Category Archives: Uncategorized

New addition to the Family

My sewing machine family that is.   While wandering around an antique store on our trip to Connecticut we came across this sweet little girl.

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Now I have come across treadle tables like this before so when my dear hubby called me over to where he was to show me I figured it was just another table but in pretty good condition.  What I was looking for was one that actually still had the machine in it.   Well, I was quite surprised ….. and happy….. when he told me that he checked and the machine was in there.   Oh, be still my heart!  So, we carefully opened it up and got the machine out into the light of day.   Judging from the newspapers stuffed into the cabinet that were dated 1978, the machine was untouched for a number of decades and was a little bit dusty and one of the pins that held it to the cabinet was undone but not missing so that was easily remedied.  The bobbin was there, the pedal easily moved,  the belt was in the cabinet but, of course, it would be unusable.   I took a picture of the serial number on the machine and over the next couple of days of our trip I did some research as to what year it was manufactured, model and availability of parts and information on being able to get this beauty back into working order.   I found out it was manufactured in 1910 and it is a Model 66 — and a redeye which I actually knew as soon as we raised her out of her cozy cabinet.    Parts are available and there are many You Tube videos, blogs and vintage sewing machine groups out there sharing information and support.   So, I decided that, yes, we would stop on our way home and bring her home with us.

The cabinet and machine  have gotten a bit of a preliminary cleaning and I will be working on getting the machine oiled up and gently getting the gears to move smoothly.   The cabinet needs a bit of work but overall, it is in good condition.  All four drawers are there and slide in and out nicely.  The only thing missing is the knob on the tilt out drawer.  And there is no rusting on the metal works.

I am so happy to have finally found what I have been looking for.  She does not have a name as yet.  I am sure the perfect one will come to me as I work on her.   So I now have machines spanning from a non-electric 1910 to a modern embroidery machine named Minnie that uses  a flashdrive to stitch out intricate designs with just the push of a button.

The rest of the members of my sewing machine family:

Emma – a 1949 Featherweight

Emma- 1949 Featherweight,    Bertha –  White – date unknown,   Anna – 1950’s Singer          as well as a few more machines that aren’t pictured …… Beau, a 1990’s Brother machine,  a Dressmaker Model 201,  and Phoebe my Pfaff and  main sewing machine…..  are happy to welcome the new addition to the family.

I am looking forward to learning about the workings of a treadle and learning how to sew with it.  I am hearing that they have a wonderful, straight stitch.

So wish me luck on my treadle adventure.  If anyone has one and you have any words of wisdom,  I would welcome any advise.

Be well.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

  

 

Springtime is Here

We’ve got  hyacinths and daffodils and pansies blooming too.

 

 

And we have our seedlings sprouted on the windowsill.

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Yes, we did have some frost the other morning but I am confident that spring is here.  While we didn’t have the winter I would have liked …. more snow…… I am embracing the change of seasons and ready to focus on springtime projects.   In my last post I challenged you to guess what my minky was going to become.   If you didn’t guess, the answer is in the picture at the top of this post.  Easter Bunnies! I love this ITH (In-the Hoop) project.   Of course, I needed to add just one more cut of minky for a  bunny I need to make for a special little girl.

20190329_134544.jpg   I love this swirly pink minky.

I’ve also got some of these bunnies ready for personalizing this year too 20180331_211751.jpg                                                                                                                                               as well as these cute little baskets                                                                                                                                        Easter Baskets

 

 

 

 

 

My sewing room is full of bright, spring colors and I am loving it.   Are you ready for the change.  I am guessing that is a resounding YES!

And, how are you doing on the de-cluttering?   I must admit I have slowed down a bit but I have had a clothing donation pick-up so I’ve made progress there but not so much on my craft items.   I think I’m going to schedule in 30 minutes a week to go through something craft supply related and make some progress. Slowly but surely will get me to my goal.   My house needs to feel lighter.

That’s all for today.  I hope you are enjoying this change in the weather.

Be well.  See you soon.

Ginny

Sneak Peek

I pulled out my bin of cuddle fabric the other day to sort through and see what I have and what I might need for a project I am going to be working on in a week or two.

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Anyone care to guess what I might be making?   Only one hint…. it’s an In-the-Hoop (ITH) project.   I’ve made some before but this is a different pattern.

Stay tuned for updates.

Bye for now.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

Crafters’ Dilemma

There comes a time in all crafters’ lives when decisions have to be made.   The craft room, if you are fortunate enough to have one, is overflowing with all the supplies needed for all of our different crafting interests.  I have done cross stitch, knitting and crocheting,  ceramics,  wood crafts, scrapbooking and cardmaking and sewing, quilting and machine embroidering.  I must confess that there is at least a small amount of supplies/unfinished projects left from each of those interests.  And I also must confess that those things are not in my “main” craft room, aka sewing room.  They have definitely overflowed into the other spare bedroom and I have been working on going through all the different bins and boxes.  A few years ago I did give away most of my wood craft supplies.   And I only have a few ceramic pieces in the “craft closet” waiting to be painted.  Of course, I don’t actually have the paint so until I get some, that’s where they will stay.   I have a lot of knitting needles and crochet hooks having inherited them from my grandmother and also a few of my aunt’s.  Add them to what I already had, and well, I guess I’ve got about any size I would need.  I donated any yarn that I wasn’t going to use to a charitable organization that makes afghan’s.   I still have my cross stitch floss and patterns.  They are taking up very little room on the shelf so I decided to keep them there until I can find someone who will use them.  I don’t want to just fill up the landfill with these things.

That brings us to the scrapbooking/cardmaking supplies and my sewing, etc. supplies.  Well, through all the aforementioned craft periods, the one constant was sewing of some kind.  Therefore, we know that the sewing room will remain untouched as far as getting rid of things, except of course the supplies I use to make things or extras I have to share with fellow sewists.   So that leaves the elephant in the room, the scrapbook supplies.  Sigh, so much!  I have made a start on going through it all.  Stamps, stamp pads (tossed them – the ink was all dried out), cardstock –  TONS of that, punches, stickers (stickers?  does anyone use stickers anymore? — I’m giving away how long ago I started on that craft) and, of course, books on cardmaking and scrapbooking.    Now I have a bff whose birthday is this week — well actually it isn’t because she is a leap year baby and doesn’t actually have a birthday this year but I’ll send her a card anyway.  🙂   If I had ink pads that weren’t dried out, I could have made her a card but since I don’t, well it is a store bought one.  But since she has the same “crafters’ dilemma” as I do,  she will understand.  I’d post a picture here of the card but I don’t want her to see it before she gets it just in case she is reading this post.  Wait, what am I saying?  “Just in case”?   Of course she is reading this post.  She is my bff!   If I had thought of it early enough, I would have asked my friend Johnna of Johnna’s Stampin’ Up! Crafters to make a special one for me.  She makes some beautiful cards.  Check out her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1968883040074855/

So to all you crafters out there who are dealing with whittling down all the “stuff”,  I say  be strong, be brave, be smart.   Try to find someone who can use the supplies and  don’t add to the landfills if possible.  But, if it really, really can’t be used, then bite the bullet and toss it.   Good luck to you all. And remember, baby steps are still steps so if you need to take things real slow, that’s fine.  Let me know how you are doing and I will do the same.

Bye for now.    See you soon.

Ginny

 

How have you been?

Happy New Year!  Yes, I know, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted here.  No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth and no, I haven’t stopped making things.   I have kept very busy doing that.    Life did throw a few extra things into the mix that kept me occupied elsewhere.   I am back here now and getting back into the swing of things.

One of the biggest things that happened was that I retired from my full time job last summer.  I took some time to just adjust to my new “normal”,  took a trip out to the Denver area in September and had a wonderful time at a wedding we attended and also a terrific visit with my brother and sister-in-law.  Then, poof, it was “get ready for the holidays” time and now here we are in the second month of 2019.

I am working on getting a website up and running as well as  business Pinterest and Facebook pages so stay tuned.   I will post here when each of them have gone live.  There are a couple of new things I have added to my product lines.  Just click on the tabs above to see what has been added.   I have enjoyed being able to spend more time in my studio since retiring and I am looking forward to being able to share my work with a larger audience.

Bye for now.   I’ll be back soon.  I promise.  Enjoy your day.

Ginny

 

5 Senses of Summer – Sound

What are the sounds of summer that delight you?    I love the sound of the crickets singing their lovely song in the evening.  Now they don’t sound quite like I imagined the Cricket in Times Square sounded as I read that book to my boys but it is quite delightful nonetheless.

Another sound I enjoy is the hum of a fan. fan Not a squealy, squeaky sound or a rattling sound.   It has to be a fan that actually makes a nice, deep,  solid humming sound like the ones I remember from long, lazy days when I was young.   I was in my sewing room a few mornings ago and I only had the fan on while sewing.  No radio, no tv,  no podcast from my i-pod.  Just the combined humming of the fan in the window and my sewing machine.   It was beautiful music.

A visit to the beach has a myriad of sounds that make me smile.  The waves breaking as they reach the shore, the call of the sea gulls,

20170721_181925    the squeals of the children as they play their games of tag with the breaking waves.

And  there is the wonderful sound of the bat on the ball at a baseball game.  Now, of course, I am happiest when that sound is made by one of the members of the NY Yankees.     NY Yankees

Those are  some of the sounds of summer that bring a smile to my face.  What are some of yours?

I hope you are having a good week.   See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

5 Senses of Summer – Sight

All four seasons leave their own distinct impressions on our senses.  Here a few things that are pleasing my sense of sight this summer:

My black-eyed Susan’s.  They are such happy flowers.  They will share their cheerfulness through the summer and then they will step back and take a nap until next year and let the Montauk Daisies and mums bring delight to our eyes in the fall.

Black-eyed Susans

 

And then there is the sight of heavily laden tomato plants promising some delicious, sweet additions to salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes.

20170730_165732                    Ripe tomatoes

A batch of canned bread and butter pickles certainly brings a twinkle to my eye.  We will be enjoying the taste of our harvested kirby’s all through the winter.   Yum.

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Catching a glimpse of a rainbow after a rainstorm rolls through is always a thrill.

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And last but certainly not least is the sight of a summer evening settling in from the vantage point of your front porch.  20170722_204010

Watching the street lights and the solar lights come on as the sun slips below the horizon and being witness to the show that the lightning bugs put on is such a peaceful sight.

Those are some of the things that are delighting my eyes this fine summer.  There are many, many more wonderful things to behold.  What are some of your favorite sights of summer?

Hope you are having a good summer.  See you soon.

Bye for now.

Ginny

Quilts, Adventures in Embroidery & Scraps

Well here we are in July already.  Wasn’t it just Memorial Day?  I had a wonderful trip to California to visit with my grandson, son and daughter-in-law.  Oh yes, my sister came along too.  🙂    I  brought the quilt and now that it isn’t a surprise anymore, I can share some pictures of it:

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As soon as I returned, I started thinking about his first 4th of July coming up and made him this onesie and bib:       20170626_233137   I got a picture of him wearing it today.   🙂

Before we left for California my tiger lily stalks were looking pretty ready to bloom and I was afraid I would miss their first week of flowering.

But I didn’t miss them; they waited for me and welcomed me home.  20170620_084911

I did a craft show last week and added some embroidery items to my set up.  I did a few onesies and also some kitchen towels which were very popular.

 

The day after the show, I spent quite a bit of time cleaning up my sewing studio.  I must admit, I am a bit of a messy creative person.   I have a number of projects on my “To Do” list for sure but first I spent a bit of time pressing and cutting up the scraps from the last round of projects.  A few of the projects on that To do list are scrap quilts from a couple of  Bonnie Hunter books.  I have so many scraps!  So I am going to work on disciplining myself and cutting the scraps after I finish each project into usable sizes.

I am a bit scrap challenged.  I tend to overthink putting pieces together.   Watching the beautiful quilts Bonnie Hunter puts together using scraps is inspiring me.  I think I will start with “Happily Scrappily Irish” from her book Adventures with Leaders and Enders  I might use my tons of Christmas scraps for that and work on a new Christmas quilt while working on other projects using her leader/ender system.  Check it out if you’ve got scraps.  You put together the units for the scrap quilt while completing other projects.  It’s two projects in one!

And speaking of Christmas  ……… 20170703_213106-1   …….. My trusty snowman is telling me it’s less than 6 months until Christmas.  🙂  Just sayin’   It will be here before we know it.   Better get busy.  Now, where’s my Christmas music?

Happy 4th of July everyone.  I hope you had a great day.  Enjoy the fireworks . American Flag 04

Bye for now. See you soon.

Ginny.

First blooms

Summer stopped by for a quick visit a couple of days last week which was a nice change from the damp, rainy spring days.  Then today, poof — summer retreated and we were back to a wet rainy spring day.   I know that we need both those rains and the bright, sunny days to bring us the beauty of flowers.   That was proven to me on Sunday morning as I was taking a walk around the yard with my visiting Grandog.  He stopped to check something out on the ground and my eye caught something bright in the rosebush we were standing by.  Lo and behold there it was!   My first rose of the season.20170521_100801.jpg

I was so happy so see it.  Roses make me happy.   But so do the rest of what is now blooming in my gardens.    I have some beautiful irises making an appearance

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With the annuals we’ve added this week, it’s beginning to be quite a colorful landscape out there.

Some of my favorites:

20170519_190730   Geraniums always remind me of my paternal grandparents.  My grandfather had a garden in the yard of their Brooklyn apartment.  There were many things in his garden but I remember how I loved the scent and the slightly fuzzy feel of the leaves on the geraniums .  My grandmother had a window box full of them by the window where we would sit and look out on the backyard.   My gardens wouldn’t be complete without them now.

20170519_190722.jpg   The smell of my petunias in the evening as we sit outside on the front porch or out in our backyard is such a welcome reminder that summer is here.

20170519_190744   And the marigolds have such an earthy smell and I can count on them to be brightening the landscape well into the fall.

So that’s what I am seeing as I look out my windows into my gardens or walk around along with some still blooming Azaleas as well as some mystery spring-blooming purple flowers that I never planted but they show up every year.  They could be a weed for all I know but they are pretty and so they are staying.   The Rhododendron bloomed  a couple of days ago and I went around and checked all the Chrysanthemums and most of them made it through the winter and are sprouting their new green leaves.  More promises of fall color.   And the Tiger Lillies are going to put on a beautiful show for us down the road.

I will be adding more marigolds and geraniums for sure and there will be Sunpatiens added to the backyard and some black-eyed Susan’s need to be replaced up front.  I want to add some Dusty Miller around the border of a flowerbed at the edge of the driveway where the Tiger Lillies are.

I hope you are enjoying your gardens as much as I am enjoying mine this year.  Any guesses on whether or not I find some different type of plant I’d like to take home the next time we make a trip to the nursery?  If I was the betting sort, I’d say yes.

Have a good week.  See you soon.

Ginny

May is here

“Back in the day” as they say, May used to be ushered in with May baskets hung on doors.  I had been wanting to make one of these cone-shaped wall sconces for a while so I decided to make one for myself for May Day but I made it from red, white and blue fabric so I can use it through the whole summer. 20170507_180148  I think I am going to make a smaller version of it to take to my office too .   It makes me smile.

And speaking of smiling,  I found a picture of the blocks I made for my grandson with my embroidery machine.   Somehow I lost the picture that I had taken of them but thanks to my sweet daughter-in-law,  I’ve got one now.

Stuffed Blocks for EJ

And I finally finished the quilt with the Chenille-it.   It fluffed up nicely.  20170511_200943

I would definitely make something with the Chenille-It again.

That’s what I’ve been up to the last few weeks.  I’m starting some new projects and also starting some Christmas presents. Christmas tree clip art       It’s never too early to get started.

Have a good weekend everyone.  See you soon.

Ginny