Brother "Festival" 431( Watermelon PINK)

So....what do you think of this cutie??? I found it in Ft. Pierce, Fl. It was in the back room of a thrift store. The helper went in the back for me to look for a Kenmore I suspected was there since all it's manual, foot pedal controller and accessories were still displayed on a table with 2 other Kennies. He found the missing Kenmore and said "it's a shame you only collect Kenmores since I have a PINK Brother in the back room" PINK???? Are you kidding!! Show me!!
The photo is way off as far as color. It is really a pretty watermelon pink with almost no wear!! It works beautifully, to.  Could use a manual but I seem to have figured out the threading OK.
Oh, and I bought the missing Kenmore, too! It is in equally great condition and has all its manual and accessories. Yippee!

Connecting Threads company

Today I gave two flannel quilted baby blankets to the cable guy who came.. He has 5 kids. Last two are 6 months and 1 1/2 yrs. Boy and girl. Couldn't resist giving his wife a present! They are moving their double wide trailer and are living in motel room for a bit. Yikes!

Wow, another cute project! I don't know who will get this as a present yet! This is a "pocket" to hang on a person's walker so they can carry a book or some shopping items. The flower on the front is a pocket for glasses or remote. This is a kit from "Connecting Threads". I buy a lot of my fabric and all of my thread from them. http://www.connectingthreads.com  This kit worked up really nicely.
They are fast shippers and they offer free freight for orders over $50. Right now I am waiting for an order of their new laminate fabric. Their site offered a free download for bib pattern. It has a pocket in front to catch crumbs and uses their laminate fabric. There is a free page of suggestions about sewing with laminates, also. I can't wait to try something new! Gift for grandson who is one year old. Should I mention he is the seventh grandchild??!

Can't resist this shot of our front yard today......

Well, that's all for now folks!

Table Topper Tutorial

This is a short tutorial description on how I made these table toppers.
1) Choose front and back fabrics based on your Dresden Plate colors. These were sunflowers made for the glass tables on our porch, but they could be for holidays, etc.
2) Size is up to you. These are 16" diameter finished. This size fits the tables and I used a round chair pad for the pattern. The Dresden blades are the 5" size with a 3 1/2" center.
3) Make your Dresden design using your best piecing technics but don't add the center yet. Press all of course.
4) With right sides together, sew entirely around the circle fabrics, 1/4" seam. Don't leave an opening and no need to clip seams. NOTE - There is NO batting in these.
5) Make a slit in the TOP fabric for turning . Don't fret, the Dresden will cover this.
6) Stick your hand inside and pull thru the opening. Smooth out the round edge from inside then press neatly on the outside.
7) Center the Dresden on the front over the turning slit. See! It's gone! I held it in place using iron on fusible tape. Easier than pinning for me. Also, add the center piece at this time, fusible tape as well.
8) Edge stitch around the center circle. I used the blanket stich cam.
9) Edge stitch around the blades. I used zigzag.
10) Edge stitch around the topper. I used the cam that makes a little pine tree on these. You could zigzag all of these if you wanted to. That's what I did on my first ones. Still looks cute!

Another beautiful Fall day! Almost finished a new baby quilt. Also, finished up some more table toppers, dresden plate design.

Edge stitching is a little pine tree done with cam in variegated thread. Vintage Kenmore sewing machine 158 17550.

Just to show reverse side.

My "sewing room"!

I sew all over 2 houses.

I always think about how my husband has a spare room as an office, 2 garages, a basement and a shed. A VERY nice shed while I have "corners" in several rooms in both houses. Finally, I have appropriated 1/2 of a large guest room. He did build a nice set of display shelves that holds about 15 of my machines. I say "about" because I also have my books and accessories there. We finally bought narrow metal shelves still to be assembled for more machine space. Right now I have 4 machines in use or "in repair" in various parts of our summer  house. I also use the bed covered with a card board cutting mat. And the couches and the tables......Right now he is away so I'm not as neat! Fabric everywhere.

My collection has grown to 34 vintage machines here and 5 in the other house. My latest is the much spoken of Kenmore158 17550 from a yard sale last week. $5.00 with some accessories. I think all in all, I've probably spent less than the cost of one of the new computerized plastic machines.

Oh, and I figured out how to fix my mis spelled word! Thank you so much!

Later!

Today was really fun! The weather was gorgeous and I got to sew all day. I've been practicing making Dresden Plate quilt squares and today I made 12 of them. I used my Kenmore 158 523. It's a beautiful vintage machine and works like a champ. The color is a smokey lavender and cream. It uses cams to make decorative stitches. I got it for $3.00 at the auction.
Of course it needed cleaning and oiling and didn't come with accessories, but the cabinet is good and I love it. It was the second machine of my addiction. As soon as I found out there are yahoo groups to join that share info about these beauties, I was hooked. So I have about 40 machines right now and have given 5 to my grandchildren!
Check with me again. I'll start to post photos of my "Kennies" and assorted others. Maybe pictures of my projects!

My very first Blog!

Well, my idea is to talk about what I do now that I'm retired and have some free time! Maybe, I can share some things and learn about myself along the way.
Right now, I'm learning to piece and quilt. Some projects have been presented to family and friends. They seem to be well received and I always say "these are practice projects, don't look really close"!
I learned to sew a long time ago, 8th grade home ec. Had the same teacher all the way through high school. Barbara Campbell. They even invented Home Ec. 5 for us so that as seniors we had 4 & 5. It was for girls that had taken the courses all through school. I even won the "Betty Crocker Homemaker of The Year" award. Does anyone else remember taking that test? They don't have it anymore.
So, now I have started collecting vintage sewing mamchines, really! There are a lot of us that do, which I've found out over the last couple of years.
I use them, of course, but I really love finding them, running or not, then fixing them up. What a thrill to get an old dusty machine that seems frozen and getting it to hum!! I feel like the guy in the garage working on an old car. So rewarding. Greasy, oily, smelly fun!
I'll be posting pictures and descriptions as we go along.
Check back!
OK, more later.
Kathie