1950 Singer Featherweight....letting her go....maybe...

 So I recently acquired another Featherweight!!!  Don't you just love these little machines?  I've had her for a couple of weeks now and these photos are from when I was cleaning and oiling her up.  She is a 1950 Singer Featherweight with the serial # AJ927023.  

She sews like a dream!  Very smooth and her decals are very nice too.  They are not as worn as the ones on my other Featherweight.  

As much as I love her, I'm thinking that after I sew on her for a few weeks, I might just put her up for adoption!  Why?  Because I already have another one and I just can't see keeping two of them right now so I will probably sell her.  

 Isn't she pretty?  

 Right now I have her on my dining table so I will probably sew on her a lot over the next few days. 

 I just couldn't wait to share photos of her with you all....  :)
Kristie

Checking in....

 Just wanted to check in, not sure if anyone even missed me!  LOL! Oh life is crazy right now and I haven't even been quilting!  I'll tell you more about that in a bit.  First off, I dear friend of Richard's brought me this wonderful treadle cabinet!  :)  It was stored in an old building.  He brought it out a few days ago and I was so pleased.  Richard just sort of "rolled his eyes" because I think he knew that it meant that I would have to find a machine to go in it!  LOL!  Here are a few quick photos of it and I haven't even cleaned it up yet.  

I love the detail on the sides!  

Beautiful drawer fronts! Also all of the iron work underneath is in perfect shape.  No cracks or breaks, just dirty!

 I also found all of this stuff in one of the drawers.  Not everything thing in there is sewing related but still it is fun to find.  

I'll take more photos of it once I get it cleaned.  Hopefully I can find an old treadle head for nearly nothing.  :(

So no on to my reason for not quilting....HUNTER!  Shewww....the poor little guy is having a hard time with his foot.  It has been right at a month and it is getting worse, not better.  He has gone from crutches to a boot.  It is to the point that I have made a doctor appointment with another specialist just to double check everything.  It is a long story and I'm not trying to say anything really bad about his current doctor but I am his mother and I know when things are getting worse and not better.  Anyway, the fastest that the other specialist can see him is April 23rd.  Please say a prayer for him, he is going crazy with this.  

He is a very active child and he can walk on it at the moment but not very long (and I'm not even sure he should be walking on it) He is going to school and I am trying to do all of my housework and such while he is gone because once he gets home I spend all evening trying to keep him occupied with something so that he doesn't get so depressed.  That leave very little time for quilting.  As much as I love quilting, my family does come first.  

I did get away this past Saturday to go with my mom, Chantal (my sister) and her friend Crystal to look for Chantal's wedding dress.  She found one and she looks so beautiful!  She had us all crying!  We also found the bridesmaid's dresses, those are also ordered.  I am her matron of honor and her friend is the bridesmaid.  She isn't having a huge wedding, just a very nice simple one.  Her colors are White, Silver and Watermelon.  Oh and they have set the date for October 5th, that is 5 days before she turns 29.  I am doing all of her flowers and decorations so I will be pretty busy with that too.  I'm sure I will be very busy with all of that.  Oh btw....this is MY dress that I will be wearing, I guess I can show you it, just not hers. :)  I'll just say that she looks like a princess in hers.  

I guess that is all for now, have to go start on the laundry!!!
Kristie

This and That

Yesterday I had to take Hunter to see his podiatrist because he has been having a lot of pain in his left foot.  He has special made inserts that he has to wear all of the time and I had just bought him a new pair of Nike's last week so I figured it was because of the new shoes.  She said he was having the pain because of a growth plate in the heal area that was strained, irritated, and inflamed.  So he is now on crutches for 10-14 days.  She told him that it would not get better unless he stayed off of it.  This is only day 2 and he is about to go crazy!  :(  He is very active so it is hard on him not to be outside running through the woods.  He went back to school today and he hated it.  To make him feel a little better last night I put some camo duct tape on his crutches and made him a little pouch that attaches to one of them so that he can carry his little cars and such around.  :)  Today he said that his friends thought his "camo crutches" were cool.  Things we do to make our kids feel better....

I'm still plugging along on my quilts...here is my Hugs & Kisses.  I only have a little over half of the blocks made.  In the end, I'm hoping for a king size quilt.  

A few more of the blocks...

I'm still working on the hand applique on my Dresden's during the evening while sitting with the family.  

A few of my Butterscotch Pie blocks.  Only one of these are actually sewn together.  The others are just on the design wall so that I could lay them out and spread my colors around.  

A close up of the ONE that is completely sewn together.  

That's all for tonight, I have to run downstairs to get ice for Hunter's foot.  A mother's job is never done...
Kristie

Sewing Right Along...

 I've tried for a couple of days to get this post up.  My Internet is coming and going and will not stay on long enough to do much.  So this morning I finally got 3 photos loaded for this post.  

The weather here has been pretty nice and you can tell that Spring will soon be here.  Saturday was my birthday and we spent most of the day outside having a little cookout with the family.  It was so nice to be outside and not freezing to death.  Actually I got a sunburn!  :)  I think today it is only supposed to be in the 50's.

I still haven't finished that antique quilt that I have on the frame.  I worked just a little more on it since my last post and look at what I am dealing with now!  LOL!  The border issues that I mentioned before, I just took a big pleat in them and went on.  That was the best that I could do with it.  I don't even have a clue what to do on these stars.  I'm thinking that I may unroll it a little and take my ironing mat and starch/steam these to see if I can get them to shrink a little.  Of course you can see that I will probably still need to pleat these too.  

I've also been working on my Hugs and Kisses quilt.  Here are a few of the blocks up on the design wall.  I have somewhere close to 35 blocks finished.  That would put me a little over halfway.  It will be a king size in the end, I really like large quilts....maybe that is why I have so many UFO's.  I want to make them big and then I lose interest in them because it takes so long.  :)

I have oodles more strip sets to press and subcut.  I also have several more to sew together.  

 After I get this baby finished, I want to get back to my Butterscotch Pie quilt.  I also have another one that I want to start....I know I need to start another quilt!  LOL!  I've been trying to be good, I finished my string quilt and I will also have this Hugs and Kisses finished so that would be okay, right?  :)  

I guess that is all for this morning...
Kristie

Quilting an antique top...

Shewwww....it has been a long day of quilting.  First off let me start with the quilt that I had loaded on the frame in my last post.  I had mentioned that I was afraid that I might have some problems with it because the border fabric was not quilting fabric but upholstery fabric and also the backing was a very tight weaved bed sheet.  I use bed sheets all of the time but this one was very tight and stiff.  Anyway, I got it quilted and would you believe that it quilted up just fine!!!  I didn't have any skips or problems of any kind.  I had 2 thread breaks in the whole quilt but both times were my fault.  I already did the binding and returned the quilt to its owner yesterday.  

 I loaded my next one on the frame and it has been very slow going.  Right now I'm at a dead stop and probably will not pick it back up until tomorrow....maybe.  :(  This quilt belongs to a friend of mine and as you can see it is an antique top that has been hand pieced.  It has pleats and puckers all over it.  I dreaded quilting it when I first saw it but silly me decided to do it anyway.  Now I wish that I hadn't.  Most of the time I pin the quilt top on the roller and roll it up, but this one I couldn't because when I did that one end was about 5 inches shorter than the other.  So I decided to just float the top which so far is working out better for that part.  

 This is just a close up of one of the blocks.

 You can see a little more of the top here.  I have it stretched out pretty well but the border is where I am having most of my trouble.  

You can see here it is very wavy.  The border is not even the same size.  I checked one of the side borders and it starts out at 4 inches and ends at 6 inches.  :(  

I called her and explained this to her and she said, "just do the best that you can with it"  So I am trying...

 Look at this....see what I am talking about....

 I put the ruler beside it and there is a 2.5" bump there.  What do I do with that????  This is where I have stopped for today.  I just need a break from it and try to think on how to quilt this baby.  Btw...it measures somewhere around 80x90 but not exact.  

 At this point any ideas would be welcomed.  I mentioned taking the border off and trying to fix it that way but she doesn't want it removed because it is an old top and all hand pieced.  I also thought about just cutting that border right there, cutting some of it out and sewing it back together but I'm not sure she would want that either. I haven't mentioned it to her yet.  

Now on to other things...Andrew is on his way to Louisville, KY as we speak.  It will be a 7 hour round trip for him plus a 2.5 hour concert.  He and a friend of his are going to a Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang concert tonight at 7:30pm.  Andrew is a big fan of Buddy Guy which is a great Blues player.  You know how kids are he left right after class today, the concert will be over around 10pm, then a 3.5 hour drive back and then class again in the morning at 8am.  :(  He is killing me!  The worst part is they are forecasting bad weather tonight.  So please say a prayer for him.  I just pray that the Lord watches over him and he has a safe trip back home...
Kristie

Log Cabin Quilting

 Yesterday I spent most of the day quilting this quilt.  It is not mine, but belongs to a friend.  She did a wonderful job piecing it.  I still have to do the binding on it.  Which would you use the cream or the blue?  Those are my only two choices.  

A close up of the quilt.  It is a big one, 98 x 116.

This morning I am starting on this one.  I hope to have it quilted today, it is not really that big.  I think it is a lap/twin size.  It is hard to tell by the photo but it is 2 panels sewn together with 3 borders on it.  I haven't started it yet but I'm a little worried because the outer border with the vine on it is a very thick fabric.  Not sure what you would call it but it seems almost like upholstery fabric.  Another thing is, I don't mind at all using a bed sheet for the backing because most of the time they work well with my machine but the weave on this baby is very tight.  Keep your fingers crossed and wish me luck.  :)  It is actually a cute quilt.  I think she said she was giving it as a gift.  The panels have little houses on them.  

 As you can see here, my string quilt is still hanging on the design wall.  I have the borders cut and ready to sew on, I just haven't gotten to it yet.  

 I finally got Richard to work on the upstairs bathroom!  :)  I am soooo excited!  My sewing room is upstairs and every time that I make a trip up those stairs I have to go potty so back down the stairs I have to go...  Anyway...I want that bathroom finished!!!  We've had everything to finish it for over a year but he has just been busy with other things.  So here he is laying the tile.  

 This is once he got the tile down but hopefully sometime this weekend he will grout it.  It is hard to get the exact color of the tile but they are a pearl grey.  My walls are white and the tiles are pearl grey, the fixtures are white and the lights and such are chrome.  I already have the towels, rug, shower curtain and everything else ready to go in it.  It is funny, this is the only room in my house that has white walls!  LOL!  I'm more of a cream/beige girl.  I like warm tones so this white and grey is really not like me at all.  :)

Praying that Hunter has a safe trip today.  As I mentioned in my last post he placed 2nd in the district Science Fair so today he was headed to the regional Science Fair down at the local college over in the next county.  He was a little cranky this morning, I think he was tired and nervous.  I wished him luck and told him that I am proud of him no matter what happens today.  Richard had to have him in town this morning at 6am to catch the bus to take them down to the college.  :)  I'm always proud of my boys, they both mean the world to me.  I feel very Blessed that the Lord let me be their momma.  Okay enough of that I'm feeling sappy....I'm off to get started quilting!!!
Kristie

Finally Assembled!

 I've made some progress!  First off, I have been prepping some applique.  I usually work on this stuff during the late evening while sitting with the family.  It gives me something to do with my hands. I prepped a few of my Dresden Plates.  

I also prepped a few more baskets.  I haven't worked on these for a while so it is time to get back to them.  I think I only have 60 of them finished.  

Last evening I got all of my rows assembled on my string quilt.  I am pleased with it.  It is the size that I wanted.  If you remember the one that I quilted a few weeks ago I was disappointed in because it wasn't large enough.  So I donated the other one to help raise money for MPS.  I sweet little boy in Hunter's class has this and they are raising money.  So all worked out well in the end.  

Here is a close up.  

I guess this is the fabric that I will use for the border.  It is really all that I can find in my stash that looks okay with it.  I'm going to try to get the borders cut and sewn on today.  

Last but not least....Hunter!  Yesterday he won 2nd place in the district 5th grade Science Fair!!!  So proud of him!!  Now they go on to the Regional competition.  

 I'm off to do some housework and hopefully some sewing before Church tonight!!!
Kristie

Catching up

 Is anyone out there still reading my blog? :)  It has been a little while since I have posted.  Life just gets busy and I get behind.  So here is an update on the past couple of weeks...

Richard and I had been sick.  Feeling much better now.  Hunter's school closed one day last week because of sickness.  I heard yesterday that they were thinking about closing again for a few days.  Just so much flu and stuff going around.  

Hunter burned his hand.  He grabbed my curling iron and burned himself pretty good, three fingers and his thumb.  That was a trip to the doctor.  They gave him so cream stuff to put on it and some antibiotics.  He was very sore for several days after it started draining.  

A couple of days after he burned his hand, I had to take him to the dentist to have a tooth pulled.  :(  For some reason his teeth do not want to loosen up.  So he had a tooth coming in through the gum line above his old tooth.  That all went well, just a little sore.  

I have been sewing a little bit.  If you remember I was wishing that my scrap string quilt that I quilted a few weeks ago was bigger.  I wished that I had made it large enough to fit my bed, but I didn't.  So I started another one!!!!  I pieced almost 300 of these little 5.5" blocks!  They are all finished and sewn into rows.  I may try to get those rows pieced together today.  

As I was working on those string blocks, I also pieced some sections for my Butterscotch Pie quilt.  

I still have several more sections to go but I will get them done.  

I got this old girl out and pieced my string blocks on her.  She sews great!  She is very fast and I like that when piecing string blocks.  

Then on Valentine's Day, Richard brought me home a dozen of long stem roses.  I put them in a vase so that I could enjoy them for a few days.  

 Now that brings us to Andrew's birthday.  My boy turned 20.  :(  I am sad that he is grown but so proud of the man that he has become.  The Lord has Blessed me with 2 wonderful boys.  Mom wanted to take him out to eat and buy him a gift a few days before she had to leave for work.  After he got out of class on Friday we met him and she took him shopping, then we stopped and ate at the Outback.  Hunter was with us because that was the same morning that he burned his hand and I had to run him by the doctor first.  :(

 Here he is a little embarrassed because they were singing Happy Birthday to him.  LOL.  

 Here his is showing me some new stuff that he learned to play on his guitar.  

 Hunter and his friend are listening to Andrew play music.  This was Friday when they had cancelled School.  

 That is about it.  I've been walking a few miles a day when the weather permits.  Just trying to loosen my hips and back up a little.  The rain has set in this morning and we are supposed to get lots of rain and snow all week.  
Kristie

Singer 328 Style-O-Matic

Do you remember the other day when I posted about my Singer 237 that I bought and I said I bought two machines but only had room to bring one home that day?  I talked my sister into stopping by and picking up the other one for me yesterday.  She is in town everyday for work and I am not.  So I was excited when she brought it to me. 

This is a 1963 Singer 328 Style-O-Matic.  As you can see here she came in a cabinet.  I took this photo early this morning before I starting cleaning and oiling her.  It was still dark outside.  

 Another photo of her before cleaning...

 And here is one AFTER cleaning and oiling.  She is all shined up and ready to sew!  The plastic spool holders are broken but I have some so I will replace them.

 She sews really good and smooth.  She came with ALL of the attachments and the manual.  The manual says it came with 9 cams and all of those are there plus all of the attachments listed.  

 Here is a drawer in the cabinet.  I sorted through it, threw away the threads and the original screwdrivers and such are in there.  

 Also included were these...a Singer Student's Manual of Straight Stitch Machine Sewing and A complete guide to home sewing that is priced .35 cents.  The Student manual actually shows the Singer 404, which I have and love.  

 Before I go....just one last photo of her!  :)  

 I hope to do some sewing tonight so hopefully I will have some stuff to show you tomorrow.  
Blessings...
Kristie