Today I will write extremely boring things… how to repair a bed linen and why our flat is untidy. I will give you every detail, so that you can use this post as a sleeping pill. I will bore you so much that your eyes will close involuntary and you start to drool. Just what we need in times of a pandemic: Relaxation 😂😂🤪
Here it goes…
Last week I already anticipated to be finished with my urbanite cardigan, but nooooooo!!!! It is still unfinished. The last meters of this project develop into a marathon and I am a sprinter: I may have thrown the d*** thing into a corner. Our flat looks as if a tornado of craftiness whirled through it (combined with folders and papers from home office).
There is this second sock for my husband – hardly believable but I honestly started it some days ago.
Then there is the huge bulk of the urbanite cardigan, with sleeves I constantly crochet, try on, unravel, repeat.
A pile of things to mend (e.g. bed linen I will tell you about in some seconds)
And as if I did not have enough flying around the rooms: I started to sew another blouse. This time refashioned from discarded men shirts (story for future blog post)
Oh and I forgot, I actually finished one item, but I cannot show it to you as it is a Easter gift for my mother, and she will look over my blog (I will either write about it after Easter or show it in our discord group)
Ok, back to the bed linen and why I repaired it. Both, my husband and I sleep on small rectangular pillows which are said to be good for your spine. These pillows need a smaller case than most German bed linen which comes standardized in 80 x 80 cm. All our pillowcases have this size and I fold the excess fabric weirdly around our pillows (hmmm should I sew them smaller; I just got this Idea?). The only bed linen set which is fitting is the one that ripped 😱. Besides the practical aspect I like its lime green color and the motive of big leaves which reminds me of a vintage décor form the seventies aaaaannnd (sorry for the long sentence) we bought it in Nimwegen during a wonderful holiday.
I know, this sounds like the perfect bed linen everyone wants to have, but even this heavenly cotton-creature has a catch, its closure. All of our other bed linen have either buttons or a zipper. This one though has an overlapping piece of fabric you stuff fold over. Works like sh**. Every time you move the fabric slips out and you wake up in the morning with a half-undressed duvet.
So, my two objects were to repair the rip and to sew buttonholes.
With the repairing I have done a so-so job. I only have two small squares of cotton fabric in my stash and both are not lime green. I have chosen the dotted fabric and I try to convince myself it looks artistically and special… 😂😂
For the mending I should have researched, but I did not. So, I fumbled my way with this long rip. The fabric of the linen was frayed, and it seemed as if it also got a bit wider because of this rip. I could not simply close the tear like a seam. Therefore, I folded the ripped fabric and sewed it to get a durable edge. Next step was to pin on the new fabric. I found this spectacular difficult and I have no real clue why: perhaps because the bed linen is big or because the tear and the whole linen tried to fold itself in strange ways… ? Finally, I sewed the new fabric in place. I hope this will endure my frantic nightly rolling 😂
Sewing the buttonholes was a piece of cake in comparison. I ironed on a small stripe of Vliseline (kind of glued interlining) and then folded the fabric and ironed again. I sewed the fold and then went to browse through my button stash and found these 8 green buttons (green seems to be not my favorite button color… I really had to search to get these together)
Then I sat down and prayed as I have only made buttonholes once with my sewing machine (you remember my brown winter coat?). I chose the right yarn, inserted the needle, changed the sewing foot and selected the buttonhole program and: screeeeeetch. I heard a high and unpleasant sound and my sewing machine did exactly nothing. I tried several times with the same result. I switched the machine off and on: Still the same gruesome sound.
I was perplexed. I clearly remembered how easy the first buttonholes in my coat were to sew. I consulted the instructions but came to no conclusion. I consulted them again and there it was: „Ziehen sie den Knopflochhebel bis ganz nach unten“ (it reads like „pull the buttonholelever to the deepest position“). But I could not find a description where to find this „Knopflochhebel“, no schematic no description only despair.
I guess you are by now properly asleep, so I will cut it short. After a tiny bit of searching (hours) I found a hidden plastic lever with arrows and a buttonhole symbol and I could pull it down. Exactly like it was written in the explanation. If there would have been a single photo that would have helped. 😱😱
Afterwards it was a breeze. I put the button into the sewing foot and this little Knopflochhebel determined the length of the buttonhole. In no time I had them finished. I so hope I do not forget this lever again.
There we are. I have my bed linen repaired and you are by now bored relaxed enough to fall asleep 😴 😴😴
Thank you @crosheille for initiating and @muscara, @shanibeer, @marblely for hosting the #needleworkmonday. If you want to see more beautiful projects with yarn, fabric and most of all needles, follow @needleworkmonday. Or even better grab your needles and keyboard and join the #needleworkmonday community.
Ohhh, if you don't have a steemit account and want to comment then hop to my Wordpressblog Bliss and Blisters and write me there.
I don't think your post is boring at all! :D I have the exact same problem with one of my old cotton bed covers and was having a grand plan to mend it during this partial lockdown. But my sewing machine couldn't take it anymore :( I have to wait until the lockdown is over before I can bring it to ICU. Poor lady. But polka dots is a fine choice for the arty ones :)
Ooo I love to see the machine working a button hole. But I was perplexed too when I first used it. Hahah. But it was so fun to see it at work once you get it work :D Now, I have forgotten how to use it again haha.
Ugh I remember your sewing machine problems and I feel with you. So annoying that it broke just now while shops are closed. I hope you can get it repaired and that it will not be expensive.
And a big yes to the buttonhole function. It’s like a miracle. My first machine did not have this function and it was complicated (for me) to sew a buttonhole... but now - wow. I just watch the machine do everything. Very convenient. TIll I got this never machine I did not know every ok machine (meaning not the super cheap ones like mine) is able to sew a buttonhole :-DDD I always thought its my missing skills that are responsible for me not getting a buttonhole done (ok... there are still
somemany sewing skill missing)Because of you I even mended pyjama pants with a hole at the legs.
You've reminded me of the repair jobs I have waiting for me ... 😊
SOrry for answering so late and doubly sorry to remind you of the repair jobs :-DD I always have a shelf in my cupboard with the repair pile and I try to not look at it when passing - does not work too good :-D
I pulled out the ripped jeans and wore them anyway 😂
Clever strategy!!!! You are my guru 🌈💕
I am not bored but awesomely entertained as usual :)
I'm glad that some people are being industrious, I'm having a great time being a sloth at home because my work never gives me any kind of holidays and I am treating this as one long unpaid leave. I managed to scrub ALL the dishes and utensils one afternoon and that's about it
Sorry for answering so late and I am always happy to hear from you and that you were entertained. But please do not think I am working and mending and cleaning and and and... I only write posts that let me look good. The reality is different 😂
And most of all life is so different for everyone. Because of my frequent migraines my daily life is not so different with or without corona crisis. I am mostly at home and try to make the best of the pain free time, the rest is „forced relaxation“ aka taking pain medications. So, I find it absolutely understandable that you use the time now to do things you normally cannot. I hope that you are ok (also financially, as I understood you are a freelancer) and that although the world is panicking you find some joy and fun (and honestly, cleaning and mending is no fun... at least for me 🤣)
Yes, only boredom takes us to places like mending 😁 I'm so sorry to hear about the migraines, have you been unable to find the cause? I had one once, together with an ocular migraine from muscle tension and it was awful but luckily that's not a regular thing in my life
Failing to get a good nap, I had a great time of fun with your post ! 😂
For a lazy that begins something and lets it unachieved, I think you are pretty brave to write such a detailed post on a (yes
a bitquite) rebarbative subject 😊 ...you succeeded in making it attractive and interesting,
I guess I had to convince myself that the repairing has any kind of fun or the linen would have waited forever to be repaired 😂
But I am happy you did not loose consciousness over reading and thank you for your lovely comment 💕🌺
Good strategy indeed to find the fun as a motor of action
I have to admit, #needleworkmonday is also a motor. It motivates me to read about all the lovely projects and I want to get something done, so I can write about it on Monday. Did I mentioned that I love this group? 😊💕🌈
So right about being boring and I had such a good time reading your post :)
This post has been appreciated and featured in daily quality content rewards. Keep up the good work
Please visualise me dressed as a bunny (Eastern is inspiring me) and hopping up and down. I am so grateful for your support and I hope you are well and have some wonderful days with your loved ones. Happy Easter to you (if you celebrate, if not I wish you a happy weekend) 🐰🌺🌈💕
Mending is hard work but so worth it when it works out! I'm glad you figured out your button thingy on the machine. I always do buttonholes by hand and it takes ages. XD
Buttonholes by HAND!!!!!???? I guess I would destroy the whole bedlinen/garment. I am so bad at hand sewing... its nearly unbelievable that I sometimes tell people I sew as a hobby (naturally I mean with a machine)
Cudos to you... wow... by hand 😮😮😮
I was totally afraid I'd ruin it the first time I did one, but I'm used to it now. It's just slow. :)