Meet Dora!

Dora, the Yukon handcrank, joined the fleet on Saturday, March 22nd. This little Yukon had been listed on craigslist several times. I finally decided to try for it despite the fact that the front slide plate was severely bent and stuck open. We met Judy, the owner, at REI in Seattle to check the machine out. The little machine appeared to be in very good condition with no rust. I decided it would be a good purchase and brought her home. All of my consultants say this machine has the look of a badged Davis. I checked out some photos of Davis handcranks and I concur.

Dora had been a gift to Judy, so the name which means "gift" seemed appropriate. Also, being a Yukon and purchased at REI plus being so cute and dark, who wouldn't also think of the cartoon character, "Dora, the Explorer".

With a little coaxing, the slide plate came out and was easily flattened on a cement floor with a hammer. I padded the slide plate with a piece of wool. There is no damage to slide plate and it works as easily as the rear plate.

Dora has a shuttle that looks new and 2 bobbins. The bobbin winder is very cool!! She also makes a beautiful stitch. I guess she needs to make some blocks for TOGA, too!

1/4 " Foot for Piecing

Well, the verdict is in! I just finished doing a set of TOBE blocks for the Treadle On Birthday Bash. Minnie did her share with the 1/4" foot I purchased at JoAnn's (find the foot with the White sewing machine attachments). The results is just perfect! I would highly recommend the foot if you own a machine with a standard low shank ankle. If you can't find the version on a hinged ankle, you will need to get the snap on type to accommodate the foot. I already had a few of those around from the Kennies and Janomes I own.

Sewing on the Road

Awhile back, I posted a link to a young fellow who takes a treadle out into the streets to repair clothing for folks. He operates in LA or San Francisco. Here is a site showing an African who is an itinerant tailor repairing a zipper with a hand-crank sewing machine on the back of a bicycle:

http://www.lamachineacoudre.net/archives/afrique1.html

Simply Charming!

I called a friend last week and she said she was making a bag with charm squares. We are supposed to be doing a trunk show of bags, purses, and cases for our CTA group sometime this year. Not to be without my version, I googled charm bag and found some pictures for inspiration. Here is one:

http://www.quiltedvine.com/pics/dec/charm.jpg

Then, I sorted some 4 inch charm squares that I have had from a fabric swatch club I joined in the late '80's as a results of my first visit to the famous quilt shop in Sisters, OR. The only squares that sort of coordinated in any way were the country red, white, and blue fabrics. There were enough to do half square triangles that I made up into six 6 1/2" scrappy pinwheel blocks. With a few more scraps of fabric left from a project in a quilted jacket class I took in the spring of 1980 at Patchwork Peddlers in Portland, OR, I had enough fabric to complete my project.

The results is a small quilted tote embellished with buttons and yo-yo's made with the new Clover yo-yo maker (60 mm. size). Not exactly in 'now' colors but with denim, it would be casual country. ;)

Minnie had the honors of piecing the pinwheels but my Pfaff 7570 finished up the quilting and sewing. I just didn't think I could quilt and crank at the same time even if I only did in- the-ditch quilting. ;)

Note: A free tutorial for this tote has been added to the Tutorial section on the side bar.

Minnie's First Project

Minnie and I were going to make Birthday TOGA blocks for our first project but we took off on some scraps that turned into Tissue Pack Covers. They are quick and easy but very professional looking with a lining that looks like binding on the outside. I even decided to see how the Singer Zigzagger attachment worked for finishing the two end seams. It wasn't worth the effort to put it on. I decided a pinked seam finish was adequate for the project.

Conversion Complete!

Minnie, the Sweet 99, I rescued from the rain is now a handcrank sewing machine. She is in a beautiful oak base made by my son-in-law. The base is higher than recommended by the plans at Treadle On but my desk is lower than normal so it really is perfect to sew on with no stress to the arms and shoulders.

Parts for the conversion came from Cindy Peters and the instructions for converting to a handcrank are at Treadle On. The instructions show how to make an adjustment to the bobbin winder so it will work perfectly with the handcrank. Notice, I retained the light on the 99 by cutting the cord at the connection to the motor and adding a plug. I want to re-wire the light with a longer black cord but that is in the future. The rings that hold the light together are a bit tricky and they require special pliers to reposition.

I intend to make the next set of blocks for the Birthday TOGA exchange on Minnie. I purchased a foot at JoAnn's that promised a scant 1/4" seam allowance and a fit for my standard snap-on ankle. The foot snapped on but the first test I did was to watch it feed fabric without guiding it. The fabric didn't want to feed straight. At first I thought the feed dogs needed aligning or the presser foot bar was askew. Before I tinkered, I tested the standard Singer straight stitch foot. The fabric traveled in a straight line. It is the design of the foot that causes the fabric to go in a curved path.

I won't give up on the foot if it produces a scant 1/4" seam allowance. Stand by for test results. :)

I dare you to ask me to mend! ;)

I need to have this on a 'frig magnet:


"Asking a quilter to mend is like asking
Michelangelo to paint your garage."

Do you think they would sell?