Swatches

Wednesday, 19 February 2025

My Hemp Woven Midweight fabric from Dharma arrived today.

I sat down at once to draw a straightening thread, to check whether this was a thread that's easier to draw before you wash it and fuzz it up, or easier to draw after you wash out the sizing.

I was quite pleased with the way it drew, easily, but not

Then I realized that I'd looked at the swatches, I'd felt the swatches, and I'd put a drop of water on each one to see how it wicked both before and after I basted them to a sweat rag, washed them in hot water, and dried them in a hot tumble dryer -- but I'd never thought of drawing a thread.

----------------------------------------------------------

I'm also pleased that the cuts are straight, and not slanted very much.

I'm planning to cut out a cycling jersey, put the pieces into a folder made from a large cardboard box, and make urgently-needed bras from the scraps. I got three bras from the scraps of four yards of linen no wider than this hemp the jersey before the current one, so I ordered five yards to be sure.

I'll probably make a do rag too; both my current do rags are very worn.

----------------------------------------------------------- Friday, 21 February 2025

I did get the hemp washed that night despite an unexpected visit from the home helper, but yesterday the scheduled visit from our case manager wiped out the morning and baking eighteen whole-grain white-wheat flatbuns occupied the afternoon. But today: the whole day, no appointments, no cooking! I cleared off the ironing board (which took no time thanks to my habit of storing the leg board on it), ironed my flowered shirt, and was about a quarter into ironing the hemp when the phone rang: our taxe papers were ready for pick-up.

The iron was still warm when we got back, but I was so tired that there was barely time to bake frozen fried chicken before suppertime when I woke up from my after-lunch nap.

I didn't used to get tired so easily. And there were more hours in a day.