I'm back!

Wow...it's been forever since I've posted.  Well, two months, which is kind of like forever on the internet.

It's been kind of hard.  In April I had a miscarriage.  For a pregnancy that wasn't planned, it hit me surprisingly hard.  I was devastated, and for a while I didn't want to do anything except sit on the couch, eat ice cream, and cuddle my two kids.  Partway through I started sewing again.  Now I'm pretty much ready to rejoin society, and I'm relieved that I feel like sewing and writing again.

I was busy during my absence.  I made a little holder for my iPod so the screen doesn't get scratched in my purse.  I used my treadle sewing machine to do it.  I love the fact that I used a 111 year old sewing machine to make a holder for a cutting-edge piece of technology.  Ha!

I also made a summertime purse.  One log cabin quilt block for the front, a solid piece for the back, some lining and a strap, and we're good.

I'm working on a tumbling blocks quilt for my kids.  It's pretty small, so I'll have to add borders to make it decent-sized.  One of these days I'm going to learn how to measure and plan my quilt before hand so it ends up the right size, and I don't have to add borders.

I mentioned my treadle machine...after becoming a vintage sewing machine aficionado, I took the leap and bought two antique machines.  Below is a picture of my 50 year old Singer Spartan, which now resides at my sister's house, and its replacement, a Singer model 66 from 1920.  I bought a replica hand crank and now it's my machine to take places, which was originally the Spartan's role.  I took it to a sew day at the Milwaukee Modern Quilt Guild and it performed well.  Also, I didn't have to worry about finding a table near an outlet!

And below is the machine head for my 1901 Singer model 27, the one I used to make the iPod holder.  The decals are pretty worn, but the sphinx is intact. 

I still use my electric machine, a 50 year old Kenmore model 52, for actual quilting, but I'm starting to use the treadle and hand crank for piecing and small sewing projects.

Today was my last day at work before summer break.  I'm happy to have the next couple of months to sew and enjoy my family.  I also have some ideas brewing.  It feels good to be making stuff again.