Day I

It was day I of the new regimen and when I stood back to look at the two curtains I hemmed, as well as the floral shorts I altered - I was pleased. It wasn't easy but I spent the necessary time measuring, remeasuring, and measuring again just to make sure things were in place and in the end it paid off. Nice.

Singer Featherweight

My first order of business was to get acquainted with my mother-in-law's Singer 221-1 Featherweight sewing machine. As far as machines go, the Featherweight was a dream. It was simple to thread and operate with only the bare necessities in terms of features. It held none of the frustration associated with newer, plastic, machines and their array of useless, rattling, parts. It was easier to keep slippery polyester in place and the stitches were small, neat and aligned. Even the back-stitch feature - which inevitably leaves me with a gigantic knot under the fabric - was simple to execute and left not so much as a pinhole or loose thread. I have to get one of these for myself!
Next came the shorts. They were a practice run and as usual I dove right in and began sewing. Of course at the end of the first row of stitches I was left with something lopsided and awkward. I removed the stitches, ironed the fabric and began again with much better results. The shorts are now fitted to me exactly. Really nice.
Finally The Curtains Part I. I measured them, ironed them, measured them again, ironed them again and then measured once more just to be sure. Even my usual sway of stitches turned out neat and in line.
At the end of the day the lesson I learned was patience and to set reasonable goals for myself. Rather than assuming that I could knock out 4 panels in one sitting, I decided to do only 2. It took me as long (or longer) to sew the 2 as it would have taken the old me to sew 4 but in the end, the knowledge that it was done right was worth the extra time.
Tomorrow I will finish the other two curtain panels and if I feel up to it, will make a pattern for the other two windows. The pattern for the windows will be considerably more difficult than a simple hem - consisting of making a curtain rod slot with a ruffled top edge, side seams and hem. We'll see...