Experience 4-H

4-H spent a day at the Farmers' Market. We had animals, a game table, and hand crank sewing machines. Our sewing project was bean bags. Those stale beans I had made great filler! Many thanks to Mary Reeves for helping me round up the Singer 99s, Catherine (another member of the treadle owners' list) who provided expert advice and instructions, and the local 4-H sewing club, Sew Krafty Kids, for their help and smiling faces. Our Go Green! Sew Green in 4-H was a huge success.

Another Appointment with Dr. Woodwell

The Davis cabinet and I spent an afternoon with Dr. Woodwell. Other than the fact that I can't repair the chip in the drawer and the damage around the front hinge, and the split is going to be weak point when the machine comes out of the cabinet, Dr. Woodwell did his magic. The cabinet looks so much better.

The Davis Vertical Feed

I know some of you have been wondering when I was going to get around to posting pictures of the new member of the fleet. My Davis Vertical Feed arrived home safely on Friday night and I have been busy getting her ready for some photos. I haven't found a good spot for the photos so I just snapped some while the cabinet is on the patio for a treatment with Dr. Woodwell.

And Another!

One of the teens at the first quilting camp was carrying around a cute bag like the one below. I knew I had the pattern. Actually, I had several versions. I printed the one from MarthaStewart.com 200% larger with Adobe Acrobat and taped it together. Then I used the instructions in the Kwik Sew pattern to construct the bag. I like the instructions because the steps are illustrated. The method described for sewing the reversible bag was similar to how I learned to bag a vest lining. It looks like it won't work but it does beautifully! And I like it because the bag turns through an opening in the bottom of the lining. The handles are completed completely before the final turn. This means they are stronger and if you don't want to reverse the bag, you can stitch the opening in the bottom of the lining by machine.

I thought I was making this bag for a gift for one of the teens who helped me with my 4-H Teen Conference class in June but I think it just turned into a sample for one of the Junior Judging Classes for our fair's competition.

If you want the pattern, the various versions are below:
MarthaStewart.com
Sewing Ideas
Singer Sewing Projects
Grab Bag from Fast and Fabulous Quilting Ideas, Favorite Picks from American Patchwork & Quilting,(this version runs a bit larger than the above 3)
Or purchase Kwik Sew Pattern # 3447
(Includes 3 sizes and instructions for construction are quite detailed and clearly illustrated)
View pattern: Pattern View for Kwik Sew 3447

Too Much Fun!

This whole tote thing is addicting. I am enjoying going through the scraps left from my kids' shorts, looking at old photos to see who had selected the fabrics, and deciding how to use the scraps. Some are not big enough to get a band to go the width of the bag. The bag below makes use of a small scrap of a Hawaiian print fabric. The Volkswagen with a surfboard on the roof is driving away from the beach at sunset. I made the appliqué to resemble the setting sun and put waves along the bottom edge. I once thought I would make a quilt from the scraps but I guess not. ;)

A Tale of Two Totes ;)

I like to make bags. Go ahead, call me a bag lady. That is what I am.

Since I like to make bags, I took up the challenge of joining in the Think Pink Tote Bag exchange on the treadle owners list. The construction of the bag had to be done on a manually powered sewing machine but the embellishment could be done on any e-machine. I used Stephan, my White Free Rotary to fulfill the treadle's obligations for the straight stitching but the decorative stitches and seam finishes were done with a Pfaff 7570 and a BabyLock serger respectively.

Here is Sharon's bag for the exchange:

The next tote below is a gift for my DDIL in Seattle. I read in a recent news article the stores in Seattle can charge 20 cents per bag issued if the customer does not bring their own. I decided a set of grocery bags were a perfect gift for her birthday. The decorative band of fabric is from a pair of shorts I made her DH when he was in Kindergarten or 1st grade.

The construction was done on Olivia, the Singer Fashion Mate 252, treadled in the Singer 66 cabinet. Again supporting roles were played bythe Pfaff 7570 and the BabyLock serger.

If you want the basic instructions for the grocery tote, click below to download a *.pdf file:
Bag Instructions

Treadling a Singer Fashion Mate 252

I have a soft spot for old black sewing machines and especially treadles but I must admit when I do something other that piecing patchwork, I want more stitch options. I miss a multi-position needle, zigzag stitching, and a reverse button or lever.

Well, I evaluated my fleet for a model I could try out as a treadle. Here she is: Olivia!

Olivia is a pristine Singer Fashion Mate 252. She has all the features I was missing except a few decorative stitches. And, more control because there is a timing belt that runs the hook gears, making the machine a bit stiffer to run but easier to keep the needle position right where I want it.

Olivia fits perfectly in the Singer 66 treadle cabinet. But now I need to figure out what to use for a mail table??

And, now I have found the perfect Fashion Mate. It is a 258. It takes the flat black Singer cams. I would have the decorative stitches I want. Anyone have one they want to put up for adoption? I take good care of sewing machines. ;)