Maiden Post

I've made things since always, on and off. Once upon a time, I decided to quit playing video games. MMOs are great fun and I "met" a lot of cool people through playing, but it was time for a tangible reward for my efforts. As awesome as cooperating with 39 other people to accomplish a goal in game is, it boils down to pixels and the camaraderie is hard to explain. Plus it's a total freakin' time-sink.

So I taught myself how to knit again. I'd learned in childhood but forgotten how. By using books, YouTube videos and message boards, picking it up again was pretty quick. Made some wonderful things - have more in mind to make, sometime. Oh and do I love yarn. Since I'm a very slow knitter and a very optimistic shopper, my stash is quite healthy.

Then, I wanted to make a blanket. But I didn't want to knit it. I'm even more slow and ineffective at crochet, so that was out. Took a quilt class seven years ago, but didn't finish. I pulled out the fabrics, my sewing machine (an electric zig-zag given to me by my Mom), some how-to magazines and books from the library and put a lap quilt together. It was great fun. Piecing is fine, but I need to work on my seam allowances. The actual putting the quilt together - getting the batting, backing, and top made into a sandwich - was even more fun. I'd machine quilted the top with straight lines and put on a binding. DONE! So incredibly gratifying and the recipient loved it.

I have about four more quilts queued up in my head.

My family sewing machine was passed down to me. It's a lovely treadle, about 100 years old, give or take... I've been paranoid about breaking it or causing irreparable damage to the lovely decals or wooden cabinet. I'm also interested in mechanical things. Did a lot of research, most of it online, and found great support on my favorite knitting site (!), Ravelry, and at TreadleOn. So I picked up a few vintage sewing machines to 'practice' on. Fixing and cleaning and oiling and threading and bobbins and general how-tos.

I'm hooked. I love vintage and antique sewing machines. Haven't met many I don't like. So far I've taken a few from rusted up and not even moving to making stitches and ready for new motors and/or wires. Or hand crank. Or treadle. My master plan is to share my thrift-store finds with friends and share the joy of sewing. As long as I can get most of them working (we won't talk about how many, yet), my plan just might work.