Anyone Can Quilt

Dueling Easybake ovens.

Evenings in my kitchen have looked like this lately.  Besides the messy counters, just pretend you don't see those please, thank you.

We found Big Sis's old Easybake oven, and just purchased this one above for Little Sis at the Walmarts.  They have been having a blast with these.  And at ages 11 and 9 they can do it all by themselves.  Even better!  Big Sis got hers on her 4th birthday and although she enjoyed it then, it's so much more fun for her now that she can do it all on her own.

Behold, tiny nachos...

And of course, the classic tiny cake...

These Easybake cakes actually don't taste all that great.  And they get expensive.  So we decided to whip up a bowl of regular cake batter and keep it covered in the fridge so they can just spoon out the batter whenever they feel like baking.  'Real' cake batter tastes so much better.  

I had an Easybake oven when I was a little girl and I LOVED it so much.  It's so fun to peruse Ebay for vintage Easybake ovens, they looked so much cooler in the 60's and 70's!  I'm tempted to get one of the old ones just for kicks.  And just so you know I would totally bake with it.  Mine was the orange-y gold one from the 80's, but I really like the aqua and yellow ones from the 60's. 

It's hard to catch a glimpse of the goods! 

I love being a mommy to my girls.  Of course I would equally love having boys, but then I might have to bake in an Easybake oven all by myself, that or resort to bribery.  x

Me, trying to get up.

This is what my mornings look like lately.  Not wanting to get out of my cozy bed, content in the covers.  Partly because it's been so gray and wet outside.  Partly because I don't have to be anywhere early in the morning.  One of the perks of homeschooling my girls.  Mornings aren't stressful, we get to linger over breakfast, and heck why not do school in our pajamas and poofy robes today. 

 

Ok, I'm crawling out.  We do have work to do after all.  When school is done I'll get to play in my sewing room while listening to the music of the rain.  My favorite sound.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You all so much for the coffee cozy love!  Your comments were all so sweet and kind and wonderful.  I'm having so much fun sewing up some new ones to list in my Etsy store.   Along with some jewelry.  I don't show jewelry very often on my blog.  But I do love making jewelry.  And it's so fun stocking up my little shop!

 

This cozy is one of my favorites, I'm in love with this swirly white vintage button.  And anything with little birds on it kills me. 

 

Here's a little jewelry peek. 

The colors!  Choosing beads for me is almost as fun as picking fabrics for a quilt.  I said almost.  Have a wonderful day my friends.  And I will sincerely try to be out of my pajamas by noon.  Please wish me luck.  xoxo

Attractive anywhere.

I unpacked the Crystal Pine Tree.  Given to us by my mumsy-in-law.  She gifted me with lots of treasures that had belonged to her mother.  This is the first time I opened this wonderful box.

Oh my new Crystal Pine!  Since it's 'Attractive anywhere', I decided to put it in my sewing room.  I also decided to put it in my sewing room so Mr. Precious wouldn't break it to pieces.  Not that he ever does anything naughty. 

Oh no, he's the perfect little gentleman.

Back to the tree.  It makes me happy.  Happy in a way only a little old plastic tree with little old glass ornaments could.

 

 

 

We're starting to feel all Christmas-y in these parts.

Hot chocolate with marshmallows.

 

Baking.

 

A warm fire.

Decorations.

I won these trees at bunko!  They look like ice and have lights in them that change color. 

 

Mama brought me a couple of antique dust pans last time she was here.  One is hanging by the front door and contains Rosie's leash and doggy poo-poo bags.  The other one is hanging here. 

(Yes, still have the tape on the stove.  It's been working to keep the cat from sleeping up there, but doesn't look so pretty. )

 

Even got a little knitting in.  Arm warmers for my girls. 

 

I hope you're feeling all Christmas-y too! 

Enjoy every minute. x

 

Once upon a time...

... there was a shiny new sewing machine.  Fresh out of the Elizabeth, NJ factory in 1923.  She was a sturdy gal, and ever so lovely.  She was powered by a treadle, and was always reliable while mothers made clothes for daughters, and patient while little girls spent hours learning to sew.  She was loved for many years and was brought from house to house and even traveled all the way across the country.   She was happily handed down to grown up daughters.  

 

When this precious sewing machine was about 50 years old, she was sold to a new family.  She would miss the kind family that she was used to, but bravely moved on and did her job proudly. 

 

As the years went by, she seemed to spend more of her time sitting quietly in the background, and was used less and less.  Finally she was replaced all together by modern electric machines.  Each year she continued to gather dust, dirt and spiderwebs.   She wasn't so shiny and lovely anymore, but she didn't care too much about that.   What she really longed for was to sew, to be useful again. 

 

Then one foggy fall day she found herself in the back of a car!  She was being moved again after all of these years. 

She was set in a special spot in a warm sewing room, and her new owner got to work, carefully scrubbing her clean.  She was beginning to feel like herself again.  Even her wood was polished, and each gear carefully oiled.  There was something familiar about her new owner, she reminded her of her first family.  She couldn't believe she was being fussed over so!   And then it happened... she began to sew, happily purring along with every perfect stitch.  She was home.

 

 

Please say hello to my new sewing machine my friends!  I am over the moon.  I still can't believe how she came to be mine.  Not too horribly long ago my family was visiting an old church in our little town.  It's not our church, but the one that my grandparents belonged to when I was a baby, before they moved from Oregon to Texas.  While we were there a kind old woman came over to say hello, and in conversation I told her who my grandparents were.  She fondly remembered them and then she asked me a question. 

"I have your grandmother's old treadle sewing machine, would you like to have it?"  ---

I can't believe it, after more than 30 years of selling the old machine, that has been in my family ever since my mom can remember, and that could have been gone forever, is in my sewing room.  My great-grandma Martha's machine.  The very machine that my mother, and probably her mother, used to learn to sew on.   My mom was so exited when I told her.  She can't wait to see it. 

 

It's got an electric light on the back.  Ooh so fancy!  The plug was all smooshed so my sweet husband got right to work and attached a new plug for me.  Good as new!

 

 

 

 

She really does have perfect stitches!  My little girls even took her for a spin.  They told me that this is the only machine they want to sew on from now on!!... Unless they get a Hello Kitty sewing machine... of course.

 

 

 

 

There are even left overs in the drawers!  And some CRAZY looking feet.  I vow to learn what the french toast they are for, and how to use them. 

 

 

Can you tell that I'm beaming?  While playing with my great-grandSinger I came up with a little idea.  I like being able to have patterns for whatever project I'm working on up and out of the way of my work space, but so I can still see them while I'm working.  So this idea popped into my head this morning. 

Take one old wash board, (thanks mom!!) and some pretty magnets, and voila!

 

 

 

 

Enough pictures for ya?  Admitting I have a problem is the first step...

 I can't stop myself.  Here's one for the road.

 

Thank you all so much for spending a little bit of your day with me!  I'm hoping to crawl out of my 'I'm really far behind on everything and can't seem to catch up' hole and get caught up on all of your fabulous blogs this weekend. 

That, and do some old school sewing on my new machine.  Really it's not mine, it belongs to the wonderful women in my family, past and future.  I'm just thankful she made it back to us, and that I get to be her caretaker for awhile.  x

A Quickie Post, you know, to let you know I'm alive and all...

First of all, my bread was smiling at me last night.  

 

Yes my friends, this is the sort of thing that cracks me up.  Only I can't show you how I carried it around to my family making it talk and sing... Then my kids wanted to know which grilled cheese sandwich had the face on it because they didn't want to eat that one.  Moving on.

I know my poor blog is feeling lonely and neglected as I try to get myself into a nice life/blogging groove this fall.  So I decided to walk around and snap a few pictures of my early morning to do a little post.  I have to be quick since my girlies use the computers for their school!  Here's my living room, notice the Halloween quilt on the little couch!  I was SO happy to get this out of the closet and onto the couch.  Especially since it was 35 degrees outside as we awoke this morning! 

 

Next I was double happy to light the fire.  Nice and cozy.  Please notice the tape covering the top of the stove.  That is to keep the cat off.  He loves laying up there.  Which seems cute, but then cleaning off all of the crap that tends to fly off his furry body as he cleans himself up there isn't so cute.  But does the tape work?  He doesn't lay on it, but he's an expert at walking through the sea of tape very carefully.  It's his gift.

 

Next, couch with stuff all over it.  After I cleaned off most of the stuff for fear of embarrassment.  I blame the kids.

 

What state is my sewing room in this morning?  It might frighten you, but we're friends so I don't think you'll mind too much.  Don't shake your head at me ok?

 

Oh dear it's a mess.  Stuff everywhere. 

 

Here we have a quilted quilt, some slipper parts, a quilt waiting to be quilted, an enamel dish full of old hankies, and a stack of fabric to make bunting out of.

 

Each one of these above are $1 and $2 a yard Walmart fabrics.  I love these cheap little hussies. 

Trying to figure out what to do with all of these lovely hankies that my mama gave me.  She also gave me the gorgeous enamelware plate/platter that was her grandma's.  It's so lovely.

 

Here's the sleepy princess in the dark who doesn't want to get out of bed on this cold morning.

And now, the kitchen table, that I must clean off to get ready for school, which will start at precisely 8:30 this morning. 

After taking a look at my scary sewing room, I hope to get back in there this evening to give it a stern talking to.  It really should take better care of itself. 

Happy Fall to you all.  x 

(The Montana pictures are coming soon mom!!)