Whistle while I work

Today I hemmed towels and listened to my public radio station. My governor (DeWine, R, Ohio) spent a good deal of time explaining how he and Ohio are handling the Covid  19 emergency. Most is common sense: school cancelled for three weeks, gatherings in excess of one hundred people banned, and so on.

I learned from the broadcast that instead of doubling in five to eight days, Ohio's cases doubled overnight, from five to eleven confirmed cases. I learned from my newspaper, the Cleveland Clinic has developed a test with a twenty four hour turn around, and expect to refine it to a "drive through" test. I love the Clinic.

And I thought, today I may as well take pictures to explain how I convert the length of weaving to towels. I've posted pictures of the yardage going through the washer and dryer, to be fulled. Then what?

Melon yardage, waiting to become towels. Next step, measuring against my scientific yardage machine,

A yardstick. I've drawn a line at 24 1/2", the unhemmed length.

This was not easy; I need two hands for my camera. But, you get it.

I nick the edge with scissors and pull the thread I've cut.

I find the other end of the thread, and carefully nick it.

I pull out the thread, leaving a line I can see to cut. This is the most accurate method of cutting accuracy.  It is "the straight of the goods".

I cut along the straight line, then fold the cut edges in to protect them, for the time being.

I stack the cut towels and keep on cutting. Then, I turn on the serger and start the next step:

Securing both cut edges with the serger's overcast stitch.

I do not cut them apart; both ends are secure. I toss each behind the serger and sew the next towel.

Then I pick up the entire pile, dump it behind the sewing machine, and begin hemming.

One side of the towel has a wider serger stitch, the other a narrower. I fold down the larger, then the narrower, and stitch across, 

inserting the care label. Because I am selling across state lines, and internationally, I must declare content and care.

I changed label suppliers. I was so excited about having an extra line after the machine wash and dry business, I put in the most exciting thing I know: all the weaving thread comes from North America. The first time I sat back and admired one, I realized I'd totally left out All Cotton. 

So please buy these towels so I can reorder labels that are correct! Melon towels are on the shelf!

I also believe I've not mentioned the new "Good Ideas" page. It now says, With the purchase of two towels, you may have all the scraps accumulated in the corner, if you want them and let me know. This is subject to that good old "first come, first served" law of the universe. I will cheerfully cancel any order placed in hope of scoring scraps that already left the studio.

The current scraps are periwinkle, cream. kiwi, deep rose, plum, and a tiny bit of melon.