they should have been sewn. I arranged the marks to keep the ribs straight and let the toes crumple.
I realized, as I was tossing them onto the high shelf atop the sandals I mean to wear to church, that I can't wear tights or long stockings next Sunday. (The two weeks that I have to keep my sore exposed will be up the following Sunday.) I think I'll wear my velvet pants under my skirts; they are long enough to cover short socks.
I used the needle eye first to make the marks. I just now took two Altoid boxes of needles out of the embroidery-gig backpack to remind me to hunt out a fine tapestry needle to add to the resistor-code kit.
Right now, it's past time for my nap.
Evening: 7:20 pm
In one of the boxes, three #26 tapestry needles were right on top. Tapestry needles must have a different sizing system than sharps and crewels; they look about the same diameter as my #7 embroidery needles. At that diameter, blunt or not doesn't make a lot of difference, so I expect I'll still be using it eye first, but it's easier to thread than the two embroidery needles already in the resistor-code kit.
I wound the black thread that had been in the needle I used to mark the tights onto the new card. I should have made fewer notches; the spaces between are almost too narrow to make a thread-holding slit.
When I cleared the ironing board this morning, I found the original waist-casing measure on the floor under a paper that had fallen off a pile that is still unsorted from the flood.
I did some work on the new jersey.
Wore the new veil yesterday. I should have stretched the band a little when I stretched the veil; the veil is hard to pull down over my glasses. I intend to move one of the tabs in a quarter inch. The tabs aren't quite symmetrical.
I got the old pillow-case ends off the ironing board today. I tore a strip off the seam side of each one to make them fit my little feather pillow, hemmed the ends, and sewed the side seam. In that order. They are too worn to be worth a fussy pressed-open-seam hem -- and the sloppily-made hem is easier to fold, since I store my pillow cases inside out.
Drew some threads for my new jersey.
Noticed that I was cutting badly and went to bed — about two hours late, but I didn't sleep. Got up after three-quarters of an hour and planned supper: Boston Market "steak" and potatoes with chilled harvard beets and frozen broccoli zapped under shredded cheddar seasoned with a teaspoon of ranch dressing and half a gram of butter.
I hope I get away with skipping back-ups tonight; I'm too stupid to do it right.
Sadly, the seam allowances of #11 have been sewn down.
On Sunday, Dave's new sweat pants were unexpectedly delivered a day early. We don't know what brought on a delivery on a Sunday, but I made haste to cut six inches off the legs so that Dave could wear them Monday morning.
Yesterday, Monday, I added Velcro to the pockets so he could carry his keys. It took all afternoon, but there was nothing to it once I stopped being clever (I'm not sure just what I was doing) and just sewed the fuzzy side with its edge touching the edge of the hem, and sewed the hook side with its edge the width of the hem from the seam.
I basted around the edge of the fuzzy side, far enough in that the machine stitching would miss it. The hook side is hard to push a needle through, very stiff, and the hooks grab the thread, so I sort of made an unsecured bar tack at each end, making a few long stitches in the general neighborhood of the same place.
The edges of both fuzzy and hook are raw. I don't know what that will do to long-term durability, but with any luck, he won't wear them much.
There was much less hook-and-loop tape in my "Velcro" box than I thought. Most of the black was glue-on with bad glue, and there was little left of the half-inch white after I cut a couple of three-inch pieces.
One of the times that we took the three-wheel walker out of the trunk today, there was a roll of McMaster-Carr black one-inch hookside on the floor of the trunk, and neither of us had a clue as to how it got there. It did look familiar; I think it has been in my Velcro box before, and since it's McMaster-Carr, Dave must have bought it.
Well over twenty years ago.
Sometime or another I drew the thread separating the back from the scrap destined to be small pieces, but felt too stupid to cut. Went into parlor to cut it, realized I was too stupid, but noticed that the thread separating the waist casings from the main piece had been snipped, went out onto the porch (Yay April!) and drew it. I cut the thread every few inches.
Sat down to read funnies, saw striped shirt with the needle-cut hem and the machine halfway through threading with kakhi thread, hey I've got time to do that. Wound bobbin, threaded machine, started looking for the slit that needed to be zig-zagged, found it on one cuff, realized that it needed to be basted to keep the curling edges flat, might as well baseball-stitch it by hand, did, looked at other cuff and realized that the only way to repair this shirt is to cut the ends of the sleeves off and make new hems.
Which I could do tonight, but cutting when I'm so tired that I had to do back exercises halfway through folding and putting away the briefs that I washed today isn't very bright.
Zig-zagged a small slit in the front of the left thigh of my brown pants, and a weak spot in the darn of the three-cornered tear. The kakhi thread in the machine (for the interrupted old- shirt repair) is less conspicuous than the white thread I used for the three-cornered darn.
I need new old pants.
And some time to sew. I need to buy groceries tomorrow; I'm trying to list *everything* so that I won't have to go again soon.
Spent over two hundred dollars. Got too tired to write.
Cut and pinned sleeves while waiting for my turn to use the car.
Sewed sleeves, wearing shirt. It won't last long; all the seams are needle-cut.
But the new sleeve-hems look good. I should find all my universal needles and give them to Jeanie. If you use a knit needle where you should have used a universal, the worst that can happen is that an occasional stitch is out of line by the width of a thread.
I cut off the back rectangle. It refuses to fold flat, so I basted the straight-grain edges together. I should have basted all three sides.
I started stitching down a seam allowance of YD#12, which I carry in my go bag.
The whole morning to sew!
I machine-basted the crossgrain ends of the back rectangle, and still couldn't make it lie flat. I stretched on the true bias, straight grain, cross grain, and corner-to- corner. Still wrinkles. Finally I decided that I was going to cut only around the edges, therefore it needed to line up only around the edges, and proceeded to nip a dart off at the waist and cut a corner off for the sleeve hole. (The rest of the sleeve hole is on the back yoke.)
Also cut the front belt casings. I selected the pattern trunk as a place to pile the cut pieces. The back, back pocket, and front casings are now on it. Then I felt too stupid to cut rectangles for the other pieces.
Drew a thread to cut off a rectangle for the sleeves. This was not facilitated by receiving three very important phone calls while doing it.
I went hunting for my name tags today, and discovered that my roll of crochet hooks is in the wooden box exactly where I thought that I had put them. I presume that I didn't pull stuff out when I was hunting for them before.
Finally I can mend the crocheted rug!
If I remember where I stashed it.
The new jersey is progressing slowly. I cut the front and one of the front yokes today, but did not mark the notches and dots -- I took a short bike ride during my intelligent hours.
Took out YD#12 in the waiting room, found that I'd woven a needle into it the previous time, pulled it through, sewed down some edge with whipstitches, discovered that I was sewing one more layer than I had supposed, picked it out, and was about to wax the kinks out of the thread when DH came out of radiation. So I wove an unthreaded needle into the seam allowance and put it away a step behind where I'd taken it out.
Remove binding from yellow mattress-pad
blanket
When changing the sheet this morning, the dangling binding on the top layer of my mattress pad aggravated me one last time.
It was a simple zig-zag in monofilament thread, so not *too* much trouble to take out four sides of a king-size blanket.
The thread is a bit finer than I remember "invisible" thread being, so it was a bit difficult to get started most of the time, but once started I could pull out feet of it. It was surprisingly easy to break, but hadn't broken in use -- it was the slippery-fiber fabric that failed.
The fine thread and the ravellings of the binding were hard to let go of. This improved when I brought the kitchen wastebasket to my handwork station beside the big window. (Too cold to work outside, and I wouldn't want to let synthetic fibers fly away in the wind.)
The revealed lint needs to be washed out, but I wanted to get it back on the bed before nap time, so I settled for a few minutes in the dryer.
Soaked the removed binding in a bucket, spun it in the washer, and draped it over a rack. I don't think I'll find a use for it, but one can never tell.
Drew a thread for the new jersey. I needed that porch-sit; I couldn't rest at nap time today.
Sewing a black snap on black fabric with black thread isn't the best possible waiting-room project, but I put the raw-silk jacket-shirt in intending to wear it, and put the size B sewing silk in as an afterthought.
I don't appear to have added the loose snap to my to-do list; I just hung the shirt over the back of the rocking chair I expected to sit in while repairing it.
Bag is packed for waiting again tomorrow, but all I'm taking is YD#12 and a novel.
10:03 PM 5/3/2023 tore dirty-work pants during evening exercise
10:05 PM 5/3/2023 need to sew another snap on black shirt before
I can wash it.
I put the silk thread back in when I noticed another loose snap when putting the shirt on, but I didn't have time to sew -- they let me attend the interview.
Later I noticed something yukky on my sleeve, and that snap must be tightened before I put the shirt through the washing machine. And it's the only solid-color overshirt I've got.
I began this morning by zig-zagging — awkwardly — over another slit in the front of the left leg of my dirty-work pants. Past time to select an old pair of store-bought pants and add a knife pocket and a cell-phone pocket.
Most of my store-bought pants are bicycle tights. I also have sweat pants, but I already have a pair of dirty-work sweats; I need something for warm weather.
In the morning, I got a much-needed porch sit while drawing a thread to cut a three-inch-wide strip off the black linen. It was possible, but not easy, to pick up a thread by holding the work in the shade over sunlit concrete while selecting a hole to put the point of the seam ripper into, then moving it into bright sunlight while picking up a single thread.
Then there was the problem of cutting along the line. Putting a sheet of white paper under the translucent two-sided craft mat didn't help in the least, despite a very bright lamp. After spending some time muttering about light tables and how I couldn't drafting-tape a cutting mat to a window the way I used to do when I was tracing embroidery patterns, inspiration struck and I tried balancing the two-sided mat on the crossbar of the parlor window -- where the top bar of the lower pane lies over the bottom bar of the upper pane -- and it stayed put nicely. I held and stretched the fabric with one hand and held the rotary cutter in the other, and cut it very neatly.
Then I Froogled light tables. After that, translucent folding tables. One of the images that came up in that search looked very like the little table I snitched to hold cut pieces while I was cutting out the yellow cotton, so I put a flashlight under it, and I *could* see the light through it. A bright lamp under that table might be just the ticket, and nothing to stash away and forget where I put it.
The flashlight didn't show at all when held under my green cutting mat, but the tiny mat is bigger than required for cutting along threads.
In the afternoon, I sat with my back to the westering sun, and found it very easy to see the threads, so I cut whenever I noticed that the thread was particularly visible, and got two more threads drawn with little trouble. That makes four strips, and the last one just might be long enough to cut two sleeve facings, so I may have one left over.
I had something more to say, but it's bedtime and I've forgotten what.
Found another slit in the dirty-work pants while undressing last night. At least I didn't tear it bigger by tugging on my pants to expose my knees during exercise.
The kakhi darns are much less conspicuous than the white one.
I saw a "Cut 'n Press" mat at what looked like a garage sale, with stuff displayed on tables and a bunch of people sitting around a card table, but there was no sign, and no clue as to what they wanted for anything.
I was a bit borderline as to whether a cutting mat with an ironing pad glued to the back was useful enough to justify the house-room it occupied, and the price would be increased by the trouble of bringing it home, so I didn't inquire.
There was lots and lots of sewing stuff on display, including a whole table of fat quarters, but since nothing was for sale I didn't paw through it.
This morning, there was a bit of delay before I could get dressed and leave so I sewed up the slit in my dirty-work pants and zig-zagged over a wrinkle that wanted to be another slit.
Also sat at the keyboard a bit.
And folded up my capri-length linen jeans and put them on the handwork pile. They are loose in the waist and need some more hook eyes sewn on.
All dressed up, and the service will be over before I get there.
11:36 AM 5/9/2023
Sat down to thread the Necchi to sew pocket hems for the jersey, and discovered that I'd sewn a dozen briefs with the thread I bought for the jersey. Fortunately, there is most of a spool left, since I had to buy another. So I took the scissors, needle, and thimble out of the bag that I'm keeping with YD#12, put them into the bag with the brighter-yellow thread, and put everything right back into my go bag, since we have an appointment for this afternoon.
On the bright side, now I don't have to wind a bobbin. I think the paler yellow is better for the briefs anyway; the cotton jersey fades rather quickly.
Sewing done early in the morning -- well, not too early; we didn't get up until nine.
Washday is so late that I had to finish YD#2 before I could dress. I have only scraps left of my cord elastic, but there were two pieces I'd removed, presumably, from HCJ#1/#2 when I discarded them. They had stretched to 34", so I snipped half an inch off each end of one and put it into YD#2 -- and then said "Dummy!" while tying the knot.
I should have trimmed the ends *after* tying the knot. I'm sufficiently annoyed that I intend to finish YD#3 right away even though I'm planning to ride to Lowery's this afternoon or evening.
Then I threw the shirt I was wearing into the wash, so I'm halfway through mending the corner of the pocket of my other short-sleeved dirty-work shirt. I interrupted that to do some garden work, but I think I'll go back and finish before pushing the cultivator around in the hot sun. The long-sleeved shirt I'm wearing is *black*.
It was eleven before I finished breakfast, but I did finish separating the three three-inch strips.
Not easy working on a window that was just a bit too high, and I took several time outs, but clear half an inch, cut half an inch moved along reasonably fast. But I'm looking for a light box the first time I can take an all-day shopping trip. I'd prefer a translucent table that I can put a lamp under, and use for something else instead of stashing it and forgetting where it is.
I was puzzled that I'd thought there were four, but when finished, I found that there *was* enough to cut another strip, but it would be only fourteen inches long and the shortest strip I require is fifteen and a half.
Finally scored two five-yard packages of round-cord elastic. There won't be much left after I get around to elastic-ing ten pairs of briefs.
Did I lose ten days to sciatica? Finally finished reading Jigsaw Assassin, but can't go to the library to get another book.
I had to zig-zag another tear in my dirty-work pants before I could dress this morning. I really need some new old pants. I don't think there is anything suitable in the closet, and I can't shop until I can stand still.
I also got the back-pocket facing and the belt casing cut out, but the pain was too distracting when I started to measure the sleeve facings, so I took two aspirins with lunch and went to bed.
DH is using the ladder to put up a trellis, and though my leg says I can use the KikStep to plug in the iron, my head says "don't trust it".
So I've finally sewn the snap back on my black raw-silk shirt, and can wash it.
⁂
HCJ#3 orange is in the rag bin.
Lunchtime: striped briefs W is back in the drawer. The tops of the side seams and some of the adjacent casing were coming unsewn; I overcast all -- without a thimble because I forgot it and didn't want to go back into the house. Only a couple of times I actually needed it.
I haven't noticed any difference between W and R. I think maybe all wrong side on the inside looks better, but with a dozen pairs recently assembled, I'm not apt to remember that opinion when I make more.
I've been in dire need of new "old pants" for some time; today I realized that I can add a pocket to my mostly-cotton capris.
I seem to be well set for warm tights.
&&link&& The new jersey is proceeding slowly, but I added some token stitches today. For the umpty-bumpth evening, I hope to be undistracted tomorrow.
11:17 AM 6/6/2023
add closure to keep papers from falling
out of Dave's tricycle bag
This was unexpectedly easy: I found two stick-on dots in the Velcro box and he did the job himself.
I wonder where they came from? I never buy stick-on stuff.
The dots are white. All the remaining hook and loop is black. Two ((heating pad) belt) extenders in the box are light gray.
Strike the strike: after turning the covers back this morning, I found one of the dots stuck to my finger. We have no clue as to how it got into the sheets. The tricycle was next to the bed so he could use it to get up.
At least it should be easy to get the dots off and start over. I'm not crazy about hand-sewing velcro to the bag.
Hmm . . . my next remark belongs in the diary for my new jersey.
10:10 AM 6/7/2023
Strange: my largest black snaps and my largest silver snaps appear to be the same size, though the silver ones look bigger because of the sparkle. I looked to see whether they are the same nominal size, and couldn't find size indicated on the card anywhere. The only difference between the two cards is that the fine print in the upper right corner reads "80-4-1" on the black one and "80-4-65" on the silver.
[29 July 2023: I later learned that "4" was the size of the snap, not the number of snaps on the card]
12:22 PM 6/7/2023
I put a #8 sharp into the bag with the upholstery thread. A much larger needle is already there.
1:07 PM 6/7/2023
Got half the snap tape sewn to the tricycle bag with thread that was two inches too short and now I need a little lie-down.
10:18 AM 6/10/2023 -- while hunting for the name tags, I discovered that I have a spool of good linen thread.
7:39 PM 6/11/2023 -- found the name tags, put pocket scraps in new box 5
When setting up to sew a half-inch seam -- I'm attaching two major parts, yay! -- I realized that I'm still using the zig-zag needle plate, and need to measure to the needle, rather than to the hole.
The oversize hole works just fine with slightly-stiff fabrics, and I don't expect ever to sew with fine loppy fabric.
I was sure that I was very careful to make sure the light is turned off whenever I leave the machine, but when I started to sew a quarter-inch seam this evening, the light was unresponsive.
In addition to working on a href="RUFFTEXT/ROUGH061.HTM#25Jun2023">my new jersey today, I ironed the white linen poncho shirt I washed this week.
And now I'm about to shorten Dave's new pants three inches.
Bedtime:
The bobbin thread broke when I was halfway through sewing the second leg. I don't think I've ever had that happen before. No discernible cause.
My khaki thread matched perfectly. Bummer threading the needle when the light was dead; the flashlight worked — eventually. Needle sparkled too much in the blue light.
Still have to rub the blue marks off with a damp rag, but that's best done in the morning.
Sat down to sew a 5/8" seam in my new jersey, and found that the tape marking 5/8" had completely worn off the needle plate.
I don't use commercial patterns much.
Evening: I seriously, seriously need that dead headlamp. I thought I could take the one off the White, but it hasn't got one. I vaguely remember taking it to put into my go bag and discovering that a headlamp for close work was quite hopeless, but I can't remember what I did with it after that.
So I can't work on the jersey until after I get to a store I can't go to when I have no jersey to wear.
And I just broke a needle trying to work by flashlight.
At least I've got more needles. But I'd better buy a back-up packet; there is now only one #11 in my needle box.
Before suppertime, I dragged in the floor lamp that has been illuminating the card tables, and it works pretty well -- but when working in front of the sewing machine, I keep thinking "awk scrickle -- I'm running down the batteries in the sewing- machine light!".
The damage from the broken needle is small, and will be hidden inside a flat-fell seam.
⁂
I can rotate the floor lamp to shine directly on hand work. I may not be in such a tearing hurry to buy a new sewng-machine light.
Light seems to work better for threading the needle when coming from the back as well as off to the side.
⁂
Raw Notes
Really-Raw Notes
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