Ever since I started collecting vintage sewing machines, especially my Singer Featherweights, I've wondered how they sound compared to others. I know I'm not the only novice who would like to know if her machine is typical, normal, and running well relative to similar models. There seems to be a certain purr that a classic Featherweight emits, whether it has a clickity-clack accent or not! Personally, I could listen to them hum and stitch all day; I find it so relaxing and hypnotizing! Tuning in to the individual sound of one's sewing machine is also an excellent indicator of how it is working and whether it needs a drop of oil, a good motor lubrication, a little TLC or a visit to the shop.
I have posted a series of quick videos of my vintage collection of machines stitching for a few seconds. I know that I watched every video out there (and there aren't that many, especially for the rarer vintage machines) when I started collecting and was keenly interested to know what each model sounded like and to see them actually stitching was even better. I'm sharing my really short vids in hopes that someone will find them a helpful reference or comparison, interesting, or just because they are obsessed with vintage machines like I am and want to listen to and watch them sew!
My hubby had mentioned he'd like to have a cozy rag quilt one day. I remembered that suggestion and decided to whip one up for Christmas. The holiday was rapidly approaching and I had been so preoccupied in the Fall that I kind of left it to the last minute. I picked up some 'masculine' checked flannels at the quilt shop and when hubby was away one night, I set to work cutting all my squares. Rag quilts are super easy to stitch but the cutting still needs to be done and I chose a pattern that alternated squares and small rectangles. I needed to pay a bit more attention to the task! Also, I forgot how stretchy flannel can be (!) but I got the bulk of the prep work done on 'Night 1'.
I finished the cutting the next morning and was able to use up a ton of batting left overs I had tucked away. It was pretty easy to trim up the Warm & Natural scraps to the size I needed and it didn't cost me any extra. I love that - no waste! I really wanted to make this quilt on one of my vintage machines and I selected my Singer 301 for the job. Not only did I want to give this old girl Mary Lou a thorough test-drive, she happened to come with a walking foot which I knew I'd need to sew through the thick layers of flannel and batting. I got her bobbins wound, needing to wind 11 different threads to match the fabrics. Next, I chain stitched a simple 'x' through the square sandwiches (see video below). It was a lot of fun and I kept things pretty casual, not worrying too much about perfection. Even though I've made several flannel rag quilts, I checked back to the Quilting Quickly 2 class from Craftsy (and featuring Jenny Doan from the Missouri Star Quilt Company) for a quick refresher course. Jenny reminded me that you needn't be too fussy as rag quilts are very forgiving! I ran with that piece of advice!
I sewed most of Day 2 but needed to clean everything up and hide it away. I didn't finish and there was lint everywhere so it was quite a pain to have to stop each session with a major vacuum! Of course, hubby kept popping in during the day and it was so stressful being afraid of getting caught! I really wanted it to be a surprise! I was almost done sewing my squares when the old walking foot broke! Ugh! I decided to switch to my modern Horizon sewing machine to stitch my rows and finish the quilt.
The next step was to snip the completed quilt. I have the Fiskars rag quilt snips but even though they are sharp, they are so frustrating to use. The little clip that locks the scissors shut refuses to stay put so I only get 2 snips before it locks on me. I tried taping it, cutting upwards, etc. and I did get it done with a lot of aggravation! It was also annoying to have the extra size of blocks because of the extra seams I had to deal with and snip. Needless to say, using extra soft flannel, I was covered head to toe in lint and threads. My workshop floor looked like a disaster and I was hoping hubby wouldn't choose this particular week to empty the central vac!
Anyway, I got it done just in time, even hand-sewing the label on the back. I washed it twice and was overwhelmed with how many clumps of thread I had to pull out of both the washer and dryer. That took a lot of tidying up as well. I gave up after two rounds and wrapped up the present and put it under the tree. The next morning, I went to put the dog out and was astounded! There along the yard was a snowstorm of quilt! There were threads everywhere: entangled in the grass, matted along the edge, and frozen in a thin layer of ice on the sidewalk (see pics below). It was just coating everything! I couldn't believe it! I gathered up what I could and hoped he wouldn't notice. Later, hubby called up to me, "hey, what was in the dryer last?". Um, why dear? "There's stuff everywhere outside!". My daughter quickly saved me by saying she'd washed a wool scarf. Hubby asked if there was anything left of it! haha!
Christmas morning he loved his gift and said he recognized the colours! It was funny and he really had no idea that the whole family had been in on the joke. Now it's on the couch and he can enjoy the rag quilt made with love and just a bit of a disaster!
This was my favourite gift this year. It is a vintage Singer pinking attachment that works with most Singer lockstitch family sewing machines. I wanted it for my Featherweight collection but might just keep it attached to my 201 so it's at the ready when I need it.
It is in beautiful condition and is an amazing piece of engineering given its age. It came with the original box and instructions, as well as the spring thumb screw to attach it to the machine (of course!). I was nervous to try it out but it attaches easily and works by simply pressing down on the foot pedal. I did have to remove the thread cutter to make it easy to screw on to the presser bar.
It is so fun to cut the pinked edge by running the fabric under the blade. It is completely safe and your fingers are protected by the cover. You can adjust the width of the guide if you want to have narrower or wider strips. The attachment can be used for finishing seams (I plan to do that on my pillows), for fancy trimmings, to prevent fraying on yardage before washing, and many other decorative uses. I absolutely love it!
Here is a quick video showing how the pinker works. My hubby gave it to me for Christmas and he ordered it from the lovely April at April 1930's, my favourite supplier for my Featherweight machines.
Merry Christmas to you and yours if you celebrate! Thank you to my GrammaBabs (a forum friend) for her gorgeous hand-made ornament this year. I've shared these delightfully crafted yearly gifts before and I'm always thrilled with Barb's handi-work. This adorable present, stitched with the year, will be the perfect title page adornment for my Christmas scrapbook layout (after it does its duty on my tree!!). Have a wonderful holiday and thanks for sticking with me through this difficult year.
My DD is home for the holidays and whipped up a tasty batch of Fresh Spring Rolls. These are made similarly to spring rolls but are not fried. The rice wrappers are quickly soaked and then rolled around a variety of fresh vegetable, meat, fish, and/or starch fillings. I'm not sure where daughter got her particular recipe but you can use this one, HERE, as a jumping off point.
For her version, my girl sliced up cucumber, shredded carrots, onions, lettuce, and peppers and had a bowl of cooked lo mein noodles at the ready. She also diced some cooked chicken and although we didn't have any, she says adding sliced avocado is amazing! She layered the veggies, noodles, and meat onto the soft wrapper and gently rolled them up. That's it - the spring rolls are ready to eat! We dipped them into soy sauce but you can get creative and mix up several different Asian-inspired dipping sauces. These are a lovely change from fried spring rolls and taste like cold pot-stickers. I ate a couple right away but daughter says they are even better after being in the fridge for a few hours - less sticky and more flavourful. I think these would make a great summer appetizer or light lunch and they are so simple to prepare.
Now that I have a taste for stitching on my Featherweight, and I have 5 of them, and I know I'm going to be piecing quilts on each of my vintage Singers, I treated myself to a selection of 1/4" feet made just for them. I went to my beloved April 1930's to purchase what I needed because I know they will fit each machine properly and work with the width of the feed dogs.
There are several versions to choose from both for low shank and slant shank models. There is a 1/4" foot with a guide to keep the fabric aligned, a patchwork foot that is a 1/4" from the edge of the foot on the right side (as well as markings perpendicular to the seam), and one with a guide bar as well. I also own a 301 which has the slant foot so I picked up a 1/4" foot for it as well.
As usual, everything came in a lovely package tied up with ric-rac and carefully shipped. I can't wait to try these out on my machines and add them to my quilting supplies.
I finally had a minute to try out the Film Strip Border Maker Cartridge from Creative Memories I shared with you last month. I'm getting caught up on some photos and one of the pages features my daughters taking selfies before an outing. (I printed all the shots!) The border of an old school roll of film was perfect for this layout! I think this was a very fun and versatile gift my friend Kathleen gave me - how many scrapbook pages could this decorate? It's ideal for theatre pages, vacation snaps, or as I find myself creating more and more pages of random shots, any page with multiple photos.
I'll admit it took me a practice try to remember how to use my Border Maker...it has been a while! Once I figured it out (not really that difficult!) it punched out the intricate border without a hitch - it's a very well made tool. I see that Creative Memories has even come out with more cartridges including pine trees, a lace flower chain, a medallion frame chain, and a gorgeous Diamond Scroll border! That one just might be next on my list!
I did have to clean up my scrapbooking mess so the table could be used for last-minute gift wrapping. I have a few last stocking stuffers to grab and I am done! It is still not very wintery outside, as I know it is for much of the States as well, so it has been very different this year. I can't believe it will be in the 50s on Christmas Eve!
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Right now until December 26th all classes are 50% off! Click HERE to go to the sale and get the discount! I'm signed up for the super fun Disappearing Blocks with Pre-Cuts (I am totally loving pre-cuts at the moment and have a bunch to use up) and the Quilt-as-you-Go with pre-cuts.
I realized I've been learning from Craftsy since 2012 and am so thankful for how it has changed my quilting life and given me the skills I needed to advance in so many different techniques and projects. I love it!!!!
I've been working on some scrapbook pages while the kids watch Christmas movies and I can't use the sewing machine. I am using more pre-designed pages to get caught up and they look great. I've emptied a few packets of photos but my dates are a little out of order. In the big scheme it doesn't matter as long as the memories are recorded. I also ordered a new album for next year and three different sets of pages to keep on top of the photo inventory! Once the holidays are over it's back to quilting and using those Craftsy classes to get inspired and sewing. (Of course, there are plenty of other subjects and classes to choose from. Craftsy has a range of topics from cooking to home and garden to art and photography. So much fun!)
Just whipped this up for brunch and it was pretty tasty! I happened to have some leftover sesame white bread and chopped ham. I added a diced red pepper to the sauteed mushrooms and used a shredded cheddar blend. It smells amazing while it bakes and you can't wait to eat it...but I recommend letting it sit the 8-10 minutes as it is super molten!
The flavour is actually quite subtle so we enjoyed it with some salsa and hot sauce. Maybe next time I will use crisp bacon instead of ham and add some herbs to the egg mixture. It would be great to serve for Boxing Day brunch when I don't have the energy to stand at the waffle iron doling out individual servings.
You can get the recipe and variations, HERE. Have a great weekend!
I think I hit a record wearing that "Bernina Red" 'Long Shot' for a straight 4 weeks. I wanted to enjoy it while my nails were all looking good but now it's time for a change. I picked up this classy OPI shade, Press * For Silver, after my friend chose it for her pedicure and I loved how it looked. It looks gold in the photo but it's actually a mauve-y silver i.r.l! Isn't it funny how different light can make a polish look completely different!?
I always love metallics and this looks like a champagne sparkle on my nails. I'm sure it will prove to be long-lasting because of the finish and I did use my Revlon Gel top coat. I am curious how it will work with regular nail polish. I have been stitching away on a Christmas present project (which I will share after it has been gifted!) and I'm loving how my manicure looks as I hold the fabric under the needle. It's almost distracting and a few of my seams are off as I am mesmerized by having my nails look decent again!
Other than sewing and wrapping, I haven't had time for much else. My regular holiday baking is way behind schedule but I did just manage a batch of mincemeat tarts for the hubby (his favourite). It will be a sad Christmas without my mum and I was very melancholy yesterday as I always gave her some of those first tarts from the oven (her favourite too!).
I can't believe how fast Christmas is coming this year. Next week I will have to get in the kitchen and started preparing all those lovely treats. Please feel free to check out these recipes for my tried-and-true 'classics'!