A Lena Sunday
Today I was set to sew on the actual binding to the Folk Art Quilt. I had tried out several seam widths yesterday. There is no end of trying and learning when it comes to sewing. I am always up to a challenge.
Many of my friends sew the binding on the right side of the quilt, turn it over and then finish it by hand hemming it to the back of the quilt. It’s not because I can no longer do the hand . . . of much of anything, I feel the hand hemming does not hold up to use. When mom, Lena, was in the nursing home in Buffalo Lake, Elvera wanted Mom to have a really nice quilt on her twin bed. She always had wonderful quilts on her beds wherever she and dad had lived. It was many a time that Elvera brought needle and thread along to the nursing home when she came to visit. The tugging of the quilt or perhaps the fact that the quilt was laundered so often, the hand stitched hem needed repair.
When I hand off a quilt, I intend for it to used. The stitching of the binding with the sewing machine is very durable. Tug away! Today I hemmed the quilt with the prepared binding in place sewn to the back of the quilt first. My goal was to have the appearance that it was one time under the needle to attach the binding to the quilt, front and back. With consistent seam allowance, front and back, I would say “Mission Completion.” Stopping and starting the stitching to allow for the free flow of the quilt as it needs to feed under the needle . . . still a bit of a challenge. Each time I stop sewing to make sure the heft of the quilt is not pulling at the needle, it allows for a bit of unevenness in the goal of a very straight line showing on the top of the quilt. Not to worry, there will always be a next time to hone my skills.
It felt like a Lena Sunday, as the only radio station that would come in on my vintage portable was KNUJ-AM out of New Ulm. Lena would have that station on all Sunday afternoon as she sat at the kitchen table darning socks. Dad would catch a nap on a Sunday . . . Mom darned his socks on a Sunday. I did get the quilt hemmed, but at three in the afternoon, I was polkaed out, and the radio got turned off. Oh the bliss of total quiet in the house.
As it gets colder out, that “total quiet” is hard to come by. My sewing studio surrounds the forced air furnace in the basement. I have always thought that our furnace is way too noisy. Tough tittie. The Watson boys say it is what it is. Small space and the furnace is running at what it was intended to do. Suck it up!
Have a great, cool weekend. This is my favorite time of the year. I hope it lasts until Thanksgiving.