Little Miss Sewed A Fine Seam

 As a Quilter and a Stitcher, I'm always drawn to Vintage pictures, patterns, books, buttons, needlework and just about anything that falls in the category of 'Collectible Sewing-Needlework' Memorbilia.  Sew, when I ran across this childrens book at a Junktique Shop,  I could not resist adding it to my collection....just for this one picture and poem.

The Neat Little Miss

Rebecca is a tidy maid,

Who's always starched and clean,

You see her sitting on a cushion

And sewing a fine seam.

Now, would you believe this little miss

Is always neat and clean like this?



 Little Tommy Tucker And Other Stories...1940...Collectible description HERE

Linking To

VINTAGE THINGY THURSDAY

Getting In The Christmas Spirit

Twas the Night Month Before Christmas

And all through the house...

The only creature stirring is that dang Mouse!
No Stockings are hung by the chimney with care
The only socks around here cover feet that are bare.
So what you see here will have to do
Until the Christmas DecoSpirit hits Sue!



Sewing Sticker Stash

Another THINGY you won't be surprised that I collect....or maybe you will be surprised....afterall,

 how many different Sewing Thingies can one person get into collecting and still get any

SEWING DONE!

Ya'll know I'm a Thrifty Shopper and always looking for a bargin.

I make a BeeLine for CLEARANCE Signs and BARGIN Bins. 

There is a PROBLEM with finding such neat and thrifty Sewing Stickers and Stuff.

I have a tendency to HOARD it!

I'm a STINGY SEWING STICKER User!

SunBonnet Sue T-Towel Transfer Time

I mentioned in the post...Sue To The Rescue of SunBonnet Sue...my extensive collection of SunBonnet Sue Stuff.  Some of the 'SueStuff' I've collected for future Sue projects are these 'Classic Patterns' from Aunt Martha's Iron On Transfers.  As suggested on the envelope, they can be used for embroidery, fabric painting, quilting, wearable art, needlepoint and other crafts.  I always thought I'd use them for a quilt, but folks, I have enough quilts to 'Quilt Bomb' Dallas.

I've made a decision...with a little help from my Mama and a complete stranger. 

Aunt Martha's Bonnie Bonnet Girls Transfers are going on Tea Towels like these made by my Mama.

One for each day of the week...I don't know what happened to Mama's Saturday...maybe she needed a pretty Tea Towel for a special occasion on Saturday, but none the less, there are Seven Sue's and Seven Flour Sack Dish Towels in the package I found.

 

 Did you know those Flour Sack Towels like my Grandma Minnie and Mama used back in the day are hard to find theses days?   I got the idea to use the Sue Transfers for Tea Towels from a complete stranger who came into the shop where I work looking for Flour Sack Towels or fabric to make them.  None to be had there, so I suggested she look online. 

The Bunny Tea Towels were made by my Mama many years ago...probably in the 1950's or 1960's.  She never used them...except maybe the Saturday Bunny...and gifted them to me last year.  They had been tucked away in her special drawer all these years.  You can imagine how I treasure them.  I can't help but think that the Bonnie Bonnet Sue Flour Sack Tea Towels I plan to make will someday be treasured by my Grand Gals.  Oops....I did say Gals...guess I'll have to order TWO packages of Flour Sack Tea Towels.  I like the  Colonial Girls, too.

Thanksgiving...Props, Pics and Puns

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'll

Sue To The Rescue of Sunbonnet Sue

Sunbonnet Sue is one of the most recognized Quilt Patterns of all times. 

So, you would be right in thinking that this Quilting Gal named Sue would be a Collector of all things Sunbonnet Sue.  Yep, I have Sunbonnet Sue plates, patterns, books, fabric, needlepoint, embroidery, and on and on.  I could probably post into next year and still not cover all of the Sue's in my collection.  Over the years, I've rescued a number of Sue's.  The one I'm showing today is my favorite 'Sue Rescues'.



She was a Filthy Rotten Quilt!

Found in the TRASH...can you believe anyone would THROW away a Sunbonnet Sue Quilt or any quilt for that matter.  So it was Sue to the Rescue!!!  The fabrics were 1930's Feedsacks with the Sue's appliqued on muslin that was very fragile.  The sashing and alternate blocks were rotten beyond saving.  So, I cut out the Sue's as close to their bonnets and dresses as possible and alternated them with the 1930's Reproduction Fabric Heart Blocks. 



The ReDoRescue Sue hangs in my Quilt Bedroom.

The buttons that decorate each Sue's Bonnet and the Heart Blocks are from my 1930's Button Collection. 

A perfect way to display them...don't you think?
 

The History of Sunbonnet Sue Pattern

 

 

 

Featherweight Sewing for FridayNiteSewIn

Isn't she a Beauty? I have to say of all my Sewing Machines...the count is in double digits...this 1950 Century Edition Featherweight is my favorite and pride and joy.

Many quilts have been pieced on her, but in the last few years she has been set aside for more expedient and HiTech Sewing/Piecing/Quilting.

Last night, as I was getting ready for Friday Night SewIn,  I decided to pull the OldGal outta her case and give her a go on piecing a baby quilt top.  Afterall, there's no hurry on this one...it's for a baby way on down the road.  That means for a future great grandbaby.

Even though it's been awhile...like a few years...since the OldGal has been sewn on, I know that she will always sew perfect and SING the most beautiful sound any sewing machine can make...she IS a SINGER, ya know.

There are a few issues with piecing on the Old Gal.  One is the 'Quarter Inch Foot'.  I took care of that years ago when I ordered the foot you see in the pic above.   It is specially made for the Featherweight and back in the day this plastic model was all that was available.  Today, a metal one with a metal guide is available....I may have to upgrade...HERE is the link.  The other issue is needle threading.  It threads from the right SIDE.  Boy, is that hard to see.  I use a needle threader...works like a charm.  

Now on to my project for Friday Night SewIn.

Just look at those stitches...what did I tell ya...the OldGals still got it...perfect stitches!

The pattern for this Baby QltTop is one I've made many times, is strip pieced, quick and easy.

It's from

Even More Quilts for Baby by Ursula Reikes

click HERE for a copy on Amazon



I found these fabrics at work the other day while straightening up a 'Sale Table'.
  I couldn't help myself...and I can justify getting all that was on the bolts because my
 Baby Fabric Stash is nearly depleted.
 Besides, I may need to make TWO or even THREE...future GreatGrands might be
TWINS or even TRIPLETS! How great would that be!!!

There ya go...all done...at least one of them! 

It's InLine for QuiltALottie...my Gammill LongArm Quilting Machine!

There's NO HURRY....Great Grands are several years down the road!

Thimble Lore

I Am NOT A Thimble Collector!!!  So what's with these Thimbles, Sue?

I imagine I came by them through an old thrifted sewing box or an estate sale where I cannot leave a kindred spirits Sewing Stuff Treasures to be cast off to who knows where!   So, even though I don't know who's finger once wore them, I do know they are safe and sound in my 'Pink Sewing Carousel' which was a gift from my Grandmother Minnie...who BTW was a Thimble wearer!

I am a Thimble Wearer, too, although different from Minnie's and the one's I've collected....oops!!!  Okay, I have collected a few...who could resist when they have such an interesting history and have been a popular collectible since the mid 1800's. 

 

The earliest known thimble was Roman, was found in Popeii and made of bronze.  The first thimble made in England was in 1695 by a Dutch metal worker and was called a thumb-bell because it was worn on the thumb.  The shape eventually changed, and the name softened into thimble.

 

Early American Thimbles were made of whalebone or tooth featuring miniature scrimshaw designs and are considered valuable collectibles.  I don't have any of those!  Do you?  These rare thimbles are featured in a number of New England Whaling Museums.

 

During the First World War, silver thimbles were collected from "those who had nothing to give" by the British government and melted down to buy hospital equipment.  In the 1930's and 40's red-topped thimbles were used for advertising.  I do have a few from that time period....oops...I guess I'm a Thimble Collector afterall.

Thimble Lore

Leaving a Sandalwood thimble in a Fabric Stash helps keep moths away.

People who Collect thimbles are known as Digitabulists.
 

The Pink Carousel Post...Four Generations of Sewing
CollectInTexas Gal's FIRST Pink Saturday Post in 2009
and featured again today for
We Gather Together
Pink Saturday-November 17th, 2012

CAM Along and Sew With Me In 1963

If you were a 'Sewer' in the 1960's....you got 'CAM Along'...right?

If not, then I will explain!

~It has do with the ZigZag Stitch.

~A PORTABLE Sewing Machine that required Charles Atlas Biceps to lift.

~An understanding of 1960's Sewing Technology...or at least the courage to open the box.
~The smarts to know to READ the Instruction Booklet and admit that you weren't a 'KnowItAll'.

~And last, but not least...the NEED!

I NEEDED my own Sewing Machine. 

Mama NEEDED her Singer back!

My NEED was fulfilled on my 18th Birthday, January 1965,

the latest greatest in Sewing Machine Technology!

The Kenmore Model 52Automatic Zig-Zag Sewing Machine

I desperately NEEDED that ZigZag Stitch which I knew about from the sewing machines at school in homemaking class.  What I didn't know about was the CAM.  What would they think of next?  The CAM Technology had to be an invention from NASA Space Suit Sewing Engineers and was finally made available to us Domestic Engineers of the home sewing industry.   Surely Sears, Roebuck and Company had NASA connections.   Just think, I was on my way to ZigZag Zenith!



I did mention about being SMART enough to READ the Instruction Booklet....right?

Inside cover Letter:

Dear Homemaker:

This booklet has been written for you,  to  help you use and enjoy fully your KENMORE Automatic Zigzag Sewing Machine.

We urge you to read pp. 2-24 before using your machine.  This section explains the operation of the special controls that allow you to do many tedious tasks automatically.  The following pages offer suggestions and instructions for specific ornamental and time saving operations.  See p.24 before using the automatic patterns or zigzag stitch.

 

See p.24 before using the automatic patterns or zigzag stitch.

As you can see from the wear on the ZigZag Stitch CAM, I did read page 24.

Other than that...

...I was a KnowItAll.

Introducing...Sue's Sewin' Story Page

Mothers teach daughters to sew, and daughters teach their daughters, and so the Art of Sewing is passed from generation to generation. My Mother learned to sew on my Grandmother Minnie's treadle sewing machine in the 1930's when a woman's sewing basket, mending and sewing clothes was a part of everyday life.  Girls were first taught to stitch with needle and thread making doll clothes then perhaps an apron and as smaller stitches were taken and sewing skills were learned...the sewing machine was the next step.

I'm not so sure my Mama was all that interested in sewing as a young girl.  She was the youngest of five with one older sister and three older brothers, and was raised on an Iowa farm.  She was a Tomboy!  However, by the time she was in her teens, she was sewing. 

By the time she married in 1946, she was an accomplished enough seamstress to treadle out kitchen curtains and aprons.  Then it happened...she became the Mother of a baby girl.  Sewing took on a new perspective...Rounds of Ruffles, Piqued Pinafores, Peter Pan collars, Lace and RickRack...how fun...and challenging!  Little did she know that history has a way of repeating itself....I was a Tomboy, too!
 

I was fascinated with 'Sewing'....well, maybe not so much with the outcome of clothes, but with the process, the tools and the fabric. I would sit beside Mama and watch as the needle went up and down and the fabric flowed through the feed dogs...what a weird thing to call such a magical mechanism...with precise stitches that held two pieces of material together.

I was bored with the needle and thread...wanted neater stitches and faster feed dogs!  The fear of stitching my finger kept Mama from letting me sew on her  'Electrified Singer', so as soon as my legs were long enough to reach the treadle, I was off to the 'FeedDog Races'.

I was hooked!  Sewing was my life...well, at least it played a big part in my advancement from doll clothes to dresses for myself and my sisters.  My poor Mama, who also loved to sew, seldom could get a stitch in edgewise.  I hogged her Electrified Singer for all those years until my 18th Birthday.

They only thing that has changed over the years of being 'Hooked on Sewing' has been

The Sewing Spaces and The Sewing Machines.
I Still LOVE Sewing!!

Oh, Okay....I don't have a 'Big Hair Flip' anymore, and
I need my 'Specs' to see the
'Fastest Fabric Feeding FeedDogs'
ever made...GoSewDogs!

Click on Pic for Sue's Sewin Story Page with Posts about
My SewNSewin!
Coming Soon....'More on 'The Kenmore'

A Stitchers Apron's Statement....

....Sewing Forever~Housework Whenever~Cooking Never!

Did you know that the apron can be traced back to the earliest of Biblical times?  I read that HERE!   Can't you just imagine Adam in an apron with one of todays catchy apron quotes.

 "BarBQue Naked...ShowOff Your Buns". 

 

 You will find the history of aprons pretty interesting, as I did.  They really have been around for ages.   Back in the day, aprons were worn by craftsmen/women dealing with sharp instruments or hot objects.

 In fact, many of todays working craftsmen/women still wear an apron for protection from sharp instruments, hot objects and splattering BarBQue sauce.

That'd be ME...the Apron wearing working craftswoman with a Button that says, "Armed with Scissors...and I know how to Use Them".   Matter of fact, I do know how to use them....when I can find them. 

That's why I made this Fall Season Apron with deep pockets.  And since I seldom...like never...sit down at work, I don't worry about stabbing myself with those sharp shears! 

"This Ain't My First Apron Rodeo"

I've been a wearer and collector of aprons for a very long time. 

The first collected apron was my Grandmother Minnie's. 

Work Aprons? 

Well, let's just say I've worn ones that made a statement apropos for the time.

Newlywed..."I Kiss Better Than I Cook"

Waitress..."Kiss My Grits"

Mom..."Eat It or Wear It"

Starving Artist..."Good Art is in the Wallet of the Beholder"

Seamstress..."I'm Not Gonna Buy That....I Can Make It"

Quilter..."Behind every Quilter is a HUGE Pile of Fabric"

Quilt Shop Owner..."One yard of Fabric Is Never ENOUGH"

"Your Husband called and said Buy Whatever You Want"

On 'The Cutting Table' is my next 'Sewing Apron' for WORK!

As you can tell, my pattern is well used and showing it's Old Age.

I think an 18 year old pattern might be considered Vintage.

For sure, we now know that 'The Apron' is known to be as 'Old as Dirt'.

I wonder if Eve was the 'First Apron Stitcher'!
Linking To

Stitchers Apron Featured HERE...Thanks Pam!

I'm Participating In

Hosted by

Apron Memories

We Met At 'The Cutting Table'

These days, I spend a good deal of time at 'The Cutting Table'.....some at HOME and lots at WORK!

So there I was...at 'The WORK Cutting Table'...ready to cut fabric!

"Good Morning", I said to the pretty blonde lady with a bolt of cotton fabric.

"Good Morning...are you CollectInTexas Gal Sue?"



"Yes, I am....how did you know"?

"I read your Blog, and I recognized you from your Stitched Picture!"

I'm Cheryl of Cheryl's Teapots2Quilts!  

 

Cheryl is a Texas Gal living in Illinois, and we are blogging friends who Quilt

and share a love of Vintage Sewing Machines.

She does much of her piecing on a 1896 Singer Treadle Machine

 and a 1948 Singer Handcrank Machine.

See her October Blocks pieced on these two machines HERE. 

While visiting relatives here in San Angelo, which happens to be her hometown,

Cheryl needed a Fabric Fix....and there I was...a Fabric FixerUpper!

How fun to meet Cheryl at 'The Cutting Table'.

It's a first for me....meeting a fellow Quilting Blogger in person!

I think I can safely say we are both "Under the Influence of Fabric".

Taking Action and Piecing Blocks

Quilters are RallyRounders!

They are known far and wide for coming to the aid of those in need.

Once the word is out that a RallyRound Project has been started, quilters head for their Fabric Stashes,  Sharpen their Rotary Blades and FireUp their Sewing Machines.

That's what I did this morning on the first day of Falling Back to Standard Time...after checking in here on CITexas Gal.  I noticed that  Suzanne, the Colorado Lady, was 'Up and At Em' early with an announcement for Quilters to Rally Round the 'Taking Action Project' started by Erin of My Patchwork Life.  Erin's project is to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy. 

She is asking for SIMPLE disappearing 4 patch blocks, they are a large block version and quick and easy to make! Erin requested florals and a solid or a fabric that reads a solid. Click HERE to see her post about the blocks.

Here are my Simple Disappearing Four Patch Blocks!

I made two of each for a total of six blocks!

For Real...Quilters Rule!!!

Linking To

Smiling Sally's Blue Monday

My Sewing/Needlework Nests-OverFeathered at Best



Can you relate to the old adage, "It's like looking for a Needle in a Haystack" when you are literally looking for a needle?

I relate to Looking for a Needle alright...not in a Haystack, but in my Nests!

I'm such a Nester!  I make a Nest wherever I Sit and Knit/Sew/Crochet/Blog!

There's the Nest in the Living Room.  There's a nest around my Desk!

Then there's The Big Nest....it's a converted double car garage!

That's where we'll be for this post.

  The Big Nest is divided into Six Feathered Nests....Four Feathered Work Nests and Two Stuffed Storage Nests.

In the center of The Big Nest is the RuthieMae Nest...named after my MIL's heavy duty ironing board converted to an adjustable, padded table.  It's my favorite nest to sit and do handwork, knit, crochet and thumb through books and magazines.  It's a cozy space, but there's room for four when the Wednesday Knitters visit, and when it's just me I gather all the stuff I need for whatever project I'm working on and have it close at hand.  Two VIP things about the RuthieMae is the LIGHT and the CHAIR!

The Janome Nest is right behind the CHAIR which rolls over for sitting and sewing on my Janome 5000 Quilter/Piecer/DoItAll Sewing Machine.  This nest is actually a Five Part Nest comprised of two Koala Sewing Stations that gives me a Gem Gold Nest (second sewing machine), a LazySusan Sewing Tool Nest (aka Early American Prescut LazySusan Food Server),  The Needle Nest and The MiscNest (aka CatchAll Nest).

 The CatchAll Nest is a Koala Treasure Chest Sewing Station with Drawers.  When opened and butted against the Janome Nest, it makes a 'LShaped  MultiNesting Sewing Station or as I like to say...A Fine Feathered FabricFixin' Nest!

I did say 'The Big Nest' is divided into 'Six Nests'...right? Are you keeping Count?

I think I may have Over-Feathered these Two Nests...they seem to have multiplied!

So much so that I'll have to continue the Rest of the Nest on another post!

I hope you will come back for that....it maybe awhile...I sorta told HiHoney that I was downsizing!

But since I've been working at the Fabric Store,

 the Fabric Storage Nest has become an Over-Feathered Fleece Nest!!
HiHoney (husband)  hinted that much more and he'd be forced to fly away!

Hmmmm...I'll miss him!!!!
Linking To
I Love Fridays Link Party