Monday, monday

First, the BIG news: That cold front from Canada is pushing into the area.

HUGE THANK YOU ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 😍🥰😍

And so we go from 100 plus to low 80’s (or from over 40 to 20’s).

The Not So Good News is the heat seems to have migrated over to dear U.K. and European regions. That is seriously NOT a Good Thing. 😾 🤬 😾

Opened my curtains (thermal blackout fabric to keep heat/cold out) for the first time in almost two weeks. See here, here, and here for more information on blackout cloth and some photos.

An update on mending…

I dug out my book on mending and discovered 12 pages on mending knits. TWELVE pages! At the very end I discovered another suggestion, which seemed more practical (meaning a lot less hassle than reweaving).

Deciding that cotton embroidery would be too heavy for this light weight knit, I remembered ribbon embroidery and did a quick search for some books at the library. Nada. 😳

Then I remembered I had a book on ribbon embroidery from ages ago (1995). Surely I hadn’t tossed it out…

Nope, found it and started working through the endless bits of a large unsorted collection of ribbons and laces and such. Spent lots of time pulling out bits of lacy stuff and placing on green knit. Just for effect, you know… and didn’t like any of it.

I did manage to find two ribbons that might look okay, then wondered if I had enough for the repairs.

Time to get serious and count how many holes there are:

• 3 on back right shoulder
• 1 on back left shoulder
• 2 on lower back toward center
• 11 on lower front right

Uh-h-h.

I think a lot of the joy just left . . . . .

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off topic: survive extreme heat

see difference between right & coated wrong side

Reading Karen’s post over at Did You Make That? reminded me it might be appropriate to do a post about insulating fabrics available on the U.S. side of the pond.

Karen includes a delightful vlog about her latest Liberty purchases. It left me drooling with envy . . . but that’s another story!

(To read my earlier post about curtains, click the photo on the left.)

Here are some suggestions, from make-up to general health. Please feel free to add your own, too!

Adding to my list with your suggestions, Lovelies. . . . .

❤     ❤     ❤

• “…if people are designing and building new houses in hot climates (or adding to an existing structure), high ceilings, verandahs and overhanging eaves make a huge difference.” from jennyrecorder
• “One of the many good things about old French houses is the shutters. I’m usually very British about it and have them all open all day every day but in the heat we’re having at the moment, they are staying closed.”  from tialys and she adds, “…[her house has] Very thick stone walls – which also help of course.”
• From Jen: “… ditch the polyester if you can and live in lovely rumpled linen or other loose weave fabrics… Oh, and don’t forget about hats!”
• In extreme heat go s-l-o-w.
• Don’t wear anything too tight or too long. You want air to circulate between clothes and you.
• Caffeine & alcohol take moisture out of your body. Even if you don’t indulge, sip cool water continually to stay hydrated.
• Use fans or air conditioners.
• Carry a fan in your purse & use it!
• When outside keep to shady areas.
• Revive parasols! If you have to be out in the sun unfurl your prettiest brolly (umbrella) and make your own shade.
• Wear lightweight make-up & sunscreen if you have to go out.
• Use lightweight moisturizers on face and body.
• If you use a facial toner, stick it in the fridge before using.
• Be prepared to gently rinse & damp-dry your face, neck, arms and legs periodically. Let the cool water evaporate naturally to cool your body.
• If you sweat heavily, give your physician a call and ask about salt tablets.
• A water-filled spray bottle cools everywhere. Just be careful of any clothing that might unintentionally be on show if wet. (Undies showing through damp clothing is not a good thing!)
• Stay out of hot crowds if you can.
• Don’t let sunlight in through windows – a darkened interior is a cooler interior, particularly with a fan circulating the air. If you don’t have insulating drapes on windows consider making some. They help in hot or cold weather, and deaden street noise.

Need I remind you this is not the time to cook a roast or a bake a batch of scones?

Fabric resources:

• Roc-lon makes Blackout cloth. In the U.S. find it at Joann’s 
• 3M Thinsulate is insulation for coats, etc., in cold weather. In the U.S. find it at various small fabric stores (The Rain Shed, Vogue Fabrics, etc.)
• Polartec® makes many different kinds of fleece with wind-proofing up to 100%. In the U.S. find it labelled as Polartec® and also at The Rain Shed.

One more thing… How many times have you gotten a call from a friend and known just from tone of voice something was wrong? Everyone’s voice is extremely sensitive to stress.

So if you notice your voice starting to get raspy, pay attention! That’s the signal your body’s not doing well.

How do I know? Aeons ago in a galaxy far, far away yours truly taught voice/speech, but those  stories are for another time . . . 😉

Stay safe and sane, Lovelies!
☀️ ☀️ ☀️

looking up from inside the cool

As many of you know, the South and Midwest of America is “enjoying” some heat extremities.  Thank goodness for air conditioning, and insulation, and refrigeration!

Looking upwards yesterday, from my darkened cave of a sewing area, I spied my curtain insulation fabric.

Now’s the time, I thought, to get it cut, sewn, and IN PLACE. So I did.

What I’d forgotten was I’d gotten some new-to-me fabric via the Internet, and had purchased enough for only one of the two windows.

Thinking one’s better than none, I went for it.

I could feel the difference immediately!

All sorts of weaves & varying R-valued (insulation ratings) fabrics are loosely called BLACKOUT FABRIC.

Even Joann’s has some, if they’re not temporarily out. And it is washable. 😉

Also submitted for this week’s Photo Challenge.

serged off unraveled edges

laying it all out

serged edges trimmed from properly cut hem edges

simple hanging thermal curtains that match the ceiling’s crown molding

 

more on thermal curtains

Click to go to Lauren’s Posting
Photo Copyright Brian Cleckner

Since much of the U.S. is having the worst Winter in ages, and since I just read & watched some neat videos by Lauren Guthrie, former Great British Sewing Bee semi-finalist, thought I’d share with everyone.

My post about emergency curtains was about a month ago, and those makeshift fleece pieces are still in place.  However, here’s the right way to do thermal curtains.  Once I can decide on fabric I’ll be working this same process.  😉

However, Lauren did a lot of hand sewing on her curtains, which I won’t be doing (Bernie, my Bernina, would be terribly upset).

The general process used, fashion fabric + thermal lining + outer lining, is familiar to anyone who’s sewn a winter coat.

Managing all those loooong pieces of fabric requires a lotta space.  Even feeding the fabric through the machine can be a chore, and extra hands are sure welcome.

Looked as if Lauren had a huge table to work with, and plenty of extra hands, including her husband, Ayaz, to help with the hanging up bit.

Isn’t it nice to see Lauren’s smiling face and hear her lilting accent again?

What do you think, Gentle Readers ~ how do you do thermal curtains?  Or haven’t you!

extreme weather

safety pin cushion at the ready, trusty ruler, & fleece ~ teensiest bit of rod shows at right edge of curtain

Decided yesterday morning, since the temps were falling faster than Newton’s apple, that remedial assistance was needed for my huge, single-paned, floor-to-ceiling set of windows.  Yep, the ones that already have sheers and thermal fabric over them.  And blinds.

They now also have a 30 minute set of no-sew thick fleece curtains.  Yeeha, does that deaden the traffic noise! And it’s also keeping the place warmer and helping my heating bill.

Easy-peasy solution: I’ve had 2 remnants of green fleece hanging around, waiting for me to figure out what to do with them.  Light bulb moment: Instead of going out and spending $$$ trying to find heavier curtains, why not  pin the fleece to some spare adjustable rods sitting in the closet. and slip them right between the sheers & the thermals?

So I did.  All it took were 2 handfuls of the hugest safety pins I had, and 2 spare tension rods.  You could use straight pins, but I figured safety pins wouldn’t scratch if I had to fiddle with them too much.

It does leave the place darker.  But I wasn’t opening blinds or curtains anyway, to keep the cold out. Might even use them in summer, when heat starts climbing.  Then it’s important to keep light out.  I should use light fleece then, as the dark green will absorb heat and that’s not what we want.

And the little scarf is finito, with a cute little row of fan-shaped edging in either end.  Wish I had more of that yarn, but discovered on Ravelry it’s no longer made, and no one there had more to sell..  😦

one edge

two edges