January was very busy for me. Thursday I found time to make a few purple blocks--
The Marti Mitchell Drunkard's Path templates arrived and I was able to make a "Curvy Girl" block the RIGHT way! You can find the Tutorial at Red Pepper Quilts. The Cracker blocks are from Moda Bake Shop Ritzy Crackers. I like this pattern because it uses two 5" charms for the colors bits.
Next I made a few more blocks using Sea Green/Teal Green--
My stash had one FQ of this color. Liz from Houston send me a "care package" (an envelope with strips in it) and I used all of them in these blocks--Picnic by Kim Brackett or I think "Pentland Cracker" blocks. The upper right block was made from two 5" charms found in my 5" charm box. I have the fabrics Lorri2Rs shared and I can make more blocks next week. Please see everyone's RSC projects at SoScrappy.
This week I had a serious case of ennui--
a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom:
I wandered the house, read, my mind flitted from project to project. I finished quilting a top. Loaded the next one. Measured a top. Pulled a backing and washed it. Prepped a top and pressed its backing. All the while I was thinking about a machine I had stored in the basement. Ken and I carried it upstairs--I wanted to fiddle with it. For years I swore it was a Singer 319W. I went from cabinet to cabinet downstairs searching for one. I never found a 319w but I did find a 306w!!
Meet Clara the 306w! I worked on her off and on. Lots of oil, internet searching, reading. A new bobbin tire/adjusting and she winds bobbins. Removed and adjusted the motor to take up the slack in the belt. The zigzag/cam mechanism was new to me and that took some research. She zigzags like the Pro she is! I found where the 1/4" seam is. And her stitches are pretty near perfect!
Research says that she's not well liked because of her noisy motor. After some oil and I can't say she's THAT noisy. She takes an odd sized needle. I can live with that. She needs a light bulb (that's an easy fix) and she's ready to sew. She was bought several years ago on the auction of a lady in the nursing home. She came with all her attachments, book, cabinet and sewing stool. Her previous owner did LOTS of sewing so I know Clara is experienced. She has no plastic parts (at least none I can see or were pictured in the service manual) and I'm sure she will outlive me. She does several decorative stitches, her needle can be adjusted side-to-side.
There's still time for plenty of sewing this weekend. Ahhh! I can smell spring! (I might also be delusional!)
~LORI~
Posts
11 comments:
Clara looks great! I miss my Mom's Necchi - it used cams, too, but for decorative stitches.
Looking forward to seeing the rest of the TEAL, TURQUOISE, and AQUA blocks you will make!! SEW glad to hear that Clara made her way up from the basement and is sewing like a champ.
Warren saw geese flying north yesterday.....I told him they were delusional. :)
Always love seeing your blocks & quilts. Got two tops put together this past few weeks and working on blocks for another that have been in the works for a couple years. Ordered some wide backings today since Thousands of Bolts is having a sale.
Today? I'm being pretty lazy!
What fun! You must have needed a project! I bet Clara will work hard for you!
So nice to get an old machine up and running. Great purple and teal blocks. Like that curvy girl block.
If you ever run across a Singer 15 or 66 Treadle in a decent cabinet for a good price let me know Lori. I never seem to be able to find one, and now that I have moved to no mans land, extreme rural western Nebraska. Think Agate Fossil Beds area let me know. I would be willing to drive to pick it up from you. Seriously, I really need a Singer Treadle and Cabinet.
Jay in Nebraska...still at librariancub@gmail.com
I have never seen this style of drunkard path before, very interesting! You must have quite a few machines?
I've got that pickle dish variation in my sights, too. I figured I could use leftovers from En Provence in it, so I wasn't afraid to cut lots and lots of bits for the triangle-in-square units. 8)
Enjoy your new friend! Glad she's come upstairs to play!
Your blocks look great! I love the teal ones, so beachy!!!
Lori, I love your cracker blocks!! I want to do those too. But mostly I love Clara!! How wonderful that you just research and fix it up. I need to get brave and work on my 1916 Singer Treadle. You`ll have to tell us the story of your machines (or link us back if you’ve already told the story). What a fun post!!
I noticed the geese flying north too! Thousands of them! It was almost 80 yesterday, and 56 today. We were freezing last Tuesday. The weather swings are insane, but that's spring in the Midwest.
Post a Comment