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Friday, April 24, 2020

A lot of day for one day

Days have drifted slowly, somnambulant, looney, like sleepwalking these couple of months. Since our governor shut down my state, the only touchstone of reality is trash pickup. I do a little or a bit, or nothing. I talk to my neighbor, my sister, my daughter. I go to the mailbox, for the weekly collection of junk mail.

I did hope the crisis would end junk mail. There is a perceptible lessening, but alas, it remains with us.

Today I took the black and cream off the loom, to begin the end process.

First it goes to the serger to secure the cut ends. I put the end under the presser foot and began sewing--without lowering the presser foot. Decent words will not describe the mess I had. With tweezers I commenced removing the threads jammed solidly in the throat plate and around the presser foot.

The I began rethreading the machine, leaving to the end the one needle I swore I never would unthread, the one inside, behind and threaded from back to front. I got to it and could not get it threaded. I called my sister. No answer. I tried for another hour, and then my memory shouted, you need a bridge cleaner!

I called my sister again; she has the same serger and surely would have a pack of bridge cleaners. No answer.

I checked Amazon. I would pay expedited delivery to get them tomorrow! I'm not kidding you, bridge cleaners are not a priority for Amazon, which proclaims to have rearranged shipping priorities to get what is needed the most out the soonest. No bridge cleaners before June.

I called my drug store. Try to make a twenty something understand! Finally I moaned "You certainly aren't even old enough to have a bridge!" I refined my description as I delt with several more drug stores. It's a mono filament line with a loop on one end to guide under a tooth bridge for cleaning.

My doorbell rang. My gentleman neighbor across the way told me someone he did not recognize was driving through the park, hoping to find me. He offered to stay, in case it was an unsavory character and I might need rescuing. But I said I was fine and went to the street, and met someone who introduced herself as an old customer.

She knew I lived in the park because I'd mentioned it, and she knew if she asked enough people she would find me. She wanted to buy towels for gifts for an upcoming wedding. Lovely. I brought her into the studio and she left with four yellow towels for the bride and a kiwi towel for her kitchen.

My sister called and yes, she only yesterday found an old box of bridge cleaners in the drawer of one of the old studio sewing machines. She would bring it over after supper.

At the end of my day that had flipped from nothing to overflowing, Jan knocked on my door and yoo-hooed. "It's me and here are the bridge cleaners."

And I immediately responded, "since you're here, will you rethread that last needle. You know, the one threaded back to front!" And she sat down to do it. Bridge cleaner in hand, she turned it this way and that, trying to see how we used to do it. Then she said,"We have the same machines. Why doesn't this have a slot in it?"

Mechanical whiz that she is, she pressed this and pushed that, trying to make something move to get at the needle. And then she found the tiny switch that opened the top of the threading space in that needle so the thread could just be dropped in. Flip the switch, close the hole, job done.

She played with the cat for a bit, and went home. I secured the ends of the fabric and sent it through the washer and dryer. Towels tomorrow.


Tomorrow will be a little more busy than most days.



42 comments:

  1. I like that an old customer of yours was tooling around the park looking for you. I am sure that the bride will be happy with her yellow towels.

    I'm neither a young'un nor old'un, but an in between'un and I sometimes have difficulty in making myself understood when speaking to a 20-something. Oh, and nevermind cultural references from 'yesteryear' unless it's on Youtube in heavy rotation.

    Be well. x

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  2. Here every day feels like Saturday. The calendar is pointless.

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  3. So nice that the lady tracked you down to buy towels. I know the bride will loe them. I haven't tried to order anything yet from Amazon but I did note that they are prioritizing deliveries.

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  4. Today I received my bias tape I ordered weeks ago from Amazon. The package is good for two masks, so I guess I'll do two more pleated ones. I ordered a borosilcate measuring cup over a month ago and have not see hide nor hair of it. The tracking number is worthless. Wonder where it is and if I will ever see it.

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  5. All's well that proceeds well. Brava!

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  6. I have to say how much I admire you for being able to thread that serger! I finally sold mine--used it very little because threading it was such a chore and I have an attachment for my Bernina that sews and trims just like a serger. No idea what ever possessed me to buy an actual serger. Toys... LOL

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  7. It is better to be busy some of the time instead of not busy all of the time.

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  8. All's well that ends well. Enjoyed reading this on my birthday. Take care and best of luck with everything tomorrow.

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  9. I didn't know those loops had a name. I hate threading that one too. My serger is now 30 years old and doesn't get used as much as when I first got it and used it to clothe three small boys. They are the best for finishing edges. Always enjoy reading your blog.

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  10. I love that your old customer went hunting and tracked you down - which improved rather a lot of days - hers, yours, and the lucky bride.
    And hooray for having a tacky job done and dusted.
    Love that black and cream material too.

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  11. I hate the kind of day you have described! When I get it in my mind that I need something to take care of a problem now I will run in circles trying to make it happen. It wears a person out! As of last December I do know what a bridge cleaner is since I got my first bridge. I didn't think about the possible uses in the sewing room - thanks! I'm glad you got it worked out. The black and cream fabric is beautiful!

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  12. I do wonder how essential it is to get mail. I can't remember the last time I got something of importance in it. Glad the machine got threaded and job done. Each day I have to remember what day it is. It all seems like one long Saturday.

    Betty

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  13. Huzzah! Threading a machine needle has now become a real struggle. Oh, for youth and new eyes.

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  14. Wonderful to have that accomplished before the day ended. I've never had a serger and still use my mother's 1940s sewing machine for whatever I want to do, which is not that much....And how cool that your old customer found you and got the towels she wanted for the bride and for herself.

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  15. I've done the same thing on my regular sewing machine, but not for a long while. I just don't sew anything anymore. Hooray for sisters with bridge cleaners.

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  16. Hari OM
    topsy turvy - but interesting! How wonderful to be tracked down like that - AND get a decent sale out of it. Well done to Jan for the thread rescue. The B&W towels are very smart! YAM xx

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  17. I still get junk mail for the previous owners of the house, though they moved out 11 years ago! I guess some companies never purge their mailing lists.

    So now I'm acquainted with bridge cleaners - you learn something every day!

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  18. What a day!
    That is an interesting tool..I reckon you could find a lot of uses for it!

    That black and white is stunning..it's surprising how different colour combinations make the same weave pattern look different.

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  19. How nice there is a neighbor that protects you.

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  20. You do live in a nice neighborhood.
    Taking apart things, figuring them out can be a major hassle requiring special treats as reward. I hope you do something nice for yourself.

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  21. You sound to have had a good day Joanne, Here in self isolation Joanne no one is allowed over the threshold. If anyone calls at the door they must stand two metres away as we chat and anything which changes hands has to be put down and then totally disinfected before I pick it up.

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    1. We both had masks and were a room length apart. She left the money on the table. We laughed about it.

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  22. I am glad that your sister was able to help fix the machine. As for the reduced flow of junk mail, I have noticed that too, but I suspect that it will ramp right back up again when things get back to normal, in whatever form that might take. We get our biggest volume of such dross on Thursdays when an entire package is delivered to the door in a plastic bags. It all goes directly into the recycling and is never looked at. Same for stuff that comes in the mail. I suppose that overall the advertisers feel that it is effective, otherwise they wouldn't keep doing it.

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  23. After weeks of nothing the junk flyers are arriving again - Mother's Day is coming up soon!

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  24. Youngest Daughter reckons that delivering junk mail at 14 helped her break into the job market after she left college. HR always seemed to think it showed initiative and determination … she'd only wanted to buy more clothes!

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  25. Our weekly delivery of community and flyers has most certainly diminished in size. Last week, nothing came. This week there wasn't much more than the newspaper.

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  26. Our junk mail has doubled. This is because pizza outlets are trying to make a killing from captive families.

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  27. What a day!
    I can still thread my old Singer but then again, it's pretty easy. And honestly? I had no idea what a bridge cleaner is.

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  28. I think my eyesight has been improving. it used to be I could not see to thread my machine and I would have to get one of the grandkids to do it for me. now I find I can do it myself. plus, I don't always need my glasses to read in the evenings. I don't know if books are being printed with larger type or I can just see better.

    I always wondered how you managed to cut the towels and get them seamed without them unraveling. now I see you serge it before you cut it apart.

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  29. When you mentioned a bridge cleaner, I thought it was some sort of equipment meant for your loom. Only later when you described it, I realized what you meant... and I have those! Never knew they had a name, but you are right, they are bridge cleaners! Glad you got your problem solved.

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  30. Who knew bridge cleaners have another use? Learn something new every day!

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  31. After the thread party you had, I would have just gone back to bed! My serger bit the dust many years ago and I did not replace it. I don't miss threading it!

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  32. Maybe you should mark that little doodad that opens the needle for threading with a piece of masking tape or bright red nail polish or some such thing, so you can find it the next time. Even better would be if there was no next time and it stayed threaded forever :)

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  33. You were lucky to see so many people! We aren't allowed to let anyone in our house, not even family! I'm glad your sister had a bridge cleaner, whatever that is! :D

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  34. You really must get out more Joanne.

    LX

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  35. It is a lot of Day for One Day isn't it, almost every Day during Lock Down!? Time blends more now for me and I am missing going to Work and my Co-Workers, even tho' I was down to part-time Work I enjoyed it tremendously and the extra income to supplement Retirement was really helpful. But there are quite a few Positives too, so I'm appreciative of those changes that are good ones for me.

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  36. Wow -I might have been inclined to toss it all in the street and jump up and down on it for a while. Certainly was a full day!

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