Finally, Some Pictures For You!

Yesterday was so annoying! I was getting disconnected every 5 minutes and when I was able to stay online, I kept getting "timed out"! But I was finally able to get my pictures uploaded to my Flickr site last night. I thought I'd better get to blogging now before the internet gets busy again! It must be because there's no school this week. At least here there isn't any school this week! Argggg........

Here is the little Snowman Cellphone Pouch that I made for my mother-in-law:



I gave this her on Saturday when we saw her in Princeton, Il. She loved it! She immediately took off her Autumn pouch and put this one on!

I also finished my Christmas Tree Purse:



I can't wait to use this! But I'm saving it for December 1st!

In other news, I called Singer yesterday and they were able to give the exact date that my antique sewing machine was made. May 3, 1916 in Elizabeth, NJ! How cool is that?!!! And she told me that if I need a manual, I can download it from their website. That was the only thing missing from this machine so I downloaded it and printed it up. All the original attachments that came with the machine are here including the original wooden needlecase and the oil can!

Scott is almost done with striping the cabinet. He said this is one the easiest pieces he's ever done! On Friday, I'll take the machine to the sewing machine man and have him clean it inside and make sure it's mechanically in order. When we get it all done and put back together, my mom is going to come and show me how to treadle! I can't wait!!! At first she thought I was crazy wanting a treadle machine. She learned how to sew on a treadle and much prefers electric machines now but I think she finally understands how charming I think antique sewing machines are! And not only are they functional, but old stuff has visual appeal as well! My sister always says, "you and that moldy, oldy stuff!" Yep, I love old stuff! It's all so cool to look at! I plan to piece my CQ's on it and then do the finishing on my electric machine.

Finally, Sharon B. is thinking about her next "challenge project". She proposed a monthly project where everyone could work in their own medium and form. For me, I would do a CQ block per month and at the end, I would have 12 blocks to sew into a quilt. I love this idea!!! If you would like to read more of Sharon's thoughts on this project, hop over to her website.

Ok, I'm off to clean my house a bit and get ready for Thanksgiving!

Arrrggggg...........

The internet is slower than molasses in the Winter today! I keep getting disconnected and timed out and I can't get photos to upload to Flickr to save my life! I have no patience for this!

I finished up my Christmas purse and that little snowman cellphone pouch and I have photos but they won't go through today. I'll wait a little while and try again. It's just so aggravating!

Thank you to everyone who posted nice comments about my sewing machine. I'm so thrilled with it! Scott is almost done striping the old finish off the cabinet. I really didn't expect him to do this. I thought it was fine the way it was although I'll admit, I really don't like dark wood. The cabinet is Tiger Oak with the most beautiful grain so I'm very grateful that he's willing to refinish it for me. He won't stain it, he'll just get it all cleaned up and he'll put clear finish on it so it'll be that nice light oak color and the tiger stripes will really pop out!

Ok, when I can get those photos to upload, I'll post them here.

My New Toy!

For those of you who guessed that I bought an antique treadle sewing machine, yes! You guessed correctly. I'm sure you remember that I mentioned it a few weeks back. We've been looking for quite some time and I finally found what I wanted on Ebay. The pictures are blurry and no, Scott took them, not me:





This is a 1916 Model 66 with the Redeye decal. I can call Singer with the serial number tomorrow and they will tell me the exact date that this machine was made. I can also order a manual for it directly from Singer!

Anyway, I'll have more photos for you in a week or two. I never expected him to do this but Scott spent 4 hours this morning cleaning the outside of the machine and it is so bright & shiny now! The decals just pop! Then he ran to Home Depot and is now in the process of striping all the old finish off of the cabinet. He insisted on refinishing it for me. I was just happy to have one, I never expected him to refinish it! And I was happy that he was willing to drive to Iowa for it!

Anyway, I'm going to take the machine up to my Singer guy and have him clean it mechanically and I have to get a belt for it and then I can play! When it's all done and back together, I'll have more photos for you. I just thought you'd like to see my new toy.

Snowman Cellphone Pouch

I embellished this little guy yesterday and now he's ready for assembling:



Is this too cute, or what?!!! It's very glittery!!!!

Today is a sewing day so hopefully I'll have him ready to give to my mother in law shortly.

In other news, several weeks ago, I mentioned that there was something I was wanting. Can anyone remember what it was? Would love to see who remembers so at this point, I won't tell you what it is but I will say, that I found one! It's in Iowa so tomorrow morning, we'll hop in our truck and drive 3 hours southwest to pick it up. On the way back, we're going to meet with my in laws for lunch and a nice walk through a huge antique mall!

I won't have time to post tomorrow but I'll have pictures of my new toy for you either on Sunday or Monday.

On a final note, I just have to mention this or it's going to bug me the rest of the day. It's getting to be absolutely ridiculous what we designers have to do to protect our designs! And I'm mentioning this for those of you who know exactly what I'm speaking of! With the generous amount of free designs that I am constantly giving away, there is absolutely no reason to steal the ones that I offer for purchase! And please keep in mind that what goes around, comes back around eventually!

Have a good day everyone and post your guesses on my new toy in the comment section!

Glitter!

You all know I love it! Well, I wanted this little snowman to look like he was sitting in snow. After I did all the seams, I pulled out my fabric glue and my chunky glitter and I glued some on:



I couldn't go any further because I had to let this dry over night so now it's ready for beads and sequins, lots more glitter!

Louanne had asked me about my cellphone pouches and if I've ever made any without the cord or chain on them. I always use chain. Everyone who has them actually wears them around their necks like a pendant. In fact, my mother in law probably couldn't even find her cellphone if it wasn't for these pouches that I make her! I cut the chain about 30 inches long, so that's 15 inches from the back of the neck. That's about perfect for a pendant.