Saturday, November 24, 2012

A great lazy day!  Woke up to the "music" of Luci Grace barking her head off...once again the waste management people were stealing our trash!

Got the binding of brother Jerry's quilt pinned down last night - thought about it after I went to bed and decided instead of fighting to try to sew around that quilt on my small sewing table I would try something different.  Since I already had my Singer 645 set up on the cutting table (I use it to wind bobbins as needed for the 648), I decided to sew around the binding on the 645 using the cutting table because of its larger space.  It worked like a charm except my back, hip, leg, and left foot just about gave way on me balancing all my weight while I operated the controller with my right foot!  But using the larger table for working on the quilt made a great deal of difference - made things much easier!

The corner-to-corner stitches on the quilt came out ok...I wobbled in a place or two but not two badly.  I like it.  Now all I'm doing is putting the "picture frame" around the label and then I'll get it sewn on, and the quilt will be about finished and ready to mail.  Yippee!  Another one down and a couple more to go.

Before I start on another one, I'm going to take a break from Christmas quilts and make daughter Megan's pillows.  I made daughter Brandi's last year but didn't give them to her because I ran out of time to do Megan's.  So, the Christmasy something of their Christmas gifting is just about complete.  I've got another thing or two in mind for each of them, but not much unfortunately.  It may be a tin of cookies and a Wish You a Merry Christmas!  We'll see.  Daughter-in-law Nicky has already instructed that all gifts this year are to be $$ - because they are saving to take granddaughter Courtney on a graduation trip this next summer.  So, that gift will be easy.  I usually buy everyone a Christmas ornament - I probably will do that again this year.  The hard ones to buy for are the kids - I have no idea what they have or would want - what do you buy for kids who have everything?  I'll worry about it later.

I took a few pictures of my sewing room today...just to show that it IS possible to work in the middle of a great big mess!!!

On that table is my black Singer 301 -- I'm currently using it to make Ken's t-shirt quilt.  This is the machine we found in pristine condition but had to drive to Forney, Texas to pick up.  Underneath that table is my mocha 301.  I ordered it off Ebay and it arrived unscathed!  Behind the 301 in its case is my Singer 221 Featherweight.   I bought this one off my Singer guru, Mr. Bruner.  The machine in the corner is a Singer 600E - it's waiting for me to take it to the shop.  I did something entirely stupid and can't get a piece back in place - nothing major, just need help.  I found the 600E on Craigslist located in Corinth, Texas.  Ken and I drove up there one Thursday evening after work a couple of years ago.  Love that machine -- all metal geared machine.  Under the 600E in its case is a Singer 404 straight stitch machine.  Love it!  It's like brand new.  We picked it up at an estate sale a couple of years ago.

On the tv tray at the end of my cutting table is my Brother XL 5130.  I absolutely love this machine even though it is not fancy!  I bought this sweet little machine at Walmart for about $125 several years ago.  It operates so smoothly!

Set up on top of my cutting table is my Singer 645.  I bought this machine off of Craigslist - but it was located in Houston, Texas.  The lady was moving, wanted to get rid of it, told me if I wanted it she would ship it to me because otherwise she was putting it in the dump!  I paid shipping on it and it arrived in ok condition.  It was dirty, nasty, needed a little help, but sews like a champ.  I liked it so much that I had the gears replaced in it (these are the nylon, not metal gears).  When I am running the 648 on my sewing table, I set this one for bobbin winding.  When I am running this one, I set up the 648 to do the bobbin winding.  Underneath the Minnie Mouse doll is my sewing trolley -- there's a machine in there, too, but I can't remember what it is!  On the shelf beside Minnie are other machines.  There's a 500A, a European machine, and I can't recall what else.

This is the workhorse Singer 648.  The masking tape is because the spring on the top piece is "sprung" and will not stay down.  When sewing the thread bounces and causes tension issues, so I just did the redneck thing and taped it.  I love this machine.  It does a great job.  It sews thru anything!!!  We got this machine off of an old Singer man in Garland, Texas.  He still fixes and repairs sewing machines - can be found on Craigslist.  The gears on this one cracked after a short time of using it after we got it home (not unusual for these machines).  We had all 5 of them replaced by Mr. Bruner.

Underneath the sewing table holding the 648 is a Baby Lock serger - still in the box, never used.  Across the side of the room that is not seen is a Singer 401 in pristine condition in its original sewing table.  We bought it at an estate sale a year or so ago.  Some day soon I'm going to Clean and put up my Singer 648 for a while, fold up my sewing table, move the 401 to the place where the 648 currently is, and use the 401.  It is a great machine.

Also not shown is the machine in the kitchen in its original cabinet - a Singer 66.  We call this one the Russian princess.  The reason is because we bought it off of Bill Paxton's wife - yes the actor - Ken went to school with him.  The machine was actually Bill's mother's, but it was Bill's wife who we went to see.  Ken enjoyed talking to her and discussing the various regions of Russia where their families are from.  The machine is beautiful.  We did a little work on it and had it rewired.  It sets at the end of the kitchen island and holds the mail/junk.  It sews a great stitch.

Also in the kitchen on the cabinet wall that divides the kitchen and den is the 1918 handcrank Singer sewing machine that I got from my friend Debbi.  This one was not free - no way would I let her do that.  It is beautiful - and it is Ken's favorite machine...he loves the handcranks and treadles - says they allow him more control over the machines.

Some day I'll take pictures of the Singer 500A.  These were called "the rocket" because of their look.  They are great heavy all-metal machines.  The one we have we got off of another collector when we went to a sewing machine conference in College Station a couple of years ago.  It had been owned by a man who made quilts for charity but he smoked like a chimney.  The machine was NASTY with nicotine and smoke.  We had to take this machine completely apart, use a product to MELT the nicotine and smoke off the machine and parts, clean all that up, clean the inside, rewire it, special order a new controller unit for it, etc., etc.  Once all that was completed and we put it all back together, lubed and oiled it, it runs like nobody's business.  I may end up giving this machine to a favorite someone.

There has been only one machine that I have regretted not buying...and that was a New Home machine in the cabinet that we found at an antique dealer in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  It was identical to my mother's, and I think it was my mother's.  The fellow told us that he bought it in Texas in the vicinity of where my mother lived.  Regretfully I've missed out on this machine twice - when mother died and also at the Eureka Springs antique store.  If I ever find one again, I'm bringing it home - even if I DO have to tie it to the roof or the hood!!!

So, enough of a break -- I'm going to finish sewing on the frame around the label, attach it to the quilt, give the quilt one last pressing, fold it and get it ready for shipping.  Then I can scratch off one more "to do" from my list.