I've been struggling all week to find time to make more items for my Etsy store.  Sigh.  Sometimes it's just impossible.  I'll get there.  It's just that everything is taking longer than I'd like.

On a not-complaining note :o) Daughter and I spent a lot of time hiking this year.  We went out almost every Saturday and tried to take a trail or go to a location we hadn't been before. There's a lot of hiking around here, so it wasn't that hard.

I also live on a dead end road, which turns into a nice walking path along side a creek.  That one is a favorite of ours and all we have to do is walk out the front door.

On one of our many walks that way, we came across this little guy.  Almost impossible to keep in your hand, Mr Jumpy didn't sit still for very long and I barely got a few good pictures in.  I decided he's make a great sketch, and so here we are.

I haven't done any drawing for years, actually, so I wasn't sure I still had the touch.  Nothing is quite as crisp in this drawing as I'd like, but that also might be the paper, which I've never used before.  Anyway, it's kind of cute, so I thought I'd share.

In sewing land, I'm really enjoying my 1931 Singer.  I've never taken such delight in sewing with any specific machine before, but I'm in love with this one.  It's only a straight stitch, in fact does not even have a backstitch, but I'm absolutely hooked.

Newest Addition 1931 Singer

My newest baby.  A 1931 Singer in a beautiful bent wood case.  I found this at my local Goodwill way back before COVID happened.  It's taken me some time to get her into good shape, but she got her last oiling last night and I spent several hours sewing with her.  Beautiful!  And so quiet!

I was working yesterday on a new quilt.  It's just random fabric scraps that I didn't try very hard to match or make a nice pattern with.  I don't know.  It's probably the ugliest quilt I've ever made.  For some reason, I decided to do the piecing last year more out of duty to use up those scraps than any real desire to make a quilt or any real creativity.  

As a result, I could probably win the ugly quilt contest hands down.  I suggest.  No, I implore.  Please don't ever do this to yourself. 

I am however, determined to press on.  I will free motion quilt the squares in sections that are 25"x25" and go ahead and make it anyway.  This is the first time I've used Insulbright instead of cotton batting, so I will be curious as to whether or not it is actually warmer than a regular quilt.  Any of you have experience using Insulbright?

The Precious Presser Foot Pressure

Can you say that title ten times really fast?  Me neither.

Sewing on another one of Jordan's shirts yesterday made it plain to me how much I appreciate my machine's presser foot pressure adjustment capability.  I was trying to sew the collar stand buttonhole, and the machine kept dropping stitches left and right.  Obviously a buttonhole with dropped stitches is not acceptable.

I tried a new needle, since I was sewing with cotton/lycra and couldn't remember when I'd last changed the needle.  But that didn't help.  Then, when trying the buttonhole that second time, I noticed the fabric pulling up just a bit with the needle.  Aha! I said to myself.  Not enough foot pressure.

Sure enough, increasing the pressure solved the problem. 

Years ago, I bought my first expensive (to me, anyway) sewing machine.  A computerized Kenmore, which stitched so beautifully and was astonishingly quiet when sewing.  It had programmable decorative stitches and a rather primitive alphabet, but it was my very first not-a-cheapy-from-Walmart.  I loved that machine. 

Until I tried to sew buttonholes with it.  As long as everything's flat and uncomplicated, it sews very nice buttonholes.  But throw in a seam allowance (like on a collar stand) and it's hopeless. 

I diagnosed this problem (correctly, I believe) as the lack of an adjustable presser foot.  Why a machine would have so many bells and whistles while neglecting something so vital is beyond me.  But there you have it.

Fast forward a few more years.  I'm now disillusioned with computerized machines and looking to get back to basics.  I choose a middle-of-the-road mechanical Kenmore this time, though it does have an electronic needle up/down function.  It also includes the adjustable presser foot.  Which in my opinion, is now a deal breaker for any sewing machine that I consider purchasing:  No adjustable presser foot pressure? No deal.

I still use that mechanical -- it's by far my favorite machine ever.  Well, except for the treadle machine.  I guess when I went back to basics, I wasn't kidding  :o)

My Beautiful Treadle is Up and Running!

I told you last month about my awesome treadle machine find.   Last weekend my husband and son moved it upstairs into my sewing room.  This weekend I finally had time to clean it, oil everything, and replace the belt.

She's up and running!  And now all I have to do is give her a name...



What with the holiday and all, I haven't done hardly any sewing this whole past week, but now that I've got my baby all ready, I'm ready to do some serious leatherworking.

It's Twins! Sort Of -- Singer 66 Red Eye Treadle

I am so excited I can barely stand it.  Not only did I get a Kenmore 117-959 just a few days ago, but I found this awesome Singer treadle at an antiques store I'd never been to before.  Now, my area is known for it's antique stores -- it's probably why I've never been able to find vintage sewing machines at thrift shops and garage sales.  The dealers get there early and snap them up.  But I got this one.

The finish on this isn't perfect -- the decals on the machine have seen some wear from being used and the cabinet could definitely be nicer.  That's not such a big deal to me, since it's the sewing part that's important to me; I can fix the cabinet anytime even if I can't restore the decals.

Speaking of the cabinet, someone did try to restore it and match the original stain and didn't do such a great job, BUT it has those wonderful carved panels on the drawers and the sides -- that is in near perfect condition.  I could have wished for some of the old attachments, but alas! that was not to be.  It did come with the key, though, not that I'm worried about sewing notions thieves or anything.  It's just that the idea of locking up my sewing machine makes me want to giggle just a little.

According to the serial number this beauty was manufactured in 1915.  It's such a weird feeling to own a machine that was made nearly a hundred years ago that still does what it was meant to.  And it makes a lovely stitch.  It needs a new belt, a bit of cleaning and oiling, and some of the parts need the rust polished off, but when those dinky little chores are done, I'm going to have the machine I've always wanted.  It's not exactly like my mother's, with which I learned to sew (a really, really, long time ago) -- hers was a later version from the 1940's, I think.  But it's close enough.

Remember me mentioning during the hurricane that I only wished I had a treadle so I could sew when the electricity went out?  Well, now I'm all set :-)

A New Baby -- Kenmore 117-959

This pretty little sweetheart was found for me by a dear friend.  On the sidewalk.  With a FREE sign attached to it.  Needless to say, I was more than happy to give her a new home  :-)

This is a straight stitch-only Kenmore rotary, manufactured in 1938, though it does have a reverse ability.  It has a very odd thread path, though.  In fact, I'm not 100% sure I am threading it right, since I haven't had much time lately to do any research on my new acquisition.  But it sews a beautiful stitch with that threading path, so I'm going to assume it's correct until I find out something to the contrary.

I've always wanted a straight stitch machine--ever since I discovered that you can only get perfectly straight stitches with a machine that can't do a zigzag.  And I would really like to be able to sew leather -- my current machines only do leather with a lot effort, needle changes, thread changes, coaxing, and cursing.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  I'm not sure this is the machine for that job, but that's okay, since I've got plenty of other jobs it can do.

That's right.  I got a free, vintage sewing machine in a nice looking cabinet (needs a couple of minor repairs) that runs beautifully.  And quietly, too.  How is it that my 2005 Kenmore is louder than her sister who is nearly 75 years older than she is?

So with a little cleaning, and a little oiling and a little TLC, this one will be ready for some serious straight-stitching  :-)