"nothing lasts forever.
but the thing is,
you can reuse some."
-rick riordan, leo's mother, the lost hero
nestled in the bottom of community's work basket are tons of almost forgotten scraps. slumbering peacefully away. until now. i can't let them find their way to the waste basket...or lay idle for too long. so i have embarked upon a new quilt journey. while being comprised of cast off scraps from community, i think it will need its own name. it's own story. i'm not sure what that will be as yet. perhaps they will begin to whisper more clearly as more blocks are created.
these diminutive blocks are a mere 4" and are based upon a block from Quilted Moose. one of several in Louise's garden sew-along. i fell in love with this one block, however, and have decided to create an entire quilt out of it...with 3/4" sashing and corner blocks between each. it will pull solely from scraps from community.
instead of sequestering myself in the sewing studio at my treadle, as is my usual behavior, i wanted to watch some television programs while i stitched, so i pulled out my "new" 1965 Bernina 730 Record Zig Zag machine. i found this machine (born the same year i was, so it's not that terrible old. ha!) languishing away on a sale table in a local charity shop with a meager $22.50 price tag.
this lovely old machine came with all of its original papers (including bill of sale), all of its original accessories, several extra accessories, sewing deck, an immaculate case (original) and two original keys!
after brushing the dust away and giving the machine a good oiling, i set it up to begin to sew...and then i realized: there's no foot control pedal! ack! so before putting it away and getting out my other "new" machine (the brother i talked about in an earlier post), i went looking online for a replacement foot control. then it hit me: this machine has no foot control. it is a dedicated knee control machine! i'd heard about these knee control bernina's before, but being a die-hard pfaff fanboy (at least, when it comes to new new machines) i never gave it much thought. always figured they were talking about a knee lift bar. ha! you learn something new everyday! after a little playtime, i'm rather fascinated by this knee control. it's especially nice when sitting on the davenport and sewing on my antique fold away table. no foot pedal to migrate away and be chased after! so i guess i can't pooh-pooh bernina's anymore...now that i own one and actually really like it! though, don't expect to see me replacing my computerized pfaff anytime soon, cuz i'm still a pfaff fanboy!
namaste'
I learned to sew on my grandmother's Singer machine that had the same leg control. My grandfather bought it for Granny when she found out she was pregnant with my Dad in 1934. Mom still has it and someday it will be mine. I still prefer the leg control to the foot pedal! Thank you for bringing back a wonderful memory.
ReplyDeleteyou are most welcome, thank you so much for sharing your memory! shared memories make it all worthwhile!
DeleteI love my Record! bought it in 1966...and we found one for my daughter who is now nearly 40...and both of us are always thrilled with our results - a workhorse with all metal working parts.
ReplyDeleteKristin
yes indeed! it is a lovely machine, i can certainly see while it has become a generational favorite in your home!
DeleteMy mom's Singer was a knee control, so when I got a new machine of my own, with the foot pedal, I kept accidentally lifting the foot mid-stitching, making my seams very wonky.
ReplyDeletei bet! i keep tapping my foot, looking for the foot pedal. i'm slowly getting used to the knee control though. i imagine it will always present interesting times as i switch machines from time to time. sort of like after spending the day in a big rig where you don't need to use the clutch to shift gears and where the reverse is in the "wrong" place and then getting into my pickup and forgetting to press the clutch when i shift, or putting the transmission in 1st when i really wanted to put it in reverse. ha!
DeleteI'm hoping to come upon a good used machine, awesome all the attachments came with it. I first did sewing on my grandmother's treadle machine making purses out of funky material. I also remember the knee control bar, and yes, it is better than chasing that foot pedal around.
ReplyDeletei still adore sewing on my antique treadle singer machine. it is my go to choice...but sometimes a boy just wants some electricity! ha! a boy and his power tools. hahaha! best of luyck in finding a good used machine! just keep looking. you'd be surprised where they turn up!
Deleteha! i just realized that this is basically a deconstructed disappearing nine patch block! rather than chopping, rearranging a nine patch, you simply intentionally sew the resulting layout with deliberate patch choices... cool!
ReplyDeleteLove the block design. So happy that you find used sewing machines to add to your tool kit. I have a newer Bernina that I can hardly lift anymore. I use it most of the time. Yesterday when starting to sew up the start of pillowcases for Christmas, a noise inside the machine told me there was a problem. It will go to the quilt store for its annual checkup AND fixing. Earlier this year, I found an old Singer Featherweight at the quilt store that someone was selling. Not a steal but I'd wanted one for a very LONG time. It even came with the instruction manual. Thank God because the threading of the needle is completely opposite than newer machines. I'll be using it today and until my Bernina is alive and well again.
ReplyDelete