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Friday, June 21, 2019

Thursday–Out and About!


Barn Quilt between storms!

Martha and I had made plans for lunch out and a round of junk shop/antique shop wandering – setting our sights on today, June 21st – a great way to celebrate the Summer Solstice!

(And mourning the fact that it starts to get darker earlier from here on out until the Winter Solstice comes round again – bummer!)

And then – she texts back asking if we could go Thursday instead since Friday was…..(((Drum Roll)))  her anniversary and she forgot.  LOL!

And since I am game for anything and everything and am the boss of my own calendar, I quickly rearranged some things on the “to do” list and away we went.

Destination?  The back way to Damascus for lunch, a couple of shops – and then on to Bethel School which is now an antiques place.


Historic Bethel School House (circa 1920's) is home to Bethel Schoolhouse Antiques.

The whole SCHOOL!


Oh the history that must have happened in this place.

At one time the schools really WERE the center of the community – kids going through all 12 grades in one building in some small towns – everyone knew everyone.  Now today – kids are being sent hither and yon to satellite schools and parents aren’t meeting other parents from within their own school district community. It’s a different world – and this visit brought back so many memories of the sights, sounds and smells of a busy bustling school full of kids back in the day.


Not an antique MALL, it’s all one shop put together by one lady.

Airy and open, it was great to see everything she had for sale.


Hello gorgeous!

Look at that detail!  Made about the same era as the school was built.  They certainly don’t make them like this anymore.


They don’t make them like THIS anymore, either!

Check out those decals -

House and farm scene in the center bed medallion.


Lovely New Home!


Surprise photo -

Not sure what setting this is on! LOL!

I love that Martha is crystal clear, and the right side of the photo is blurred back.  Weird but fun.  LOL!  I also loved the opportunity to share with her my love of vintage machines (She has a featherweight she loves to sew on.) and things to watch for with treadles.

As much as I love this one – some parts are harder to find.  New Home machines take odd sized needles and sometimes you can skootch a 15 x 1 needle down a bit and make it work, but it’s a lot of fiddling.  If I am looking for a machine to sew with, I want it to have readily available parts.  Always check the needle size.

She also got a great lesson in “FREE THE MACHINE!”


Off goes all the junk stored on top – open the machine – let it out!

We rearranged the “stuff” on the open side of the bed, but left the machine in full view so others could see and appreciate that YES there is a machine here.

The tag said Singer.  We disagreed!  While it is a class 15 machine – look closer to see what the “pin rash” has worn off:


Standard.  Not Singer.


Made in Japan.  1950s era.

Still a good machine – someone loved it enough to wear the decals right off.  It takes our regular 15 x 1 needles, easily available.  Class 15 bobbins, easily available.  Bobbin case in place.  But not a Singer.

While made in Japan – this one did not have the ability to drop feed dogs by a knob on the top of the bed – another thing to look for when it comes to import machines.


We freed an iron from its box -

The box even said “Do not store iron in box!!”

Evidently this owner did not listen – The box proves it.  LOL.


Lift off the bonnet cover and free the Wheeler & Wilson!

I’ve not sewn on one of these.  I don’t know what it takes in way of needles.  I don’t know how hard it will be to replace the missing bobbin access cover.  But the coolest thing about this baby was the accessories box we found in the drawer:


I wanted just the box!


I wonder what these accessories were used to make?

How many ruffles did that ruffler ruffle?


Free the 66 Redeye!

(With only a bit of pin rash to speak of.)

We both loved the places in front of the needle worn smooth – decals gone with use.  To she who first loved this machine – we honor you and the items you made with your feet upon the pedal.


Long range views on our way back toward Grayson County -

Click to Play:



There were quilts and a few other items – I’ll save those for tomorrow.


Happy Anniversary on the Solstice, my friend!

I’m also happy to be the one to introduce Martha to the wonders of the Dairy Queen Buster Bar on our drive through treat stop on our way home.  Once you’ve had a Buster Bar, life is never the same. 

To me it beats the orange coated cone hands down. Always will!

Some sewing last night while listening to an audio book was all I needed to take me to bed time.  Today?  Perhaps I can finish sewing the rows of my Fancy Baskets quilt together shown in yesterday’s Quilt-Cam post? (Click HERE to revisit the post!)

When you live 30 minutes drive from the nearest grocery store, it's like having the tooth fairy visit everyday! This was also waiting for me when I got home from our little excursion:



On Wednesday I received the single plug adapters for the irons with the light up toggle on/off switches. Yesterday!  Can I just say that I really love my UPS guy and Prime?

Yesterday’s delivery haul: 12 replacement tooth brush heads, the ethernet to USB adapter I ordered just wednesday, a two pack of chargers for my Samsung watch, and 5 3-packs of turban style hair towels in pastel colors for the guests at Quiltville Inn! Whoohooo!

Even better, the hair towels come in reusable zip lock bags. Oh, the projects they will pack!

I hope that the ethernet to USB adapter will allow me to connect my laptop to the modem and we will be hard-wired for Quilt-Cam, not trying to do this over a barely-there wifi signal.  Fingers crossed.

Today is my last full day here.  Tomorrow I point the pick up truck back toward Wallburg NC to get ready for my early early morning flight to California for the 7 Sister’s Quilt Show in beautiful San Luis Obispo California!

Oh shoot – I need to fit a pedicure in here somewhere – add that to the list!



Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Vintage double wedding ring quilt found in Abingdon Virginia yesterday!

This is my goal.

To build a life I love to live within.

For my day-to-day life to be my happy place.

To live a life I have no wish to escape from.

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!


14 comments:

  1. I love to watch your antiquing adventures! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. LOL I had to laugh. Our town still has the whole school in one building. Small town living. Love the sewing machines! Glad you had a good time. pam

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    1. I love small town living. I hope to spend the rest of my days here in this corner of rural Virginia! :)

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  3. Looking forward to finally meeting you Monday in California :-) My greens and neutrals are warmed up for Emerald City!

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  4. Love today's quote! I'm always puzzled when people ask where I'm going on my vacation, as my deepest desire is to stay in place and enjoy myself in my home. In fact, the best adult vacation I ever had was when the Hubby took the kids to his folks' home for several days and I got to be by myself and sew to my heart's content.

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    1. That's my favorite too. Just being in my own space with the rest of the world at bay :)

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  5. Loved seeing the barn quilt block. We recently traveled from N. Texas all the way up to N. Minnesota (via Chicagoland) and I didn't see a single one whereas the trip to S. Pennsylvania has many. Surely some of those mid-western farm and ranch families include quilters. But perhaps they have more to think about than my traveling entertainment.

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  6. Kansas has many barn quilt blocks as does iowa

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  7. What fun you must have had in that antique mall. I love venturing through places like that, seeing the sorts of things I grew up with that now count as antiques! So many treasures! Loved seeing the treadle machines, especially the Singer, since that's what I learned to sew on (and it still sits in the bedroom of the house where I grew up.)

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  9. Fun day, my father would bring me nesting dolls and whenever he would visit he always had to let them out!!! Lol keep opening those machines up that truly are our real beauties!!! I live in California, I wish I lived a little closer to your destination,I would have signed up!!! Maybe someday

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    1. ME TOO, Alice... sigh, Cats in Carlsbad CA

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  10. Our cabin is my Happy Place too. It's nice to tuck in and hang out. Sew, read, walk, whatever. Enjoy your final day there and I wish you safe travels to SLO!

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