wing and a prayer curtains

We knew to expect severe weather Saturday afternoon but that didn't stop me from unpacking a box full of linens and setting up the linen closet. I carefully arranged piles of doilies and linen runners, inherited from my Grammy, as large chunks of hail pelted the house and wind bent the trees. Rain lashed at the windowpane, but I kept at my task, absorbed in the memories of hand-stitched tea towels and appliqued napkins. It wasn't until The Husband appeared with Little Bear in his arms (she had been napping) that I realized the storm had coalesced into a tornado warning.

My first thought: "But I was about to sew curtains!" My second: "We have no basement!"

Luckily we were spared. The closest tornado touched down two miles from us, and if you saw the news then you already know that many North Carolineans weren't as fortunate. It was a humbling experience to be caught in the melee of Mother Nature's ferocity, and my thoughts and prayers went out to those who suffered for it.

After the skies cleared, I returned to sorting and found an old linen tablecloth that I had never used. I operated under the general rule of thumb that if I hadn't used/admired/thought about a household item in over a year, then I thrifted it. It was a difficult rule to adhere to when faced with inherited items from my beloved grandparents, but there was only so much stuff one house could hold. The tablecloth was in decent condition with two minor discolorations, and I knew that if I returned it to the linen closet it wouldn't see the light of day for a long time. Probably never.

If you read Sew Weekly last month then you saw that a tablecloth was never just a tablecloth. Veronica Darling managed to turn a second-hand tablecloth into a fab dress and gave me an entirely new way of looking at second-hand linens. Mena came up with this using vintage napkins which also made my brain churn with inspiration. After Saturday's tally, I had enough napkins in my repertoire to invite the entire neighborhood to tea. (Not that I would do this. I haven't unpacked the tea service yet.) I reserved the napkins for a future project and addressed the tablecloth first.

My approach was loosey-goosey and emphatically unscientific. I measured nothing which accounted for one panel ending up a half-inch shorter than the other. After ironing the tablecloth smooth, I lined up the edges and ironed it in half. Then I took my pinking scissors and cut along the fold line and sewed a rolled hem with the raw edge. I folded down the top of each panel 2 inches (again this was not actually measured) and sewed it in place. The tablecloth needed no further sewing, because the other edges were already hemmed. Voila!

I'm very pleased with the results. I can ignore the mismatched length for now and am concentrating instead on sewing tie-backs. The linen weave is loose enough to let in light and for the Hound to move out of his way. (He needs to keep an eye on the small, fluffy white dog across the street. I worry that he thinks it's a bunny.) 

I have more curtain plans for the guest bedroom, but they won't involve such a slap-dash assembly. It will involve several vintage remnants of 1950's polished cotton. Woo-hoo!

Comments

[The Muse of The Day]

We,too, have been dealing with plenty of tornadoes - it is exhausting. Four out of the past seven days we have had vicious storms. On to better subjects: a lovely curtain. I think the loose weave in it is perfect for the window. Hopefully there will be summer breezes blowing through it that will make the ends flip over. I love it when a curtain billows, it makes me think the house is breathing. Carolina

[Amy O]

Thanks, Margo! Theres an odd bathroom tacked on to the end of the house. (I think the landlord must have built it for his ailing mother.) The shower stall is handicapped accesible and super-wide. Its also the only room without windows. The three of us were going to squeeze in the shower stall but, thankfully, it never came to that.

[margo]

I like that kind of get-it-done project! The tablecloth is lovely, and truly, who is going to notice that half-inch other than you?

Where did you wait out the storm if you don't have a basement!? So glad you are all safe.

[Amy O]

Thanks, Sim!

[Rebecca]

Beautiful! And so glad you all weathered the storm. xoxox

[Amy O]

Thank you!

[Janet Eisenbise]

Very pretty with the light shining through. What ingenuity!