Nov. 28th, 2008

lblanchard: (Default)
I start my Christmas season on Black Friday every year, but not by venturing out into the carnage that is retail. Instead, I unpack a modest number of decorations and change my door and window wreaths from autumn to winter.

I'll do that in a little bit. Right now, I'm recovering from a bad case of Thanksgiving Toxicity (my entire system is vibrating from all that sugar and salt!) and trying to steel myself for one of the day's tasks. That would be beginning to sew the gift aprons. The first step is always the hardest, and I've done just about all the prep. The pieces are cut. The supplies and tools are assembled. The sewing machine is set up. The bobbin is wound with the proper color thread. The double layer of towels is on the kitchen counter and the iron pulled out so that I can fuse the interfacing.

All that remains is to put a piece of fabric under the presser foot.

So far, I've blocked two doilies, consumed three cups of coffee and 40 oz of water, looked at all my political blogs, washed all the upstairs dishes, and cleaned up after the cat. Perhaps I'll go make myself an omelet next.

UPDATE, 11:03: I've starched four more doilies, maybe five (I forget). I've ironed on the interfacing. I've discovered a couple of things I could have gone without discovering:

  1. My eyesight has deteriorated enough that I cannot thread the needle without removing the presser foot so that light comes through the eye of the needle.
  2. I have forgotten what all the glyphs on the dials mean and I have no idea where the book is.

Nevertheless, I have threaded the needle, adjusted the tension, found the correct stitch and stitch length, and sewn two short seams. Time for lunch!

Oh, and I discovered that the last time I used the flat no-steam iron was when we made grilled cheese sandwiches the Benny and Joon way. There are burnt butter stains on the towel.

Bike ride

Nov. 28th, 2008 04:57 pm
lblanchard: (Default)
I haven't been on one for a deal of a while. Oh, I've hopped on my bike and run errands, but I think five or six miles has been my top ride for some weeks.

Today I pulled on two pairs of pants and went up and down the river drives, for a total of twelve miles. By the end, I was tired, and the cold had made me very stiff, and I had a little trouble getting my bike up the steps and into the house. Roy offered to help but I was determined to do it myself.

I decided it would be prudent to postpone my run to the PathMark until tomorrow. So I've worked another small wee bit on the aprons and am now in the process of turning the fourth apron string right side out (not my favorite job but then nothing about sewing is my favorite job these days). I'm wearing a bit of an improvised apron myself -- a towel with some bits of bias tape safety-pinned to it. It makes a nice warm apron and it catches the cat hair now that Ferko has decided to be a lap cat.

I'm almost warmed up. Tomorrow I will ride again and it will not be so hard.

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