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Tuesday, April 02, 2013

House of 1,000 Machines! OH. MY!!

I had a special treat yesterday afternoon for lunch ---and I’m still reeling from it and not sure where to start!  SERIOUSLY!

On the left is Charlie – she’s the one who met me at the airport baggage claim here in Nashville.

The lovely lady in yellow to her right is Faye ---

Faye is a toy machine collector ---and would you believe me if I told you that she has over 1,000 machines in her house? Toys machines as well as full sized treadles and hand cranks.  Over 1,000!!

Now, I have a “SMALL” collection of toy machines ---and I realize I’ve got a long way to go yet before I reach this status!  Faye has been collecting since the 1980s when her hubby brought home her first toy machine ---they’ve spent a life time of collecting together!

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These look like regular machines ---until you see them sitting next to the arm of the sofa!
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With my hand!
I must be living under a rock because I never even considered that there could be toy treadle machines ----or “REAL” little girl sized fully working treadle machines!  It was an eye opener for me.
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A pair of tiny Alfa machines!
There are SO many photos ---lighting not always good – and I really have no words to describe how overwhelmingly wonderful this was to see!  This is like a museum collection ---amazing in every detail and I feel very privileged to have been able to view it –as well as enjoying a delicious lunch prepared by Faye.
So, wordlessly – I present you the slide show version.  There are 119 photos in the slide show.

Prepare to be speechless!
As always, the slide show doesn’t work for everyone all the time.  If it doesn’t work for you, the only thing you can do is come back and view it later.  That usually fixes the issue for everyone, and believe me, it is WORTH viewing later!

What an amazing day with an amazing lady!

bonniefaye1

Today starts with a morning guild meeting followed by a half day Pineapple Blossom class ---

Let the fun in Nashville continue!

67 comments:

  1. OH! MY! WORD! How amazing is that collection? How on earth does she keep everything so neat and tidy, and how does she dust everything????? Definitely museum worthy!

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  2. That was amazing! Thanks so much for sharing all the photos. I've got a long, long, way to go with my collection. Have a super day!

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  3. How awesome! I love the way she has displayed all of her machines! I now really want one of those cake pans though! It would be an awesome way to combine my love of cake decorating with my love of sewing!

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  4. Anonymous7:43 AM EDT

    WOW! I am so impressed at the number of machines and the clever displays. It truly is a museum - set up even better than a museum! WOW..

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  5. I'm speechless. Amazing! Thank you so much for the tour.

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  6. All I can say is WOW!! I am amazed by how she displays them all and the number of original boxes she has. Thanks for sharing Bonnie!

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  7. I'm with Kevin the Quilter, above - one of my first thoughts would be keeping all those lovely little machines DUSTED! What a treasure trove and how thrilling for her to be able to show it to you, knowing how much you would truly appreciate her collection. I clicked through the slideshow twice and was so amazed both times.

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  8. WOW oh WOW!!! That is amazing! I'm in love with those mini treadles. And the cake pans.....all to die for!!!

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  9. Wow!Faye and her husband our great care takers of a lot of history of sewing machines. Loved seeing the pictures. Were those chocolate molds of the sewing machines?

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  10. That was fantastic. So interesting, I just never imagined.

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  11. Holy Cow! Thank you and thanks to Faye for letting you share her collection. Now I'm reeling! What a sight, and no, I had no idea about the toy treadles either. I enjoy the slideshows but this one is special.

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  12. I am speechless, overwhelmed, and maybe even hyper-ventilating a little! What an amazing collection! I see that she is also a collector of other things too! Everything is so neat, how on earth does she keeps it that way? And, so much of her display is out in the open, so the next question is who dusts all those machines? Thank you to Faye for sharing her special collection with all of us!

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  13. WOW--totally awesome! Definitely museum worthy! Someone call the Smithsonian! I'm sure your jaw was to the floor! Lucky you for getting to see it in person!

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  14. WOW--totally awesome! Definitely museum worthy! Someone call the Smithsonian! I'm sure your jaw was to the floor! Lucky you for getting to see it in person!

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  15. Wow, amazing. I had been toying with the idea of finding a toy machine to display in my sewing cave but this gal takes the prize. Thanks Bonnie for sharing this.

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  16. Wonderful collection. I am in awe of the caretakers of the past for our future generations. Thank you Faye, and thank you Bonnie for sharing!

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  17. Boy -- just when I thought I'd seen everything!! Very cool!

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  18. OH WOWZERS!!! It never occurred to me that there might be toys! but please dont get me started! I am leaving all of that to someone else :-) it is mesmerizing to see... I'd rather collect fabric I wont ever use all of in my lifetime :-) *~*CAROLE*~*

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  19. Is it just me or is anyone else having trouble seeing those gorgeous pictures. Every time I try to see the slide show it takes me to SkyDrive. I registered but it still won't let me see the enlarge pictures or the slide show. Bbbaaaaa! I am drooling over these! HELP!

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  20. That happens to me all the time and then POOF it will let me in. I have no idea what the deal is with that Sky Drive. At work, at home, it doesn't matter.

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  21. Thanks Kathaleeny....I'll keep trying. I NEED to see these!!!!

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  22. That is just simply amazing. Thank you for sharing and thank Faye for sharing too.

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  23. Oh. My. God. That is an amazing collection.

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  24. Anonymous11:23 AM EDT

    What a surpise that must have been!!
    Mary Deeter / stitchinggrandma

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  25. Love how she has them displayed! What a great surprise...

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  26. Thank you for this! I'll try to view again later, and it will work for me then, but I know I'll love it because I LOVE toy machines!!! I've always wanted to see the toy treadles I've read about, but until then this will do. What an amazing experience you had!

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  27. It's so funny, I didn't know there were toy treadles until I went to a quilt exhibit at a local historical society yesterday, then today I see them on your blog. Who knew???

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  28. Anonymous1:05 PM EDT

    GLORY!

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  29. Very cool, indeed. Thankfully I don't have this obsession (yet) because all I can think about is WHO'S GOING TO DUST ALL THOSE? No, they could never live in my house....the maid rarely shows up around here. :)

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  31. It would be really nice to see the pictures....unfortunately.....after trying to see them for several hours without success I am giving up.....
    Your slide-show system is not a good one as this "Sky-Drive" will not allow access .....too bad it is so frustrating

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    1. if you wait until tomorrow, you can probably see them.

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    2. I waited and came back the next day and was able to see them just fine and yes, Faye's collection is absolutely fabulous! Marei must have the same maid as I do, but mine never shows up and I HATE to dust! LOL

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  32. Love the pictures you shared. I know that her Husband has to be one of a kind to help her 'find' all these beauties! She is a very lucky lady. Glad you got to enjoy them and see them up close!

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  33. I'm in the same boat tried over half a dozen times to see these photos and get to skydrive with no photos. I give up! Big sad face. Surely there must be some other photo app on the web Bonnie could use that is more reliable.

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    1. Why don't you do some research about all the slide show apps out there and find one that will work for everyone all the time and not make Bonnie re-size each and every picture she puts on there. I'm sure she would appreciate having someone to put in the hours of research that she just doesn't have - she already stretches her days as far as they can go. She found the best that she could to share her pictures with us, but I'm sure that if you wanted to find a better one, she would be happy to explore the possibilities.

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  34. Wow, how awesome! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  35. Wow, how awesome! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  36. Not only the volume of machines she treasures, but the way she displays them is amazing......They are grouped together and many have the original boxes they came in, I could spend days..WOW

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  37. Oh my..just breath taking ,Bonnie. Thank you so much for sharing your good fortune with these ladies . I loved looking at all those tiny machines . Wow the variety ! and the meticulous care she obviously gives them all .

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  38. I hope these will end up in a museum one day. What a treasure!!!!!All I can say is WOW.

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  39. Wow! What a collection! She's got me beat--I've got 70 toy machines and also started collecting in the 80's. I had to quit when the prices started escalating . As far as dusting.... well if they're high enough on the shelf I can't see the dust! I'd rather be quilting.

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  40. Wow! Amazing! A huge thanks to Faye and you for sharing this wonderful collection with us! I thought the toy machines were sitting on wood bases by the chair until I saw your hand by the close up of the machine. I always learn something new in your travels! Thank you one and all!

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  41. I have tried several times to view the pictures. Even subscribed to Skydrive, and still can't see them. Tried this morning, and then later this afternoon. Hoping that eventually will be able to see them. :-(

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  42. I bet you just about croaked!!!!
    Paula in KY

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  43. I couldn't open it either, but will keep trying. I want to know if there are any left for the rest of us? LOL. Thanks for sharing. Micki

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  44. Anonymous7:33 PM EDT

    You thought you must have died and gone to machine heaven:-) Thanks so much for sharing!

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  45. Anonymous7:35 PM EDT

    You thought you must have died and gone to machine heaven:-) Thanks so much for sharing!

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  46. Anonymous8:55 PM EDT

    Awesome collection!!! I have about 4 of them, and I'd love to have more! They are a treasure!!! Thanks for sharing! And thank you Faye for allowing us the pleasure!!!

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  47. I have toured that fabulous house, too. Absolutely mind boggling. And she doesn't just have machines, she has just about any antique sewing gadget you can imagine, plus a bunch you have never heard of.

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  48. Thanks for sharing this amazing collection! And for your generosity of spirit in taking the time out of your hectic schedule to post these photos. I appreciate it!!

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  49. Anonymous10:37 PM EDT

    I love it 1000 no kidding hmmm someone or things to aspire to huh?I just picked up on today for 20.00 a little sister the same place I got my 301 for 29.99!!!! well I am on my way any way huh? Debbie kelly
    http://somewhereinstitches.blogspot.com

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  50. What a wonderful collection and how wonderful that she has saved a lot of these from certain destruction. It's sad that so many of these wonderful machines are just tossed out.

    By the way, I like the sky drive. It doesn't always work, but I look at your blog every day (sometimes several times a day), so I just try later and there it is.

    Thank you for all the work you do to share all the wonderful things you see with us!

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  51. AMAZING! What a collection! I'm speechless. Thanks for sharing. I appreciate your blog and your willingness to share so many things I'd never be aware of. I had no idea there were so many toy machines, even treadles!

    My two cents for what it's worth...I prefer sky drive. If it works for YOU that is the question. For us readers I say just come back another time, you'll get it and if you don't want to leave it alone for a while and come back, don't make it Bonnie's problem. Think a little beyond yourself and your needs.

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  52. WOW, amazing collection. Bonnie, thankyou soooo much for taking the time to make these photos available for all of us to see. I didn't know there were that many toy sewing machines in existence!

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  53. Wow! That many machines! Love it when you share pictures.
    (I just did what you said, I came back the day after and the slideshow works perfect). Thank you Bonnie.

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  54. What an amazing collection! I really enjoyed looking at each and every picture, thank you for sharing! Not sure I would want to have them all though, wow it would be a full time job dusting! Still loved looking, and like others have said I didn't know they made that many different ones.

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  55. Absolutely unreal...thank your for sharing, loved every photo!!!! What an awesome collection and your time taking and sharing with us. Priceless! !!

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  56. An amazing collection! Thank you for sharing it! I especially loved the one with the doll in the trunk.

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  57. Wow. I am in awe. Thank you for sharing this experience with us, and please thank Faye for allowing you to share with us. Absolutely awesome.

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  58. How frustrating! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Worth looking at one picture at a time...

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  59. I am so glad that you got to meet Faye. We are on lists together and I have had the pleasure of seeing her entire collection in person! I have visited with her over a few weekend during sewing machine conventions and she opened her home for tours during a convention in Nashville about 2 years ago. My, oh, my!

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  60. I hope there is a museum in the future for those machines! Then everyone can enjoy seeing them in person all the time. Fabulous to look at. Thanks for sharing.

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  61. OMg! There are no words! Thank you for sharing. :-)

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  62. O.M.G. how totally awesome.

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  63. Amazing! What Guild is this? or it it a guild? B-)

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