Seems like forever...

It seems like I've lived an entire lifetime since I posted last... Moved again - this time back 'home' with my Gram. Took another temporary job which was a lot of fun and met a whole lot of great people, started and lost a garden - long story there but it was an unfortunate incident involving fire... And the most life changing thing was losing my Gram. She was a huge part of my daily life - a best friend, a second Mom, and a Grandma - all rolled into one. This has been the most difficult adjustment of my entire life and it's hard to express what a huge loss this is. Here are a couple of pictures of her - 

I miss her every day. 

Update

Well, after being so pleased that the machine last week was running so nicely, I discovered that the top vertical gear was broken :( Boo Hiss!! Then I just happened to receive an email from Paypal with a $10.00 gift code for anything on eBay. Found the gear I needed for 12.95 with free shipping, applied the code and Voila! got the gear for 2.95!! Received it in the mail today so will try to get that done this week. Two of the machines I listed on eBay this week have the same problem. They're not that hard to fix so hopefully someone will be willing to buy them cheap :) If not, they'll just sit until I get to them.

Finished the scarf/cowl to match my hat and started on another hat, this one in a dark blue homespun, it's such a beautiful color! My youngest daughter wants this one, and my Grandma wants one too. She also loves the scarf/cowl because you don't have to fight with the tails and it won't blow off in the wind. Smart Grandma.

I've been looking for full-time, outside-the-home employment and had an interview last week. Hopefully will hear something this week. I forgot how much I hate interviews! I never know what to say when they ask for your weaknesses, ummmmm too many to count? lol. Chocolate? Haha. And on that note, my oldest daughter and I started counting points last week, so no more chocolate for me :( Too many points... I have found some alternatives though - Sensible Sweets hot cocoa is 0 points for a mug full of chocolatey goodness, and fat-free sugar-free chocolate pudding is only 2 points for half a cup. Popcorn is a pretty good substitute for chips but I still miss the chips.

3of the 4 listings I had on eBay last week sold, yay! Also had a few sales on Bonanza, which is always good. I have a lot more to list on there too, but that's been on the back burner while the job search continues.

Til next time...

A New Week

It's the beginning of a new week and hopefully an end to the rut I've been in. Spent the day yesterday cleaning the house in the hopes of creating a clean slate =) I did get 4 listings done for ebay and have quite a bit of interest in what I have listed, so that's encouraging. Also, this is a big thing for me right now.... I got a sewing machine running that had me stymied for a long time! Here's a pic...

It had been running sluggishly and I'd tried everything I could think of to fix it. I thought it might be the motor brushes worn out or the belt too tight, but it turned out that there was one little spot that needed a drink of TriFlow! Whew. Very rewarding when persistence pays off! I'll be doing the test stitch samples this week and getting her listed soon. This has turned out to be a very smooth running machine that someone will enjoy.

Here is a pic of the machine I've been using to make the quilt top pictured in the previous post.

I just love this machine! It's all metal and sews perfect stitches. It has lots of built-in decorative stitches and a wind in place bobbin - that is such a handy feature! It's a Singer 600, absolutely wonderful machine. If you ever find one, get it! They don't make them like this anymore.
Here's a picture of the quilt top again in case you missed the previous post.

Still have to add the borders and do the quilting and binding. This has turned out to be a fun project and I'm thinking about doing a couple of baby quilts in this pattern. Fun stuff!!
Til next time...

Current Projects

Here are some of the things I'm working on now...

The last pic is actually of the finished hat, cowl, and wrist warmers =) I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, I just love homespun yarn. It's hard to see all the details but I'll post another pic when I have a model for them.
The blue hat is finished and waiting for the matching scarf. These are made with chenille yarn - love it!

Davis Sewing Machines

My love for sewing machines started when I found this antique Davis treadle in a thrift shop in Southern California ~

 The serial number of this machine is 49713 and the last patent date is Sept 10th 1872. I did some research and found out that the Davis Sewing Machine Company was started in 1868 in Watertown, New York. For more on the history of the Davis sewing machine - Click Here

What makes the Davis so unique is the Vertical Feed system - there is no feed on the bed of the machine - the needle and foot feed the material, making it about impossible to have one layer of fabric bunch up on you.
Truly ingenious and to this day no machine can compare!

This led to my second Davis - a restoration project that still hasn't started...

The serial number of this machine is 368663 with the last patent date of May 12th 1886.

Next comes a birthday present in the most gorgeous treadle -

The serial number is D3647489 with the last patent date of May 12th 1886. Interesting that the last two machines are so different even though they have the same last patent date.

Next is a more modern machine that takes regular sewing machine needles - the previous machines take a longer needle that are harder to find.

The serial number on this one is 3747629 and it doesn't list patent dates. This one has a lift mechanism to raise and lower the machine into the cabinet.

The next one is a later Davis Model D -

The serial number on this one is 41039532. This is a later electric model that has a regular feed mechanism on the bed.

The next one is another electric model with regular feed that is missing it's slide plate so I have no serial number - the only information I can find is on the motor - Dayton Electric Mfg. There is a decal that says Made in USA but I have no idea if this is an actual Davis machine, even thought it's named New Davis. It has a friction drive...

That's all for now...

It's been a long time...

So many things going on these past months has put this blog on the way back burner =)  I spent a few months working for the Census, what a fun job that was! Got to meet so many people and see so many places, it was wonderfully worthwhile. Also took a road trip back to California and spent some time with my son and good friends. The best part is that my daughter and future son in law came back to live with me! Yay!

I think this was taken in Wyoming, what a beautiful state.

Ran into some serious storms on the way, but we made it through just fine =)

Some Family and Friends...

After the California trip, we moved into a new home where we're much more comfortable and have a garage! It's amazing how much difference a garage makes in how much room you have in the house. I now have a room especially for sewing machines and inventory, which is wonderful!

I have listed a lot more stuff on Bonanza - they changed their name from Bonanzle to Bonanza last month so we'll see how that impacts traffic and sales, so far so good!
Till next time...

Well Oops

I keep forgetting to update this! I think it will take some time to get in the habit. Lots of projects going on...

Like this very cool machine... and 

this one. And...

this one. At least 50 more waiting too.

Now that I actually have a real job, temporarily anyway, it's hard to fit all of the projects in. One of these days I'll try to make this page interesting :)