Marvelous Monday Update 8/23/10

SCHOOL
Last week I worked like a dog getting 5 chapters worth of homework done BECAUSE I thought the week we do reading of said chapters is the week homework is due. Wrong! It's due the following week after we get lectured over the chapters. So, I was a week ahead, LOL.



MAGENTA IS NOT AUBURN!
Like my mother, I started getting gray hairs when I was 16 years old. At 26, I started getting my hair colored. A year ago, I decided to start coloring my own hair due to changes in the finance department: $60 at a salon vs. $10 at home... Hmmm. Granted, I *do* miss my 2 hour "therapy" session with my hairdresser of 12 years, but I digress.

It was *that* time again... so I made my monthly trip to the store and decided to try something different. For those who don't know, I'm brunette -- I was born with black hair. At the store, I chose a color called "Auburn Black". I looked at the pictures on the box. You know, the ones that show you what color your hair will look like if you're blonde, brunette, black, etc? The photo for black hair looked exactly that... black with a slight brown highlight. My inner self said, "Be brave... try it" So I did.

The application went well. No different than any other time I've done it EXCEPT the color had a pink/red tint to it. It wasn't until the next day at work that I saw the REAL color.... my gray/white hair was turned....

MAGENTA!! Not auburn, not even a red... but Magenta!

The brand I used was Feria which is made by L'Oreal. I went to their website to complain and found no email address or phone number for contact. *Grr!*


STITCHY STUFF
Carol (Just A Virginia Girl) is doing a stash reduction with some of her Blackbird Designs and Lizzie Kate charts. I've secretly coveted the LK's 12 Blessings of Christmas. When I saw that Carol had the entire set at a fabulous price, I contacted her.


Not only did she send me the charts complete with charms, she also sent the flip-it border and the bonus tree topper. Now... I just have to get busy and stitch them up!

Since I was ahead on homework, I had some time to stitch. Woo Hoo! I almost have the pig done on GM:

Can I count each animal as a finish??

CHARLEY
Guess what? Charley laid an egg last night! Of course (as warned by the previous owners) she "poops" it out from the highest perch and it crashes to the bottom of the cage. I was a bit worried about her all weekend because her feathers were fluffed up a lot... then I read that females do that when they're getting ready to lay an egg.


I have been leaving her cage door open when I'm home. When I first open it, she quickly climbs down and comes out the door for a rub on the head and some attention. Then she'll walk around on the door and climb on sides. She's "found" a new toy: The handle on the top of the cage flips back and forth. She has figured this out and will flip it from one side to the other. When she's in the mood, I can get her to "step up" on my finger or arm.


TREADLE UPDATE
On eBay, there was an auction for "singer treadle parts". There were at least 3 pieces I needed, so I bid and ended up getting them really cheap. One of the parts missing from my treadle when I got it was the bottom bobbin sliding door:



There was a needle plate and both bobbin doors in the package of parts. I spent a little time cleaning corrosion and dirt off the bottom door. Now I can see my reflection in it!

I still need to clean the needle plate and upper door. Doesn't the bottom door look awesome?


YUM-YUMS
I made these pancakes over the weekend. I'd never had them before, or even knew such a thing existed! My photo doesn't show it, but the tops should be slathered in tomato or spaghetti sauce.

Can you guess what they are?

I'm going to hold a little contest. The first person to guess what kind of pancakes these are, will get a little stitchy something from my stash pile. I will announce a winner on my next MM update. :) Plus, I will share the recipe!


FAMILY
Lastly, I found out this morning that I became an auntie again (late last night). I have another niece to add to the 6 others! My poor nephew... looks like he'll be the only boy cousin, LOL. Harlee Ann decided to enter the world early. Weighed in at 6 lbs 3oz, and was 18" long.

Marvelous Monday Update 8/16/10

SCHOOL
*Whew* The stress has already started after one week of class! I have another group project due this semester. There are 4 of us in the group this time. We have to choose a publically traded company and do a written financial analysis, then give an oral presentation on it. There will be three tests during the semester, in addition to homework problems and chapter reading. All in 8 weeks. I woke up in the middle of last night worried about whether I'd be able to do it with two jobs. Since I couldn't sleep, I read one of the chapters.


WEATHER
After weeks of high humidity and HOT-HOT-HOT temps, the weather has finally cooled down. I woke up to 59F temps this morning. Ahhhhh! Much better.


At 6am on the 11th, I walked outside and saw this rainbow to the west. The odd thing about it was that it hadn't rained for days! My guess is that there was so much humidity in the air, that a rainbow formed. About 3 days later, there was another rainbow to the east. This time due to some light showers.


DIY
No stitching this week, but I spent about 30 minutes doing more cleaning on my treadle sewing machine. I have the outside of the machine almost cleaned up.

BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Isn't it amazing what is underneath all that grime?

~ Treasure Hunting ~

I don't spend a lot of time going to yard sales, but there was one advertised up the block from me that caught my attention. It opened on Saturday the same time as my chiro appointment, so I hit it on my way home. There were cars lined up the block!

It was a "good" sale, meaning lots of "stuff" and not a lot of clothes. People were scooping up all sorts of things... it was as much fun watching them as it was looking through the goodies. Nothing caught my eye.... until....

I saw this:

A Singer Treadle Sewing Machine
Guess how much I paid for this ornate treasure?

Only $30!!!

I've seen "plain jane" treadles sold for $100 on up, so I was really excited to see this one so reasonably priced. Both the treadle wheel and shuttle work very smoothly.



In doing some research, I have found out this particular machine is a Model 27 and made in 1899. The table is on wheels and supposed to have 7 drawers... the middle one is missing. I think it looks pretty darn good for being 111 years old.

The machine belonged to the prior owner's great aunt and had been stored in the attic so it was/is quite dirty. Additional photos that show off the piece better:


In one of the drawers was a Singer Puzzle box. There were 14 different puzzle boxes manufactured with accessories for Singer machines.


Aside from the presser feet and needles, I have *no* idea what the rest of the accessories are.


On Sunday, I started cleaning up the machine. Little did I realize what was under all that grime! I am very pleased with how it's turning out. Five hours later...

Scroll back up to see the "before" shot!

More photos can be seen HERE.

Dressmaker Space Saver 100

As I leisurely wandered around another thrift store, I wasn't finding much. I spied a little box on a bottom shelf....


I opened the box to find a cute little sewing machine! I HAD to check out the specs: 17 stitches including 3 straight stitches and 3 zig-zag, button-holer, quilting guide, and a sewing light (my Happy Lite doesn't have one). It also has a zipper foot and a button foot. Free arm that stores the accessories. Even the manual and original warranty were in the box! The only thing missing was the darning plate.

I wheeled my cart with the sewing machine box over to the nearest outlet to see if it worked, and it did! So for $15, I took my new toy home.


Dressmaker Space Saver 100 Sewing Machine
I couldn't find much history about the machine other than it was manufactured by Nelco which was a Japanese company who made machines for Montgomery Wards, Sears, and other similar department stores.

For a basic machine, it's very solid and sews really well... and it's very portable compared to my full size Kenmore. :)


If anyone is in need of a copy of the out-of-print manuals, I have them for sale for $15 each.

Little did I know when I bought this machine, that I'd be buying a treadle machine a week later!

HappyLite Sewing Machine Model 1837

For less than $12 including shipping, I purchased this cute little machine off Ebay. I am now the proud owner of a Montgomery Ward HappyLite Sewing Machine (Model 1837). It is pale pink in color (was also available in turquoise blue), weighs about 8lbs, and has the same dimensions (13W x 10.5H x 5.5D) as the Janome 3125. The Happy Lite uses regular size bobbins, needles, and presser feet. It is designed with a free-arm sewing surface when the extension table is removed. According to the manual, it's capable of sewing delicate, light, medium, and heavy-weight fabrics. When originally shipped from the factory, the following items were included:

• 3 machine needles
• Bobbin
• Felt washer to be placed under the thread spool (missing on mine)
• Large screwdriver
• Small screwdriver (missing)
• Satin stitch foot (missing)
• Dust cover, which has a little pocket for the manual
• Manual

I have a full size Kenmore sewing machine that works wonderfully, but I wanted something small that I could use when I had small projects that needed to be done.

The HappyLite does 7 basic stitches, including straight, zig-zag, stretch, and rickrack. It also does reverse stitching. It's also capable of doing buttonholes, but I doubt if I'd use it for that.

This seems to be a well-built little sewing machine with basic capabilities. The only plastic parts are the knobs and the extension table. The only negative to this machine is that there is no task light. I plan on getting it serviced/tuned up and then using it for light sewing. It's also the perfect size to teach my younger nieces how to sew. If anyone has additional information or history on this machine, please let me know. Chances are slim, but I'd really like to find additional accessories such as:

• straight stitch foot (#2387)
• narrow hemming foot (#2388)
• zipper foot (#1028)
• satin stitch foot (#SM718)
• automatic buttonholder (#9259)

I have contacted Montgomery Ward and was told that the current owners only own the name and they don't have any information for products that were purchased at Montgomery Ward stores.
I have learned that the machine is possibly 16 years old and may have been manufactured by Happy Industrial Corporation in Japan (The back of the machine says: Made in Taiwan) and sold by Happy America Corp., 4705 Hydraulic Rd, Rockford, IL 61109. The Happy America Corp was established in 1978 in order to sell to Montgomery Ward.

If anyone is in need of a copy of the out-of-print manuals, I have them for sale.  Leave a comment with your email address and I'll get back to you.