A New Family Member

Well, if my beloved Bernina 830 is my first child, which it undoubtedly is, I am proud to announce the addition of its twin to the family.

A short while ago, I joined a Facebook group called Vintage Bernina Sewing Machines.  I soon became aware that lots of people are as in love with this model as I have been.

Look at These Cool Buttons!

I did a tiny bit of repair on this jacket, and fell in love with the buttons.  It's a cropped polar fleece jacket from the late 1980s or early 90s.  (And for sale, if you're interested, at my friend Julia's Etsy shop.)  The jacket is by Spanish designer Celia Tejada.  And let me tell you, she had quite an eye for choosing buttons!

Has anyone out there ever seen a button styled like this?  I haven't!  I mean really, how fun is this?!

There are appliquéd red rectangles at the buttonholes, so when the jacket is closed, these clever buttons get the spotlight they deserve!

Here's to those who step out of the box!

A Glimpse of the Past

Today I've been mending vintage clothes for Basya Berkman Vintage Fashion.

One of my "patients" is a 1960s-70s dress that needed a new hem.  I found a nice coral hem tape in amongst my stash of vintage sewing supplies.

The reason I'm telling you this, really, is because of the label on the package.

Mushrooms 2017

As I've mentioned, I do enjoy walking about taking photos.  It's a kind of meditation and mindfulness for me.

We let our yard grow fairly wild, very wild in places.  The lawn area has so much "other" besides grass that we've taken to calling it a meadow.  There is lots of clover.  Lots of violets.  There is Queen Anne's Lace, which we let grow up tall in some places and mow in others.  There is oxalis.  There is usually plantain, though as I write this, I'm thinking that I haven't seen much this year.  This time of the year, there are little Black Eyed Susans in amongst the Queen Anne's.  For several years we had an expanding fairy ring of mushrooms.  I planted wild geranium and ferns when we moved in, and those have expanded.  There are many other things that I can't name.

Eclipse 2017

Eclipse. I saw it. Totality. So amazing! More amazing than I thought it would be, and I thought it would be amazing.

We picked Paducah, KY, for our eclipse watching destination, as any self-respecting quilter would do.  The exhibits at the National Quilt Museum are so thoughtful and beautifully displayed.  It's so heartwarming to have this institution preserving and promoting the creativity and successes of our dedicated quilt artists.   

19th Century Toddler's Outfit

Well, so, a friend told me she'd found a box in the attic with this long forgotten outfit.  Her mom gave it to her more than a few years ago.  She got no information from her mother about it.  It's in pretty sad shape, so .... she thought I might want it.  Hee, hee.

It's so hard for me to say to no to an antique gift!  So I said yes.  I think super fragile pieces like this still have value in the "study collection" realm, as examples of clothing construction techniques of the past.

My Grandpa

 

Last week, I spent some time with a friend, researching her family on Ancestry, and finding some exciting things.  I was therefore inspired to do some more poking around in my own family files.  I discovered this delightful photo of my maternal grandfather in his senior yearbook at Purdue Univ.  He studied electrical engineering.  I have his Purdue class ring and other wonderful mementos.   He's the dapper fellow on the left.   I learned a few things - he played mandolin and his nickname was Mike.  Wonder how they got that from Maurice Henry?   He died when I was only 4, but I remember him clearly and the wonderful grandpa games he played with me.   I would go in their closet, he would knock on the door, and when I, being the housewife, opened the door, I never knew what kind of person he'd be portraying, milkman, window washer, salesman....   Such fun!  There's a 1950s game for ya!