Goodwill Treasures And A Gift From Sissypoo!

Before all our van troubles began yesterday, and while my 'Sissypoo' and I were out 'Goodwill Hunting', I found another neat teapot. I have not officially found a spot for it yet, but I will! I also found two doilies like the teapot is sitting on, and another doily in a different shape. Total of all three doilies was $1.14. The teapot was $4.38.

I also found this NEAT pencil sharpener! ($2.38) It is old, and I like the way the shavings cup comes off of it. It also does a very nice job of sharpening pencils. I have to decide where I will permanently mount it, and decide if I want it hanging, or sitting on a shelf or desktop secured down.The opening is expandable, some kind of a spring type thing, so that is neat too!The cup rotates around to whatever position you want it in. My Sissypoo gave this picture to me. She bought it at a garage sale, because she knew that I loved sewing machines. I have to find a spot for it soon too. The sewing machine actually looks kind of lonely. It looks like it is sitting in an upstairs room where no one pays any attention to it anymore. The wallpaper is peeling off the walls in spots. (Just so sad!) I WILL find a perfect spot for it, and when I do, I will show you.
Thank you, Sissypoo, for 'Goodwill Hunting' with me, and spending the day with me Friday.

Blessings, and My Favorite Auto Technician

My sissypoo and I had a fun day out today, which I will blog about in another post, but on the way home, my van decided that it needed some attention too. As we were heading down Edgewood road in Cedar Rapids, heading for the highway, my van performed this great 'thunk' and hesitation, then 'thunk' and high RPM's. Ok, being an Auto Technician/Service Manager's wife, and just a little common sense, I know something is not right! (Keep in mind, I do know a few people who would have just turned up the radio and kept going, until wheels would no longer turn, or the car just coughed, spit, and quit.) I kept rolling, got on the 'On Ramp', and hit the gas. My transmission was not shifting, and although I was in second gear, third gear was not to be had. My tachometer was at 4,000 RPM's which is about 1500 to 2000 too many for the speed I was going, and wanted to go. THANK THE LORD FOR CELLPHONES! I called Louie, who did not answer. I left a frantic message, which he has yet to listen to. Next, I dialed my brother's cellphone, who lives about 15 miles from where I was. NO ANSWER! Next, I called his home phone, as my Sissypoo dialed my brother's wife's cellphone. My brother answered the phone, and I told him my situation. I asked him if it was ok to keep driving, at least to his house, and he thought if I took it easy, it would be ok, but to call if I needed further assistance. At this point, I am on a 65mph highway, and of course, people are passing me left and right, but all I cared about was to keep rolling. I stopped at the stop sign in the next town, which by this time, was only about a mile from my brother's house, and wondered if I would be able to proceed from the stop sign, or if I did, wondered if would it just STOP in the middle of the intersection. I proceeded forward, and my tachometer headed for 5000 rpm's, and it was doing it's version of screaming, before it finally 'thunked' into second gear. (All this time, I am wondering, if the transmission is going to melt and 'drop' onto the pavement.) Just about a mile later, I pulled up against the curb at my brother's house, and thanked the Lord for delivering me to a safe haven.

I visited with, and relayed my woes and story to my brother and wife, and Louie called me back. He was tired, and not happy with the situation I was in, but concerned for me, and eventually, we devised a plan to diagnose and 'hopefully' resolve my problem. Now, as his wife, I always think he should be able to diagnose problems just by symptoms, over the phone, but it's not that easy. I had a million questions for him. 'What do you think it is?' (The most important question: 'What's this gonna cost me!????') 'Are you going to have to take the transmission apart?' His biggest concern was, he was tired, didn't want to work on cars anymore, as we are on vacation this coming week, it was time to rest, not work on cars!

He works for very nice people, and he borrowed the diagnostic tool he needed, and a vehicle to come to my rescue. Isn't technology wonderful? He hooked up the computer, did a series of tests, and in a matter of a few minutes, he knew what the problem was. It was what he suspected, but could not confirm, without looking and testing. What a blessing! The problem part was under the hood, not inside the transmission, and relatively easy to get to! PRAISE THE LORD!!!The culprit of my 'disorderly' van, was a part called a speed sensor. It basically tells the transmission when to shift. Well, it wasn't talking, and no one was going to make it talk! By this time, it is about 8:30 Friday night. Thank the Lord for late night auto stores! Louie made a phone call inquiring of the part number we needed, was assured there was one to purchase, and we all jumped in the other van to go pick it up. Another blessing...the part was only about $35! We were at the parts store in less than 30 minutes, picked up the part and headed for somewhere to eat supper!

We arrived back at my brother's house, and Louie removed the old part. As you can see by the clock, it is 10: 20 something at this point, and my 'auto tech' is tired, but has removed the 'evil' part.And here is what the part looked like that we replaced. Just a piece of plastic, with contacts and wires on the inside that control my transmission. We thanked our gracious hosts for the use of the garage, moral support, etc, etc, and by this time, it is 10:48pm, and remember, I NEED GAS! We hurried to the gas station that closes at 11pm, which is just a couple blocks away, and got our gas. WHEW! THAT WAS CLOSE! Louie was following Sissypoo and I, and I stopped the van, got out and told him my TRAC OFF light was on. He told me some codes probably still needed to be cleared out. I noticed smoke, or something behind the van, and in front of the van he was driving. I said to him, which I found out later he did not hear, 'What is that smoke from?' He didn't answer, and I knew he was tired and had endured just about all he needed for the day, stress-wise, so I just figured maybe it was exhaust (but thinking...in warm weather?) and got in the van and headed back to the highway. We had driven a few miles and as we were heading up a hill, I noticed I had to kind of 'tromp' it to get it up to speed. I didn't feel like I had much power. I called Louie and asked him about it, and asked if he needed to adjust anything and he said no. I told him about the 'lack of power', and he didn't seem concerned so we just proceeded down the highway. It wasn't long, and I said to Sissypoo, 'This van is riding kind of weird....kind of like we're riding on a washboard road.' The van had a slight 'shimmy' to it. Now, I am wondering, 'How can the speed sensor and the shimmy have a connection?' I called Louie,(THANK GOD FOR CELLPHONES!!!) told him that I was pulling off the road, and he could drive our van, and I would drive the van he brought. He could decide if it needed further assistance. I was tired of diagnosing (but so was he!) He got out of 'borrowed' van, and smoke was rolling from the left rear tire! He asked me if the parking brake was disengaged. I said it was, and no light was on telling me any different. By this point, he as ready to park it and come back on Saturday to deal it, (he was at the end of his short rope)but he messed with the parking brake handle, and moved the van, and decided that he thought it was free. He drove a few blocks and reaffirmed the same decision, so we headed for the highway again. He said it felt like it was rolling ok, but we would stop in the next little town and recheck it. Eight miles later, we pulled over, it was ok, and we proceeded towards home. It was about midnight when we pulled into our driveway. PRAISE THE LORD for a safe return home.

PRAISE THE LORD for my husband's knowledge to repair our van, PRAISE THE LORD for my husbands wonderful employers and their generosity of lending a vehicle and diagnostic tools to get me 'help'. PRAISE THE LORD for 'His' protection, PRAISE THE LORD for my brother and his wife's hospitality, help and use of their garage and tools, PRAISE THE LORD for late evening parts stores, PRAISE THE LORD for my Sissypoo who kept me sane during this stressful time. PRAISE THE LORD, PRAISE THE LORD, PRAISE THE LORD!

I feel blessed.

Ps...Check out my friend, Jen's moving sale for quilt books, quilting goodies, and scrapbooking goodies!

Who'll Stop The Rain?!!!

This is the song that runs through my head as I sit here and the rain continues to fall. Why is it, that on my days off, the sun won't shine?

I guess I should be in awe of the beauty of my own personal 'waterfall'. No, it's not plugged, it's just raining THAT fast and running over!

Here is what I see when I look out my kitchen windows...rain filled screens. I will be driving to DeWitt soon (20 miles south) for an appointment, so I hope it slows down a little bit, then I'll be coming home. My sissypoo is coming to visit, then who knows WHAT kind of trouble we will get into! (Wha ha ha..evil smirk!)
I'll report back later if there is anything to report.

Singer 15-91**** WHERE is it????

I have been showing you my old sewing machines a few at a time. This morning, I am going to show you where my Singer 15-91 sewing machine lives. She hides. A girl only has so much open space for her sewing machines, especially in cabinets, so I found a very USEFUL place for one of my treasured machines. I know she's there, but no one else suspects she is there at all. In fact, they probably don't even give it a thought as they pass through my kitchen on their way to the basement, or out to the garage, or Louie's shoppe, but she is there. Everyone needs extra counter space, don't they? Here she is. She kind of looks lonely without her 'dress' on, doesn't she? (As I call her 'she', 'she', doesn't even have a name. I do know people who name their machines, but I haven't, yet!)Here she is. She's been in hibernation for quite awhile. She probably didn't especially like being brought out, for only a few minutes. I haven't sewn on her for years, but she can do the job! She was one of my very first thrift store sewing machines. She is in the original 'Queen Anne' cabinet. I also have a stool that goes with the cabinet, but it is hiding in my living room.

She is a STRONG woman, and can sew through just about anything you challenge her with. She is gear driven, rather than belt driven. She can sew the most beautiful precision straight stitches ever! From the research I found, this machine model was first manufactured right around 1951, commemorating their centennial year.I kissed her goodnight, as I covered her back up. She is special in my life, as she has provided extra space for me in my kitchen.
Uncovering her to show you, gave me a good reason to 'de-fuzz' behind the items on my kitchen counter, and do some re-arranging again. I have been slowly de-cluttering, and I have eliminated a few more items this morning. It feels good! (Trivia: The window with the lace curtain above the cabinet with the toaster on top, is really not a window at all! It is a mirror, with a curtain rod attached to the wall above the mirror. I felt that space needed 'something' and so many people have tried to look out that 'window'.)

Spartan 99

Here is my Spartan' sewing machine. These sewing machines sew the most perfect little straight stitch. I just love these old straight stitch machines, because they were built with such precision! They are perfect for new 'young' little seamstresses. I am not real clear about this machine, except I think that is was sold as more of an 'economical' offbrand sewing machine at the time. It is almost identical to the Singer 99, which is a 3/4 size machine. It is very heavy, but just so darn little, and cute! It sits in a black plastic base, and is electric. The cord and foot control are not removable from the machine, so they are 'hidden' so you can't see them, but this machine sits on the stand next to my bed. Can you tell I love sewing machines?

Toy Sewing Machines

First up is my electric Sew-Rite toy sewing machine. Louie and I bought this several years ago at a thrift store run by a Mennonite community, I believe. After we bought it, we discovered that we paid probably WAY more than it was worth, but he wanted me to have it, and the money went to a good cause. It is a chainstitch machine, and it takes a special needle, and it works. I just looked all over the internet and could not find anything on this machine as far as how old it is, but it is cast metal of some sort, has a metal foot control just like the 'big girl machines', and a wooden carrying case (in red covering), so I do believe it to be probably about as vintage as I am. (50). The little quilt with the teddy bear on it, under the needle, is a piece I made one Saturday during our quilting get togethers, when we were learning to fuse appliques.
Next, is my little Singer Sewhandy Model 40k toy hand crank sewing machine. It too, is a chainstitch machine. I had never seen one like this before, until one day Louie and I walked into a Goodwill store that we don't often go to. It was sitting on the shelf in the electronics section, in it's little 'Dr' type case, with a price sticker on it of $3.38. I could tell by how heavy it was that it was vintage. I thought it was so cute! I picked it up, decided it was MINE, and started looking around (with toy machine grasped firmly to my body) for anyone who even 'looked' like they were interested, because it was MINE and I was ready to put it up under my blouse if anyone was even as much as 'looking' my direction, and RUN to the register to buy it, so I could REALLY proclaim that it was MINE! (Wow! That got my blood pumping just remembering how excited I was to find it!) I was even more excited when I got home, checked on ebay, found out that this machine was first new in 1957, which is the year I was born, and they were selling for around $45! This dandy machine's little 'Dr' case is close to perfect, and it even came with the original manual. The only thing it is missing, is a screw-in seam guide, and I have yet to purchase one of those, because last time I looked, those sold for 5 times what I paid for the machine, so I just put a magnetic guide on it and there it is.Here they both sit, on my bench, which resides in my east-west hallway. This is what you see when you open my bathroom door and come back out into the hallway. Take a left to the kitchen and living room, or a right to the north-south hallway, or my office and bedrooms. The pink and blue quilt on the back of the bench was found at Goodwill, and is hand embroidered, and hand quilted, and the other little placemat sized quilt is one I made, and my first attempt at free motion quilting. Everything else you see in the picture came from Goodwill, except for the 'MAY YOUR BOBBIN ALWAYS BE FULL' sign, which I bought the very first time I met Jen and Cindy when our quiting group went to Waunakee, Wisconsin last summer.

Thanks for stopping by today to look at more of my sewing machines!

WHITE Vibrating Shuttle Treadle Machine

A few weekds ago, Hazel adopted a treadle machine. In corresponding with her about her treadle, I was telling her about mine. I sent her a picture or two, then I was forced to take a close look at mine. THE DUST! OMG! It was a GOOD thing, because it forced me to realize that I needed to do some serious dusting and de-cluttering. While my White was 'naked', I took a few pictures that I will show you here, because after I dusted, I 'foo foo'd' it up, and it is not as visible anymore

A few years ago, I think on a day while the 'quilting girls' and I were here, Louie and my brother went 'junkin' (THE NERVE! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT????) Louie has a favorite place in Illinois that is an indoor flea market, consignment type place, with rental spaces. He came home that night and told me he had found a treadle machine that was pretty nice. I kind of rolled my eyes, and asked, 'how nice?' 'Nice!' he said. 'How much?' I asked. '$85'. 'REALLY???' Ok, now tell me that, and expect me not to want to go and look. The next day was Sunday, so we went back over, and of course, it came home with us. I actually told him I wanted it, but was not sure I should spend the money on it. I kept walking away, roaming the store, and coming back to look at it. In the end, he made the decision, and told a worker to please have it taken up front, as we were going to buy it.

This is exactly the shape it was was in when we bought it. It did not need any refinishing. I cleaned it up, polished it, downloaded a manual for it off the internet, (even though the original was included, but oil soaked), sewed some stitches so I knew it worked, wound a bobbin, and that was all I needed. It sits proudly in my living room just inside my front door under a large mirror. I love it...and the fake plants look much bettertoo, since they aren't growing 'fuzz' anymore!

Electric SINGER 99 Turned Handcrank

This is one of my very first thrift store sewing machine finds. It is a simple Singer 99 (three quarter size) straight stitch sewing machine. My husband Louie, made the oak base for it, and we removed the motor and foot control from it. I ordered a hand crank kit off the internet and Louie installed the hand crank. I think it is adorable. I tried to sew on it, and I determined that I would need some practice 'holding' the fabric straight with my left hand, while 'cranking' with my right. It is fun to think that people actually sewed this way, and maybe some still do! Ok, so some of you know me well enough by now to know that I have to put other things with my sewing machines to display them. The little quilt was a gift from a friend, and is a Boyd's Bear quilt. The quilt on the wall was a group project (done on a 'full moon' weekend, no less!) I was so stressed, and could NOT think, or comprehend, so the girls had to hold my hand to get me started. Once I got going, I couldn't stop, (this was during the first year or two of quilting)
and another quilting friend, Patty, stayed up until 4am working on each of our quilts. Patty went on to make a few more. This is the one and only one I ever made. The pattern is an Eleanor Burns 'Quilt in a Day' pattern, and I think it is called Log Cabin Star. The quilt on the table under the machine, was bought at Goodwill. This machine resides on a table in my 'North-South' hallway just outside of my bedroom.

My GRAYBAR Sewing Machine

Jen challenged me, quite awhile ago, to start showing my sewing machine collection. Quite a while ago, actually. The thought of it overwhelmed me, and I just did not put it high on the list of priorities. I'm not sure how many I will get shown, but I will start here. Some of them, I will have to dig out. Some of them won't be all that exciting, but I'll do my best to show them to you. I hope you enjoy seeing them, as much as I have enjoyed 'adopting' them, 'fixing' them, displaying, and enjoying them.

Here is the first on the list. I found this machine last August at a Salvation Army thrift store. I thought the round plate was interesting. It has a vibrating shuttle bobbin. It was 'stuck' when I bought it. I thought it was just thread stuck in the working parts, but what it needed, was oil, really bad! I oiled it, got it moving, figured out how to thread it, (which was a 'feat' in itself) and it does sew. I will never use it, as it REALLY shakes the table, and it is not a comfortable machine to sew on, but it IS a bit of history, and probably one of the first machines to be manufactured to run with electricity, fresh from the factory. This machine was made in the 30's. I thought it was in pretty good shape, cosmetically, considering it's age.I did find some information on the internet about Graybar. The Graybar name was fashioned from the last names of two of the company founders, Professor Elisha Gray, and Enos Barton. (Chicago). I was not sure if I would be able to find a place to display it, but I did. A lot of times, I buy the machines, because I have to 'fix' them, even if I don't plan on keeping them. I just had to see it work. It was missing a black rubber belt to wind the bobbin so I used a couple of fat rubber bands to wind a bobbin, but I eventually found a belt for it. It is a 3/4 size machine. It sits on top of one of my file cabinets in my office. Notice where the belt is for running the bobbin winder. There is a smaller wheel behind the handwheel where the other end of the belt fits. I have never seen anything like this before. In 1872, the Graybar company was incorporated as the Western Electric Manufacturing Company, to meet the huge capital requirements of the telegraph supply business. (If you are interested in knowing more about Graybar and Western Electric, email me, and I will send you a pdf file which has the history.) I noticed the last time we were up to see Jen and Cindy, there is a Graybar Electric building in Milwaukee. I wonder if there is a connection. (scratching head).

Here are a couple posters I found on the internet too, with advertising for the Western Electric. I thought they were interesting.

A Bit of Playing and Sewing

I was not in the mood to finish my cleaning this afternoon, so I decided to play, for just a little while. I read Jen's post where her circle stitching episode wasn't very delightful, so I decided to try to do it. I really think a circle stitching attachment would be the answer, but I just HAD to try. Once I decide to try something, and it does not go as I think it should, it takes a lot for me to 'surrender'. I always hated it when someone would tell me 'I don't think that can be done'. I would immediately stand up straight, put back my shoulders, and declare, 'If there's a Will, there's a Way!' (Picture my arm extended straight forward, holding hammer, or other destructive device.) Sometimes when I was doing projects around the house, and didn't know exactly how I was going to do something, I would proclaim, 'If there's a Will, there's a Drill!' I remember having a conversation with a landlord years ago, as he was doing a project in the basement of our apartment. (He is a really nice guy, and the poor guy probably wished I would just 'Git' sometimes.) He told me, 'If a person is willing to spend the money, anything can be done', so another version was added to my list... 'If there's a Will, pay the Bill'. (Ok, so I got off track for a few seconds, sorry about that...back to the circle.) I got out my thumb tac, and before reading the directions, I tried to sew a circle using a single layer of fabric. Well, THAT didn't work! I tried to double the fabric, and that wasn't real successful either, so I decided that I better check my directions. (Read first, act second...that's no fun!) The only thing I saw that I could do different, was place the thumb tac 'PARALLEL' to the needle. I lessened the pressure on my pressure foot too. Hey! That's a little better! I decided I needed to make the fabric stiffer, (not written in the directions) so I folded the fabric in thirds, so I had three layers of fabric. NOW, I think this will work! I played, doing different stitches (on another scrap of fabric), but moved slowly. I guess that might be the trick with a tac. Maybe with the stitching attachment, one could sew faster. I think I just might have to order one.

So, now that I can do circles, what should I do with them? Hmmmmm. How about a little pillow? I got out some 'fresh' fabric and started another round of fun. When I was finished with my circles, I drew a stem and a couple leaves, ran two threads through the needle eye, in different shades of green, and did a very narrow, very short zig zag, and 'embroidered' my stem. I sewed a big button in the center of the 'flower', then I made some shorter stems, and sewed on some small buttons to form my pillow center. I dug out some scraps, and the end result is shown below. (I think I should have added some 'baby' leaves to my little flowers. Next time.)
Ok, maybe not so artistic, but it kept me out of trouble for awhile, and next time, I'll try using two very different colors together, or I'll change the colors between circles (and try to trim the threads a little better....and leave a little more fabric when I am trimming it square! BIG SIGH!)
Oh well, I like it, and since quilting is tomorrow, I will have 'something' to 'Show & Tell'! The flower reminds me of one of my 'Spirograph' designs from when I was a kid. I had a 'Spirograph' and I LOVED it! Gee, now I WANT one! I guess I'll hop on over to Ebay and start looking! (This comment added after the original post....'Good God, Gordy! Do I want to spend THAT much to get one?!!!')I also had a 'Bizzy Buzz Buzz'. It came with different pen colors. I think you could only use one color at a time, but when you turned on the BBB, it vibrated all over, and you wrote all wiggly and wabbly. I got the BBB for my 10th birthday. (I found it before my birthday under my mom's bedroom dresser.)

Treasures! Treasures!

Louie and I went 'Goodwill Hunting' today (Saturday, even though now it is Sunday almost 3am while I am posting this). We had a good time, and here is the first of my treasures. The tag at the consignment flea market said it was an ice bucket. I am not sure what it is, but I do believe from now on, it will hold my spools of Bottom Line thread, and sit on my table in the sewing area so it can look pretty. To give you an idea of the size, the base measures 6 1/2" tall, and the opening of the 'bucket' is 6 1/2" across. Total heighth, including the lid, is 10" tall. It is a heavy glass.
Next, (according to some research on ebay) is my new Rose Chintz Tidbit Tray by Lefton. I paid $2.38 for it. I thought it was cute. I have no idea what I will use it for at this time, but it caught my eye, and jumped in my cart. Also in the picture is a square glass container. No name, probably nothing special, but I just thought I needed it. I also found a car charger for my cellphone, which I was going to be shopping for anyway, so I was tickled to find it cheaper. By the way, the square glass container cost me $2.99.

The container with the handles and roses, I think it's a sugar bowl, minus the lid, but I liked it. It is marked 'Gibson China' on the bottom, and I paid $1.38 for it. I also had to bring home this candle warmer. These are about $25 new, and I love them. I have picked up several in my 'Goodwill Hunting' travels, for different seasons. I plan to use some of them myself, and some for gifts. I paid $5 for this one. This is my first winter one, so this one I will keep. This size holds the tall jar candles. I have another one, a dear friend gave to me, which sits on my kitchen counter right now, and it is really non-seasonal, so it works for 'off season' times, like now! Thanks, Renea!

OH, Fabric! I found fabric! Can't have enough fabric.........can you?, (looking puzzled and scratching head). I found this nice 'Color 'n Stitch' quilt book. It's really kind of neat. You take regular crayons, color on the fabric, put it between paper, iron it, and it sets the color, then you can embroider an outline around the design if you like, then incorporate it into a baby quilt. The book was $2.38, the green fabric was $2.38, and the blue fabric was $1.38. There are about 2 1/2 yards of each fabric. I know the blue one came from Walmart, but the green one came from a quilt shop, as you can tell by the quality, and by the names on the edge.

And lastly, but certainly NOT least, is this Hon Swivel Office chair. Oh my gosh, is it a nice chair! I did have to shampoo the fabric near the top edge of the seat back, which is wet in the photo, and why it looks darker, or shadowed, but it is in really nice condition, and I'm sure it cost a few hundred dollars new. I paid $15.38 for it. I haven't decided whether it will go in my office for my second computer, or if I will take it downstairs and make it my new sewing chair. (See my'birdhouse' candle warmer on the counter next to the 'hen' cookie jar?)It is days like these, that I LOVE GOODWILL HUNTING! Thanks for visiting!

(Now, I think it is time for bed!)