Meet Vera - WARNING! Picture heavy post!

Meet Vera. A few weeks ago when I was having a sewing day with my pals, they were all talking about how much they loved their Featherweights. When Scott came to pick me up, I announced that I knew what I wanted for Christmas. His eyes got big and asked if I was really asking for "another sewing machine". I explained that owning a Featherweight wasn't the same thing as having "another sewing machine". It was different. It's like a working piece of art.

When we got home, I googled it so that he could see what I was talking about and he said "Oh. I think my mom has one that belonged to my grandmother." Since we were coming home the very next weekend, I had him make some calls and it turns out that the machine belonged not to his grandmother, but to his great-grandmother. Vera. We had to do some digging but found her in the attic. I'm not sure she'll ever run again. The rust is extensive and her flywheel won't make a complete turn. At this point, I'm hoping I can get her cleaned up and maybe some restoration. Look how pretty she is.

We also have this cabinet. I don't know if it is original to the machine but it seems like it is in fairly good shape.

There were lots of lovely finds in the drawers here, like an old fountain pen, many wooden spools of thread, a tiny oilcan, a screwdriver and a tiny pair of pliers. And this box of feet and attachments.

This book was also in the drawer. I'm guessing it came with the machine. It is dated April 1921. There are little handwritten notes in there about adjusting the tension and such.

And this machine was in the cabinet. It is still at his parents' house, along with the cabinet which I'll retrieve at a later date.

What do you think? Is it possible that I'll ever get Vera fixed up? Is this other 1975 Singer worth having too? I think Scott caught the bug now and wants me to bring them both home. He says that since the modern quilting movement has caught on that these old machines could start being collected like classic guitars. Leave it to a boy. . . but as long as he will indulge my new obsession, I'm a-ok with whatever comparison he wants to make.

xoxoxoxox

Busy Sunday

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. On my calendar for yesterday was supposed to be a sewing day with my friends. Unfortunately, the Quasimodo boot doesn't really allow for heavy lifting so taking my machine was sort of out of the question. My sweet Scott would gladly have taken it for me but it seemed like an awful lot of work when I really didn't have anything ready to sew, so I took my next four projects to cut. I got one secret project cut entirely yesterday.

I got about halfway through cutting a baby quilt yesterday and then finished up this morning. I'm seriously twitching to get sewing again. We were supposed to go to a baseball game today but it doesn't look like the weather is going to cooperate.  Fine by me.

And the quilt you see hanging on the chair at the end of the table in the first picture?? I'll finish up the binding on that baby tonight. She's huge. I can't wait to move her to my finished list. . .

Last HST baby quilt. . . for now.

Here's the final quilt in the trilogy of half square triangle baby quilts. Same idea as the last one I posted but with so much more quilting. I do have a thing for those long straight(ish) lines and the mitered corners. Love. This one is destined for a new baby for my wedding photographer.

I've recapped before but I'll do it one more time.  All fabric is Kona cotton.  Colors were butter, banana, violet, thistle, purple and magenta. Background is my current favorite - Kona in medium grey. Seems like that sneaks into so much of what I'm making lately.

And here's the back. Random print from stash and leftover solids. Trying to use up what I have. As a woman at one of my quilting groups pointed out this week, it's lots of fun to shop from your stash.

It's been a bit quiet on the sewing front for me lately. I fell last week coming down some steps in the dark (sounds shadier than it is) and when I hit the ground, I heard a pop. I thought I'd just sprained it but the next morning, Scott was insistent that I go to the doctor. Three doctors and several xrays later it turns out that I actually chipped a bone on the top of my foot. BOO.  The orthopedic specialist cleared me to sew but it's still pretty painful. I was able to get binding on a quilt that is waaaaaay overdue (I'm looking at you, Kelly) so at least I have handwork to do. However, I'm starting to get frightened about finishing five more throws before we go back to Africa in less than three months. . . I'll probably be stitching binding on the 16 hour flight.  Yeeps.

Linking up -

xoxoxox

Biggest WIP ever!

Along with a few of my quilting BFFs, I'm starting a Charleston, South Carolina branch of the Modern Quilt Guild.

The main guild here in Charleston has about 300 members and for the most part is a bit - how do I put this nicely? - traditional. Not that traditional is a bad thing. We should all know where our roots are and from whence our quilting mamas came. But it's time to shake things up a bit here in the lowcountry. I know modern quilters are out there lurking. I know that they're ordering their Jay McCarroll and Denyse Schmidt fabric online. But ever so slowly, I'm starting to see quilt shops pop up here that offer Rashida Coleman Hale's Washi Tape. Or Echino for heaven's sake! It does my little fabric loving heart so much good.

So it is time friends. Time to pull out those wonky quilts. Time to get crazy with your prints or make a quilt out of all solids. Time to make those reservations to go visit our bloggy quilt pals in Austin next February. Time. I hope I see you all there.

Linking up -

xoxoxox

At long last

I still have *another* quilt to show with scraps from this beauty but it is so similar to the last quilt I posted. Plus I thought I'd give the HST quilts a break this week. I finished this last week for a friend's half birthday. (I crapped out on her real 30th birthday so this was a big surprise!) We're both crazy for chevrons so I knew the moment that I saw this that it had to be for her.

Solids are all Kona - butter, banana, violet, thistle, magenta and purple. Pattern is Tula Pink's Field Study. I made the medium throw size so this is 72" square. Tula made the model quilt out of prints and as much as I'm crazy obsessed with her fabric - and they could do a hoarder's episode with my collection of her fabric - I thought this was so much more striking in solids. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way this quilt turned out. Wasn't so sure half way through but when I got the top all stitched together - Holy. Moly. Love. This was another that was hard to let go but I knew that it was going to loving arms and that I'd be able to visit with it often.

The back is Lotta Jansdotter's Florine in Brass Mesh,with a stripe of the purple solids. It was so big that I was going to have to piece and I hate the thought of trying to match up the print. I also used the same fabric for the binding.

And Stella says that fabric is tasty, don't you know. . .

Linking up to Sew Modern Monday.

xoxoxox