I’d never spent time in Laurens before, though I lived only an hour or so down the road in Irmo, South Carolina. We lived there for 5 years ---right before moving to North Carolina where we are now.
I love this area ---it’s just beautiful, as are the people.
And in this case…all 40 of them! We were in the Family Life center of a small country church – ample space, high ceilings, tons of light – were quilters on the board when they started building this place? It couldn’t have been more perfect – no circuits tripped, and the kitchen was spacious and munchies were plentiful!
You know me and my love of vintage machines ---I had to go around and count! We had 9 featherweights – a singer 301, and a lovely vintage New Home/Janome!
It’s the oddball machines that really hold my heart. This is Hazel, owned by Susan!
This is perhaps a late 1950s to early 1960s machine –two tone paint job – love the greyish seafoam green color! And it is straight stitch only. Straight stitch only machines are my favorite for piecing as the feed dogs are close together and make it easy to get a great 1/4” seam. Look at her curvy body style!
Her model is PARAGON. And she looked hardly used at all when her owner Susan, found her at a local Goodwill for $20.00
The case was beat up of pretty nasty of course – most cases on machines this age are rather worse for wear – but take a look at what Susan did with a bit of ingenuity and a jar of mod podge:
She covered the base, the cover ---and her hubby helped her make an extension table to fit the machine which she then covered in a layer of batting, a layer of fabric, and then a layer of clear vinyl ---and made an accessory bag to match!
Of course when it came time to demo to this half of the room – guess where I chose to sit!
Susan and her project in progress! Look at those stripes!
Thanks, Susan for letting me play with your baby Hazel for a bit – she is a sweetheart, as are you!
Everyone got SO much done –there are loads of fun photos in the slide show below.
Click the image below if you can’t view the slide show on your mobile device – you’ll be taken directly to the photo album.
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| Oklahoma Backroads, Laurens SC 2013 |
I'm off to Columbia, SC here in a bit -- I'm meeting up with my son, Jason for lunch at the place of his choice -- that is if he will let me KNOW -- he hasn't got back to me yet on the location! I'm looking forward to spending this evening in my old stomping grounds, and seeing familiar faces and catching up with the Greater Columbia Quilters! Hope to see you there!
I am so impressed with all of those blocks, but especially the ones with the stripes all organized to run in the proper directions! Every time I think I have that figured out to do it correctly .... I don't! Someday I will "get it"!
ReplyDeletepc, I tried to find a diagonal stripe that would work but was unsuccessful. Instead I starched the heck out of the green fabric and cut half of the rectangles on a bias. The other half of the rectangles I cut on the bias in the opposite direction making them mirror image.I hope this helps.
DeleteSusan, that's a head slapping "why didn't I think of that"! Thank you! Just gorgeous.
DeleteSusan ... just LOVE your colors and stripe combo on those blocks ... job well done!!
DeleteI love the variety. I have a bunch of 4 patch blocks (light with dark) where i have abandoned the original plan. I think i just discovered what i am going to do with them. they will be perfect!
ReplyDeleteFantastic photos as always. The red/white/blue reallycaught my eye for a quilt of valor. Love them all tho
ReplyDeleteIs Susan's machine covered with paper or fabric. Great idea!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs!!!!
Roberta, my machine base and it's cover is mod podged with fabric then sprayed with an inexpensive can of clear acrylic. I used the same fabric on the extension table. I simply covered the plywood with thin cotton batting, fabric and clear vinyl that I purchased from the fabric store. Just staple it to the back of the table. I used 1" wide wood dowels for the legs but you can use what works best for you, just don't put them too close to the edges or the feet may not have a place to rest on certain worktables. Hope this helps
DeleteThanks very much Susan!!!!!!!!!!!! I have an old case that needs and uplift, now to pick out the fabric. ;-)
DeleteWhat a beautiful load of scraps they had there! Just love the multi-color collections.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the green and pink block! Great use of stripes.
ReplyDeleteBut what the heck is mod podge? Have I missed something??
Randy ... Mod Podge can be found in craft stores (e.g., Michaels, etc.) You use it to create collages and is perfect for what Susan did to her machine. You put on the ModPodge, let it get "tacky" and then apply your paper/fabric. There are directions on the bottle. A lot of people are "recovering" their old sewing machine cases using vintage newspapers, cards, fabric ... VERY cool idea. I have three featherweight cases that I will be doing this do. You can find some very interesting papers to use on them in the scrapbook section of a craft store, too. Hope this helps! Linda
DeleteI love the Oklahoma Backroads pattern but I can't make it print out! Is it in one of your books? I'm Juliet Wood in Caracas, alias Lostinspace when I want to be anonymous!
ReplyDelete