River Rat TOGA (Minnesota trip, part 3)

Wow!  Not only have I not finished posting about my trip, but, it's been almost 3 weeks since my last post.  It has been BUSY around here since I got home.  Sorry!

The reason we decided to vacation in Minnesota was so that I could attend the River Rat TOGA.  No, I didn't wear a bed sheet and get drunk.  This TOGA stands for Treadle On Gathering & Academy.  It was a get together of my treadle and hand crank group.

Cindy holding the new sign

On Wednesday morning, hubby started his 6 day/5 night solo backpacking trip while I drove 350 miles south to Lake City, MN.  A few of us arrived early and met up with Cindy, the lady who puts on this TOGA.  Yes, there are other TOGA's all over the country at different times of the year.  This was the 2nd TOGA that I have been able to attend.

At a TOGA, we play with machines...

just a few of the toy machines at the TOGA

repair machines....

Jeff, Bill and Rick checking out some machines

sew on machines...

Sheila working on some charity blocks

do some demonstrations.... (I did one on paper piecing)

Judy talking about how to work a 2 Spool machine

socialize and have a raffle.

I took 5 sewing machines to the TOGA.  One to sew on while I was in Minnesota, 2 machines to get worked on...

my Spartan now stitches nicely again

another machine to try to sell (nope, it didn't sell), and a Standard Treadle that I've been trying to get to the BSA camp for a while now, but, it had 'issues' and wouldn't stitch.

Rick & Jeff working on the Standard treadle

The treadle is now working it's way to the BSA camp, thanks to someone else who attend the TOGA, too. 

One of the ladies who also attended the TOGA is a professional quilter.  Instead of quilting on a long arm machine, she quilts on a treadle.  She does lovely free motion quilting.  She taught others how to free motion on a treadle during the TOGA.

Cindy learning how to free motion quilt

The way the TOGA's expenses get paid is thru the raffle at the end of the TOGA.  The raffle is one of the highlights of the TOGA.  Everyone brings items to donate for the raffle, and everyone buys tickets, too.  Here are some of the raffle items on the tables.

one of the raffle tables full of goodies

another table full of goodies

machines for the raffle

more raffle items, including a Maxine quilt

more raffle machines and some blocks

Raffle are FUN!  Here are a few of the items I came away with...

denim jacket with this on the back

treadle fabric and pillowcase

some of the blocks I came home with

bags, notions, vintage post cards & and an old catalog

toy treadle and thimble hanger

this is a treadle add in the old catalog

some books written by a collector from England

Oh yea, I found out that there is a drawback to the raffle.  You can't 'pass' on your turn when your name is called.  Nope you have to take something from the raffle items.  Guess what is left at the end of the raffle???  Sewing machines, and lots of them!  I was lucky, I only had to take one machine from the raffle. 

Now remember that I brought 5 sewing machines to the TOGA (one a full size treadle).  The treadle left with someone else for it's new home, but, I still had the other 4 machines I came with.  Well, I was given a cute toy machine...

this is the largest 'toy' machine I own. 

I was also given a Singer 66...

this will become a hand crank when I get time

and I bought another Singer 66...

this will also become a hand crank

Then I got a machine from the raffle...

Alden sewing machine, needs it's tension rebuilt

AND< I also brought home a machine that I am holding for someone until January...

Frister & Rossman hand crank I'm holding for someone else (Darn!)

That means I came home with 9 sewing machines in my car!  Oops!  Glad I have a large SUV.  Yes, hubby and all his gear still fit in the car.  Before hubby walked off for his hike, he said "no treadles"!  Well, I didn't bring home a treadle!  See, I can follow directions!

For those of you who think that I have a large collection of sewing machines, well.... we stopped by Cindy's storage unit to check out some of her machines.  Cindy is my 'parts' supplier.  She also has machines in her home and garage.  I took a pictures of Cindy's full RV size storage unit with a 20 foot loft in the back.

Cindy's storage unit, full of machines

See, that makes my collection seem tiny!