Not-quite-finished Friday

There's lots of interesting stuff underway here 

but nothing finished, so I'm posting pix of works in process instead.

First up is this log cabin quilt pieced by my mother 

from Moda Grunge fabrics.

The quilt was sold as an idea at a charity auction

and the winner picked the colours and pattern.

It's now in a frame at  the Winnipeg offices of Mennonite Central Committee 

being handquilted by some of the experienced stitchers there.

This Elna Supermatic is also a work in progress.

I saved it from the scrap pile from a local thrift store.

It doesn't have any accessories other than the one foot

and it was obviously made for a cabinet.

I'm going to clean and oil it 

and look for accessories

and pass it on to to the next new sewer who needs it.

I've started hand quilting my diagonal blade quilt.

I'm using a combination of quilting thread and 28 wt Aurifil

and little stitches and big stitches.

I love posting Friday finishes and linking up with others,

but these projects are what happens on the way to finishes.

Vintage Modern?

I combined some modern chevron trees

with the features of a 40-year-old Janome.

It has 28 built in stitches,

and I thought some of them might be good for quilting.

Here;s a close-up of a wave style stitch

I quilted the one on the right with a three-stitch zig zag.

I had some issues with it feeding correctly,

but there are no ripples at all on the back,

even without a walking foot.

Stay tuned for more adventures with my modern trees.

I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network.

Each one teach one, part 2

I'm more than half-way through teaching a five-week learn to sew class.

Here's what I've learned so far:

Learning to operate machinery as an adult is harder than you realize

when you've been sewing all your life.

And adult learners are good sports, 

even when the sewing machines jam up

and the teacher needs a little instruction herself.

I'm teaching in a space with about 10 different donated machines.

We've had problems with all of them,

whether they were expensive computerized Janomes

or basic plastic Singers.

Last week I brought my all metal Elna SP (above)

because I can thread that one in my sleep.

I've also brought in my Singer 301a

and next week I may just bring in a Featherweight or two.

But we've persevered, and after a quick lesson on rotary cutting last week,

everyone was able to cut out fabric for a tote bag last night.

We're using a variety of upholstery samples

and some IKEA twill yardage.

I'm teaching bag and pillow making methods

rather than specific patterns,

so everyone figured out the size of bag that would work best.

Yesterday was all about flat construction --

we put on the handles and finished edges before sewing the side seams,

and then squared off the corners.

My question to you is one the students are asking:

What's a good starter machine?

I've been promoting vintage,

but those of you who have newer Pfaffs and Janomes and Berninas,

tell me what's a good new machine to buy?

I've been telling the students a sewing machine can be a lifetime investment,

since my mother is still sewing on her 1968 Elna Supermatic

and lots of us are loving our Featherweights and other all-metal vintage machines.

I'm linking up to The Needle and Thread Network 

and Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday.

Proud Featherweight mama!

Yesterday I became the foster mama to this tired Singer Featherweight 221.

The photo above shows it in process of being cleaned, oiled, and lubed.

My 18-year-old son was volunteering at a nearby church camp,

 working in the maintenance shop,

 when he spotted a familiar looking black box.

He looked inside, and recognized it as a FW.

The camp manager said it belonged to his mother, 

and he was going to throw it out.

My son, bless his heart, suggested he check with me first 

as to the value of this machine.

Last year, he sewed a quilt top on a Singer FW,

which is why he recognized this one.

Here is the rescue at right, oiled and waxed,

beside my other 221,

which my neighbour gave me.

The foster FW will not live with me

and I'm still negotiating terms.

It makes a beautiful stitch

despite being beat up and scratched

and missing a few amenities.

The foot pedal needs rewiring

and the latches on the case are broken.

I'm so proud of my son for saving this FW from the garbage!

Update: The owner of this machine agreed to donate it

to Mennonite Central Committee

as a prize for their upcoming quilt show.

If you're in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

from May 22 to 24,

stop by and buy a ticket to win it!

The owner was pleased his mom's machine will have a new life

and so am I!

Tag team!

Using the free arm of my Singer Featherweight 222K

and the power of my Juki

to finish some Christmas gifts!

Vintage cover for a vintage machine

I needed a cover for this vintage Singer 301

and decided to use a vintage embroidered pillowcase

that I bought this summer for $1 at a thrift shop in Rosthern, SK.

first I cut it in half lengthwise.

I opened up the seam because it was  bit tight for the Singer

and then I inserted a two-inch strip of vintage cotton.

Then I sewed the top seam, boxed off the corners

and lined it with the other half of the pillowcase.

This is made from heavy duty cotton,

most likely a flour or sugar sack.

Now it protects my machine from dust,

and I can enjoy the embroidery on it every day.

I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network

Vintage aqua

I scored this Singer buttonhole attachment on a recent trip to the thrift store.

Although the parts are all there,

I don't ever plan on using it for buttonholes.

The attachment will live in a box with the rest of my vintage Singer goodies.

And the lovely aqua case will sit on my sewing table

for extras for my new-to-me Singer 301a.

A quilter and sewer in the making

Recently I had the fun of sewing with a 10-year-old girl.

She wanted to make a bag for her bracelet-making supplies,

 and green is her favourite colour.

So we found some upholstery weight fabric, set up the Featherweight in its table

and started cutting and sewing.

I figured out the bag proportions, and M. did most of the sewing.

We did all of it on the FW except for the last seam, 

where I attached the lining to the bag on my Juki, which handled all those layers just fine.

M. spent less than three hours with me,

and by the time her parents came to pick her up,

the bag was done and we were halfway through Mary Poppins on DVD.

This is not quite Mary's carpet bag, but close.

We put in a big pocket from an old curtain

 for her plastic divided container with the rubber bands

and her two looms fit in the main compartment.

And the strap is long enough to go over her shoulder,

but not so long it drags on the ground,

even though it looks like it here.

I think it's superfragelisticexpialidocious!

I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network.

Vintage Modern #4

Thanks for all of your comments on my vintage modern posts.

I went on a five-day excursion west last week, and saw some more lovelies.

Maybe more vintage than modern, but this Singer 500 series machine

definitely has some modern styling.

There's a reason it's called the Rocketeer --

for its space age design.

This beauty we'll call Margaret after her owner was bought second hand decades ago.

Her owner says she now has trouble threading it because of her vision.

This Singer 99K is in lovely condition and so is her two-tone grass cloth case.

Joanie was purchased new by my aunt shortly after she was married in the early 1950s.

She's not being used anymore because her owner can't remember how to sew.

Neither of these machines came home with me,

but I had fun petting them in their homes.