Nemesis and Hunt The Thimble

  This photograph makes me laugh with it's unlikelihood.  The kitchen table.  The Iron and the Sewing Machine together in one shot, (and a Basil plant).  I got the ironing board out today and the dog ran away.  That is how accustomed she is to me ironing.  I think the ironing board is older than me though and it does open with an ominous creak and clatter.  I can count on my fingers how many times I have used the sewing machine and I have managed to break a needle already.   I have decided this machine has to be called 'Nemesis'.

         I had the brainwave that 'Napkins' for my trusty 'Picnic Basket' would be a good beginners project to teach myself how to sew.  With the help of the foolproof diagram that is actually printed and numbered in sequence on the machine, I can 'remember' how to thread her up.  Sometimes I could just lie down and quit at this stage though.  Threading a machine/needle can be as lucky as a 'hole in one' and then there are times when you really would think it would be easier to get 'a camel through the eye of the needle'.  I think I may need an eye test, threading a needle is getting increasingly challenging over the years. NB:  I have found the light!  On the sewing machine.  It makes threading the needle a lot easier! Tut!

 These fat quarter bundles found their way into my basket. I thought sewing 'napkins' would be 'a breeze'.   The penny has finally dropped about 'sewing'.  Measuring and ironing can outweigh the actual sewing part in time consumption.  Nobody told me that!  I spent hours measuring, pinning and pressing a 1/4 inch double hem on each napkin.  (I don't even know what quarter of an inch is as I am fully decimalised).  Ironing can be quite good fun when it is in preparation for sewing and the material is pretty.  Work clothes and school uniforms are almost impossible to iron.  Nemesis is allegedly capable of sixty different stitches, I am still at the stage of praying for mastery over just one of those stitches.

I would like to be able to show you six completed napkins, I really would.  This 'simple little napkin project' is dragging on a bit now.  I am not brave enough to machine sew the trim on each napkin.  It would be futile to try as I cannot even sew in a straight line.  The trim is to hide the 'bad bits' on some of the napkins on the others the 'bad bits' are already sufficiently disguised.  I decided Napkin No. 1, needed to be 'double trimmed' with ribbon and ric rac.  The ribbon has the white stitching already on it which kind of gives the illusion of some straight lines to the napkin.  Hand sewing never entered into the plan at the the start of this simple 'learn to use the sewing machine' project.  I really needed to use a thimble to help me sew through a double layer of trim and a double hem.  (Ouch, one finger is still recovering).  I found my silver thimble that was my grandmother's 21st Birthday present.  In fact it is my only thimble.  It makes sewing a lot less painful but much more awkward.  I think my grandmother was born in 1902, so it is an old and much loved thimble.  I last saw it a couple of days ago!  I found Euan wearing it. I took it off him and told him it was very old and I would not be happy if he lost it. I have not seen it since.  We are on Half Term break here for the week and today will include housework, a 'game' of 'Hunt The Thimble' and hopefully some more sewing later. . .
XXX