The Compulsive Quilter

Thank God September is over! I have never been so happy to get a month behind me. I am much more relaxed now and I find that relaxation breeds new ideas in my head.
I have been toying with a wristlet design in my head for a while. And after a quick perusal of my fabric stash I finally found the inspiration I was looking for. My Nannie's stash. My Nannie is 84? 85? I'm not sure, but she is as sharp as a tack and I think I get a lot of my creative urges from her. She owned a dress shop in the 70's and 80's and recently bestowed upon me her very extensive stash. As you might suspect, there was a lot of vintage fabric that should really stay in the past, but there where quite a few yards of some really good stuff too. And since the crappy month of September was not as lucrative as I had hoped, I am really starting to dig through it all. I came across this red and green fabric and this brown polka dot fabric that I thought would be perfect for a little wristlet. I added a few pleats to the brown stripe and put it all together with a zipper. I love it. I think I am going to dig a little deeper into Nannie's stash to see what other treasures are in there.

Have I told you about my sewing machine? No? You are one of the few. It's a running joke in my family about how much I love my machine. My kids will often say ( with help from the hubby) "Daddy loves Mommy, Ella loves Daddy, Jack loves Thomas ( the Train) and Mommy loves Pfaff!"
I do love my machine. It is a Pfaff 260 and has been passed down to me from my mother who got it from her mother who got it as a gift from my grandfather on Nov. 11, 1961. Actually, I have 2 of them. My Mom bought her own sometime ago, but lucky me ended up with both of them. You really don't get more vintage than this machine. It was the top of the line in home sewing when it came out and I can totally understand why. It is a cast iron casing with all metal gears. I think it is actually classed as a semi-industrial machine and has been used for many years in garment factories.Really, the only thing that has ever been done to it is a belt change ( the first of which came just a couple years ago) and a motor cleaning ( done only last year). You could say this machine is one hell of a workhorse. My grandmother sewed nearly all of my mother's and aunt's clothes on this thing and even made herself a beautiful leather coat.
I do have a few fancy stitches. They are totally reminiscent of the 60's style and I love them. It can also do monogramming and embroidery just don't ask me how. The one thing this machine doesn't come with is a computer program to do all the work for you and I really appreciate that.I once took a beginning sewing class and was totally offended when the lady teaching the class audibly scoffed and snickered when I told her that "my machine doesn't have a automatic buttonhole setting, it's a 1961 Pfaff " I did however fell redeemed when I went to a quilting class ( at a different establishment) and a couple of the ladies in there had their vintage portable Singer machines with them.

It was during these classes that I realized that not having all of those fancy buttons and settings has really taught me how a sewing machine works and has made me a better sewer in the end. So for any of you out there who are looking for your first machine or a workhorse to really knock out some sewing, look around for a good old-fashioned Pfaff. After a good oil and clean, she'll run forever.