Sew & serge a fast face-mask out of a 10 inch square and a 2 1/2 inch strip

A few years ago I cut much of my stash up into pre-cut sizes, so I have a bunch of squares and strips all ready to go. Maybe you have some too, or some left overs from collections to use.

Using a serger makes this extra fast, especially the ties! I don't use the serger on the side seams, as I want them to be extra strong. But if your serger will do extra-strong seams, you could serge the side seams too. 

If you don't have a serger, you could stitch the mask top and bottom edges 1/4 inch under; and for the ties, you could fold the strips in thirds and zig-zag them.

One-quarter inch seam allowances are used. The casings for the ties are one-half inch, as you will see below. In the instructions, I say "sew" when the seam is done on the sewing machine and "serge" when it's done on the serger."

Choose a ten inch square and cut it in half.

Sew two of the short edges together, right sides together, being sure to back-tack at start and end of seam. Don't sew the other end,

Serge down each of the two long edges (single layer of fabric), shaving off just a whisker as you go.

Trim off the serger thread tails and then sew the other two short edges, right sides together, again being sure to back-tack. Turn the piece right side out and press.
 

Referring to the red line in this photograph, sew a box shape going around all four sides of the mask: use a 1/4 inch seam allowance at the top and bottom (long sides) BUT be sure to sew 1/2 inch away from the sides. This creates the casings, so be careful not to sew across the top and bottom of them. Strengthen the casing seam by back-tacking on both ends.

You could choose NOT to sew the top seam, but to leave it open in order to insert a filter, if you have some.

Choose one of your 2 1/2 inch strips and cut it in half lengthwise, so you have two 1/1/4 inch strips.

Iron them in half lengthwise, right side out.  Serge the raw edges together, shaving off a whisker's width as you go. Trim off the thread tails.  I usually pink the ends too.

Use that very high-tech sewing accessory, the safety pin, to insert one tie through each casing, knot the ends of the ties.

And done!

I am not going to post a picture of myself in one of these masks because I have not had a haircut in about 10 weeks!

Guntram G. Bischoff, 1927-1988

Because when you search for this man's name on the Internet, there should be at least one picture of him to find.

Dr. Guntram G. Bischoff

A professor of religion at Western Michigan University, Dr. Bischoff was a brilliant scholar, wonderful teacher, kind man, and a much-loved friend.

This photograph appeared in the front matter of his book, Letters to America: Translated, Edited, and Retold, published posthumously in 2001.


(Slightly altered from and so with apologies to e e cummings)


out of the mountain of his soul comes
a keen pure silence)such hands can
build a(who are like ocean patient)dream's

eternity(you feel behind this man
earth's first sunrise)and his voice
is green like growing(is miraculous like
tomorrow)all around the self of this

being are growing stones(neither awake
are goddesses nor sleeping)since he's young
with mysteries(each truly his more than
some sixty years through which that memory strolls)
and every ours for the mere worshipping

(as calmly as if guntram bischoffs
occurred with any ticking of a clock

Present Ruth meets Past Ruth for lunch at the Dairy Queen

Today I was out shopping and I stopped at the Dairy Queen on Cork Street for lunch. It was starting to rain hard. Part of me wanted to drive straight home--I'm 60 and my knee was hurting--but my 23-year-old self was calling me inside.

I used to eat at this Dairy Queen once in a while for a treat, in 1980 when I worked as a bank teller in one of those little glass and brick kiosks for drive-through check-cashing. (The same glass and brick kiosk that my branch manager told me I was not allowed to leave the day the tornado went by it, but that's another story.) There were many businesses nearby, some very large ones, and on a triple-pay day with Social Security checks hitting, we might go through a quarter of a million dollars in one day.

It was hectic at the bank. You worked hard and you could not be back late from lunch--even if someone made you late leaving for it. But if I could leave my window exactly on time, if I could turn left on Sprinkle Road without much delay, if I could safely run any yellow lights, and if the service was prompt.... I could eat an almost-tranquil lunch at the Dairy Queen.

So I went on in and sat down with myself there. 1980 Ruth had ordered a hot dog with catsup and mustard and French fries--and a beautiful large frosty Tab, which I was jealous of. I stopped drinking cola ten years ago but still crave it sometimes. I ordered a chili dog and fries--hers were thicker than mine--and a glass of water. I slopped some catsup on my sweatshirt; she was wearing a white silk shirt and pale grey Levi Bendovers and was being careful of them. She had on pretty earrings, very pretty shoes. So I casually got out my Kindle and enjoyed her perplexity at how easily I carry one thousand books with me everywhere I go.

But it wasn't really a competition. She knew, silk blouse notwithstanding, I was feeling very sorry for her. I know she hates her job and that she never has much spending money. I know she misses college, she misses learning things that aren't accounting-related. I know she has seven more years before she finally gets to leave that soul-destroying bank, though she won't spend much more time in the teller window.  It will be a long while before she finds her dream job at the library--a library! I know she's jealous of that.

But she has advantages too. She's a newlywed. She gets to spend Christmas with our parents--her mom and dad are still alive. They come and visit her and our husband; they play poker and pedro; they go on vacations to the U.P. together. All that has sadly vanished for Present Ruth.

She asked me, trying not to be in too obvious a hurry, if I had any advice for her. I could see in her face she hoped I did, that she hoped I'd learned something.  And I have. I've learned everything I need to know. And one thing I know is, she doesn't need advice--she is doing everything exactly right, even though she doesn't know it. She is learning all the things I draw on every day, all the things I need her to learn so that I can be who I am right now, more comfortable with myself than she is with herself, but absolutely dependent on her. I smiled my most encouraging smile, hoping she hadn't noticed that our two front teeth have grown a little apart again after she was so proud that they had grown together.

She had to rush back to work. She ducked through the rain to her blue sedan as I strolled unperturbedly though the rain to my blue sedan. I saw her laughing at how deliberately I was taking my sweet time. She knew I was doing it for her.

Meet Rebecca Jane

Rebecca Jane is a Singer model 27 with the "Pheasant" gold decals and a serial number that points to a 1904 manufacturing date.  She is named for her first owner, the grandmother of a friend who sold her to me as part of his mother's estate. I am so happy to have her in my home and am looking forward to the adventure of restoring her and using her to sew many wonderful things.

McCalls 2123 View D Coat, plus a baby quilt

The View D coat has been on my Habitica do-to list all summer, but quilting took precedence for a while, first to finish my Craftsy Block of the Month quilt and then to make a baby quilt for a neighbor's new grandson.

So here are Tammy and Misty, who wear the coat very well, straight from the pattern with no alterations.

Originally I bought this pattern because I wanted to make the coat out of plaid wool. That would be difficult, needing a lot of fussing with the pattern, adding turnings and facings.

In felt it is very easy to make: all cut in one piece, except for the collar, which lays flat to cover its own seam; and the belt, which is just top-stitched in place. For style there is a pretty kick pleat in the back.

View D is shown with a felt hat and boots, also to be made of felt. 1960s felt must have stretched more than today's does, because this hat does not fit. I thought of re-designing it with four gores instead of two, but there are so many Barbie hat patterns in the world, it doesn't need doing immediately.

The boot pattern is very unusual: it is cut all in one piece, including the sole, and all the seam allowances are on the outside ("public" side) of the boot. Someone was really thinking outside the box when she designed this! Unfortunately I couldn't make it look good at all. Looked like the doll had cardboard boxes on her legs.

If I were going to design a boot pattern, I'd make it out of swim-suit material--that would look shiny like a nice 60s vinyl boot, and would fit closely to her leg. But not today--maybe after the wedding dress is done. Still have that to go!

And here's a wee look at the baby quilt I made. My neighbor had bought the print fabric to make table runners for the baby shower. Afterward I offered to make a quilt out of them.

This design is from the book Sew, Slice, Spin, and Sash by Theresa Ward. Hers is a simple concept--just cut fabric strips, sew them together in one long strip-set the whole desired length, then cut them "block width," Then you just turn every other column upside down before adding sashing and sewing together. So you never have to work with blocks as such. But I couldn't do it that way: my print fabric was "one-way" and had already been cut to smaller widths. So I ended up making blocks anyway.

Medallion quilt top finished!

This morning before work I put the last borders of my medallion quilt on. This is the 2016 Crafsy block of the month quilt designed and taught by Lynette Jensen of Thimbleberries. I have admired her style of quilt design since the first ones appeared, and this one has been so much fun to work on.

At this chapter in my quilting story, I had really pretty much stopped making any quilts. I had been knitting and making doll clothes and even starting to sew garments for myself again, which I hadn't done much since high school. But this design was obviously such a good design to use up my scraps and stash, and the monthly presentation seemed so do-able, I just couldn't resist.

And while I was working on it, I slowly started becoming interested in quilting again. I fished out all my rulers and templates, went through my books, watched a few more Craftsy classes, started listening to a quilting podcast....got fired up again.

I'm learning about machine quilting on a home-sewing machine, but I think this one is too big for me to handle as a beginner. So I'm hoping to send it out to be quilted on a long-arm machine--we'll see! Either that happens, or it will remain just a top for a long time!

My very own book display!

The library where I work is doing a series of displays of various staffers' favorite book picks--and this week is my week! I can't describe what a great feeling it is to walk through the lobby and see so many of my favorite books all together!

Here is the list of titles--for me to remember always and for anyone else who is curious.

FICTION

Baker, Nicholson              The everlasting story of Nory

Burns, Olive Ann              Cold Sassy Tree

Bynum, Sarah                   Ms. Hempel Chronicles

Dallas, Sandra                   The Persian Pickle Club

Gaskell, Elizabeth             Cranford

White, Bailey                    Quite a year for plums

NONFICTION

Book Lust to Go: recommended reading for travelers, vagabonds, and dreamers  / Pearl

Why do clocks run clockwise? An Imponderables Book / Feldman

Why don’t cats like to swim? An Imponderables Book / Feldman

On Looking: eleven walks with expert eyes / Horowitz

Find the Good: unexpected life lessons from a small town obituary writer  / Lende

Tasting and touring Michigan’s homegrown food / Beeler

The Hundred Dresses: The most iconic styles of our time / McKean

How the Post Office created America / Gallagher

The Story of English in 100 words / Crystal

Etymologicon / Forsyth

Founding Grammars / Ostler

Dawn light: Dancing with Cranes and other ways to start the day /  Ackerman
Hunt for Vulcan / Levinson 

The Cloud book: how to understand the skies / Hamblyn

Collecting rocks and crystals: Hold the treasures of the earth in the palm of your hand / Farndon

Last Chance to See / Adams [author of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]

Attracting butterflies to your garden / Tampion

Mend it Better / Roach

Hand mending made easy: save time and money / Ides

Alice, Let’s Eat / Trillin

Art before breakfast / Gregory                

Microcrafts / McGuire

The stick book / Schofield

Yellow Owl’s Little Prints / Schmidt

Little Ribbon Patchwork and Applique / Title main entry 

How to read literature like a professor / Foster

The Ode Less Travelled / Fry

Art and Love  / Title main entry

Ink Trails: Michigan’s famous and forgotten authors / Dempsey [When Ray and I worked at the Western Herald, Dave Dempsey was our  editor-in-chief.]

The story of Charlotte’s Web / Sims

The Egg and I / MacDonald

What matters in Jane Austen? / Mullan    

My life in France / Child

Something incredibly wonderful happens  [Oppenheimer]

Hometown appetites: The story of Clementine Paddleford, the forgotton food writer who chronicled how America ate [Paddleford]

Encyclopedia of an ordinary life / Rosenthal

Names on the land / Stewart

How the states got their shapes / Stein

Little Heathens / Kalish