A Green Machine, A Repair, and a Few Bindings!

 My friend Barb saw that we bought a vintage machine the other day and offered up this vintage Singer 185J to me for a price I could not pass up.  She came home with me and Kathy is sewing on her until we get hers up and running.  She thinks we should call her Mrs. Hulk, but I am open to better suggestions!
I still don't have my laptop and this old one moves the curser constantly when I type so I will keep the words to a minimum, ugh!

My sister's great dane ate her quilt.  I did not want to repair it.  It has been at my house for a good long time.  I decided to gift her the repair for Christmas.  I am wrapping this one up again!

 I did the best I could--was able to match but my quilting sucks!  From afar it isn't too bad!

 I made and attached binding on both My Purple Heaven for Hannah and Scrappy Mountain Majesties for Mac.  I still need to sew more blocks for Coleman's Moth in the Window.

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I have also worked some on Grand Illusion clue two.  Here are forty done..I have ten more that need one more seam and press, then I will be half way through clue two.  We are off to go hiking shortly and I will be sewing again tonight.  First I have to cut that other half!  Slow and steady!

Introducing "Marge" A 99 Singer--and Grand Illusion Clue Two in Progress!

 Yesterday we were alerted to a vintage singer at the Chandler Savers thanks for Lori on Quiltville's Open Studio.  (There was also a Spartan in a cabinet that almost came home with us, but she was gone when we went back to get her).  She is a pretty machine and her case is in great shape!

 She came with a knee pedal which has exposed wiring and isn't attached to the plug that the machine and light plug into.  That is okay, we knew she would need to visit Mr. Sew and Vac--after the holidays though!

 I have never seen a machine with plugs like this coming off of it, I suspect she is older than our other vintage machines. 

This is her serial number--I struggled trying to look it up because I wasn't sure if that second character was a number or a letter!  I posted to QOS to ask the experts and was told by more than one person that is a zero so "G0339720" is the number.  I have used the Singer online search to find my other machines but this one was tough because of the 0/O issue.

  At first several of us thought it is a 66 made on Jan 16, 1911.  She is one of 40,000.  Then after more discussion we decided she is from Sept. 6, 1923 and is one of 10,000 and is a 99.  I did a little online research and found a fab explanation of the differences between the 66 and 99 and according to that, this is clearly a 99.  So now both Kathy and I own a 99!  So thank you to Kaycee and Limbania (and all who contributed to the discussion) I learned alot about Vintage Singers today!

Kathy is going to name her "Marge" after her mother and we cannot wait to get her running!

And in other news, I spent some time on Grand Illusion clue two tonight!  I managed to get half of everything cut and ten twosies together before packing it up for the night!

 I worked all day and was so excited to finally get home and get going on Grand Illusion Clue Two!  I did a few test blocks using the first method Bonnie posted...they turned out (much to my surprise!) so I went ahead and cut for 100 blocks.  I finished the first two sets before the wind blew right out of my sails and I realized the pictures I had been seeing all day were of twosies....so I doublechecked the directions and realized I need 200 of each piece in order to make 100 blocks!

 Needless to say, there is more cutting in my future!  I did sew my singles into pairs though so I have the first ten blocks done!  Whoot, whoot!  I am taking my time and measuring, trimming if I need to, unsewing if I need to and really pressing well.  Hoping to impress Ros (my longarmer) with the back of this one.  We will see!

Tomorrow morning we go pick up the last Traditions BOM from 35th Ave. and then we are heading out to the Holiday Pet Festival at West World.  After that I am sewing with a friend so my stuff is packed up so I can continue on with clue two!
In other news, I have facebook friended and emailed a few cruisers who will be on the same trip as me in Oct. 2015!  SEW fun to get to know folks before we go and I know it will be a blast.  :) How is your mystery coming?

Potpourri!

 For an early birthday present Kathy got me this Singer Featherweight that I have been wanting for several years.  Just when I think my machine cravings are satisfied I find another one I want (Bonnie Hunter isn't helping in this regard, lol) now I see Singer has a new "retro" machine that looks a bit like a Featherweight and is black...I wouldn't not be sad if that one came to live with me!  But back to this one which I thought would be the last (roflmfao!) Kathy had it serviced and the guy did a great job (Mr. Sew and Vac for all you locals) this is the third place I have been to in this area for machine work and the first one I have been SATISFIED with.  And he guaranteed it for a year.  She sews great and I love the way it purrs along.  I sewed on it for hours yesterday and will again today.  I had the guy give me a new foot pedal because I can't do that toe type button, love her!

 In other news, Melissa my Santa Swap partner sent me my first gifts...you can't read the notes, but two say something about NOT peeking (I didn't) and one is open me now.  I wish I had thought to wrap the open me now one for her, I just filled it with gifts and sent it that way!

 So this is what I opened.  A gorgeous and HUGE hand crocheted stocking.  It fits the two big gifts she sent with plenty of room for more.  (We are sending two each month but can't open til Christmas).  Thanks Melissa!

 The toe isn't full yet so this pic looks a bit funny!

 Here is me last night with Bug in her pouch.  She wants to be up where she can see but didn't want to be in it last night so we eventually put her on my sewing machine cover (from last year's Santa Swap) on the table between us and she was happy!

I made a few bindings and stuck them in the drawer, have one to go for the quilt Ros just gave back to me.

 Kathy cut out Lincoln Schnibbles (Amy guessed it!) and I pieced all the rail fence blocks last night.  So all that is left is the sawtooth stars!

Not the greatest picture but I made six more Anita's Arrowhead blocks last night too.  Today Becky is coming over to sew so I should be getting more done.  Always so nice to sew with a friend!

New "old" Sewing Machine, Bluework Indian Girl Block and Ben...

I ordered myself a used book called "Small Endearments: Nineteenth-Century Quilts for Children and Dolls" by Sarah Fox and fell in love with many of the quilts in it! Here are some from the doll quilt chapter! I absolutely love this first one with all the green, but the little pieces look like more than I would want to deal with.

I also love this one!

Would really like to have some time to make a few of these or quilts inspired by these!

Last Sunday we went to my sister's house and here is one of a zillion pictures I took of my nephew Ben eating an ice cream cake cupcake from Cold Stone. He LOVED it. Did lots of licking and laughing and even sharing!





I finished my bluework Indian woman in the car on the way down and back to my sister's.

And I picked up this sewing machine and cabinet from my sister's friend for 15 bucks. It will need a tune up, but it has the book and attachments (which we left at my sister's!) so all I did was wipe it all off and take a few pictures but I can't wait to see what sewing on one of these is like! I figured for 15 bucks even if all I did was blog about it and drool over it, it was worth it!