On Tuesday afternoon I rewarded myself.
For WHAT you might ask?
For GOOD BEHAVIOR!
The papers that you see in this envelope are my flow sheets, the first time I am seeing my book in PDF status. My job was to go over them with a fine toothed comb and check for errors, typos, math issues, missing images, or missing image labels, and just all around “does it flow?” stuff.
I did a little bit of this each day over the past several days while up at the cabin, even on Easter –there are deadlines! And I met my deadlines!
This little bundle had to be sent back off to my tech editor to arrive by TODAY. Which means I had to ship it on Tuesday.
I made my way to the post office in Wilkesboro, NC on my way home from the cabin. What a BEAUTIFUL afternoon it was.
Do these dogwood trees say “Go home right now?”
NO!
Back in the fall Mona had told me about a new LARGE Antique mall that opened up in downtown NORTH Wilkesboro, close by. In a flash I had looked it up in Google maps on my phone and was on my way to Key City Antiques. The time was 2pm. I had PLENTY of time to get myself home by dinner.
Hello you poor, neglected bobbin-cover-less Simplex!
1950s Japanese import. I SO love finding these…Check out those decals! I love the logo on the machine bed. I almost don’t see the X and it is telling me that Life should be SIMPLE.
This machine didn’t come home with me, I needed to check first to see if I have a bobbin cover plate that will work with it. I think I found one. It also doesn’t have power cords. But I think I found the right ones that will work with it. The bobbin case is present.
I may be going back for it today! The Hubster is on business in New York, and I don’t leave for Chicago until Sunday, so Sadie & I could go up today, come back on Saturday – and oh, those mountains are calling me!
There were other machines, like this 66 treadle.
Nice cabinet, but I don’t need one.
Hello, Rocketeer!
What I loved about this one was the base and the case – but I don’t need the machine. This one is also missing cords, so by the time you purchase those, you are getting up there in the price range dilemma. It stayed behind.
LEADER of the pack!
This beauty was marked pretty high as well. She is LOVELY –but it’s made by National (You can tell by the swinging medallion on the front of the pillar, it’s an oiling access point) and she takes more difficult to find needles. They are very long. I’ve got a couple of hand cranks like this and I just don’t sew with them. At this point I really only want machines that I can and WILL sew with. While she was a beauty, I left this Leader Lady behind for someone else to adopt.
And there were a few quilts!
These are the ones that tug at my heartstrings. This quilt is from the 1930s, made with whatever blocks were at hand, made just big enough to cover “folks” and filled with thick cotton batting for cold Appalachian mountain winters. I look at this and I start wondering what life was like in this area of North Carolina during the depression years. Many pieces of feed sack in this one, and the quilting stitches are rather large because you had to take big bites with the needle to get through all of that thick warm batting.
Close up of the interesting bits!
I love how some of the blocks definitely look like 4 9 patches joined together, and others..just looks like a random scrappy 36 patch! Bless this maker for making do with what she had at a very difficult time to be living.
Early 1900s, tied comforter!
I don’t often come across tied “quilts” from this era that have survived. Tied quilts seem to wear out quicker with the using, and this one evidently survived because of the many many ties in it!
What’s interesting is that there are a couple of blocks – check row 3 up from the bottom, 4th block in, the red one –there are no ties left there! I imagine a grand child sleeping under this quilt, and pulling ties out as he/she fingered each one. What else does a kid do when they are bored? It’s funny to me that it is just out of this one area that ties are gone.
Simple 4 patch/9 patch but it makes my heart so happy!
1970s Hexagon Flower Basket!
This one was folded and stuffed at the bottom of a pile. I first saw the orange hexagon edge against the blue and I thought – oh, my!
The fabrics are some cottons, but I would guess most are a cotton/poly blend. That was what was available in the 1970s. Even into the early 1980s when I first started quilting, 100% quilting cotton was not that easy to find! The best part about those blends? They held their color while the early cottons often faded out until their original color was pretty much unrecognizable. I remember some blacks in my earlier quilts that faded to a milk-chocolate brown! But the blends…like that orange in the basket and the blue of the background, held it’s original color.
Basket center with some patches worn away.
What I can’t imagine is sewing all those blue hexagons to each other. Or even the orange ones – all the same fabric? What a labor of love and perseverance!
And what's also fun is the fact that I remember my clothes being made from some of these same fabrics when I was little.
Close up, bottom corner.
Close up, diamond motifs.
Beautiful hand cross stitched table cloth!
Marked $20.00, it was in a booth where everything was 25% off.
Check out this pattern! It’s lovely!
I swooped this up and carried it with me the entire rest of the way around the antique mall. It was my one and only purchase, and it is going to look gorgeous for our Christmas dinner next December. This little purchase made me happy, and I was on my way home to Wallburg as soon as I left the check out counter.
So do I go back today for the Simplex? I just might! I’m still thinking about it. And maybe a second look will help me decide!
If you see me with this Got Quilting sticker, beep!
Thanks to Laura Valdez who knew that the hardest part of leaving Shamu at the dealership was the loss of my Got Quilting sticker! She sent me a new one in the mail and I blinged up Moby’s back window yesterday. NOW it feels like Moby is MINE!
Oh, we had a great time during Quilt-Cam last night if you missed it. You can find the post under the Quilt-Cam archives tab at the top of the blog. Thanks for sewing along with me.
Quiltville Quote of the Day!
This morning I awoke to the beautiful sounds of birds chirping. You can either be mad that birds woke you up too early. or put a smile on your face that you've got more hours to your day, and be happy that there is birdsong. The choice you make can affect your mood and your productivity for the whole day.
I chose to be up with the birds and sing along!
Have a great Thursday, everyone!
I vote for the Simplex (as if you needed any encouragement). As one who has done her share of hand embroidery, good save on that beautiful table runner! The pattern reminds me of Eastern European peasant blouses - the ones with all the embroidery around the neckline. Polish maybe or Moravian.
ReplyDeleteAnd I finally scored a cream and tan Singer 301!
Love the hexagon quilt, so pretty. I am also getting a 301, picking it up Saturday, it's a black long bed with a super nice case. Meeting the lady at Cracker Barrel to pick it up, she has a converter for the car to try it out. We almost ended up at McDonalds too. I told her about you and your blog and all your machines, she was going to check it out, she loves old machines. The table cloth is super nice. It will look great on your table anytime. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI love shopping and travelling through your blog....you are such a fun and energetic person. Your friends are lucky to have you in their lives. Go back and get the Simplex...you worked hard and deserve your reward! BTW, that tablecloth is awesome. I find myself adopting old quilts and beautiful handwork whenever I go to the antique malls too....I so appreciate all the hard work and love that go into the making...some people just don't get it! Have an awesome day!
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that the tied quilt has missing ties. Its probably the spot that was just in reach of the tiny hand that played with those ties as they were falling asleep. I used to tie my quilts too before I learned FMQ but I have never seen one with so very many ties. That's probably why it held up. Enjoy the birds. I know I do. I love hearing the birds sing and talk to each other every morning. It lets me know all is right in my world.
ReplyDeleteNever realized YOU are your own editor! I still say you have found the way to never sleep :)
ReplyDeleteThe quote today has REAL meaning. While some folks really do live a life with few bumps aka ruts along the road, other live where there are very few smooth rides. The road they have to travel is very bumpy. Bumps need to be looked out for, and can take away the life-traveler's attention so much so that they have little time for the beauty or scenic views. STOP the car for a minute now and then, breath the air and see The Lord's Glory.
HUGS
JulieinTN
Bonnie, if you want to read a nice book about what life was like in the Appalachians during the Depression, check out Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven. It is set during the building of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Velva Jean is a great character - I think you will like her. She writes a song about her beloved yellow truck! I really loved this book. Also, I would have grabbed that cross stitch too - beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI was up with the birds this am too. A New Refrigerator was delivered so I had to be up to get my stitches in before going to Deliver the Quilts to the Quilt show for tomorrow. My Idaho Square Dance quilt is there to be seen by my fellow Quilt Show go-ers. As I checked in my quilts I was asked if I brought my Allitare'. Mary Shoop that was at the Block Party with us was there. I had to confess it is still not quilted. Maybe it will be quilted in time for our September Quilt Show. Have fun at Quiltvilla, I love the sticker.
ReplyDeleteNice find on the embroidered piece. I love older pieces like that as well as the crocheted doillies and such. I have quite a large collection of them, mostly made by family members.
ReplyDeleteAs for the machine, I too say go for it if you have the needed items to fit it. My son just scored a Signature straight stitch machine and surprised me with it. It was like new, showed no wear, no accumulation of dust and gunk in it. Just needed a little dusting and a GOOD oiling, and she purrs like a kitten. The stitch is the absolute best of all my machines, older or new. Love the single hole needle plate on the straight stitch machines. They never eat the corners or your fabric. Don't have nearly as many as you, but this makes number 18 vintage machines for me. This one he picked up for $24. The paperwork from original purchase shows it cost $66. brand new in 1966. So consequently, her name is Barbara, after a popular singer of the era.
I could be wrong, but I think the Hexagon Basket pattern was an original design by Wanda Dawson of Royal, NE...just down the road from where I live. I remember taking a class from her for an all hand-pieced sampler quilt. That woman could hand piece faster than I can sew by machine. Her Hexagon Basket was in a book back in the late 70s or early 80s.
ReplyDeleteI am down sizing. I am looking for a home for my grandmother's Franklin treadle sewing machine that is in an antique cabinet. It works, and all parts are there, including the original manual. I never mastered sewing on a treadle, so it has not been used in many years. I live in central Virginia. If anyone is interested, you can contact me at jvondo@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteAs one who can not hear,,,you can be thankful you can hear the birds.....
ReplyDeleteI would go back for that hexie quilt - it's gorgeous! Safe travels wherever you end up today!
ReplyDeleteThe table runner has a Scandinavian look to it. I love using my hand crank machines; very relaxing and so quiet.
ReplyDelete