2018 Missouri TOGA

I drove to the Missouri TOGA this past week.  A TOGA is a Treadle On Gathering & Academy (get together for vintage sewing machine lovers & collectors).  No, we do NOT wear sheets and party like crazy college students (like in Animal House). 

The day before the TOGA started, those of us that came early drove to Mansfield, MO, where Laura Ingalls Wilders home is (the one she lived in till she died, not any of the ones from the books).  It is the home where she wrote her books. 

Laura Ingalls Wilder home

It was a fun day, with eating, the museum, shopping and friends, new and old.  One of the things I bought was a prairie dress, made by Thelma, who came to the TOGA on Friday.  I think it will be fun to wear this dress at some of my vintage sewing machine demo's.

Thelma (who made both dresses) and me

On Friday, the TOGA started.  We had some of the people at the TOGA on both days, and some that could only come on one of the days.

I taught a class on my pin cushion thread catchers on Friday morning.  After that class, I did a demo on how to convert an electric machine to a hand crank.

Friday at the TOGA

still getting set up

Susan teaching someone how to hand crank

Stephanie watching Dennis work on a machine

Beth and her daughter, working on a pin cushion thread catcher

Stephanie

Missy, our hostess with the raffle quilt behind her

On Saturday, I taught a class on sewing machine mats.  The penguin mat and pin cushion thread catcher were made as a gift for Missy (who didn't have any time to make anything, since she was running the TOGA).   There were other classes and demo's on both days, too.

paper piecing class

paper piecing class

Several of us brought quilts to display around the room.

some of Stephanie's bags and mini quilts

quilts displayed, and some machines for sale

We have a raffle table at all the TOGA's.  Money from the raffles pays for the venue and any expenses to hold the TOGA. 

raffle tables

raffle tables

Of course there are vintage machines at the TOGA.  I didn't get pictures of all of them, but, here are a few.  I forgot to take pictures of the machines that I brought.  I only brought 3 machines to this TOGA (and didn't come home with any 'new' machines for once).

After the TOGA ended on Saturday night, and after we'd all packed up, the TOGAteer's who stayed in town, went to eat BBQ.  Here are the last of the bunch.

Dan & Sarah

Stephanie

Scott & Susan

Susan & Missy

I didn't get pictures of the raffle table items I came home with, or the fabric, etc, that I bought on this trip (yes, Ava has a GREAT quilt store in town). 

There were people from Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Ohio at the TOGA. 

It was a Great TOGA!  I can't wait till next year!  If you are near Missouri, contact me, and come to the TOGA next summer.  

Sewing Machine Mat tutorial

Sewing Machine Mat tutorial:

sewing machine mat with directional fabric

sewing machine mat with decorative trim on pocket

Finished size: 25" x 19"
*You can make this mat to fit your machine.  Adjust for the size of your machine.  I made this to fit the base of a vintage sewing machine (3/4 size vintage machine shown in pictures).

Fabrics Needed:
28" wide x 22" tall - front of mat
28" wide x 22" tall - back of mat
28" wide x 22" tall - batting
25" wide x 8.5" tall - pocket
3 strips of 2.5" x WOF (width of fabric) - binding

Mat base:
Cut front, back and batting.  If you are using directional fabric PAY ATTENTION to wide vs. tall.  Layer and baste front, batting and backing.

basted mat base using directional fabrics

Quilt as desired.  *I like to do a simple crosshatch pattern, about 2.5" wide.  I mark the back of the mat, and quilt.

crosshatch pattern for quilting

After the mat base is quilted, trim to 25" wide x 19" tall.

Pocket:
Fold pocket fabric in half to make it 25" wide x 4.25" tall.  Find the 'center' of the pocket and draw a chalk line from the fold to the bottom.  Then find the middle of each side of the pocket, and draw chalk lines.

center of pocket fabric, draw chalk line

showing 3 chalk lines on pocket

With folded edge of pocket at the top, place pocket fabric along the bottom edge of the quilted mat.  Pin and stitch approximately 1/8" inch around sides and bottom of pocket fabric.

stitch 1/8" from edge

Stitch from bottom of chalk mark on pocket, to the top, then back to the bottom of the pocket.  Do this on all three chalk mark lines on the pocket.

pockets stitched

*I decided to get more creative on one of the mats, since both the base of the mat and the pocket were black fabrics.  I wanted the pocket to be easily seen.  Instead of just folding the pocket fabric in half,  I cut a slightly larger piece (easier than doing the math) and added a 1" strip of the binding fabric in the middle.  I folded the pocket along the top edge of the strip of fabric and then stitched in the ditch along the bottom edge of the strip of fabric.

stitching in the ditch along pocket trim

I then trimmed the pocket to 4.25" from the fold.

4.25" from top of fold

Binding:
Sew the 3 strips of binding together.  Iron in half, then bind the mat. *I like to sew the binding to the front of the mat then hand stitch the binding to the back of the mat.

Enjoy your new Sewing Machine Mat.  Wouldn't a matching Pin Cushion Thread Catcher go great with your new Sewing Machine Mat?

Sewing Machine Mat with matching Pin Cushion Thread Catcher

Sewing Machine Mat with matching Pin Cushion Thread Catcher

I have a tutorial for a Pin Cushion Thread Catcher, too.

2 Quilt Shows

Yesterday I went to the Prairie Fest Quilt Show at the Little White Schoolhouse.  This is a tiny show, but, I always love it.  I know most of the ladies who sew at the Little White Schoolhouse.  The Quilter's Dozen are a hand quilting group.  I only took a few pictures.  The quilts are really close together, and you have to take pictures at an angle, so, they look a little wonky.  I did use my camera, and finally got Google to upload the pictures. 

As you walk in, they have a quilt set up, and always have at least one person quilting on it. 

hand quilting

They have a raffle quilt every year.  The money raised goes to the Little White Schoolhouse museum.  Of course I bought tickets.

raffle quilt

Since they are in such a tiny space, they get creative with how they display quilts. 

Sorry, I forgot to get names of the makers/owners of these quilts.  Oops!  Some quilts are new, some are vintage quilts. 

This next quilt was embroidered by the husband and pieced by the wife.  I got to meet the husband while he worked the entrance table.  Teeny tiny stitches on these snow globes. 

snow globes

Here are more quilts.

grouping of small quilted projects

My son's love Star Wars.  This was a great way to fussy cut some of the newer fabrics for Star Wars. 

Star Wars fabric in the center

up close of the Star Wars fabric centers

This was a new twister pattern that I'd not seen before.  There was another new twister pattern a few photos up (Uncle Sam).  There were at least 3 different twister patterns at the show.

bunny twister quilt

This next quilt had hand applique in all the circles.  I took a close up picture of one of the circles.  Each circle is different.

up close of one of the circles

After the Little White Schoolhouse quilt show, I headed over to the church where my little quilt guild meets.  They were having the 2nd annual Ugly Quilt contest.  I took pictures of all 12 entries, and of the ugly fabrics they used.  I'll show the ugly fabric first, then the quilt that they made with the ugly fabric. 

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

ugly fabric

Two different ladies from my little quilt guild were in this Ugly fabric challenge.  You were asked to vote for your favorite quilt before you left.  There were several different quilts that I liked.  It's always hard to pick just one. 

I'm off to the Pride of the Prairie sew-in this morning.  It's always fun to stitch with friends.  Hopefully the gym will be cool today, since our temps are supposed to reach the mid 90's, and the heat index is supposed to get to 103.  Sunday will be even worse.  We will finally get some relief on Tuesday, just in time for me to load my car for the Missouri TOGA.  I leave on Wednesday morning.  If you are in Missouri, come to Ava, MO, and come join us for a couple of days of playing with vintage sewing machines.  I'm teaching 3 classes at the TOGA (Pin Cushion Thread Catcher, Sewing machine mats & how to convert an electric machine to a hand crank).