Photos from You

I get letters, emails actually, with photos of what you have been making with your vintage sewing machines so this post is going to be a photo roundup of your sewing.

LeaRae bought a Kenmore sewing machine last summer, learning about my sewing machines from one of my neighbors. Imagine my surprise when I got the following photos in an email only days after she took her Kenmore home:

LeaRae's first quilt top in blocks

LeaRae's second quilt top with pieced pinwheels

I didn't recognize her name so I wrote back with who-are-you questions but I could hardly believe it was LeaRae since she had just bought the machine! She was a very busy lady and the work is just fine for a first quilt top, explaining she was going to add sashing to each one. Recently I got another email from LeaRae asking how often she needed to bring her sewing machine in for a tune up because her friend told her it needed to be done every year. Well, her friend might have a computerized sewing machine and it might need that kind of attention but not a vintage machine like hers. Just keep it clean, oil in all of the places where metal rubs metal, check your manual for instructions and you should be ready to sew. Yup, vintage can be easy to maintain, too.

Last December I got an email from Sara, a long time sewing machine friend who has been with me almost from the beginning. It all started with a green White sewing machine and there have been too many for me to remember accurately but here's her photo of some of her sewing projects:

Sara's family sewing with p'j's, mittens, and tea towels

Part of her email read:
Just wanted to thank you for all your help with sewing machines. I've had enough time lately to crank out some gifts on my serger, White 675, and the Kenmore free arm. It's so amazing having more than one machine to work with! Construction on the White, reinforcement on the serger, and topstitching on the Kenmore. My Christmas gifts this year include a pair of pajama pants for the husband, a robe for Mimi, pajamas for Ollie, mittens for my mom, and some hand embroidered pillowcases for my grandma.

Now, just to put all of this in perspective, Sara has two small children at home who like to "help Mommy" so finding time alone to sew is at a premium. Yea Sara!

A recent customer was Alex with a Viking 21, a very sweet machine that is rugged in its own way and manly enough to not be embarrassing when left out for your friends to see. Questions have flown back and forth via text and there was a recent problem that was hard to describe but let's just say it was a needle issue that has been resolved. I got a text within a week of his purchase to show me what he made on the Viking 21:

Alex with a new bow tie

That bow tie is pretty neat and he has much to be proud of. No, he doesn't work at Starbuck's but the apron is from his job at a home improvement store where he gets to wear a bow tie. Congratulations, Alex on putting your new skills to work!

There are more photos but I wanted to share these three because they were all from beginners who have really jumped in and learned to sew and are loving it. It's been fun to follow Sara as she grows her skill and practices on her family (little ones can outgrow our mistakes and we learn along the way), LeaRae has kept in touch over this past year (send me new project photos, LeaRae!), and I think I'm going to hear from Alex again, if only because I have more Viking bobbins for him. This is one reason why I love this business of vintage sewing machines: you make new friends as they learn to sew on these vintage treasures.