I'm back. I didn't go anywhere, I just needed a break from my usual fair and, unfortunately, I left my readers behind. It was a long, tough winter and spring seems so have eluded us in Minnesota, but let's proceed with springtime in our souls. Sewing machine sales and repairs have been busy as well as sewing, sewing, sewing on all the different sewing machines. Lovely women have come to sew at my house, making zippered pouches, then fleece mittens, followed by fleece slippers. Okay, so maybe that was the wrong order and they should have accomplished the easier slippers before tackling th ..read more

 It's that time of year again where I need to clear out the cabinets from the garage so we can get both cars in before it snows. When I peek into the garage I see two cabinets with sewing machines that are listed and ready for a new home, one refinished but empty cabinet, two cabinets in the process of being refinished, one waiting to get listed, and an industrial I just don't know what to do with. State of the garage Up front is the cabinet with a Singer 201-2. It's one of my favorite cabinets, a cabinet no. 2 of the treadle variety but not treadle, electric. Singer 201-2 ..read more

 I love it when a concept in my head actually turns out better than expected and there are days when this seems to be the exception rather than the rule. I have been browsing around to find ideas for how to include a large panel in a quilt and just haven't come up with any really great ideas. The panel I've been saving is not so much pricey, it's the fabrics I'm putting with it that are so I don't want to mess it up. Along comes another panel, bought at a thrift store, that gave me the push I needed to actually dream up panel quilt ideas of my own. While browsing one of my favorite thrift ..read more

 Many people ask where I find my sewing machines and I usually tell them I troll Craigslist, resell shops, trade-in, and new friends in sewing. Lately I've been the recipient of machines and sewing supplies from those who can no longer sew due to failing eyesight, physical limitations, and moving to a care facility. I first reported on finding an Elna Quilting Queen in the post Queen for a Day where failing eyesight forced the owner to sell her very fine sewing machine. I continue to use this machine and I'm considering keeping it. About a month ago I answered an ad about sewing supplies ..read more

 It's been a busy time here, getting ready for a garage sale as well as buying and restoring sewing machines (and sewing). Although I've had sewing machine garage sales where I put out thirty to forty sewing machines and sergers, this time it's just a garage sale except there were three tables of fabric and three or four tables of jewelry. You read that right: jewelry. Along with hot mitts, towels, ironing board covers, and a whole lot of other sewn items, my craft fair booth has included tables of my husbands collection of jewelry for sale. Scouring garage sales, thrift stores, and antiq ..read more

 When I was a small tyke, my mom used to plunk me down in front of the 12" TV and turn on a favorite show to keep me busy. We hadn't heard about limiting screen time back then! One show I remember was Queen for a Day where several potential winners would tell the host their problem(s) in hopes of being chosen and winning all of the prizes. The one with the best story would be named Queen for a Day and would be shown all of her wonderful prizes that usually included kitchen appliances, washer and dryer, maybe a vacation or a new car. I loved seeing all of the prizes but it also made me sad ..read more

 More quilting has been going on, the machines are piling up, and we are heading into a warm season. You know what that means: everyone is outdoors and not thinking about sewing. I guess I need to find a way to store these beauties until 1. it gets hot enough to drive us indoors to an air conditioned room or 2. it turns cold, as in winter. Since I finished the big project of my sister Sue's quilt, I looked over my projects-in-waiting and saw the laundry basket full of flannel. Last Christmas I knit each grandchild a pair of slippers and put them in a bag with their name. That was a pretty ..read more

Today is the day I've been waiting for: the quilt I made for my sister Sue is being delivered. This quilt was truly a labor of love: love for my sister and love for quilting. Last spring, during shut down, I made a quilt for my sister Mindy. It wasn't a big plan, just a bundle of quilting fabrics I bought from a quilting friend for $3 that I managed to put together into a pleasing pattern. I liked it, quilted it with her name in it, and sent it off. It was more of a whim than anything but this time I wanted to make a quilt that was more of a custom order, just what the recipient would want.&nb ..read more

Editiors note: sorry for the long delay in finishing up this post. I always want to include more photos but while I'm thinking about it I'm cleaning up and putting them away. I'll try harder "next time"  When it rains it pours and sewing machines have started to pile up here in Minnesota. It started with an offer to buy six sewing machines from a young woman who wanted to start a business in sewing high end clothing. She traveled the world buying fabric, renting a space to work and store supplies but then things took a turn and she decided to go back to school instead. Not only was she se ..read more

 Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy. For example, I answered an ad for sweater mitten supplies. Sounds innocent enough, but I didn't get my questions answered, such as how many mittens are cut out (answer: many), is a pattern included (answer: there are free patterns online), and other questions that are pretty straightforward but the answers were dodgie. I went ahead and drove out to pick up a very large box of supplies from her husband who couldn't answer any questions but would take my money and help get it into my car. After getting home and sorting through the box, I ended up with supp ..read more