Happy 30th Anniversary! & Stitching

Happy 30th Anniversary Sweetie!  

September 26, 1987

Here is to another 30 years!


And on a sewing note, I was asked to provide the links, when the Peter Pan blocks, Tiger Lily and Wendy were posted on Fandom in Stitches.  Here they are.

Tiger Lily

Wendy

Next up to test is Katie Nana, but, I'm working on some other stuff before I can start stitching this block. 

2017 Lyon's Farm Fall Festival

Almost every year, since 2012 I've had a booth at Lyon's Farm Fall Festival, to show off some of my vintage machines (no selling) and do demo's.  Here are some pictures from this years booth.

My booth is a double booth, and I get the same area each year.  The first year I participated, I had this whole building to myself.  Each year afterwards, they add more and more vendors to this building, so, my area shrinks.  I still get more room than the paying vendors (when you do demos of historical things, and don't sell anything, you get a free booth).

This is what you see, when you enter the building. 

my booth

I brought 14 different machines to this demo. 

'Debbie' a 1950's Class 15, that I turned into a hand crank

'Victor' another 1950's Class 15 that is now a treadle

I brought the sewing chair I recovered.

recovered sewing chair

Here are more machines.

1927 Singer 15 hand crank

1953 Singer 301A in it's card table

Every year I have a hand crank machine set up for the kids to sew on.  It is always this machine.  The kids (and their parents) love to sew on this machine.  This is also the machine that my husband uses when he stitches his camping/backpacking items.

1914 Singer 66 back clamp hand crank

1925 Singer 99 3/4 size machine 'Tinkerbell'

1926 Singer 128 3/4 size machine

approx 1927 Frister & Rossman Model E

1950's Home Mark Class 15 electric

This is my oldest sewing machine.

1880 Willcox & Gibbs hand crank

early 1900's Gritzner

1878-1885 Wheeler & Wilson

1939 Singer 221 Featherweight 'Betty Sue'

1911-12 Bradbury VS

I was going to wear one of my new aprons while I was in the booth, but, it was 95 degrees today, with high humidity, and I was in an un-air conditioned building.  I didn't want to add another layer of clothing.  I decided to show them off on my ironing board instead. 

vintage ironing board and new aprons

Hubby glued me 2 more sets of chair wheelies, so, I decided to try them out this weekend.

new chair wheelies

I got a free sewing table this summer, and haven't had a chance to use it yet.  Here it is, with the sewing machine I was stitching on today.

new sewing table

Last week, I found another sewing table that I could use with my vintage machines.  Most sewing tables are made for a specific machine, so, they don't work.  This one works great.

new(est) sewing table

Since I would have several hours of stitching time (between chatting about vintage machines and helping kids sew) I decided it would be a good time to work on some of Kevin's Sapphire Star Mystery Quilt Along Clues.  I decided to stitch on Clue #2.  Well, Here is what Kevin had to say about Clue #2.....

Get out your feather boas quilters........

because we are going to be.........

STRIPPING!!!!!!

So.......

Here is my boa, and some strips....

strips with my boa

Since this was Kevin's Mystery I was stitching, I decided that the cute rooster pin cushion he made me had to come along to the demo.  See it at the top of the previous picture?  Several people saw the rooster and had to check him out. 

stitching on some strips

With all the chatting I did today, I didn't get this Clue finished.  Hopefully it will be finished tomorrow, and I'll be able to start on Clue #3. 

I'm wanting my Fall weather back.  The Chicago area is usually 72 degrees for our highs this time of year.  We've set new record high temps the past several days (including today) and our low this morning was 72 degrees.  Tomorrow is only supposed to be 90 degrees.  Hey, those 5 degrees make a difference, especially when you are packing up 14 different sewing machines.  At least I brought 2 fans for my booth. 
 

Busy! Busy! Busy!

I don't have many pictures to show it, but, I've been busy. 

I received 2 pin cushions from the pin cushion exchange.  This one came from Janna in Norway.

pin cushion from Janne in Norway

I've been using this pin cushion for a special project this past week.  Sorry, I haven't taken any pictures of my special project yet. 

This is the pin cushion that I sent to Janna in Norway.  She has received it, so, I can show a picture.  Janna likes purple.

pin cushion I made for Janna in Norway

Then, on Friday, this lovely purse pin cushion arrived from Bea, the hostess of the pin cushion exchange.

pin cushion from Bea

This past weekend, I had quilt camp in Ottawa, with the Camp Tuckabatchee quilters.  I totally forgot to take any pictures, sorry.  There were 9 of us this time.  We had lots of fun, but, it was HOT, and the camp doesn't have air conditioning.  I'd stopped at a garage sale, along the way, and they had a fan for sale.  I'm so glad I bought that fan! 

While at quilt camp, I cut out Clue #2 for Kevin's Mystery Quilt Along.  I'm not making just one of these quilts, but, I'm making 2 of the scrappy version, and another one, using just 7 different fabrics, instead of the scrappy look.  That means that I have to cut out 3 different sets of clues.  That's fine when I'm not distracted, but, I've had so much going on lately, that my concentration is pretty much nil.  When you can't concentrate, then you make cutting mistakes.  Boy did I make cutting mistakes!  Several of them.  I kept cutting twice as many pieces of the 7 fabric colors, when I should have been cutting lots and lots of scrappy pieces.  I've now used up all the light blue that I had for the 7 fabric version, and will have to piece some of the strings, to get this clue done.  I sure hope that I won't need more of the light blue fabric, since this was an older fabric.  We'll see.  I did the same thing with the red fabric, but, I still have LOTS of that red left, thank goodness.  After messing up TWICE, I decided NOT to cut Clue #3 or the Surprise Clue this weekend.  Hopefully I'll get those cut this week or next week. 

Everyone wanted to know how the Chair Wheelies worked.  I took them to quilt camp, and they worked GREAT!  So great that, there are 2 more sets waiting for hubby to glue the tennis balls to the wheels.  I'll be using these again this weekend.

set of Wheelies

wheelies on a chair

My last 2 weeks have been interrupted several times, with emergency dentist appointments.  A couple of days before Labor Day, my tooth started getting tender.  I stopped by the dentists office, to make an appt, but, they were closed on Friday, and didn't open again until Tuesday morning.  By the time I got in, on Wednesday, the tooth was abscessed.  I'd had a root canal done on this tooth about 31 years ago, so, the dentist sent me to a specialist, to have a 2nd root canal done, to try to save the tooth.  On this last Tuesday, after antibiotics, the tooth was still abscessed, and, the specialist took more X-rays, and found that the tooth was cracked, and couldn't be saved.  No, he didn't pull it, he only does root canals.  Back to the first dentist, who found another specialist, to extract the tooth.  The tooth was pulled on Thursday.  I left for quilt camp on Friday, still eating soft foods, and no straws allowed.  It is finally healing, but still tender in that area.  I have another week before we try to figure out what to do now.  I don't want an implant (very expensive and takes months and months).  I'm not even sure what my options are.  Oh well. 

I have been stitching.  I've been getting some bindings done on placemats for Meals on Wheels, and, I've been stitching down the new binding on this lovely quilt that I got at a garage sale this summer.  I still have at least one whole side to stitch down.  I found some fabric that is the same color as the background, for the new binding. 

garage sale quilt with yucky binding

I was hoping to get this finished so that I could hang it at the Lyon's Farm Fall Festival this weekend.  I will have a booth at the Festival, to display some of my vintage sewing machines.  I've done this several times in the past.  I'm getting a late start, trying to figure out what machines to display and sew on, this year. 

a few of the machines I'll be taking

So far, I have 14 different vintage sewing machines picked out, to take to Lyon's Farm.  Most of them have not been on display before.  I have a mixture of treadles (one), hand cranks, and vintage electrics to show.  If you are near Yorkville, Illinois this weekend I hope that you will come to the festival, and visit with me. 

• Dates: September 23 and 24, 2017
  • Petting Zoo and Pony Rides – September 23
  • Classic Car Show – September 24
  • 20 to 25 Crafters Showing
• Times: 10:00am to 4:00pm 
• 7935 Route 71, Yorkville, IL 60560

 This will be my 5th year to be a part of this festival.  If you want to see some of the other years, click on the links.  2016,   2014,   2012.

Exchanges, Stitching, Etc.

Now that they have been received, I can show some of the exchanges I've participated in recently.  There are still a few that have not been received, or finished, so, there will be more to come, in the future.

First, I'm in a pin cushion exchange at Beaquilter.  It's one pin cushion each month, for 3 months.  This is the one I made for Bea, for August.  You can see it again, on her post here, along with about 97 other pin cushions that she has. 

front

back, using same fabric as I used for her spool of thread on the front

I haven't received my pin cushion for August, since it is coming from Norway.  Yes, I'll get 2 different pin cushions, from 2 different people in Norway, in this exchange.  How cool is that!?!?!

I was in a paired, mug rug exchange, with my Quilt Along group.  This is an 'offshoot' group from Treadle On.  We did NOT have to use our hand cranks or treadles for this exchange, but, I still did, at least on the mug rugs.  I had to cheat on the project bag, since I just don't have enough hands (or control) with the binding.  Sally was my partner in this exchange.  This is what I sent to Sally.

2 mug rugs (fronts)

backs of mug rugs

I also sent Sally a project bag.

Sally's new project bag (don't you love those treadles!)

Here are the great things that I received from Sally.  The teapots, at the top of the picture, are mine.  Isn't it great that they match what Sally sent!

mug rugs and napkins

I forgot to take pictures of the backs of the mug rugs.  One was in Christmas prints, and the other was a Valentine print.

Sally also sent me some other goodies. 

great matching apron

fun teapot fabric

Sorry for the blurry pictures. 


I was also in another paired mug rug exchange, with Treadle On.  These weren't due till Oct 1st, but, we both had them done, so, we exchanged early.  These were all made on either a treadle or hand crank machine (with cheating on the project bag).  This is what I made for Denise.

front of mug rug

thimble backing fabric

Denise's project bag

Can you tell that Denise loves RED?  It's also my favorite color! (check out all the great RED things in this post, that I received). 

Here is what I got from Denise.

2 great mug rugs

check out the great tea party fabric on the backs

Denise also included a spool pin doily.  I had a great machine, just waiting for a spool pin doily.

up close of the spool pin doily

the machine the spool pin doily belongs to now

I've been doing some stitching, but, not as much.  Now that hubby is back, safe and sound, I took a few days off.  I did go to Quilts of Valor on Tuesday, but, I didn't take any pictures.

I'm stitching on the 2nd Wendy block.  This one is applique. 

Pattern by Alida

I didn't want to do fusible applique, so, I tried using another method, with plain interfacing on the other side of the fabric, then turning it inside out.  It worked on the larger pieces, but, when I got to the arms and legs, it wasn't working well.  Not sure how I will do the shoes, sash, or hair bow.  I'll just draw the lips on, instead of attempting them.  See how tiny it all is, in the pictures below (with the ruler for size).

blues are shoes, hair bow and dress sash

the lips are the tiny orange dot, by the dress

I finished this much on Monday.  I've started on the hair, but, didn't take a picture. (poor, bald Wendy).

Wendy, waiting for her hair

Wendy will be another 10 inch block.


Bonnie Hunter showed a lady with chair wheelies, on her blog last month. The lady's chair wheelies came from Camp Lebanon, a church camp, but, according to their website, they don't ship these, you have to pick them up in Minnesota.  Well, that's not going to work for me.

I decided to see if I could make some myself.  I found the furniture casters at Menards.  They had the best price (almost half the cost of anywhere else).  I also got a set of dog tennis balls at Menards.  I had to wait till hubby got home from his trip, since I didn't have a clue what glue to use.  Hubby used epoxy, and, glued them for me.  Hubby also cut X's in the tennis balls (after gluing) so that the chair legs would go in.

from the top (uncut)

so you can see the wheels

on the chair legs

whole chair with wheelies

I'll be testing these out this month, and see if the glue holds or not.  Hubby thought we might add screws & washers, but, we aren't sure there is enough clearance or not.  I'll let you know how these work out.  I can't roll on carpet, but, at my demo's (where I'll use them) I'm on hard surfaces. 

I have 3 more sew-in's this week (2 overlap on Saturday), but, I don't know what I'll be working on yet.  I need to finish Wendy before I start on anything else.  I also have another exchange due by the end of this month, that I haven't started on.  Maybe I'll get started on that.  It's a Harry Potter Frog Card exchange.  Tiny, 3" pentagon's.  Hmmmm.......I'm getting tired of tiny.  I want something BIG!