Sewing machines

This is one of the tabletoppers I made, they went together fast!  It's a pattern I came up with after getting ideas from quilting magazines.  I call this pattern "Comin' and Goin' ".

This is why I chose this design... My sister's house caught fire January 12th.  Enjoying a day off from work, she was sitting on the floor of her 2nd bedroom, filing tax paperwork piled on her lap and around the floor. Then “someone” told her to go get something to drink. Thinking she was going crazy for a minute, and not wanting to move since she had just sorted things. she decided to say back ‘I’m not thirsty, I don’t need anything to drink.” And the voice said, “Yes, you do.”

So she moved everything she had just sorted, went to the kitchen, saw puffs of snow blowing past the window and turned to the refrigerator.  As she grasped the handle, it hit her... it's not snowing today, that was SMOKE!  She ran out the door only to see flames beginning to come from the attic vent near the roof.

She ran to wake up her son, grabbed her cat, and the tax papers.  As she was headed outside, on the phone to 911, a man in a red truck pulled into the driveway. He yelled out the window “are you on the phone to 911?” She yelled back “yes!”. He nodded, pulled back out of the driveway and left. She still doesn’t know who it was.

I said "Isn’t it cool? God sent back-up just in case you decided you weren't going to get up!  He's got you comin' and goin'!"   And that's what I decided to name this design.  I made 2, one will go to her friend who is taking care of Sushi (the cat).

Update:  My sister's house was spared, the volunteer fire department arrived within 5 minutes.  The fire damaged only the roof and attic.  It was 10 degrees that day and all the water pumped into her attic froze in the attic insulation, she didn't have a drop of water come through the ceiling, another miracle.

The fire was caused by old wiring in the attic. Farm Bureau Insurance is the BEST insurance company on earth.  They took care of EVERYTHING, even giving money to the family friend who took care of the cat. My sister rented a propane heater and placed it in the basement to keep the pipes from freezing overnight, it was below zero that night.  She spent that first night in the house, with no electric or even gas, to make sure the heater stayed on.  It didn't do much for the upstairs, her bedroom was a nice toasty 44 degrees unfortunately.

In the following months, the roof and insulation was replaced, and all is well.  We still don't know who the man in the red truck was.  She lives on a dead end road, no one ever drives down that road.




What machine do you use for quilting?  My main machine is an Elna sewing machine (shown below).  Before the Elna, I had a 20 yr old Bernina Artista 640.  It was a well loved machine and I put 2 million stitches on it.  Before the Bernina I used Brother sewing machines.  

I found a faaabulous vintage sewing machine at the thrift store awhile back.  It's a beautiful Belvedere Adler 950-B.  I couldn't find any information online and I've searched for hours!
But I did find others who were looking for the same info! 

Someone thought it needed a thick coat of white paint, I'm in the process of stripping the paint. 


The machine is immaculate, not a scratch on it anywhere. The paint and the chrome are beautiful, almost like looking at a 57 Chevy! The entire machine is metal, not a bit of plastic on it anywhere. It has decorative stitches, l-c-r needle, a 4-step button hole and you should see the innards, just like the day it was born. 
Even the foot plate is like brand new. There were no attachments or manual, but the bobbin case was there as well as the all-purpose foot. The poor thing was bone dry so of course I slathered it with oil.
Boy you should hear her hum! The picture doesn't do the chrome justice, it's beautiful.  

 I created a manual for the Belvedere Adler 950-B .  It has photos to show how to reassemble the tension, and a lot more.  

The innards look identical to a Singer 15-91 I have.  There are other elements that are Singer-esqe, for lack of a better word.  The motor has label from Japan.



 I've added a new gal to the sewing room.  I've always wanted a Singer 201 and I found one on ebay.  It's a 201-3, with the light attached on the back of the machine rather than the front.  It's in great condition, manufactured in 1948.  I need to replace all the wiring before I plug it in, that's next on the to-do list. 


My main machine was purchased Dec 2022.  It's an Elna eXcellence 780+ sewing machine.  It is my dream machine!  It has so many features that make sewing a pleasure.   This machine is identical to the Janome 9450.  I especially love the retractable LED light that shines in front of the needle.  It is so handy for sewing in the evening.



And my travel machine is a Juki DX-2000QVP.



I found another 201 on facebook marketplace and couldn't pass it up.  This one
was locked up and I needed to take it apart for a good cleaning, it was locked up with hardened old oil.  This happens when you use the wrong
kind of oil, such as 3-in-1 oil. It works great now!


Hint: Buy pink tools if you need to keep your husband from taking yours.

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