MUD SEASON

We had 60 plus degrees today.  All the snow that fell last weekend is rushing down the streams to the Susquehanna River.  I am not complaining.  It was delightful to work in the shop with no fire burning.  We did light a fire first thing, to take the chill off of the sewing loft.  It was colder inside than out.  I didn't make it out to the loft to work.  I got way laid in the shop.

A neighbor called and came over with two of her machines and some photos of a Singer 44-90.  She wondered whether she should buy the 44-90 and what to offer.  What could I say?  The machine has been in the basement for 12 years.  I told her to offer 50 bucks.

Then she showed me her Singer Merritt.  I advised that I wasn't interested in working on it.  It was a bit rusty and not worth the effort.

She had a New Home 600, I failed to photograph it.  I worked on it for a bit, got the "squeak" out but couldn't access the shuttle gears.  Screws too tight.  I returned it to her today and she will sew her project and then return the machine to me to complete the service.  I happened to look at the top shelf in the shop after she left.  There I had a New Home (flat bed , hers was a free arm) and the exact Singer Merritt.  Who knew?

I then was finally able to get to the 31-15.  I want to use it for free motion. quilting.  The presser bar pressure doesn't release enough for me to move the fabric.  I guess I never serviced this machine.  Nor had anyone else in the past thirty or more years.

I worked and worked and was finally able to get the presser bar OUT of the machine.   I cleaned out a lot of crud before I took this photo.  Looking at it now, it doesn't look that terrible.  Trust me, the stuff I am getting off of those parts looks exactly like, well, MUD. 

 

Sewing

I started this bag last weekend at Betsy's.  She got the fabric   in a box lot at an auction.  I was trying to figure out a lesson for our class.  I got distracted by this.  It is a print of a quilt design.  I don't like it but I had to finish it.   On Wednesday I "quilted it" on the Singer 66 treadle.  I just followed the lines of the pattern.  It was tedium defined.  The lining fabric is an old bedspread and so it did not have much loft at all.  The quilting improved it only a little.  Today I attached the straps after I zig zagged them on the Kenmore 18031.  Then I tried stitching the straps to the bag with that machine and it just would not handle it.  And the motor is growling at me.  It is not at all quiet the way my 158.1760 is.  I found sewing with the 18031 an altogether unsatisfactory experience.  So I turned around in my chair and tried the 31-15.  Magic.  It sailed right through everything.  I had some trouble getting the knack of the needle lifter but I love that feature.  Now THAT was an altogether satisfactory experience.  So I finished the stupid thing and now I have another odd shaped bag.

Betsy is teaching triangle construction  She assigned me the task of teaching how to make a nine patch square.   I made a nine patch block quilt several years ago.  I got that pattern out and played with it a bit today.

Of course I don't want to make the whole quilt......  But I did want to review the process.  This is what I have so far.

I started with the purple print.  It was a scrap from my very firt quilt and I LOVE this fabric.

 I had an odd shaped piece so I cut   21/2 inch strips out of the biggest part of that scrap which yielded six 32 inch long strips.

I cut six 2 1/2 inch strips out of the lighter green

and sewed them together in strip sets.  One strip was purple/green/purple.  The other was green/purple/green

Each strip set is then cut into smaller strips 2  1/2 inches wide.  Then you can place them in blocks and determine which design you like the best.

MY CHOICE

Next I stitched the strips together to create the block.  I like to preserve time and thread so I sewed them in a chain.

 Paying careful attention to matching the seams.

 Tomorrow I will show you how I connected the squares.

Singer 31-15

I drove 200 miles round trip today.  It was seven degrees when I left home but as I drove further west, toward the Finger Lakes, it warmed up to 23 by the time I arrived to fetch the 31-15.    On my way BACK home, the temperature dropped back down , but only to 17.  We don't have any big masses of water out this a way to help moderate that big blast of  cold air coming down on us from our Canadian friends.  By Saturday, though, it will be back up into the 30s.  Good for me because it is easier to heat the shop.

I really, really, really wanted to have this machine in the house and set up before Steven arrived from work.  There is something about doing it myself.   C. told me that it took two men to get it up her stairs (ok I did not take it up a flight of stairs today.  BUT I did help her husband bring it down those stairs.)  So I got out the wagon.....

Wrigley approves:

What, another machine?  says Frannie. Wilson would have nothing to do with it, hence, no photo of him

 I know that I will use this machine.  I love to treadle and I want a machine that is designed to sew  through layers and layers.  None of my domestic machines can handle one of my favorite projects: quilted bags.  This machine definitely can.  Lucky me, too.  C. really outfitted this machine.  There are various  feet and matching feed dogs; a new belt (though the current one is fine) and needles.  Oh and she told me about a great place to buy thread....but I forgot the name of it........ What a nice day I had, meeting her and her husband, seeing her beautiful place (yes I think we are talking Home and Gardens).  Oh and I am so envious... She is so organized and tidy.  I definitely scored with this machine.

AND LOOK!!!  It has the knee activated pressure foot lifter.  HOW COOL IS THAT?  And it works!!!

BYE BYE  I am off to sew on my wonderful 31-15.

Oh but before I go, I should just let you all know that the dry spell is over.  I stayed true to form and went out to fetch one machine and came home with four.  One, a parts machine, has a motor for the third 201.  I can't quit my day job.....yet.