Let's Makea Deal: trade offs

 Here we are in the third week of October and are in the midst of our third snowfall. Seriously. Like inches of snow, on the ground, not melting. I say it's the perfect time of the year to get quilting! I just finished up a quilt that took way to long to finish but here it is:

Quilt top

This was a conglomeration of partially finished blocks of my aunt's and ones I made up so  now all those little hexagon scraps of fabric are gone and done with. I love the blues and greens but it turned out a bit too green for my taste but isn't that part of the learning process? Not having enough fabric for the backing, I managed to piece fabrics together to make it look like it was in my design plan:

Quilt back

I liked the pieced border on the back so much I decided to use the same idea for the binding. Actually, I wanted to make the binding in navy pindot but I didn't have enough fabric so this was my next best idea. Here's a closeup of the free motion quilting:

Close up of the free motion work

Which sewing machine did I use? The Singer 1200 was so much fun to use that I just kept stitching until it sold. Yup, even the favorites get sold over here but it was quite the deal.

Gary really wanted the 1200 but was having trouble with the cost so he proposed a deal: part cash, part sewing machines. At first I said no but then I got to thinking and running the numbers in my head and decided I would be ahead if I took his deal. Here's what I got:

Necchi Nora

Singer 503A

Singer CG590

Pretty awesome, right? The Necchi Nora is the cream of the crop, in excellent condition, runs well, but came with no accessories. I thought I might have a set of cams but I only have cams for the Necchi Supernova. I hope I can be patient until I find some. 

Next up is a Singer 503 complete with accessories and print manual. Great condition, sews well, only missing the carrying case, but will still sell. Right now I also have the Singer 500A, the fully loaded version called the Rocketeer.  With both models I can list one and probably sell both. I'm not a huge fan of the Rocketeer, preferring the Singer 401 as the real classic.

The final part of the deal is a Singer CG590, their answer to home heavy duty sewing machines. I had a similar one a few years ago and had to admit it did sew heavy stuff as well as two layers of cotton. Dropping the feed dogs, I used it to finish up the free motion part on the above quilt and it worked well  but seemed loud and created an unpleasant sewing experience. It also came with accessories and is ready to go out the door. All told, when these three sell it will add up to more than the cash value of the Singer 1200 plus they are all ready to sell. I hope Gary is as happy with his machine as I am with the deal we made.

I've been practicing free motion quilting with my treadle and decided I needed to trade out machines. My back clamping Singer 66 Red Eye just would not work unless I used a spring type presser foot but they don't seem to come in any back clamping feet style. Instead, I put a more modern side clamping foot Singer 66 head into the cabinet and used a free motion foot. I did get the hang of it but now need to keep practicing. There's another quilt all put together that needs to be quilted and I'm determined to use my new skills on this quilt.

Snow or no snow, what are you thinking about sewing?

Getting Ready and Making Do

It's been a great week of warm weather but we know it won't last so I've been getting the last of the cabinets finished up and posted for sale. The garage needs to be cleared out to get both cars in before snow arrives and in Minnesota that means November. Here's my latest adventure with cabinets and their machines. 

A few weeks ago I had refinished one of my favorite cabinets that I wrote about in Singer Restored Plus a Garage Sale and I no more than sold it and I bought another one. It's all refinished now but there is a problem with the cabinet when I switched sewing machines. It came with a Singer 500 that is very nice but not really the right machine for a cabinet of this era. Doesn't this table look like a treadle but without the treadle mechanism?

School Desk table

When refinished I wanted to put a Singer 15-91 into it but there was a problem: a gap between the machine and the edge of the cabinet. Usually there is a metal plate and spring mechanism installed but this one did not have that nifty addition. I even have one in my stash of parts but it didn't fit the opening correctly. What's a body to do about that? First we went to Walmart and, using measurements, combed the aisles looking for a storage compartment that would fit. You have to give my husband credit for helping me in the search but we didn't find a good container. Back home I search my own collection of boxes without finding anything. Then I thought about how I have made up paper boxes so I looked at my stash of mailing supplies and found a box that was close in size. I could cut it down and reshape it to fit

Box in the making

I covered it with wood grain Duck Tape and set it into place

Box to fill in the gap

It is held in place by the front lip which only holds it in place until the machine is folded down but there are 4 drawers for holding supplies and one can be for this box. This is not a perfect solution but seems like a viable alternative to a gaping hole. The new owner can either use it or toss it away.

Singer 15-91 with box in place

The Singer 15-91 in the table is in nearly mint condition with excellent decals and finish. Someone is going to get a real showpiece.

Singer 15-91 in school desk table

I love the classic look of the post-treadle cabinet/table with a traditional black Singer sewing machine. Who wouldn't want to sit down and sew with this beauty?

I've been busy sewing up clothes for my 8 year old granddaughter, Emma, who requested a jumpsuit. Using a vintage pattern from the '60's

Butterick 4919

I made up a short version in a nice knit that she loved but she requested one longer so I made up an orange version that she picked out!

Butterick 4919 in longer length

It was way too plain for me so we dressed it up with leaf buttons

 Jumpsuit with button trim and leaf zipper pull

and a zipper pull with one more red leaf. She loved the zipper pull on the last one, just a circle of the fabric stitched down, so this one also gets a cool zipper pull. Another shirt was finished up and now grandma is finished making clothes for Emma for a little while. It's fun that she still likes this effort of mine but she's a bit fussy so it might not last long. I'll take what I can get besides there are plenty of other grandchildren to sew and knit for; the joys of a big family!