Boogie

Boogie is hunting for a good nap...

Three sets of exchange blocks

Several members of the TreadleOn group have entered into a small selective block exchange. These five participants not only enjoy using treadle and/or handcrank sewing machines but they are bobbin lacemakers.
A number of the exchange blocks have arrived and I've pictured them here for your enjoyment...

Another three designs

Here are another three designs for the block exchange;

My Contributions to the exchange

Swamp

On my way back to the expressway for my trip home I stopped by the swamp where we have a couple of acres... it is truly a swamp, now the folks down here call it a lake, being from up north I call it a swamp. I mean look at those trees growing in the water.... that is a swamp. At some future time we might put a more liveable structure on this property so that we have a "snowbird" retreat.. there are allagators in that there water :)

Busy at Mom's House

While down in South GA at my mother-in-laws house for a visit I was very busy during our evenings of watching TV. Even though I drove all over lower Georgia we still managed to be back at the house before too late each evening... the photo shows my productivity...

First Bobbin fabric blocks arrive

The first blocks for the very exclusive TreadleOn Bobbin Fabric Block Exchange arrived at my house where the sorting and resending will occur next month. The guidelines for the exchange are posted on the right of this blog, so take a look. Tina's blocks are great. She sent in a set and a half, 9 blocks total-3 of each design.

My desire is to make a "pillowcover" for my lace pillow from the blocks.

Think Pink Mailings

During the month of October I was busy knitting pink facecloths for the ladies in my life... each pink facecloth came with a bar of soap (some homemade from a local source and some got Peach Georgia soaps) The idea was that each time my friend used her pink cloth she would remember that her health was in her hands, that friends loved and needed her and that most of all God had a plan for her....the bottom line, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. I derived a great deal of pleasure making all these facecloths. Now I did send my brother and Uncle Bob one as well but theirs were red-white-and blue, both are veterans, but the message was the same, Take Care. A little note card was sent in each mailer just to stay in touch... I've not been a very good correspondent lately....

The photo of the pink facecloths is the second batch. The first ones got hand delivered around the area on Nov 1 with out a thought of taking a picture...

Robert C. Williams Paper Museum-GA Tech

On Monday November 10th Sonja and I took an adventure down to the paper museum on the GA Tech Campus. Our visit was informative for us and amusing to the building's receptionist. She couldn't believe that we were that enthused to be there and that we spent more than an hour (the parking spaces reserved for the visitors had 1 hr time limitations). The museum housed not only artifacts from the history of paper making but a traveling display of "paper cutting art" WOW is all we could say... how do they do that???? There should have been video showing someone actually cutting one of these masterpieces... it was a great visit. With this fun under our belts we've considered going to another obscure Atlanta area museum in the near future, Atlanta has the National Patriotism Museum and a long list of others that few have heard of... so much to see.

Two signs from the Paper Museum

Two of the signs from the museum caught our eye...

The first one states that Hunter (the collector of the artifacts and hand made paper researcher) "believed that a hand-crafted object was inherently more desirable, beautiful, serviceable and worthy of human endeavor than anything made by machine." Amen!!!

The second sign was in the room that housed the equipment from Dard Hunter's actual paper mill here in the USA (early 1900's)...

Rags make paper
Paper makes money
Money makes banks
Banks make loans
Loans make beggars
Beggars make rags

Quilts and "Costume Sewing-in"

The evening of Election Day (Nov 4th) saw much activity in the usually creative but calm quilting room of First Baptist Church.... the big turn out and commotion was due to the quilters and stitchers of the church coming together to work on the costumes for the up coming Christmas program. Puffy pantaloons and vests were the order of the night rather than quilt blocks, borders and bindings. Food was provided and we even had a willing model for the vests ...we didn't tell him about the pantaloons and tights :)

Christmas Stocking QTYW Day

Well, you probably thought that things in GA had come to a stand still....

After sending my mother-in-law the box of 30 knitted dishcloths I thought of a project for October that could use the same knitting pattern, I've gotten 14 of them done so far but will say nothing more till the project is done. Just wanted to let you know that I'd been busy...

This past Saturday was the Loving Hands Quilt Group quarterly Quilt Till You Wilt event... this time it was to make 40+ Christmas stockings for the church's Youth Outreach in December. This time there were but a handful of eager elves to assemble the stockings. After a few technical difficulties (thread tensions, needles breaking, switching machine feet etc) we finally got a steady pace going and finished up 32 of the necessary 40. I used one of my vintage sewing machines: matter of fact, Froggy was our first vintage machine. He was purchased the last day of an estate sale in MN. The bobbin case was snarled up in thread so it appeared not to be working... we got him for $5 and have had not a minutes trouble with him since getting the thread nest out of the bobbin case :) .

We each brought home some extra stockings to assemble so I think I'll sew mine with Sarah the Featherweight and my Elna Supermatic.What fun!!! In the photo are four of the participants....Patti, Joann, Terri and myself (sitting behind the machine). Not pictured were our support and supply committee, Jean and Imogene.

It is turning cooler in the metro Atlanta area... hope that all is well in your corner of the world.
kz

Barbie #4 Done

Well, October came in with the long anticipated final Barbie quilt pieced, quilted and bound ready for debut. This too has the shaggy binding around the edges. The Loving Hands Quilt Group of First Baptist Church Smyrna GA has done a wonderful job of turning the donated fat quarter bundles from The Fabric Outlet in Brooklyn Park MN into four fantastic giggly girl style quilts that will warm hearts and beds for years to come. These quilts are going to two charities in the Atlanta area...three are going to the street ministry of Cobb Co and the other is a raffle quilt. (We'll know in a few months how much money it helped raise and I'll let you know.) kz

How tall????

How tall is the stack of dishcloths for my mother-in-law????

30 dishcloths= 9 inches
With a large number and a variety of colors she should have something for everyone on here senior center Christmas list :) I must be the "good" daughter-in-law. (Nah, the secret is she love us equally well.....and she is the only mother each of us have now.)

Have a great day
Kz

packaging for a coffee lover

What better way to package a gift for a coffee lover than in a coffee box.

Well, since I am cleaning the house I decided that it was time to recycle the packaging that my fellow TreadleOn member sent my "Think Pink Tote" in. Don't you just love it???? She was above and beyond with receiver specific packaging :) Way to go Sibyl !!!! Kz

Finally awake

Quality Control Dept,... can't trust um

Well, you just can't trust the Quality Control Dept.
After leaving the quilt under the needle during the process of attaching the binding, I came back from a 24 hour break to find the QCD soundly testing the attributes of Syrita's quilt. Evidently it is passing because Boogie didn't even wink when I took the picture. Now that must be a warm comfy quilt... k

Barbie #3 is bound

Out of all those Fat Quarter bundles given by the Fabric Outlet in MN we now have three finished Barbie quilts for the shelter. This is the smallest of the grouping. Some time in the past I purchased some purple fabric of varying colors plus clusters of eyelash like threads. In searching the stash for binding fabrics this one jumped out crying to be used. So take a closer look at the fuzzy binding around this quilt.... it will truly make some little girl giggle!!!!

It's raining dishcloths

Last year a few weeks before Christmas my mother-in-law asked if I'd make up a little something for her friends at the senior center... "like what do you have in mind?" Her response was "Oh, something simple; maybe dishcloths." Truly a simple task if I'd not been rushed to get 20 done for the senior party. This year I've decided to get wiser with old age... I found an easy round dishcloth pattern that has only garter stitch, you can get at least one done during your average TV movie, and get two out of a small ball of cotton yarn. What a deal!!! As of this morning I have 26 ready for this year's Christmas giving :) She'll be thrilled. If I keep up my pace I might actually have some to give away as well. kz

Binding-Binding-Binding

It's been a binding experience for the last twenty four hours... Yes, three in one day. A pink Barbie charity quilt done by the Loving Hands Quilt Group got bound this morning after midnight.

The two quilts for the Lee family were bound this afternoon. I still can't count them as done since the labels are still waiting for details from mom :) It's okay.... means I get to enjoy them a little longer.

No utterance comes close to what I feel

If you are a quilter or hang out with them you know that the Singer Featherweight sewing machine from days past is coveted and lusted after by these avid sewers. A group of quilters can be like a pack of crazed Piranha with the news of a Featherweight sighting. With the knowledge that the searchers are many, the supply few and the cost so great I'd convenced myself that one was not expected to join my herd of sewing machines, and if truth be known the majority of my babies are not modern enough to require an electrical outlet. It is commonly known the greater part of the multitude are treadles... So you see why I am still in the glow of shock and surprise over the loving gift of Sarah the Featherweight. Yes, GIFT.

This magnanimous gift of sewing history was made by Jerry and Sonja (Stringplay). The gift was a discovery made during the downsizing of Jerry's mom's house. Even though they could have sold it for big bucks it lovingly came to me for appreciation and preservation.

Because none of us knew how long it had been since it's last usage Sarah was taken to Ashby Sewing Machine Co where Marc could give it "a tune up, oil change, and tire rotation" our expression for putting it through its paces. Sarah was declared a "pretty darlin": ready for service. She came home to an appreciative fan club earlier in the week.

Ain't she just beautiful.
Aren't loving and thoughtful friends just the best gifts of life. Kz

A Big WOW from Sibyl!!!

As you might remember I was particiapting in the TreadleOn Think Pink Tote Bag Exchange for October's Breast Cancer Awareness month activity. Even with all the odd and unusual things that I did while making mine I got it done and mailed to my exchange pal in TX. Miss Sibyl's arrived today. All I can say is WOW!!! The tote is expertly made and the use of her (sh......) e- machine for embellishing the tote was outstanding!!! She knew some keys things about me, boy did she hit the mark. Purple fabric accented in rich black. The purple embroidery is crisp with a sharp contrast. She included a couple of accessories, a tissue holder and key ring. The label is the topping on the cake.......... a sheep. Don't you just love it... She is soo adorable.... thank Miss Sibyl. Kz

What does therapy look like???

I guess you might first ask, What type of therapy is this? Physical, speech, medical... what? Years ago my husband (GH) decided that it would cheaper to buy some acreage then to pay for "therapy". Finding junk land in a close proximity to the metro area was easier then locating a good psychiatrist. After a frustrating day in the corporate world there is nothing as cleansing as plowing a few acres of dirt. We affectionately call the land The Dirt. This is a picture of mental health therapy at it's best.

Applique'd Utility Quilt

The Applique'd Utility Quilt has been delivered.
Over the past many months I've had the opportunity to do some repairs to this quilt made from 1910 to 1930's fabrics. The process was a pleasure in that I got to touch and work with these old fabrics but also got to share a little information with the family regarding the quilt. This little baby could be nearly 100 yrs old, what fun. There are no such treasures in my family.

Think Pink Tote Arrives in Texas

The much restitched Amy Butler Birdie Sling I made for TreadleOn's Think Pink Tote Exchange has arrived safely in Houston TX. Despite all the problems in class while making this bag, I will make more :) In getting to know Miss Sibyl I found out that coke is her drink of choice... so the lining is done in coke fabric. The charm safety pin also sports a coke bottle charm among the five attached. These charms were found in June while out with Sonja on a day outing celebrating my retirement. We'd gone to a yarn/bead shop in Crabapple GA and to lunch. The charms came one in a small zip bag, my intentions had been to tape it to the side of my bookshelf in the sewing room before going to MN for several weeks. However, I didn't realized I'd forgotten to do that till I was at the cabin and my husband was at home. They stayed on the kitchen counter right where I left them so neither of us would be the responsible party for losing them. A very good plan. This was a much enjoyed project and exchange. Kz