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What a perfect day to be out kayaking on Falls Lake with my best friend. Temperature about 80, slight breeze and a beautiful blue sky with a few puffy clouds.
Typically we see herons, egrets, red-headed woodpeckers, various birds and turtles. And lately it seems like no matter where we put in we see an eagle. Today was no different. We saw him or her catch a fish and then sit in tree to devour it. We were lucky that Craig brought his camera.
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The only extra that came with my new (old!) Singer treadle machine is a very old pin cushion.
I have never seen one like this. It looks like it might be hand made using silk fabric. It came tied around the arm of the machine with very old and thick pins in it (not like the nice thin sharp pins we have today... boy are we spoiled). If anyone knows more about this type of pin cushion, please contact me - I would love to find out. I love the fact that this was on the machine. It proves that someone actually sewed on this beauty and probably loved it, not like today when most people use these old treadles as furniture. Here is a pic of the old pin cushion: After a summer filled with tomato gardening, tastings, canning, dinners and much tomato talk with Mr NC Tomato Man, I am finally back to my blog.
I am excited to share my new toy that I found at my local Goodwill, a 1916 Singer Treadle Sewing Machine. It was shocking to see it sitting there among the bins of jumbled clothing. I didn't know much about treadles but the machine itself looked in pretty good shape; dirty and missing the belt and the bobbin plate, but the paint and decals looked good. The cabinet on the other hand needed work. When I got it home I found a great Yahoo group site, Vintagesinger, which got me started in how to clean and oil this thing. I ordered the parts and belt that was needed and spent a week working on it.The cabinet required some wood glue, as some of the veneer was coming off. I thought I was going to have trouble with the bobbin winder, but it just needed more cleaning with a Q-Tip and tooth pick to get the old dirt and oil off. After figuring out the best way to punch a small hole in the leather belt (a seam ripper did the trick) and putting the ends together with a metal wire, I got her running. After she made a tour around our front room, I settled on a location in front of a window in my dining room overlooking the woods (a suggestion by Craig). Best of all, she runs like a dream! I can product perfect stitches (once I got the foot motion down). I am getting my reproduction Aunt Gracie fabric together to make a quilt solely on the treadle machine. What fun! here she is: |
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