March ended with a flurry of projects. As soon as I got home from my 4-day trip away, I put my head down and concentrated on Mom's April banner. I'd heard her reading the March banner to herself several times a day, so I added words to April's as well.
I was very pleased to have it done and on her walker by the 3rd--the earliest I've gotten one of these completed!
When I returned on the 5th (I take Tuesdays 'off'), it was no longer on her walker--a puzzlement in itself. While she napped, I looked around her room and in all her drawers, then extended the search to the community areas in her facility. I finally found it (a bright purple corner tipped me off) in 3 parts and buried under a large book on an end table by one of the couches. I don't know if it was Mom or someone else (probably Mom), but the 2 embroidered interfacing panels had been pulled apart from each other (as well as the double strip of interfacing ironed between them), and one had been pulled completely off the banner. It was a simple mending project and while I was sewing the bottom edge of the torn-off panel down to the banner, I extended the stitching along the sides and top as well. No more pulling apart of pieces!
Tuesday (my 'off'? day) was spent cleaning my bedroom from top to bottom, from dusting on a ladder to shampooing the carpet (30 years ago I'd've been breaking out the maxi pads as well. I always got uber creative or clean-y during those times I was 'a woman fully growed'. Now I'm a woman 'over growed', but the cycle characteristics still seem to pop up monthly). Wednesday through Friday were spent mostly at the computer (save for the 3 hours I spend with Mom), and by today my right knee was voicing its negative opinion about all that forced sedentariness. I wondered why 3 straight days of mostly sitting would cause my knee to freeze up when I've easily spent that much time in my studio without issue. This morning spent in that studio revealed the difference: I do a LOT of walking when I'm supposedly 'just sewing'!
It's felt like a prep day today. I cut down a bunch of the scraps from April's banner, put away some stuff that had been piling up on the cutting board, then tackled the mending of a pair of jeans. I managed to catch the frayed knee on a resident's wheelchair and tore an honest-to-goodness hole in them. I have some denim circles cut from a previous project, so those made nice-sized patches to work with.
The 18" x 2+" strip of cutting mat is left over from one of The Loud's projects. There are two of them and they're a great size. I find myself grabbing and using them constantly. One of them is in the leg of the jeans so I can easily pin down the patch.
Getting the patches sewn down was the last job I asked of my little Janome Jem today. She's a workhorse, that's for sure! There's only about a 6" throat to her, but I'm willing to work within those limitations. "Be more stubborn than the machine" is my mantra for a good reason!
But what was I prepping for today? April's pending reveal!
I don't remember what's under that coffin top lid. I do remember that I bought it from a Facebook Marketplace listing several years ago. I don't do Facebook (and have the T-shirt proclaiming as much) so was blissfully unaware of its Marketplace, but I have an enabling friend who does.
A cursory glance revealed the first thing I'll be fixing: one of the clasps at the side of the base (on the other side is the locking mechanism, so these are crucial to keeping everything closed and secure).
That is a very effective umbrella you have there. My sewing machine is currently in the dining room and the ironing board in the kitchen. It's not a long walk but I make it every five minutes or so, if I'm actually quilting then I have a timer on my audiobook because it's easy to sit too long and have my neck complain.
ReplyDeleteI like to think a strong gust of wind blew it out of some hapless person's hand.
ReplyDeleteI was working with headphones on the entire time I was at the computer (making learning tracks for a song the chorus wants to learn quickly) so perhaps that drowned out my personal alarm system: cats who want some attention (get up! Get up now and amuse me!)
Do you have specific designs for the walker bags already in mind or do you let the muse advise you as you go? I tossed a worn-at-all-the-edges 6" acrylic ruler into the recycling bin, feeling mildly guilty about not having a good way to use it. I've used cut-up worn-out cutting mats for tote bag bottoms but they are heck to cut. (You probably have a nifty cutting tool (heavyweight scissors, even) to make light work of that.
ReplyDeleteSee, that's the thing: they're not bags. They're just 2 layers of FPP blocks (back to back), so there's nothing thick about any of it.
ReplyDeleteAs for those 2+" strips of cutting mat left over from The Loud's project, I have no idea how he cut those or even where the finished project is! Had it been me, I'd've used my metal shears.
My old acrylic ruler is with my gardening/landscaping stuff. It's a nice thickness for when I want to increase the distances between pavers beyond my existing tile spacers.
C