Old Singer Machines and a kitten

This week a friend is coming by to help me with a couple of antique and vintage sewing machines.  I thought it would be a good idea to dust them off before she arrives.  Two of thee hadn't been unpacked since we moved back from the UK 4 years ago!  (these are in addition to my two featherweights but those are used all the time!)

The one above is part of a treadle.  I don't have the table.  Not sure if it is worth keeping or using it for parts.  It was made in 1910.  The decals are nice though the ones on the bed are worn.  This machine was a workhorse.

This one is and hand crank 99K and was make in 1921.  It came with a manual that includes how to put a motor on it.  It has it's original wooden case with lock and key!  (When I put this on the kitchen table to inspect it my husband said, "aren't you taking this Downton Abbey thing just a bit too far.....)

The last is also a 99K but this one has been motorized (though the manual that is has is for a hand-crank!)  Between the two manuals I should be able to sort them out!

 It was made in Clydebank, Scotland in 1955.  It is wired for the UK...wondering if I should get a transformer and run it that way or get it rewired?  If I remember correctly it ran ok....This has a case that looks a bit like an old suitcase.  It is also made of wood and has a lock and key!

So it will be fun to tinker with these this week...I'd like to get the hand-crank one working!  (which may only mean oiled and threaded as it seems to turn fine!)

BTW...have a visitor in today.  Heard a cat-howl outside the door and the two bully cats from up the street had little Rapunzel, my neighbor's kitten, cornered.  I ran them (the cats...not my neighbors) off then brought her inside for some treats and a nap...

Surprise quilt...

Almost every guild meeting someone brings a vintage or antique quilt for me to look at.

This month the owner asked if I would look at a quilt her grandmother made...or maybe her great-grandmother....

I was expecting a 1920's or 30's quilt.  Well, take about 75 years off of that!  (So maybe her great-great-grandmother?)  The handwriting is same in each block but the names are different.  She believes it to be the names of children in a second grade class.  She knows she comes from a long line of school teachers.  The quilt comes from upper state New York. 

There are some beautiful fabrics in this quilt.  The quilting is well done and similar to applique quilts I've seen circa 1850...random shapes and some swirl designs.

The binding is back to front and sewn down with a sewing machine.  (If you had one it was worth showing off!)  Interestingly the machine stitches are larger than the hand quilting stitches...

Almost Wordless Wednesday

This time last year...

and the year before...

 and back in 2008...

January Quilt List...a B

I stayed pretty focused on my list this month.  Only two slight diversions!

First, I made the binding for the Scrappy trip around the world.  Don;t ask me why it took so long!  Still haven't sewn it down but I am closer to a finish!  I ended up using red...think I'll like it.

Second, I handed off Orca Bay and Material Obsessions to my friend to be long arm quilted!  which I guess means I should start thinking of making more binding....a lot more binding!

                                                                                       Material Obsession,,,,

Third, I pieced a backing for Charleston Baskets.  I'm going to hand quilt this one using Perl cotton and a large stitch.  I want it to have lots of texture!  Next step is to baste it....need to pick out a good long movie for this task!

                                                                 Charleston Basket....
I basted my little quilt, Crayon Rows.  I had an extra incentive to do that as I presented a program on basting quilts to my guild!  I'm going to machine quilt this one.

                                                                                               Crayon Rows

                                                                                 Donation Quilt pieced background
Lots of progress was made on the donation quilt.   All of the backgrounds are pieced!  Feel like I've already "made" a quilt!   Kits were made up for all of the blocks and the borders.  Half were given to volunteers to applique early in the month and the remainder will be distributed on Saturday.   Still need to figure out what the added inner border will be...goal is to have the top finished by June!  This is the first time I have used this much gray in a quilt...

So what were the distractions?  Well, a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer so we made a "care quilt" with lots of inspirational messages to keep her spirits up during radiation therapy.  The other diversion is not as commendable ..it is that darn internet!  V over at Bumblebee quilting is doing a challenge using linen tea towels as a center medallion   I have lots of those towels so I rationalized it as "but I will not be buying anything for this challenge...."  (hey, I can hear you snickering!)

A little sunlight on the matter...

I feel a bit guilty to say it since so much of the country is freezing but the weather here in Georgia is downright gorgeous.

Yesterday the girl that walks Macbeth offered to plant the pansies that had been sitting in front of my garage for at least a week.  I bought them the day I came down with the flu.  It was nice to sit outside in the sunshine for a bit and watch the neighbor's kitten "help" with the planting!

I had forgotten how expensive it can be to be sick.  No, I'm not talking about the Chinese Restaurant's repeated deliveries of Won Ton Soup, nor refilling the  tray of cough drops, eye drops, vapor rub and Tylenol next to the bed.  I'm talking about the deliveries that UPS and the Post Office are making to my front door...I'm talking about internet pity purchases.

Don't get me wrong as of yet I'm not unhappy with anything I found.  I just can't believe I've found so much!

The is this new hexagon quilt that fits into my collection so well...it has lots of my favorite fabrics...it has a flour sack on the back (which means I now have quilts with backs from chicken feed sacks, sugar sacks, flour sacks, and corn...wonder what I'm missing....)

I needed gray...

So with the help of fabric.com I now have lots of gray.  You get the picture.  There are some books from Amazon...some Kaffe Fasset from Hancocks...and a new pair of pajamas (with scottie dogs on them) from Overstock.com.   Glad I'm feeling well enough to sew again!

Log cabin and flu...

Combining flu and MS is not a good thing...have gotten little done the past week.  Every-time I think I am better and venture out - whamm.

                                                     MacBeth sleeping on a project that has been on the floor too long!
Today is a whamm day...this morning couldn't use the left leg at all.  I get up for 20 minutes then have to nap for 30...urghhhhh.  About the only "quilt-y" thing I've done is sort scraps for the challenge over at Victoria's blog 15 Minutes of Play.  At this moment I 'd give anything to stay alert for 15 minutes!

Heck I even fell asleep during Downton Abbey!  Maybe if I watch it three times I'll get the whole storyline...

Anyway, before I this all hit I was putting away some of the quilt collection and trying to get more photos so I could do a better job documenting them.  The logcabin quilt above is actually tied not quilted.  The logs are less than an inch wide.  There are some wonderful example of indigo, double pinks and just a touch of cheddar.

  I really love this layout.  Quilt is about 65 inches by 65 inches so hangs nicely on a wall.  The quilt was purchased in Pennsylvania.

Here is a photo of the back of this quilt.  Interesting note - when documenting or appraising a quilt it is best to start with the back.  Generally it is the last fabric purchased for a quilt so may give a hint to the age or there may be a label....

Purple....

I've spent the last few days rearranging my antique quilts.  I use most of them for guild programs and lectures which means I am in an almost constant state of packing or unpacking!  Right now I am unpacking "100 years of quilts" and packing "Signature quilts - clues to family history" which I am presenting to a Genealogical group for the second time.

This did however also give me a chance to look at the purple fabrics from around 1850.  Why you ask?  Well, I am making a quilt that uses a quilt from that time period as inspiration.  I need a lavender fabric.  So far I've ordered two on the internet and not been happy with either when it arrived.  The first was just wrong.  The second the color was right but the print was too large for the applique pieces I'm doing.

This is about the period I'm looking for - These are from an Irish Chain, circa 1850.

These other purples are more difficult to date as the quilt has fabrics from 1850 to 1880 in it!

So I guess this calls for a "Quilt Emergency" road-trip   Maybe the last week of the month I'll either head to Mary Jo's or down to Atlanta and go to Little Quilts and the little shop in Conyers.  We do not have a LQS that carries reproduction fabric...so sad.

Which brings me to this little doll quilt (18x24 inches.)  It was given to me after a quilt program.  I know it is in poor shape but I love how the older 9-patch blocks were put together, most likely in the 20's, to make a little quilt for some child's doll....and it has purple!

Update on the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative...

Below is an update from Ami Simms on the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.  This has been a wonderful program that not only raised money for Alzheimer's research but increased awareness of the disease and provided support for family members by letting them know they were not alone in facing this disease. 

So if you haven't made a small quilt or bought a quilt to support this great cause know this is the last year to be a part of it!  Lets help make this a banner year for AAQI!


Note from Ami:

The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative will most likely reach the $1,000,000 mark in money raised for Alzheimer’s research some time in 2013!

The work of your hands and the compassion in your hearts has brought us to this milestone. I will be forever grateful to each and every one of you for your support and dedication.

Ami and her mother, Beebe, in 2006 shortly after the AAQI began.

What began as one person’s response to sorrow and frustration has grown into a national charity embraced by a large portion of the quilting community. More than 13,000 quilts have beendonated, turning sweat equity into over $883,000 for research so far. For many donors these quilts were healing works of art which helped them grieve as they stitched for the greater good. Hundreds of thousands of people have seen the AAQI’s two traveling quilt exhibits about Alzheimer’s. Through this artistry came the realization for many that they were not alone on this journey of heartbreak; others understood, perhaps for the first time, what a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s really means. Together quilters have funded 11 research studies at six universities and a medical school. Three more studies will be funded this month and hopefully more throughout 2013. Because of the AAQI, scientists know a little bit more about Alzheimer’s than they did before. Hopefully this understanding will bring us all closer to a cure.

When I created the AAQI back in 2006, I never expected it to become so successful! I also never imaged how much work it would take to keep it going. As the AAQI blossomed, board members and core volunteers have had to increase our hours and pace to keep up. While I find enormous satisfaction in nurturing the AAQI, I much prefer sewing to administrating. I miss just being a full-time quilter.

For this reason, 2013 will be the last year of fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative. I hope you will help the AAQI reach our goal of One Million Dollars for research and then at the end of 2013 celebrate with everyone who made this tremendous achievement possible. Please review the important dates below:

February 15, 2013: All bookings for the traveling exhibit “Alzheimer’s Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope” must be finalized.

March 1, 2013:  First online auction of quilts from “Alzheimer’s Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope” traveling exhibit. Twenty-six Name Quilts will be auctioned during the first 10 days of March, April, May, June, July, August, and September. Payment will be required at the conclusion of each auction with shipping in October 2013 after the exhibit retires. The 54 Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts from the traveling exhibit will be auctioned during the first 10 days of October and December.

July 2013: Last month to participate in the Quilt-A-Month Club.

August 1, 2013: Last day to register Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts. Quilts delivered to scanners after August 20 will be refused.

October 29 – November 3, 2013: International Quilt Festival. We hope to be invited back one last time to sell quilts in Houston, TX.

November 1-10, 2013: Celebrity Invitational Quilt Online Auction

December 30, 2013: Last day Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts can be purchased online.

December 31, 2013: Quilts For Sale and Donation pages will be removed from the AAQI website and all solicitations will cease.

2014-2015: The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative will monitor research grants awarded in 2013. The AQQI web page will be left intact for at least six months. Any funds not needed to sustain the AAQI’s final expenses will be donated to research. Remaining assets will be disposed of according to IRS regulations after which time the corporation will be dissolved.

There is still much work to this year as we sprint to the finish line. I hope everyone who reads this will join in, either as a seasoned veteran or a first time quilt donor or quilt buyer. We will continue to make a difference until the very last quilt is sold. Let’s make 2013 the best year ever!

Thank you for your support,

Ami Simms
Founder & Executive Director
Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative

Back from Quilt Retreat...

For the last few days I was up at Hickory Knob State Park for my guild's annual retreat.  As always it was lots of good food, friends and fabric.

Unlike past years it was so mild that the doors of the "barn" where we gathered could stay open and one afternoon we ate out at a picnic table!  Last year at this time we were covered in snow and ice and had to chip a path to the meeting room...go figure!

Retreat block this year was Bonnie Hunter's Moth in the Window...some lucky quilter went home with enough for a small top!

I didn't finish anything this year...though I did hand off two tops to be longarmed (thus standing a good chance of finishing them this year!)  Most of the time I worked on getting the blocks for our next donation quilt kitted up...which is another way of saying I played in fabric most of the weekend.

The folks at Piece of Cake gave us permission to use this pattern.  The proceeds of our quilt go to support Camp Rainbow, a camp for Children with Cancer run here in Georgia.  We are using gray for the background in honor of the guild's 25th anniversary.  Can't wait to see the blocks finished! 

A couple of members brought antique or vintage quilts.  Kat brought this one from Tennessee.

It is a family quilt circa 1830.  She is wonderful at telling the family history and the role this quilt plays.

I love the label on this quilt!

This quilt also came from Kat's family.

The quality of the stitches is amazing.  It was made in the 1930's.

Monday quilting update...

I cannot believe how many quilters have finished (quilting, binding and everything) the Easy Street Mystery designed and hosted by Bonnie Hunter.  Needless to say I am not among the over-achievers!

My top is plugging along nicely, thank-you-very-much.  I have the four corners and most of the setting triangle pieced along with two of each type of 15 in center block.  Not breaking any speed records but steady as I go....

I basted one of my small quilts - rows of crayons.  I am going to quilt this one on my domestic machine.  I find thread basting easier on my hands these days.  To baste this 36 by 45 quilt took me most of the Redskins Games yesterday.

Started packing for my guild's annual retreat.  Every year I pack way too much.  This year I'm promising myself only a few projects...perhaps one for my machine and another hand-quilting for the cabin....