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Saturday, September 29, 2012

Oklahoma Backroads Slide Show

Tank in the Room!

An Italian Tank that is!

Meet another Necchi Supernova Ultra from the late 1950s!  The story was that the mother of the quilter bought this machine in Spain in the 1950s--- she was a dressmaker at the time and this machine was top of the line in the 1950s.  These machines are built like vintage Italian race cars, sleek of line, full of power.

I’d never seen one with the fold-down extension bed which reminded me of the fold down featherweight bed.  Full metal machine, full metal bed….FULLY HEAVY!

KY_Sept2012 282

It was fun to learn the history of how this Italian made machine came from Spain back to the USA and to the daughter of the mother and her love of quilt piecing!

Yesterday’s class had SO MUCH VARIETY!  Quilts are well under way, putting the scraps to good use.  Civil war prints --- either in all colors with scrappy everything, or planned in pinks and browns with creams --- patriotic or batiks or browns and turquoise – so many ways that this could be colored.

We had the music going --- at 3pm-ish we fought the mid-afternoon tire-out by turning up Jimmy Buffett and singing along.  It was a party of the best variety!


Ladies were still sewing at 4:30pm as I started to move things from the classroom to set up where the dinner lecture was being held.  Dinner for 75+, my presentation after – and my best part of all ---a big hug from Harriet Hargrave afterwards, thanking me for keeping the love of traditional quilting alive and well.  I feel SO honored!

Today is the last day of the Bluegrass Quilt Festival ---my 5th back to back day of teaching.  It’s gone so fast!  And it’s been a great time ---I’d love to come back, it’s such a beautiful area here and a great location.

Sunday --- it’s the long drive home!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't you just love seeing how the fabrics, variations on putting the block together etc flow from the ladies!!!?

Be very happy to take all the above pieces pictured and give them a 'good home' with me!lol

THANKS BONNIE!
JulieinTN

Marj said...

The Ladies in KY have sure had a great week piecing with you and the other teachers there at the show. Love the picture and stories of the vintage machines.

regan said...

Too funny that one gal had brought the exact scrap you used in your quilt! "I spy.....my own oldie-but-goodie scrap!"

Tina Craig said...

Oh, I really need to play with my mother's Necchi. I wish it was portable, but it is nice to have the original table. I had it cleaned and oiled a few years ago, but haven't sewn a stitch. I'm afraid of the cams, but if I learn how to use them I'd have all those decorative stitches to play with. My mother rarely used them when she first got the machine, so she'll be no help. I know she'd be happy to see me using it.

45th Parallel Quilter said...

Totally agree, Julie ... such a variety of fabrics ~ some scrappy, some planned ... all of them so interesting to see.

Myrna said...

I hope you're enjoying your quilting time here in Kentucky! I've enjoyed following along here.

Myrna
mroy@duo-county.com

Lynda said...

I would love to do some traveling with you - do you need a driver? I, like you, like to find out about the history of the local that I am visiting or traveling through. Have been a west coast girl and traveled extensively west of the Mississippi but need to get East!

janequiltsslowly said...

When I first tuned in to blogland here on the internet I was looking for ways to organize and use up my scraps and I found the Quiltville website. The first class that you blogged about was Oklahoma Backroads and I was hooked! I used the center 4 patches as a leader/ender for other projects I worked on and when I had enough of them, I started kitting up the blocks. I've sort of gotten my scraps down to a manageable system, but there are always more of course! This slide show reminds me of my first looks at this blog and how glad I am that I found you.

Sandra Henderson said...

I love seeing all of these quilts! I was behind a post or two, yall have been busy bees! Love that someone found a match in one of your quilt fabrics! Enjoy the rest of your time in KY!~BBQ sounds great!

Leah said...

Ooooh, I like that Necchi! Very cool design.

I was recently bequeathed an early 1970's Necchi from my aunt. Had it serviced at the sewing repair shop, but haven't had a chance to get acquainted with it yet. Time to get it out and take it for a spin!

Bev said...

Unless it needs a cam to sew straight, start playing! You can always plunk in a cam for fun to see the neat stitches you can make with such a machine! My daughter picked up a machine that took the same cams my machine does, so I gave the the box of cams-but took one back next time I saw her because it is one I liked!

Bev said...

Some wonderful color and combinations! the one with the black solid is going to be a dazzler and I really liked the one with the yellow! Zowie! Such gorgeous fabrics!

Carolyn Sullivan said...

AWESOME! that is a quilt that is on my bucket list!

Judy said...


To the cyber space bullies go someplace else to play bully. If you must bully try picking on someone bigger than you that will dish it back and let us know how it feels.

Helen in the UK said...

LOVE seeing all the different fabric/colour combos. The black with batiks looks scrumptious :)

Beth said...

It is so much fun to look at how different the blocks look in different colors. They all look good, so I guess that means just dive in and sew up some blocks.

Lane said...

Wow, recognition from Harriet Hargrave herself! Aren't you the cat's meow. Be well. Lane

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