Bernina Nova 900 "Novalee" & Hand Kitchen Towel Tutorial

I have a new toy.  Well new to me anyway.  It was actually manufactured in Switzerland from 1982 to 1985.  But I have only had mine for one week.  Novalee arrived via Canada Post double boxed and wrapped in tons of bubble wrap.  Yvonne, the charming lady I bought her from did a most excellent job of packing her up.  Every foot and accessory was individually wrapped, plus she even put the electric plug in a wee bag and tied it shut.

Here she is

First I unpacked her, then I played with all the stitches.  Next, I hemmed a pair of denim jeans and did a sample of free motion quilting.  Novalee is not only ornamental, she is a beauty of a sewer.

Below are instructions for a kitchen towel that I made with Novalee.

Materials required are one kitchen towel, pot holder and a big button.  I usually pick these up at the dollar store or a liquidation store.

Machine baste across the middle of the kitchen towel.

Draw a line in the middle on  the wrong side of the pot holder.  The loop end is the top.

Pull the basting thread to gather the towel to fit the width of the pot holder.  With right sides together pin the pot holder to the towel.  Follow the line on the wrong side of the pot holder and sew the towel in place with two rows of stitches about 1/8 inch apart.

Sew the button on the end of the potholder opposite the loop.  Remove the basting thread and it is finished.

These are pretty, practical, fun to sew and make excellent gifts.

 Enjoy!

Wooden holder for large thread cones & Antique Captain's Chair

Happy Thursday all!!  I only have two things to show you today.  The first is this wooden thread holder.  I do not know how old it is or who made it.  It works well and is rather ornamental.

When my dear husband Doug was turning 50, I wanted to surprise him with a special gift.  I found this old broken block cut oak captain's chair in a used furniture store.  One arm was broken right off and it was missing the padded seat.  The vendor wanted $75 CAD for it.  I haggled him down to $60 because all I was really buying was a chair frame missing one arm.  

Deep in the abyss of our past treasures we had a giant box of Halloween costumes.  I rummaged through the box to find Doug's old black motorcycle jacket from when he was twenty.  I know it is hard to believe but in 30 years the jacket shrunk and was far too small for him to wear.  I tore it apart and used the back of his jacket for fabric on the seat of the chair.  The frame is 100 or more years old and leather jacket was 30 years old.  Take a look at the finished product.

Please head over to Colorado Lady's blog for more vintage treasures.

snow, frost...beautiful Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

Can you find the vintage item in one of these pictures?

All of these photos were taken in the morning on  March 3rd, while it was cloudy, once the sun came out the frost cover on the trees melted. 

This is the outdoor firebox in our backyard.

 

View from my deck.

Enjoy as spring is just around the corner!  

Please check out Colorado Lady's blog for more vintage treasures!

Nursing Cape - a quick easy baby gift.

Barb's granddaughter Kendra was born on September 30, 2009.  Her daughter had borrowed one of these nursing capes, so Barb copied the measurements so we could sew them.  We made six capes from one sheet at Stitch n Bitch last Wednesday.  It is so simple to make and functional.  The boning allows mum to watch baby feed in public and keep her modesty.

 Materials:
27" X 37" piece of cotton or polycotton fabric (we used an old sheet)
14" of 1/4 inch boning (the stuff we put in strapless dresses and corsets)
4" X 27" strip of cotton or polycotton fabric (we used the same sheet)

Sewing directions:
Hem the edges of the 27" x 37" by folding over 1/2 inch twice or serge all the edges and fold over 1/2 inch then hem.  You can be fancy and miter your corners but I did not.  Heck, I used the original wide hem (from my sheet) on one edge.

Fold the long side of your rectangle in half and mark the centre with a pin or marker.  On the wrong side sew the boning (curve towards the right side of the fabric) on the hem starting seven inches from your centre mark.

Fold the short side of  the  4" by 27" strip in half so it is two inches by 27 inches.  With right sides together sew one side shut and along the side to make a strap.  Turn your strap and press.  Here again, you can be fancy and put some top-stitching on your strap.  Take the finished end and sew over top of the boning on the wrong side of the fabric to cover the boning raw edge.  Try it on and adjust your length now.  Tuck in the raw edges on the cut end and sew it on top of the other end of the boning to cover the raw edges.

 

 

Sorry, I was the only model available and I took the photo!  Talk about multi-tasking sheesh!

Necchi Lelia 513

I collect sewing machines.  More often than not I get extra treasures included in drawers of cabinets or accessory boxes.    Lelia Model 513 was manufactured in Italy between 1963 - 1971.

There were three packages of needles priced at 29 cents per package as well as three little oil cans.  I find the oil cans especially interesting because when I got this machine it would only straight stitch in one needle position and the feed-dogs would not drop.  The needle bar and feed-dogs were bone dry.

 

I scanned and uploaded the manual to google docs.   Feel free to download it and enjoy.  Would you please leave a comment here, so I know this was helpful.

Please visit Colorado Lady's blog for more vintage treasures.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff with Your Family by Richard Charlson, Ph.D.

Below is a chapter from Richard's book:

Never miss the opportunity to say "I Love You."

In my lifetime I’ve heard many people complain that their parents (or spouses) either never or seldom said (or say) "I love you." On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve never heard a single person complain that his or her parents, or anyone else, said these words too often.

I can't imagine anything easier than saying the words "I love you." However, for whatever reasons, many people simply don't do so. Perhaps we don't believe that our loved ones need to hear it. That they don't want to, or they won't believe it. Or perhaps we're too stubborn or too shy. Whatever the reason, it's not good enough. There are simply too many important reasons to tell the people in your life that you love them.

Whether you heard these words enough in your own life or not is not the issue. At issue here is the fact that saying, "I love you" makes people feel good. It reminds them that they are not alone and that you care. It raises their self-esteem -- and makes you feel good too! Undoubtedly, in my family, we do many things wrong. One thing we do right, however, is tell each other how much we love each other. It's simple, painless, and free. It's one of the most powerful sentences in the world. People who know they are loved (because they have been told) are able to offer the world their love in return. They have a quiet confidence and a sense of inner peace.

One of my firmest beliefs is that when you have what you want (in an emotional sense), your natural inclination is to give back to others. So, by saying "I love you" to a single person, you are, indirectly, helping the world at large. There is perhaps no way to guarantee that someone will feel loved and appreciated. But certainly the way to increase the odds is to tell him or her so, frequently. Genuinely saying the words "I love you" can erase many mistakes in the eyes of your loved ones. I know, for example, that when I’ve had difficult times with my kids, remembering to tell them I love them has helped us to forgive one another and move on.

On a more selfish note, saying "I love you" has personal benefits as well. It feels good.  Since giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin, saying the words "I love you" more than makes up for not hearing them enough throughout your lifetime. It's absolutely true that giving is its own reward. And saying these loving words is one of the most basic and simple forms of giving.

There are so many opportune times to express your love in this manner -- when you enter the house, right before you leave, before bed, and first thing in the morning. In our family, we have developed the habit of saying "I love you" before hanging up the telephone when we're talking to one another, as well as before we begin eating a family meal. Your opportunities are unlimited. This will be one of the easiest things you ever do --and, when all is said and done, one the most important.

Shannon's Quilt is finished! Yippee!

On December 20th, it was on her bed about four hours before she arrived from Waterloo.

Elephants for luck and to patch a small hole I pieced into this quilt twice!

I used a blanket stitch and zig-zag stitch around the outside of the cards in matching threads. Then I free motion quilted the five inch border.  On the reverse of the quilt you can see an outline of the front.

Shannon loves it!