It IS my birthday week after all!
And when this little baby popped up on Craigslist all lonely and forelorn, I just couldn’t let him sit there, could I?
Yes. Him.
This machine is a HIM.
Can you see his badge? It says HOME-MARK. As in, “You just must come HOME, MARK!”
Hahahaha. Oh, the ways that I can entertain myself when left to my own devices!
Mark is also irresistable as he is a DRAGON as witnessed by the decal on his machine bed. DRAGON! Who wouldn’t want a machine called DRAGON? So I dragged the dragon right on home.
Yep!
Not too bad, really!
Just a bit of cleaning and oiling…
And replacing of the tensioner check spring which was quite bent.
There are many things I “CAN” do with a vintage machine. I have no trouble taking tensioners apart and putting them back together, I can clean and oil and adjust thread tension top and bottom – the one thing I really don’t mess with “YET” because I haven’t had time to learn is how to rewire or time. But rarely rarely rarely do these machines need re-timing!
When I hear about people taking their modern plastic computerized wonder-machines back into the shop yet again because they threw the timing off, I have to wonder..just WHAT are they doing to make a machine need re-timing? And why so often? In all of my years with vintage machines I have never yet had to have a machine re-timed. But that is a subject for another time. If I ever need it!
Chrome, chrome, baby!
Perfection in stitches!
It’s time to do a REAL test run!
ALL of this is thanks to you!
Thanks to your generosity in sharing your extra grey strips, I now have a full basket of grey goodness! And I’m ready to start sewing. Really, I couldn’t have come up with this needed variety without your kindness. SO thank you from the bottom of my heart, and my newly filled grey string basket!
Ready? Set? Action!
OH, these are going to be so fun.
Just wait until you see my project!
SO. Who is going to join me for Quilt-Cam tonight? 9pm Eastern. Here on the blog. I’m looking forward to it!
Quiltville Quote of the Day!
It's not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It's necessary!
Remember, you have to put on your own oxygen mask before you can assist others around you!
Mad City Mama quilt as found in my book Adventures with Leaders and Enders.
Happy Wednesday, everyone!
20 comments:
Good Morning Bonnie! It's my birthday week coming up, too. Feb the 8th ~~ and I told my quilting buddies what I want ~~ a "strip party" ~~ they already knew I had run out of strips for string piecing, and didn't want to cut into yardage until the last resort! So out came the boxes and baskets of strips of all sizes for me! I said two and a half or less, down to the wobbly or wonky strips trimmed as you cut other stuff, and boy, did they come through! Aren't quilters wonderful? Have a beautiful day, will be watching Quiltcam tonight! Carol from Arkansas
Hope you are having a wonderful birthday! So glad you found Mark the Dragon. I love the script in the "Dragon" label. I'm sure he will be a happy boy among all of your vintage ladies, Barbie, etc. Just love our vintage machines. We're looking at the potential for a lot of snow soon. I have 2 new treadle belts to install then I will be practicing treadling while the flakes fall. Even if the power goes out, I'll still have working machines!! Yay. Hope to join you for quilt cam tonight. Have a wonderful birthday and enjoy your latest addition! Anne in Maryland.
It's not my birthday week but I'll celebrate your week !
I will enjoy quilt cam while I pack for a retreat. Four days in an inn with 90 quilty friends is the perfect way to celebrate
What a guy is Mark ;-)
"Home, Mark!" Ha ha ha ha! I love it! There's a rooster in your henhouse!
I have a blue, Home Mark, too, but, mine doesn't have Dragon on the bed. I did have to re-wire mine (it was the demo machine at the AR TOGA in Oct). You might be sewing on mine, when you visit our guild in May. You should feel right at home.
Love Mad City Mama. I started cutting strips for this quilt yesterday. (My birthday week was last week. I bought a 15-90 with RAF decals. Unfortunately I think it is a China import. It has all the Singer markings, but does not way Sewing Manufacturing Co. on the arm. But it is so beautiful I like it for just that reason.)
Beautiful little machine. What does it say across the top of it?
(I can just hear you tell him,"I'm drag-on you home, Mark.")
What a lovely machine. One of these days I'm going to find a gem like that!
Lovely machine. I have a beautiful blue Japanese machine. Sadly, I almost always use a 301 or 403. Never can say goodbye ....
Looking forward to Quilt Cam. Way too cold; something to look forward to.
Love the new Dragon Home Mark class 15 Japanese import . . . ALL that chrome! Your grey/gray strings basket overfloweth my friend! Can hardly wait to see your project when you can reveal it to us. I'll be listening to Quilt Cam tonight as I pack for a sewing retreat that starts tomorrow. I plan to set both of my Allietare quilts and make the backings. It was tough to piece through tears this past week while visiting my sweet MIL in Indiana, but I used her faithful Kenmore to piece several of the blocks. Hugs, Allison in Plano, Texas USA
Hello Bonnie, I sure do not blame you for saving this handsome piece of machinery, love the decals, and who can pass up that cool blue color. Not me that is why I have 2 of these same blue class 15 machines, only mine says Dressmaker on one and Modern on the other. But I love sewing on them. So in honor of celebrating your birthday week with you, I think I will set up my blue Modern to sew on clue 5 of Allietare with you on quilt cam. I have been in the bed sick with the flu for 7 days, and this is my first day out of bed. And even though I still feel bad, I couldn't lay any longer. My bunch was getting very hungry and tired of quick food. So I make a good dinner and for dessert Apple cake. My little mom of 75 yrs. young struggling with Alzheimer's said it was the best cake she had eaten in a long time. I think she was just hungry, but I appreciate the compliment. See you tonight as long as I don't loose power we have a couple inches of snow and suppose to be getting more. I am just thankful to be out of bed.
I hope to join you for the first time ever on your Quilt Cam tonight! Just discovered your website, etc a week or two ago and have been reading through, trying to take it all in! Love all I've seen so far. Early Happy Birthday to you! Hope it is a great one. We January babies have to stick together, LOL! My birthday is the 3rd, my youngest daughter is the 12th, and our first grand-daughter is due on the 25th! See you tonight!
Hello Bonnie! What a handsome looking machine you brought home. Love the strip blocks. My granddaughter and I started a project in December with Christmas/winter themed fabrics, we are both making them and when we get together in the next year, we will put something together. On the subject of machines, I have my eye on a cream colored featherweight. I have done a little sewing on it and it just purrs. The case smells really musty and so does the machine. Do you know of a trick to get rid of that smell? Thanks, Jan jannie_bug56@hotmail.com
Hi Bonnie, Jan here again. After I posted the question about the musty case and machine, I googled it and your site came right up so I got all the information I needed from a blog you did in 2012. Thanks!
Hi Bonnie, I just discovered you this past summer when I googled "Scrap quilt". I have been going through your archives and I'm very proud of myself since I started cutting into my stash. Some of these fabrics are almost 40 years old. We moved to our tiny cabin from our almost 4,000 square foot home. My sewing room is now not even half as big. I hope to decrease the stash by half before the end of 2016. I also saved all of my husband's plaid work shirts and have started cutting into them to make three quilts for my kids.
Love your ideas and your Quilt Cam!
Kathy Smith from Minnesota
rickkathy6@yahoo.com
Hi, it's 1.30 here in the uk and I just woke up, but I'm not sure if I'll still be with you at 2am so have a happy QUILT cam and I may just have to catch the recording as usual.
Take care - happy birthday whenever - it's mine next Wednesday 27th - 60 this year!
Thanks for your generous sharing
Kate
i love your enthusiasm for older machines! but here's my sad story: i teach (as a parent volunteer) 4/5th graders sewing at our school and recently when we were cleaning out some cabinets, we found an old machine--i can't think of its name but it's a reputable brand (not a Singer featherweight, alas) and solid metal. i was so excited and knew this would be a sturdier machine for the kids to work on (we ALWAYS have timing issues!!) so i had it professionally cleaned and maintained. then the FIRST time we used it, the belt broke (though now that i think of it, i don't remember what belt it was) and it would've costed us $150 to fix it (after spending $80 on cleaning and maintenance!!!) sigh.
Such a pretty machine, or should I say handsome since he's a boy! :) I saw you sewing on him on quilt-cam tonight and he sounds good too. Friends have newer Berninas and it seems like they are always taking them into the shop to get worked on. My old Pfaff 7550 that I bought used and have had for close to twenty years just keeps sewing along. It has gotten out of time just once, but otherwise no problems. If it ever dies I have no idea what I'd replace it with.
Wow! You sure do find some GREAT machines! "Dragon?" Such a fun name for a machine! Hope your birthday week continues to be a joy!
Debbie
ollieami(at)aol(dot)com
Post a Comment
If you are commenting as "anonymous" please leave your name at the end of your comment.
Did you know that ad space on this blog provides for all of the free patterns and free mysteries and challenges at no cost to you? Without ads, this blog would not be possible.
Thank you for understanding the many hours that go into this blog 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. :)