Double the pleasure, double the fun!

......and the sewing machine saga continues!

So, my uncle (my cousin's dad) and his second* wife (*will be relevant later in the story!) are coming to visit us for Thanksgiving. Yay! We have such a small family and we rarely see them as they are dispersed throughout the country. They are driving down from Montana, and have graciously offered to stop in Wyoming to pick up my grandmother's sewing machine for me. How nice is that?!

Sunday morning my mom calls and says that my uncle would like to know if I would like my Auntie's sewing machine too. (it belonged to his first wife, who passed on in 2001) She had purchased hers in the late 1950's around the same time that my mom and grandmother got their machines.

AND....my grandfather had made a custom cabinet for it, and would I like that also?

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! I have been wanting a vintage machine for some time, and now I'm getting two!

That will bring my machine total up to FIVE! JD knows about my grandmother's machine coming, but I haven't told him about my Auntie's machine. He's gonna think I'm crazy, and I may have to part with one of my current machines.

Back to reality now, I haven't sewn much at all this week. Summer finally hit here and it's been in the high 90's. The heat and being back at work have sapped all my energy. I have been planning though! (I love to plan!)

We are going to Hearst Castle/Moonstone Beach to celebrate my birthday in January. I'm working on my wardrobe for the long weekend. (Martin Luther King, Jr. and I share the same birthday)

I bought this fabric on eBay. It's Michael Miller Woodland Delight Blooms Brown. (that's a mouthful!)

I'm going to make this dress:

It's Onion 2031. I got the pattern a couple of weeks ago from Denmark. I've read through the translated instructions, and I'm hoping I can figure it all out! I'm not sure if this will be the "Birthday Dress" or the "Shopping in San Luis Obispo" dress! I think the cotton fabric is a little casual, but I'm just gonna wait and see when it's done.

I have been knitting a little here and there. I'm making Noey a pair of fingerless mitts to go with the hat I recently made her. I found a pretty green/brown/cream yarn when we were in Solvang that matches the hat perfectly. It's been so long since I used double points that I had to start and then rip out the first mitt about 4 times before I got the hang of it again!

Thanks to Carolina I have changed my comments settings so now anyone can comment!!

The Sewing Gene

I come from a long line of seamstresses. Personally, I know it goes back 3 generations, maybe more. My grandmother was born in 1900. She was quite the fashion plate in her prime, and often told the story of going "downtown" with her mother to window shop. She would spot a dress in a store window, and her mother would then duplicate it for her, just by looking at it.

My grandmother, Leah Marie, was quite a seamstress as well. She made the most exquisite clothing, including this dress she wore as the mother-of-the-bride at my mother's wedding.

It is truly a work of art. I love to pull it out of the closet every once in a while to admire it. The details are amazing.

Sometime in the 1950's both my grandmother and my mother purchased Singer 301 sewing machines. My mother purchased hers to take to college with her, and still uses it to this day.

When my grandmother passed away in 1993, we decided that my cousin should take her sewing machine. Both my mother and I had nice machines, and my cousin thought she might give sewing a try.

Fast forward 17 years later...my cousin has never used the machine and asked me, out of the blue, if I would like to have it!! Ummmmmm......YES!!

The only hitch is that she lives in Wyoming and I live in California. We're working on a plan to get it to me, but I probably won't get it until Thanksgiving. In the meantime I have been doing a lot of research, I downloaded a manual, (60 some pages!) and I purchased a buttonhole attachment from Barbara.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig!

We came home from Santa Barbara on Sunday afternoon, and now it seems so long ago!

It was a great trip, perfect weather, and so relaxing. Noey spent as much time in the hotel pool as she possibly could, and her new swimsuit was just right.
(I don't know why she is wearing the skirt so low on her hips!)

We went to the Mission Santa Barbara the first day. California 4th graders study the 21 missions, so Noey has been particulary interested in them this year.

We went to Solvang the second day and, of course, we had to have Aebleskivers! Yummy! (I made Noey's shirt)

and on the third day we went to the Santa Barbara Zoo. A great little zoo in a beautiful setting. (and once again, I made the shirt!)

This is my last week off of work, and I am making the most of it. Noey is off to the Aquarium of the Pacific day camp every day from 8:00am to 5:00pm, so I've had plenty of time to sew, sew, sew!! I planned to make an item each day, 3 down and 2 to go. The first three items I made are t-shirts for Noey.

This one I made on Monday. (Tuesday's and today's have not been photographed yet) I used a women's pattern, Kwik Sew 3338, in XS which fits Noey perfectly. I've made this one a number of times before (the purple shirt above) but this time I used Fold Over Elastic for the first time! It turned out so cute! I also used a twin needle for the hem (first time also!)