New Old Sewing Machine

I went to my usual thrift store the other day and saw this. It's in terrible shape. But of course I bought it anyway for the great price of $29.99.

I love the decals, although some are completely rubbed off.

The reason I bought it was these great drawers. There was even the little sewing extras in one of them.

The veneer is falling apart. The cover is missing.But I love her anyway.I am going to call her Emsey (my great Grandmas name who made some of my quilts).She was born in 1872 so could very well have used a machine like this when she was a teen. 

I called New Home and they will date your machine. This one is 1888. I was surprised that it was that old. I found an ad on the internet showing the modal. It originally was $60. I guess I got a bargain! For those of you with old Singer machines-they can date it to the exact day  and place where your machine was made if you have the modal number.Here's a link to the website to date machines.

I am going to take it apart carefully and revamp the drawers. Son will use the base to build his own table. I'll use each and every piece of pretty molding for something. I plan on cleaning up the head and displaying it in my craftroom. Here's a little card I found while going through paperwork.

  I have been doing some genealogy and sorting paperwork and income taxes(Yuck). I plan on doing some crafting this week. I find myself getting caught up in other things and not being creative. But it's time! I love seeing all of your craftiness and projects out there. You are inspiring me to get going! We've had wonderful weather here-I hope you all in the snow and blizzards get some warmer weather soon. Have a wonderful and crafty week!

Leslie

Quilt Rescues

You've seen many of my quilts in this blog. Today I'm showing you my rescue quilts. You know-the ones you find bunched up at a garage sale or in a bag at a thrift store. These are mostly those. I have these in my bedroom. Part of the reason I used green with a little pink in the bedroom, was so I could display these pretty quilts.

This was my first rescue. My Mom found an old doctors bag at an auction and won it and inside were these colorful 9 patch squares. I hung on to them from  high school and when I got married, finally sewed them together, added batting and backing and hand quilted the top.  Not that I knew what I was doing.

I even made up the little flower design.I wish I still had that leather doctors bag!

Then my Mom found a few wonderful sets of Sun Bonnet Sue squares. I added the pink and again hand quilted.

I just loved the color combinations that someone put  into these squares.

She found these squares in Arkansas. Someone had such a great eye for color. I like to think of some other women taking time to put this together and for some reason never got to finish it. Did life get in the way? Maybe a family member got sick. Maybe she died. Who knows, but for some reason I feel these must be rescued.

Look at these wonderful appliqued squares.

This top I found at a flea market and loved the colors. I had to do a few repairs. I quilted this when we were having a house built in Arizona. I've had it on a wall in every house since. I think it almost looks like modern art.

Here is my pile in the laundry room. Some quilts are already finished when I rescue them. A few have been made by my Great Grandmas and were given to me by my Mom.

I found this treasure years ago at a flea market. All the hexes were put together, again with beautiful color combinations. The extra fabric was even in the bag. What a find!

Look at those 40's prints!

I've been seeing hexies all over the internet and think it's time to do something with this. I've never worked with a pattern like this, so it will require some research.I guess this is the only way I could afford a quilt collection. Don't overlook the lonely thrift store quilts. With some love and cleaning they can have a new life. Here's my most recent estate sale find.

Can't wait to get started. I've had this nagging cold for the past week and am dying to spring into action around here. I refuse to let this stupid cold hold me back. Hope you are all healthy and getting ready for spring.

Leslie

Valentines Hearts

I finished my little crochet garland. Someone asked for the pattern. I just found it on You Tube. There are so many how to's and instructions for things. I didn't even know how to do a triple crochet, so I Googled it.

I've showed these pillows before, but thought I'd add the link on how I transferred the patterns from vintage Valentines. So easy and fun to do.

My little Ikea Christmas hearts look cute in a vintage scale.

Look what I received! A wonderful surprise from Elizabeth at Creative Breathing. I was honored to get this cute package. This little Valentine Bellhop is helped by his little bunny friend. Notice-he's standing on the state of Texas.Thank you, E! I love him.

She also enclosed some vintage valentines. I'll have to get busy on some crafting soon.

I've been sidetracked by some home fix it projects. One is a dishwasher in the middle of my kitchen.Waiting on a hose for Hubs to install. Hope you all in the Northeast made it through the blizzard safely and with heat and power. Can't wait to get back to some craftiness .I thought I'd leave you with a few pic's of the Dollhouse Sweet Shoppe. 

They are getting ready for the Valentines Day rush.

 Hope you all have a Happy Valentines Day!!!

Leslie

Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

I finally finished. Here is the after of the kitchen cabinets. I'll take you through it quickly.

Here's the before. No hardware and hohum cabinets that were kind of dark. I have no window in the kitchen area.

First I painted the bottoms. I had doors all over the place. I sanded, cleaned, primed both sides of the doors and did 2 coats on the backs and 3 coats on the fronts. I used Benjamin Moore Advance Decorator White and I loved it. It has a really long dry time, but flattens out any roller marks as it dries.Then you wait 3 days for it to cure-yes I said 3 days!

Put the lowers back together and started all over on the uppers.

Put them back and added the hardware. 

Hardware was bought on the internet through Amazon. Cheaper then big box prices.

It really brightened up the kitchen. It also made a more neutral background. Was it worth the mess for 2 weeks and the back aches? Totally worth it. This is the 3rd house that I've painted the cabinets in and I think the BM paint was the best. I used  Young House Love for a refresher on painting. Check this video out if you are thinking about doing your cabinets.

I'm so glad I took the plunge. Not much of an investment moneywise-just time, but the results speak for themselves.I still have some tweaking to do-staging it better, but now I can enjoy it.I'm still painting-some small house fix-ups, but I'm so glad this big project is done. I'm joining Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday. Check out some other projects at Brenda's. Hoop you all have a good week!
Leslie

Valentine Pillows

Valentine How-to-

. Here is a simple version of how to transfer a valentine onto an embroidery picture. You may use this vintage valentine or any image that has simple lines to it. I scan my image and enlarge it to about 5" across, or how ever big you want your image to be.I usually go over the main lines with a thin marker, so when you trace the design it will show through. I don't transfer every line in the valentine. Just the outside and a few details.
I use a light box, and a fabric marker. You can also tape your fabric up to a sunny window. I use white cotton light weight fabric. Take your time drawing, and hold or tape the fabric and paper down.
I use a straight stitch, because I can get alot of detail. Don't be afraid to omit or add details. It's your own creation. I added color to the girl on the left. I use crayons and color lightly, and iron over it to set it. I do this before embroidering. I haven't finished these yet. I need to get some trim, and then I'll sew on a back square and have my little Valentines pillows.
I love doing this kind of project, because it's portable and once you've drawn on your design, you can just take your time. I added some matching fabric strips and trims. I'll show you my finished pillows later. Give it a try with the valentine above, or try one of your own. Have fun, and if you make one, I'd love to see it. I'm joining It's A Very Cherry Word for Rednesday. Go over to see some more fun reds!

Leslie