TRIAL AND ERROR

I have started the quilting on the Farm Quilt.  If I plan to do some Free Motion Quilting on a project I always stitch in the ditch first, usually down most row seams.  As I had planned to try some FMQ around the farm animals, I started the ditch quilting on my Featherweight.  I had purchased the Stitch in the Ditch special foot and tried that but after a lot of help from April Henry from April 1930's Sewing Shop, I now understand how this foot works and will probably keep it for under stitching on bags and dressmaking.  It has a flange that sits in the ditch of your seam but the actual stitching lands just a hair to the left of the ditch.   Results vary using this foot.  A thicker seam allowance results in more of a ditch allowing the flange to sit in there well and the stitching lands closer to the ditch.  I like my "ditch" quilting to be well in the ditch.

Low Shank Stitch in the Ditch Foot

So after a few goes with the SITD foot, I switched to my Walking Foot for my Featherweight.  I love using this foot for straight line and channel quilting.  I had not used it for stitching in the ditch before.  Now I should add here right now that I own multiple sewing machines and one of them is my Brother PQ1500 which I use for most of my quilting - walking foot and free motion.  The walking foot for the Brother machine looks like this....   you can see right up the centre of the foot, up to the needle so you can really see where you are quilting "in the ditch".   The walking foot for my Featherweight does not have such a clear view of the needle and I found it difficult to stitch in the ditch accurately.  Now this could just be me because I'm so spoilt having the big Brother machine but anyway I eventually switched over to the Brother to finish the quilting.  I'm almost done!   I finished up the ditch quilting and now I'm doing some straight lines down each side of the seam, walking foot width.  I have not decided if I will do anything close to the animal embroidery as yet.

Brother PQ1500 walking foot
This sewing machine is straight stitch only.

Note the reminder on top of the machine -  last time I did
Free Motion Quilting I was having dramas and only
right at the end when I was almost finished I noticed
that one of the thread guides had been missed!
That won't be happening again!

So as you can see, it's all about trial and error.........  I love all of my sewing machines and I try and give each one a chore on a regular basis so each one gets some use and maintenance.  My Featherweight 222K is a great piecing machine (and very handy to take away from home for sewing as it's so small) and I love it for straight line, channel and free motion quilting on a small project. I have said this before.... I think it's the best Free Motion Quilting I have ever done.  I love the special foot that April sells for this purpose, it is the best foot I have ever used.    It's a great top stitching machine too.  My big Brother machine is great for all quilting especially Stitch in the Ditch and Free Motion.  So it's okay with me that my Featherweight won't be used for stitching in the ditch, she has plenty to keep her busy!

If you are new to my Blog and you're wondering how many machines I have... two treadles, one 201K knee shift, one 222K featherweight, one 99K hand crank, one Brother quilters edition and the Brother PQ1500.  and an overlocker!

A rainy cool day today (thank heavens! those hot days were a bit of a shock!!).  Tomorrow I will hopefully finish off the quilting and get the binding on!

Happy Sewing and Cheers from Helen

VACATION TIME

Block of the Month that is!   Pat Sloan has a new BOM called "Vacation Time".  I am using the same fabrics that I used for Delightful Stars quilt along as I didn't finish off the remaining blocks to be sewn for that one.  The blocks from Vacation Time will fit it nicely and I should get some sort of quilt top out of it all by the end of the BOM.  I will just keep sewing the BOM until I have enough for the quilt top.  Other blocks can become cushions or something.

I'm sewing these blocks on my Featherweight 222K.  By using the seam guide and the Perkins Dry Goods Perfect Piecing Guide, I can set a scant 1/4" seam and all of the units come out the correct size.

Happy Sewing!
Cheers from Helen

VINTAGE

My Singer Featherweight 222K with my 1960's Handychest

I'm using it to store everything that goes with my FW

Lots of room for everything!

Love these little trays - the lid clips shut to hold everything inside!

It's great to have a place for everything!

My beautifully bound FW Manual fits nicely in one front tray

My zippered pouch that I use if I am taking my FW away from home,
I keep the few essentials in this like spare bobbins, screwdriver etc

We recently had house guests...... look what they bought me!   they do know me well ...   a Singer Handychest!   This one is from the 1960's so it goes beautifully with my Singer Featherweight 222K from 1957.

The chest had everything in it from the 1960's, including the full box of cotton reels still wrapped in their cellophane!  I've put all of the stuff away and I'm now using the Handychest for all the things that go with my Featherweight.  

Time to sew!

Cheers from Helen

A NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY......

My vintage (1957) Singer 222K Featherweight

sorry if you were expecting photos of a baby!  well, this is MY new baby!  I've been searching for one for a little while and found this one locally!  the lovely lady even delivered it to me!  Her father was a Sewing Machine man and had this little machine amongst his collection.

I've had a little play on her and she sews beautifully!  everything is in tip top working order and even the power lead has been checked and tagged.  Look at the manual ---  bound! and in perfect condition. The cream box has the extra feet.  In this photo you can just see the scroll end of my Singer 201K treadle and beside her I have my Singer 201K knee shift, so now there are three Singer machines for me to play with!

Temporarily I have the Featherweight set up on the table end of the treadle but I will find her a proper home soon.  I still have one more old sewing machine base with a marble top so might bring that inside and use it.

A lot of people name their Featherweight machine, I'm giving that some thought!

You can see that the decals are a little worn on the front but that just makes me love her more!  it means that someone used to sew on her frequently.  I wonder what things she used to sew?

I'm going to use this new machine to sew my Delightful Stars blocks.  Hopefully I will get to work on Lessons 2 and 3 over this weekend,

Happy Sewing!
Cheers from Helen