Sewing Machines I own!

I will take Suzette's suggestions and blog to you about my sewing machines. The first sewing machine I ever owned was given to me by my grandmother around 1989. It's a Remington bought in 1959. Would you believe my mom still has the invoice? My grandmother was an individual that kept a record of everything. At the time, it was the state of the art sewing machine. I do not have a picture of it as it is stored in a cabinet where the machine is almost upside down. A newer machine now sits on that cabinet.

After taking a machine quilting class in 1996 at the Quiltsmith in Shelbourne, Vermont, I realized that I needed a more versatile machine. At that time, I had been taught to tie my quilts or hand quilt them. Machine quilting gave me another option that was much quicker than hand quilting. In Spring 1997, I went shopping and bought my first Bernina. I love my Bernina 1090 and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I still do the bulk of my quilting on it. It's the machine that sits on this beautiful sewing cabinet that my husband custom made for me. I made the mistake of having him modify the machine bed to fit my 180E. Big mistake, now my 1090 moves when I use the free hand system. Oh well, he should be making a cabinet for my 180 so I'll get him to fix it! ;o)

While working for a quilt shop that was a Bernina dealer, I fell in love with the 180E. What I liked was the ability to increase designs and have it stitched on the quilt borders. Our Bernina expert, Gayle, had a sample of the many talents of the 180E. At the time it had not occurred to me that my inability to machine quilt designs on the borders was due to my lack of self confidence. Ironically, I never used the 180E for machine quilting and have barely pushed it's embroidery limits. I have recently started using it for piecing quilts. The High Tech Tuck was done on the 180E and it's the machine I brought to class. I keep my 1090 for machine quilting and now the 180E for piecing. I will say that it is sweet to have two machines available. I don't have to remove a project from one machine in order to sew something quick.

The embroidery module on the 180 (not pictured) has not had much use. I recently bought the Bernina Designer Plus V5 software thinking it would facilitate my quilt label creativity, but even that hasn't been exploited. It's not an easy software to work with. Well, it doesn't do what I want it to do! I need to read the manual, which is over 600 pages. It is not the best designed manual I have ever looked at either. I have thought of trading my 180E, not sure it would be worth trading, for the 730. The interface is much more user friendly and in color. Financially, it doesn't make sense to spend so much money on a computerized machine that becomes "out dated" in a few years. Doing the math, I realized that the software was much cheaper than the 730. Besides, the 180E does everything the 730 does but not as fast. I was told that with the software my 180E becomes the printer.

When you think about it, it's ridiculous the amount of money one can spend on a computerized sewing machine. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't "out dated" so quickly. Alex Anderson has said in one of her podcast, that sewing machines are not made to last forever. Perhaps computerized ones but please, not my 1090!

As for other machines, you have seen my treadle and I do own an older Singer that I think came out in the early 1930s. I haven't been able to take a good picture of it. My camera has the stupids today. I should take that Singer to a dealer to have clean and oiled. My brother found this machine for me. Unfortunately, it has no attachments.

Here you have a very recent picture of my sewing room. It was taken in the morning and since I haven't moved much from the computer, it still looks like it does. Oh, and meet George, my beta fish. You'll find him next to the book case, in the left corner of my sewing table. George and I have had many wonderful conversations! lol

So, what a mess it is hey! The cutting table will need to be cleaned off when I start to put together part two (2) of the Wildberry BOM, which should be as soon as I get myself off this computer. It's amazing how much time one can spend blogging.

Honestly, the mess doesn't bother me at the moment. I know where everything is! When it starts getting on my nerves, I will do a good clean up. Actually, I'm waiting for my husband to finish this custom cabinet that he's making to hold my embroidery threads, supplies and module. This should be completed shortly. I will then do a clean up of my closets, which will lead to a general clean up of my sewing room! lol I will post a picture of this cabinet once complete. Stephen does amazing cabinetry work.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog.

High Tech Tuck - Finis!

Here is it, the finished wall hanging. I will say that it's a fun project to do. Definitely different from anything I've ever done. I don't know that I have the right decor to hang this in my home. Everything is old looking. We do live in a beautiful house that is more then 150 years old. Perhaps I could hang it in my sewing studio. It is our more modern addition to the house.

I'm presently working on another one. Mainly because I had bought the panel that was part of this line of fabric. My daughter has already laid claims to it without even seeing the final result. I've done the math, now it's a question of putting it all together. For this project I will do a black binding as opposed to the gradation one. I find that the colorful gradation binding detracts from the main features of the quilt.

I checked out Pam's panel and it is much larger than mine. I would have preferred her version as opposed to mine. My panel was purchased from Erica's. They sold it by the panel only, which is a bummer. I wish I would have been able to order a larger amount of fabric. It was the only store I found that carried the Ocean Song line of fabric by Laurel Burch on the Internet. My LQS does not carry Laurel's line of fabric let alone any Clothworks fabric. Keepsakes also didn't have it, which surprised me. If anything, I would have thought I'd find it there.

Hum.... I think Keepsakes is not the quilting store that it used to be. On my way to my in-laws late December of 2006, I made a stop there. I didn't know they had moved to the other end of the strip mall, that in itself surprised me. The first thing I notices was the downsizing. It seemed much smaller than the original store with less decor. I mainly bought Batiks that I could not find locally. You know, the unique stuff. I will say that they had a good selection of Batiks. As for the rest, I wasn't impressed. If it hadn't been for the Batiks, I would not have spent the amount I did. I would have walked out with only a pattern that a friend from Oz had asked me to pick up.

Breather from UFOs - High Tech Tuck

Yesterday I took an all day workshop at my LQS, High Tech Tuck wall hanging from a pattern by Caryl Bryer Fallert. This pattern was published in the Fons & Porter, Sept 2006 magazine. No, Caryl did not teach it, how I wish!

I enjoy taking quilting class mainly for the pleasure of meeting other quilters and seeing what they're up too. I hadn't taken a quilting workshop in an extremely long time. Even our snow storm did not deter me from attending.

Like most of you, I can pretty much figure out how to make a quilt from a pattern. So when I take a class, it's because, aside from being with other quilters, I'm hoping to learn little tips and tricks that will make the construction of the quilt easier. Unfortunately, this was not the case in this class. The teacher told us step by step what to do. The first clue should have been the supply list being a photocopy of the published list in the magazine.

For this project, I had chosen fabric from the Laurel Burch line of fabric (Thanks Pam for the inspiration). I purchased the mermaid panel as well as a fish fabric, just in case the first didn't work well, which it didn't due to size (I'll do the math another time).

In my first attempt, I started from strip one (1) onward. After sewing a few strips, I realized that it was not working. I had to start from strip 24 backwards. Ripit, ripit I croaked! This wall hanging is constructed with the batting and backing. I guess you can call it a "quilt as you go" project. So far, I like the way it turned out. Today I hope to have it finished.

Sadly, I did not learn any tips and tricks in this class. I'm pretty much on my own with the construction of this project. What I did learn pertains to my dream of opening my own quilt shop.

1) Make sure you have good equipment for your students. Cheap irons do not work well especially on a project that requires lots of precise ironing.
2) Tables should be made of something sturdy (thanks Kim for your comment) and not plastic. The sewing machine causes the table top to vibrate when you sew. Speed is no longer an option.
3) Never use the supply list from the pattern for a class. Make a new list, ensuring that the students have all that they need.
4) Check in on your teachers. See how the class is being conducted. Ask for feedback/evaluations.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that my understanding of a paid quilting class should not be the teacher only following the pattern instructions with the students, but providing demos, working with the student, explaining why something would not work as well as providing tips and tricks to make quilting easier. Perhaps I'm wrong, but that's how I tailor all my classes.

I'm glad that I had the opportunity to meet other quilters and see how their project turned out. The teacher was a very nice person as were all the students (we were three (3).

Ashland Treadle Sewing Machine

Since I haven't made much progress on the Wildberry Vine BOM quilt I thought I would tell you a bit about my treadle sewing machine. I bought this machine from an antique dealer the next town West of me. He's one of those individuals that keeps all of his treasures in a barn and every now and again he opens his barn doors for us curious souls. Unfortunately, he does not advertise and since I bought this machine four (4) years ago, I have not found him open. I do drive by every now and again to look for signs, but nada.

Sadly, I know very little about the company who manu-
factured the machine. I did a search and found nothing. As you can see, it's in an impeccable shape. There was some damage on the top of the cabinet from what my husband thinks was alcohol. Once the original finish was removed, he was able to see that the wood had not been damaged at all but only the finish. To maintain the original look of the cabinet, he was able to duplicate the original finish by using an old refinishing technique involving a lot of "elbow grease". I will say the cabinet looks beautiful. You can see the wood grain and finish on some of the photos. This machine is in my sunny "Yellow Room". I keep the cover closed, it's a lot easier to dust.

I had one pre-requisite for a treadle machine, it had to be functional and come with attachments. I will admit that I'm quite please with this find. I had been looking for a treadle for quite some time. I found that there were lots out there, but very few with attachments. I wanted to be able to make a quilt on a treadle machine, so you can understand the importance of attachments. It even has what I think is a ruffler. It was missing a belt, which is not uncommon given the age and wear and tear of the machine. I was able to purchase a leather belt at an old Amish General Store in Intercourse, Pennsylvania.

This little gem came from the Estate of Esther Fischer and I will say that she took very good care of her machine. The drawers had not been cleaned out. You can imagine how exciting it was for me to go through someone else's sewing cabinet drawers. This woman had bits and pieces of patterns she had made as well as old medicine bottles to keep odds and ends. I have numerous original sewing needles for the machine and lots and lots of bobbins. Buttons, yes she had lots of buttons as well as attachments for an electrical Singer sewing machine. I have the manual for the treadle and the electrical one (that I do not own). It's obvious that no one had bothered to look in the drawers. Oh I have to tell you that I also have the original key to the drawers. An old fashion key, it's a beauty.

So there it is, a treasure I am so pleased to have purchased for a song. I think the gentlemen just wanted to get rid of it and there I was!

Baltimore's Country Cousins

Four Feeding Birds - First Block
Since I really don't have much to report on the Wildberry Vine BOM, I thought I would write a bit about this UFO project. I was so excited to read on Suze's Blog that she was doing the Baltimore's Country Cousins quilt by Susan McKelvey that I just had to share that I too am doing the same quilt but in lighter colours. This was originally a BOM from one of my favorite quilt stores The Quilted Crow. I started this BOM back in June 2006 and received the last part the end of December 2006. This is a quilt that is part of my UFO list of "to do" for 2007. So I will get to it as soon as I finish with my other projects.
This was the second block and it is called Unbroken Circle. It was a long block to complete mainly due to the many leaves. Some of the blocks are quick while others can take some time. I use the needle turn applique method. I make templates with freezer paper, outline with a pencil for light fabric and a blue or white pencil for dark fabrics. I glue my pieces using Roxane's basting glue, which I'm sure is Elmer's glue diluted. Don't quote me on this, I haven't tested this as of yet. I have used archival glue stick and had the same results. What I do not like about the glue stick is the hardness as it dries. It is difficult to be precise and not put a blob of glue on. Roxane's tiny applicator solves that problem. I was informed that Avery came out with a glue stick that is the size of a pencil, archival and washable. I may give that a try.

The third block is called Drooping Daisies. I had a difficult time with the gold decor of the vase. It took me a while to get the inner curve right. I'm no expert in applique but I will say that I'm seeing some improvement. I have yet to wash an applique quilt. I'm somewhat afraid that it will fray and/or fall apart. For all I know I may be stitching the pieces to death. I should note that none of the blocks have been squared. They are all 18.5 inches but the templates were photocopied using the percentage of a 16 inch block. I haven't decided to what size I will square the finished blocks too.
My last finished block is called Crossed Hearts. It was much simpler to do than Unbroken Circle. What I liked about this Baltimore quilt is that it has a folk feeling to it. Lately I have been attracted to what I consider Folk colours and styles. I do have 3 blocks ready to be hand appliqued. They are in my basket of hand work. However, the Wildberry Vine BOM takes precedence over this one as it is much older. I am determined to get the old UFOs out of the way before I work on newer projects. Thanks Suze for allowing me a little break from the Wildberry BOM. It was a pleasure to get out the blocks and say a bit about them.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and share in my quilting joys.