Isn't She Lovely?

Many of you may not know this about me, but I've long wanted a treadle sewing machine -- ever since I had to leave my grandmother's back in SW Quebec in 2000, because I couldn't afford to ship it west at the time.

Meet Joan:

With top

Topless!

I've so named her after the friend who helped me acquire her.  Joan (my friend) bought her at auction decades ago.  About ten years or so ago she gave the machine to her DIL,,,who -- just before Christmas -- decided she no longer wanted it.  So...the machine was taken to the local antiques shop -- Gracie D's here in Mirror (Gracie sells some of my minis).

On Christmas Eve, when I was snowed in, I contacted Joan (my friend) to see if she was okay (she's...ahem...Of A Certain Age), and she told me about the machine.  When she found out I'd have loved it, she nearly cried.

"I would've given it to you," she said.  "No", I replied, "I'd have wanted to pay you something for it."

Well -- straight-away I contacted Gracie, only to find out the machine had sold the day before...though it was still in the shop, waiting to be picked up.  I told Gracie that if the purchaser changed her mind, I would be happy to buy it, because I would clean and oil it and learn to use it.

Long story short, "Joan" (the machine) came home with me yesterday afternoon after I got back from my flying visit to Edmonton.

I've done only the barest research but the serial number (I needed a flashlight to see it) has no alpha prefix, and is in the range that's dated 1894 by the ICMS International Singer Sewing Machine Serial Number Data Base.  And that was all I needed to know for certain that "Joan" (the machine) was meant to be mine.

You see, the crazy quilt block I found in a trunk in my aunt's attic in 2000, signed with my grandmother's maiden name initials, is also dated...1894.

Here are some close-ups of this beauty, now ensconced in front of my (north-facing) living room window:

Decals!

Look at those drawer handles!

The bed decals are almost all worn off
and the serial number plate is hard to read

Singer label

The collapsible end table

The belt was replaced ten years or so ago when Joan (my friend) gave it to her DIL.  There is at least one bobbin (a 'turbo' shape) and J thinks she has another at home.  There are several feet and other parts -- I'm not really sure they all belong to this machine!  The fact that there are two instruction booklets -- one of which refers to an electric machine -- points to that fact...

I will take some time to read the booklets, sort the parts and pieces, and clean it according to the instructions provided by Bonnie Hunter's wonderful "Vintage Machines" resources page, and then we'll see if I can learn to treadle!

Just another Christmas blessing, I'm thinking.  It's going to be a creative year ahead indeed!

Minis for the Winter Months

My friend Gracie, who owns Gracie D's Antiques, Collectibles and Gifts here in Mirror, likes my minis -- and so do her customers. They are particularly fond of "the ones with beads", so I promised her a couple (at least) in time for the "Lucrative Gift-giving Season".Having decided to use mono-printing for my latest 15 x 15 Group piece, I took advantage of the painted "plate" (a layer of laminate off-cuts recycled from my daughter's office) to create a couple of "tree" pieces. I printed one on the "right" side of the fabric, and one on the "wrong" side...can you guess which one? ;-)

This time I tried out a new-to-me acrylic paint recommended by Lorette at Red Deer's Alberta Art and Drafting: "Open Acrylic" paint from Golden, in "Bone Black". I bought several months ago, but this was the first time I'd tried it -- and I have to say, for what I was doing (line drawings as mono-prints), it worked a treat! It took less paint than conventional acrylic because it stayed wet longer (that's the "open" benefit); in fact, it was still sticky when I finished what I wanted to do for that session.

Once they dried, I sandwiched each piece and free-motion quilted each one with Superior Thread's King Tut cotton in #979 - "Obsidian". I'm blessed to be able to buy what I need here in Canada and generally do so once a year at the Central Alberta Quilt Show in Red Deer in the spring. :-)

Then I "blopped" (isn't that a great technical term?) each piece with "snow", using a toothbrush and Pebeo Setacolor Opaque in "Perle Shimmer" (white, obviously)... and auditioned each one for bead positions...

Audition #1 - "Dining Alone"

Audition #2 - "Lunch Meeting"

The first one is finished, matted, packaged and photographed. (A final photo will appear later.) The second remains under construction (needs beads and mat) so will follow shortly...

But I have a music practice this evening (trio at church) and work in The Shop tomorrow, so that's all for now.

Linking to WIP Wednesday over on The Needle and Thread Network...and wishing you a better rest of the week...

Pinch Me!

The past week has been (insert favourite excitement laden adjective here).  I confess I am at a bit of a loss as to how to describe it.  Exciting?  Surprising?  Glorious?  Remarkable?  Fantastic?  Encouraging?  Thrilling?  Joyous?

Perhaps I should just roll all those descriptors into one:

SUPERCALIFRAGELISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!

Let's start with last Wednesday, shall we?

That day I had lunch with Maureen MacKenzie of the City of Lacombe, and two of her colleagues on the Art Collection Committee...and ended up with a venue booking for Mark on the Body -- which will hang at the Lacombe Memorial Centre Gallery from October 20 through November 17...including an Opening Reception set for October 26 (time to be determined)...and press...and etc.
Stay tuned to the MOB blog for details!

Through Facebook I made a connection with the local Fundraising and Development Coordinator for the Central Alberta chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)...and we'll be chatting next week about the Project.  Meanwhile, I've done up some kits for stitching MOB II squares, and have permission to give them out at the meet-and-greet in Stratford, to anyone who might be interested...

MOB II Kits

I'm not particularly adept at shameless self-promotion...but I'm learning, and willing to keep trying, as this project means a great deal not only to me, but (I hope) to everyone touched by Type 1 Diabetes.  There is a good deal of misunderstanding about this type of diabetes, which is distinctly different from the much-more-prevalent Type 2...and it is my hope this project will help not only with much needed funding for research into a cure, but also with educating the general public.

On Sunday I travelled to Edmonton to see my kids, and to attend a shower for sweet Chereena, my son's fiancee.  I got the Grand Tour of their new rental -- a condo apartment that is absolutely lovely!  -- met my newest grand-cat, Yami, and then drove off to the shower with my daughter, Gina.

There was a buffet of amazing food -- and the obligatory shower game.  For this one, the guest were divided into teams of four to create the perfect wedding gown and slippers for Chereena's big day -- out of newsprint!

Then came the gift opening -- during which our lovely bride-to-be received a multitude of fabulous kitchen and bath items, and gift cards to add to those items on a shopping trip or two with her DH-to-be.   I had two gifts for her: one for her up-coming graduation from U of Alberta, and one for the shower.

The first, the shawl, was definitely a success:

"MoMarg, I think I'm going to cry!"

As were the chickens!

The looks on her face were enough to fill my heart for a good long time.  

On the way home, I delivered my Fort McMurray quilt tops to Tara at Trinity Quilts in southwest Edmonton.  She gave me a tour of her studio; I was very impressed by her fine quilting -- both over-all and customized designs.  What a blessing that Beaver Creek Mercantile of Caroline, AB, donated a bolt of batting to help Tara get all the donated tops quilted so they can be sent where they're needed!

The rest of this week has been spent Getting Things Done so that I can leave tomorrow for Stratford* with a clear conscience: everything from laundry to mowing the lawn to cleaning the cat box, to doing the dishes, to actually quilting...!

My 15 x 15 Group piece is finished -- except for the accompanying Artist's Statement -- as the "Reveal" for the "Circles" theme is only ten days away.  Here's a hint... ;-)

The collection of my work at Gracie D's Antiques, Collectibles and Giftware has been changed over to minis with a 'summer' feel, just in time for the Victoria Day weekend activities.  Gracie will be open extra hours, so I hope something will sell!

Now about Stratford (Ontario): the twin exhibits for SAQA's "My Corner of the World" -- the International and the All-Canadian -- open there this weekend at the Stratford Perth Museum.  I am so excited about joining many of the other artists and the SAQA President, Lisa Ellis, as well as Micaela Fitzsimmons and Bethany Garner, the curators, for the Opening Reception and SAQA "Meet-and-Greet" to follow, that I could probably fly there without much help from Air Canada!

It's Still About the Sky
(C) 2016

Before I go, I'm linking this up to WIP Wednesday over at The Needle and Thread Network...hoping you pop over there to see what other Canadian stitchers are up to...and wishing you a wonderful Victoria Day weekend!

WIPs Beyond Wednesday

Yesterday I had lunch with M, one of my SAQA colleagues who lives fairly close by.  We had a lovely lunch, followed by a visit to Gracie D's Antiques, so M could see where some of my minis were displayed, awaiting new homes with happy purchasers.

Just as we came out of Gracie's, the first few snow-flakes began to fall.  By the time she dropped me at the Post Office -- so I could mail some Christmas gifts -- the snow was intensifying, and within minutes of my reaching home (on foot), it was really coming down...and so it continued late into the evening.

A perfect opportunity to stay in the sewdio.

What follows is a sample of what I've worked on this week:

1.  I put together the last block of the last of three full "Block-of-the-Month" quilts I found in a drawer late in 2012.  I've done one set per year since...and now each can be set/sashed, sandwiched and quilted.

"Zen" BOM - December
"Aunt Nancy's Favourite"

2.  I finished the first crib-throw quilt top for refugees that are expected to arrive in the next few weeks. Here it is, spread out on my kitchen floor:

Pattern: "Chunky Churn Dash" from Bonnie Hunter
All fabrics from stash - approx 42" W x 62" L

3. I finished and mailed these mittens and neck-warmer to my nephew in B.C. (he doesn't read this blog):

Now I'm making a similar set for my son (he doesn't read this blog either.  :-)  )

My nephew has a fiance...I mailed her gift along with his.

4. And last night I finished the second Chunky Churn Dash crib/throw:

The reason you can see only part of it here is because it's hanging on my design wall, and the bottom is obscured in part by my sewing table!  It finished at about 42" W x 60" L.

I still have a stack of fabric that's suitable (no florals, no animals, no discernible "images" on it) so I dug out my copy of Successful Scrap Quilts from Simple Rectangles by Judy Turner and Margaret Wolfe and will turn to that for the next one.

Friday I hope to get to Homespun Seasons in Stettler -- my LQS of choice -- for batting...and the quilting can begin.

However...it may just have to wait a bit.  I'm still knitting gifts, and have yet to assemble the 2015 edition of the Annual Christmas Boxer Shorts...

Meanwhile, let's join the group for WIP Wednesday at The Needle and Thread Network, and see what's happening over there, eh?

'Bye for now!

Meanwhile, Back in the Sewdio

Christmas Knitting continues...but not fast enough!

And miniatures like this one are Under Construction:

First, the inspirational photo, taken last May a few kilometres up a gravel road south of Tees, Alberta:

Inspiration for "Wishing Pond"

And the fabric piece, currently submitting to hand-stitch:

"Test Mat" - "Wishing Pond" - WIP October 2014

There's another piece -- "Winter Dinette" -- also under the needle, getting some beads.  Photo will follow eventually!

Each of these finishes at 5" x 7", and are matted to 8" x 10"...and hopefully will be on display by mid-November -- along with "Storm Building" -- at Mirror's "Gracie D's Antiques, Collectibles & Giftware".

I'm linking to WIP Wednesday over at The Needle and Thread Network and then heading off to bed...tomorrow is another day at The Shop, followed by picking up my car...and the long drive home.

'Nigh-night!

A Visit to Yesteryear

This keeping quiet is paying off!  Limiting my computer time daily -- with or without background music -- means that I'm spending more time doing What Needs to Be Done, as well as What I Want to Do (you know as well as I that these two aren't always the same!).

For example, the first section of the Japanese Taupe Quilt is now together in its entirety.  When I laid it out on the twin bed in the guest room -- whoa!  To think this is only one of four planned sections...and that there will be wide swaths of applique in between them.

What am I thinking?! Well...I'm thinking that I'm about to start quilting-as-I-go.  The pieced blocks will be done by machine and the plain blocks, with Sashiko-style hand quilting.  To that end, I went out yesterday and bought wide backing.  It's beautiful stuff too -- taupe marbled batik-like stuff.  Alas, it has no identification on the selvedge, so I can't give you the name of the line, designer or manufacturer...but it's perfect!  And, bless her heart, when she saw my rough draft of the design, Caroline -- of Caroline's Homespun Seasons in Stettler -- agreed to cut the backing for me in sections so I wouldn't have to worry about laying out and cutting a ginormous piece of fabric for my QAYG sections.  :-)  (Note to readers from the Southern US: up here 'bless her heart' means exactly that.  (Grin))

I also got my September block done for the 4 x 4 Block of the Month -- you know, the one I'm doing from the kits bought in another lifetime back in Calgary.  This one has a Christmas Theme in its fabrics, but the blocks are classic patterns.  I really like September's selection:

Wild Rose & Square

Where have I seen those chevron shapes before?  Oh yes -- in the mysterious fabric pieces found in a basket at the Mirror & District Museum:

But the "Museum Pieces" are all-in-one -- not constructed from separate sections using 1/2-square triangles.  Along with these pieces we found 3" squares, and some diamonds -- very scrappy, with much of the fabric appearing to be genuinely from the nineteen-thirties!  What did the quilter have planned when life got in the way?

Was it a LeMoyne Star block?  Nope; not enough pieces.

I wandered down to the Mirror Library and found a treasure: Better Homes & Garden's America's Heritage Quilts (Meredith Corporation, 1991).  In there, I found two other possibilities for these pieces: a Peony block and a Carolina Lily block.  The latter stems from Civil War days, and features one or three "blossoms" in a "basket".

Single Blossom Version
Photo - Lillian's Cupboard, 2011

Three-blossom Version
Photo - Generations Quilt Patterns

These didn't seem quite right, so I researched the Peony block and found this on the Shelburne Museum website.  It too features multiple blossoms...though you can find it in single-blossom versions too.

Catherine Bolster's Peony Quilt

To add to my excitement: you can purchase this pattern -- and the templates with which to make it -- and one of the templates is an all-of-a-piece chevron, just like the pieces we found at the museum.

I thought I'd try to make a replica using stash -- albeit fairly contemporary fabric (no thirties scraps or Civil War reproductions; sorry!)  Blessedly, the book had instructions on how to do set-in (in-set?) seams:

I tried it by both hand and machine:

Can you tell which is which?

The hand-pieced version was actually easier and a bit neater, but if you look closely you'll notice there's a tiny pucker at that inside corner, regardless of method used.  Clearly set-in (in-set?) seams take practice!

Here's the block now...still in pieces, without stem or leaves...modelled after the photo in the B H &G book.

Single Peony block under construction

In other news...MOB stitching and Christmas knitting continue...and I finished a third 'mini' so that I could put all three in the mail to Different Strokes Gallery yesterday:

Prairie Oasis (C) 2014

Before I sent them off, I took them down to the new antiques-and-gifts shop in town -- Gracie D's -- and it was agreed I should make up a half-dozen for them to try on in the shop.  :-)

My morning computer time is over...must away -- but first, I'll like this up to WIP Wednesday on The Needle and Thread Network.  See you later!