Thursday, May 26, 2011

Quilt blocks



I have been working on some disappearing 4 patch blocks as my exchange blocks for the upcoming Mini TOGA that I will be attending. Piecing them with my new Two Spools, Melinda. She does run so much smoother than the Cowboy.

Vogue Stool

I need a prettier stool covering!


While fabric shopping with my daughter, I came across the bird fabric and fell in love with it. She said it could be a faux needlepoint for my stool. The seat will be the bird fabric and the dark brown the back rest with the lighter brown being the piping for the back rest.

Before shot of vintage sewing chair.

After

Sitting with my treadle that has the Singer 201.


The seat part comes off; so, I switched the direction of the birds in the two pictures just for the photos. The way the seat is positioned in this last photo is the direction that I plan to keep it in.


I had leftover fabrics that I used to make a lined tote bag for my craft items to take to TOGA meetups.

My son's B'Day quilt-NOT.

My son has asked me to make him a quilt. He has watched me make quilts for others and now he would like one for himself. He likes the Plain Spoken pattern of our living room quilt. These are the fabrics. The solids are the fabrics for the front, Plain Spoken. The black will be the binding and the blue with the circles will be the back. I'm looking forward to this project.
Working on strips with the Two Spools.

After piecing the top and seeing the look of the bright colors, I said this isn't the look my son would like. So, he will still get his Plain Spoken quilt, but with only blues, browns, grays, and black. This quilt will become my donation quilt. I really like the look of this quilt! And I love the back fabric.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Christmas in May!

Christmas came early to me today! A neighbor heard that I collect and use vintage machines, and she had a machine that she decided to give to me since she doesn't sew. She was given a free machine last year from another neighbor. That person's mom had been a seamstress who had numerous machines. I feel so lucky! Not only did I get a totally electric Singer, but also a stool. For the past couple of months now, I have been keeping an eye out for a free sewing stool on CL. So, the stool was a surprise. I was also handed a box full of attachments that can be used on my Singer 201 and/or 15-90, a 1938 Student Manual of Machine Sewing Singer, and darning plate. So, after two long nights of working with this Touch and Swear sewing machine, I got the machine to work. No wonder my neighbor wanted to get another machine. These Singer Touch and Sew machines are a piece of crap next to the older machines. I feel sorry for anyone that is trying to learn how to sew with one of these machines. Well, this machine isn't staying with me, and my neighbor says she doesn't want it back. Looks like this machine will have to find someone else to live with. My reward for getting the crappy machine running is the stool, student manual, and all the way cool attachments!

Stool needs a dusting and fixing of some areas of the fabric. There is a storage area under the seat for small items.


Button-holer, student manual, and darning plate.

All the other wonderful attachments that I can use on my Singer 201! Somehow the machines and attachments find their way to me. I feel very fortunate to be the steward of all my machines and attachments.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

To my BIG!

My sister's birthday was last week. So, of course I had to make her a special quilted birthday day card! To my BIG with love.


The Newylweds!

Meet Mr. & Mrs. Two Spools, the Cowboy and Melinda. They make a cute couple. The Cowboy has an honorary spot under Thistle Marie on the bookshelf were he sits watching Melinda work.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Eagle Scout Quilt

Finished up the quilt last night. The piecing was done with new Two Spools, Melinda; the quilting was done on Singer 201 treadle, Starr; the binding was attached with the Davis NVF, Penny; and the decorative signature stitch was done with Singer 237, Hank.
This was a quick, fun quilt to make with all my vintage machines all in treadles!

THe quilting is just straight-stitching in the ditch and in the border, very simple.


I used the arrowhead cam in the Singer 237 treadle to make this stitch to finish off the binding.

Made progress on the Boy Scout quilt that I'm making for my friend's son.
This is the back of the quilt. Next is basting and then the quilting.

Here is the front all pieced.

Here is a photo of the 5x5 pieces in rows all set up to have the rows sewn together.

A friend's son is getting his Eagle Scout Award. My gift to him will be a quilt that I make from these scout fabrics. These fabrics will be used for the front of the quilt.

And these fabrics will be for the back of the quilt.

Check out these feet!

You are looking at Melinda's feet. Yes, I got myself another Two Spools, an Eldredge, in original cabinet.

While keeping a eye out for a cabinet for Mr. Two Spools, my National, I spotted another Two Spools down in Salinas. She was hiding in Steinbeck country just waiting for me to pick her up. I purchased her from a man who's grandma used the machine. Melinda is so much smoother than Mr. Two Spools. Funny how two machines can act so differently. Mr. Two Spools would always gallop, but Melinda just hums.

Well, I had to rearrange the sewing area; so, Hank got moved into the straight-leg that Mr. Two Spools was sitting in. Mr. Two Spools has an honorary spot on the book shelf under Thistle Marie.

Here is a look at the new setup. Next to Hank on the right under my cutting mat is my first treadle with Jasmine sitting inside; she is my Singer 15-90 free motion machine. I figure that when I wish to do some free motion quilting I will just rotate Jasmine with Hank.