Hebe's Hobbies

... a simple braid and then a long length of hair ...

Hebe has been learning to sew on a new sewing machine. 

Hebe’s first sewing project has been to make napkins for me.

I do love napkins.

My favourite are the large linen ones that are placed on my lap during a cruise. 

My second favourite napkins or the over-large paper napkins, -- large and thick and I don't have to wash them.

I have only received napkins before from Mary.  Hers had African designs on them.

I  love everything about the picture Hebe sent me of her napkins: the colour red and the fact that she's mixed up plain napkins with patterned ones -- that is going to be a lot of fun for me. 

She told me she has been looking for some Harry Potter fabric, thinking that I would have fun giving one of those to Michael, but that fabric is all sold out.

I have lots of napkin rings to roll the napkins in: white porcelain bunnies for Easter, gold rings with bells and red ribbons for Christmas, green marble ones that have plenty of heft, -- all of them just waiting for these red napkins that will soon be in the mail to me.

Napkins required a lot of straight sewing and Hebe has been workin on these for some time.

She's even sent a video where I can see her sewing the long straight edges.

I can hear the sewing machine needle clicking as she carefully moves the folded edge through the sewing machine foot, just as I used to do.

... Arta's new napkins to arrive in the mail ...

I am sure her mother has not told her yet of the number of times person can put the sewing machine needle right through their finger as I did when my attention was misplaced. I can still feel the ache in my arm right up to my elbow. 

Hebe says that her next project is going to be a jacket for one of the American dolls. I replied, “I think it's easier to make a jacket for yourself than one for an American doll.

Much to my surprise, Hebe mailed me a picture of a McCalls pattern sheet of how to make doll clothes for the American doll.

I should have known.

I love those instruction sheets. 

My past use of them floods over me. 

My favourite method of keeping my spot on them, was to take a straight pin with a brightly coloured head, and prick it into the paper pattern at exactly the spot where I was. 

I studied this wonderful picture
for a long time, imagining myself with
a little girl, helping her to learn to sew.
Such happiness!

That way I didn’t have to keep re-reading the instructions, but could have my eyes pick up at exactly the place where I left off, via the head of the coloured pin.

I have to say that I love having the ironing board up and the iron still warm, the smell of that freshly pressed cotton which might have had a small spray of water put on it.

I've loved all of the tools that accompanied the art of using a sewing machine.

I don't know why I have so many tape measures. 

I can't remember buying even one but I am sure I could track down six or seven in my house. 

I even carry one in my purse. 

I like to wear a tape measure around my neck. I wonder if eve Hebe has tried that yet.

I think one of the most pleasant things that happened to me in high school was taking Sewing 10, 20 and 30. That may be because I owned my own sewing box -- one giant step towards womanhood. Now I had my own pair of fabric scissors ($$$), a tape measure, straight pins, different sizes of needles, a needle threader, a wooden point turner, beeswax, white chalk, a sewing gauge, and a red tomato pin cushion (with a small tomato runner attached), plus many colours of bobbins, already threaded.

High School. 

Latin as one option. Sewing as the other.

Arta