How can I be expected to cook and clean?

I've been sewing all day!

Not really, but I have been in my sewing room all day.  I decided I HAD to get the piles organized.  And this is what I came up with!  I bought the bins at Lowe's on clearance!  I bought all they had, and still have 8 more ready to be filled.  In another corner I added shelves above my embroidery machine.  Thread went on the wall and I can see it at a glance.

The quilt on the left was made by my great grandmother when I was born.  It's very worn and tattered, it was used for all 4 kids, I'm the oldest.  She used old shirts, aprons, sheets and anything else she could find.  It's entirely hand sewn and tied.

Mid-Atlantic quilt festival

Small wallhanging

small wallhanging

Once again the quilt festival was faaabulous!

Stunning in person, the photo doesn't do it justice

I didn't take as many photos as last time, here are a few! I met some wonderful ladies, ate too much, and spent too much!  We stayed at the Best Western, one of the nicest hotels I've been in!  I was impressed.  I can't wait until next year!

These two are my favorites from this year's festival:

The quilting is stunning, the photo doesn't do it justice. 

There is an antique doily attached at the bottom.

What to look for in a sewing machine

A friend of mine has been looking for a sewing machine for several weeks. She's researching brands, trying the new ones and also looking at used machines.  I found a blog that has WONDERFUL advice for anyone looking for a sewing machine.
What to look for in a sewing machine

I've had several brands of sewing machines through the years, including a Featherweight 221 and 222. Currently I use a 1951 Singer 15-61 Centennial, a Bernina 640, a Tin Lizzie 26" longarm quilting machine and a 1501 SWF embroidery machine with 15 needles.

I thought I'd share a photo of my Singer. I restored the top recently.  It looks beautiful, I keep it by the front door. I call it "the tank". I'm using it this weekend to reupholster our doctor's chiropractic table. The leather he chose came from a huge, huge cow! It's gigantic! It's also very thick but the tank will handle it nicely.

You can see the leather in a pile on the floor and the pieces from his table can be seen in my dining room.  The blue bin you see on the floor are my worms. I keep the attachments for the tank in the suitcase.  I found the machine on craigslist for free!

Then there are the Singer Featherweights, wonderful little machines.  A few years ago I bought a 222k as a doorstop.  It lived outside in someone's back yard for 2 decades, and was not a pretty sight.  I bought it for $40 and restored it.  An automotive shop repainted it for me, and then I replaced or repaired everything else on the machine, including the decals.  I used it for a year or so, and made a few quilts.  I sold it for $1,200 on ebay (it had every attachment known to man, which is why it went for so much).  The new owner absolutely loved it. 

I need to get off the computer and sew! ... until another day my friends, may you have no thread nests.

( .....What?.... you don't keep worms in your dining room??? )