Getting to Know Gwen, the vintage seamstress...lol

A= A stands for apple and my grandbabies are the apples of my eyes.
B= Being on time is way better than being late I think.
C= Candy is my enemy but that does not stop me from lusting after it...
D= Dogs have followed me around my whole life.
E= Even though I don't have a lot of quilting skills I still love quilting.
F= Failure is not something that I take very well.
G= Gwendolyn sounds like the name of a mule with a straw hat on... thanks Dad for naming me that...
H= Hilarity is alright in my book at any given time.
I= I, myself and me are quite comfortable with each other.
J= Just because I dropped the pie does not mean that some of it can't be eaten.
K= Kisses are always good from the one you love.
L=Love makes my world go around, that and fabric.
M=Mamaw is my real name.
N=Nice really does matter if you are trying to get a raise.
O= Oiling your machine really can help your machine sound better...
P= Positive thinking helps me quilt the waves out of my borders.
Q= Q snap frames are way cool and I used to have one before I found out about FMQ...
R= Roses remind me of Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
S= Stands for the Singer Sewing Machines in my life, what else could it stand for?
T= Thoughts of rain makes me sleep better.
U= Uneven stitches make me nervous.
V= Vacations in antique towns are the very best medicine.
W= Warm and Natural batting is my favorite, I likes to see them cotton seeds...
X= X Cell Laun Tay.... yeah I said it...
Y= Yall is singular, all Yall is plural for yall..
Z= Zebra fabric is an abomination to cellulite...

So Much Fun "The Singer Sister Sewer Club"

Who knew that three spry gals getting together every Wednesday for their first quilts would be SEW MUCH FUN! We never laughed so hard as we have this rainy Wednesday. We even decided we would like to have a "threader boy." You know sorta like a pool boy only this guy would just thread machines and pop in fresh bobbins for us! lol oh and he would smell really good too!

Last time I introduced you to Marilyn, who had never learned to sew, she's doing great now and is the proud owner of a 201-2 which she much prefers over the sewing room 66's! Her sewing style is to put one foot in front of the other and sew sew SEW! 

Now meet Barb her cousin in law.  Barb had been wanting to start something but she didn't know what. She had a bad experience in high school with a home economy teacher and had never learned much about sewing. She thought she could not EVER make a quilt, well now she knows she can and it is such a blessing to watch her move forward with her quilt.  I am a lucky teacher for sure.

Today they started to see a real quilt top start to take shape and they are getting so excited and so am I. I was able today to place a vintage Singer in the hands of Barb, its in a Bent Wood case and has a little key. It's a  99-13 and she loves it and has named it "Emma" after a grandmother.  She took it home today and is probably still sewing away as I write this.  I just wanna say a big thank you to God who makes all good things possible!

Blessings! Gwen

3 More Sewing Machines Listed Tonight

Yep, I am back at work and have listed three more vintage sewing machines on eBay tonight (paulsdomestiques1). A Necchi from the mid 80's, a Singer Fiddle Base (I think its a class 15) and an old electrified New Home treadle. I loved sewing on that New Home this week, I really liked the way the things sounds when its makes its neat little stitiches. The Necchi sews really well and all the functions work on it. I don't think the Necci was used but once or twice. Wish I knew the name of the decals on the old Singer... anybody know?

Four More Sewing Machines To Play With...

First an old Singer 66 from about 1914 with Lotus details. I don't care how much age appropriate wear are on the Lotus decals they always look rich...

 Then we have a White 999, I would say 1980's maybe, sews good and not a whole lot different threading from Singers of that time I guess.

Then another Singer, part plastic gears and part metal. Model 5781, great sewing experience. We used on two days of a sewing marathon and it never missed a beat. Easy to thread and simple to use. Not sure but I am thinking mid 70's.

Then there is the Feather Weight's big sister, THE
301A, sews nicely and runs smooth.



Well they are all done now and eBay, Friday brings a few more to do and post.


Blessings. Gwen

My simple back porch fall decorations...

 I just finished making  a Sweet Annie witches broom, smells ah....well... sweet!

I painted an old wood ironing board to give a nice Harvest greeting so when my husband comes home it gives him a lift, he parks out back.

  I hung a few sunflowers to dry, they aren't very big, the birds will probably think, what was she thinking!

That's all I have out back!  I did harvest a ton of Sweet Annie today though.

Blessings! Gwen

1956 Apron Clip UNCOMMON ITEM with pattern

If you open the pictures up you can get a better look at the pattern. Simple yet way cool. I never knew they ever made such a thing.

I so love it when I find a date on old paper....

Blessing Everyone! Gwen

My Star Pupil... Marylynn

Marilyn had never sewn on a sewing machine before. Her Mother didn't sew but her Grandmother did. I met her through my husband who had been doing some work for her.  We became fast friends. She let me in on a little secret, she would give anything to learn to sew. She wants to make a quilt, she wants to make an apron, she wants to make some new curtains and she wants hot pads and tea cozies... She didn't know I had a secret. I scratched around and found her a good old Singer 201- and a cabinet. She got the works too, including a zigzagger and a free motion foot. She is sooooooooooooooooooo happy!   However we have also been sewing at my house and since we can't haul her 201-2 back and forth we have been using some plastic machines that are mobile. What was really cute was that she noticed right away how much better the 201 sounded than the plactic ones, she says it purrs...

 One thing that is so amazing about Marilyn is that she has cataracts on both eyes (she is having surgery soon though). But it has not stopped her. She spent one whole day just learning to make a straight half inch seam, over and over again and she loved every minute of it. I rigged up a magnifying lamp for her to thread her needle on her 201. She has now began piecing her first quilt, a 9 patch pattern. So far we have counted 100 units finished! And another fun note our little group has grown to 4 ladies, all new sewers.  Have a great week!