Most of yesterday was spent playing with my tiny stash, working out what fabric to put in the raggy quilts for my customer (such a thrill, still, that someone likes my quilts enough to comission some). I settled on some lovely, almost duck-egg blue for one, and will use up some shabby pink floral stuff for the other. Unlike before, it was all washed and neatly ironed before I cut it. I am learning a little. And I have cut about half of the chenille I need, so preparation-wise I'm nearly there. I do hope the new featherweight will sew chenille.

After all that I didn't get around to cutting the fabric for the 'real' quilt - so I have that to look forward to today - if I am brave enough.


Here's Sookie 'helping' me organise the new fabric after it was ironed yesterday afternoon.


Cathi shared her "new" treadle and I immediately had to rush off and take a photo of mine to share. I love my treadle machine! It was a present to my grandmother from my grandfather who I never met, after they were married (the story goes that she was not pleased with this old machine, and wished she had the new one she had had to leave behind in Scotland). I have always loved it, ever since the time I was so small that all I could do was play with the pedal, and had no idea that that was what she made my clothes on (because, of course, she always put it away when we came to stay). I have made on it my wedding dress, all the curtains for the first house we lived in after we were married, and about half the curtains for this house - until I learned how to make raggy quilts, and lost interest in curtain-making!!!

And, while I'm thinking about old sewing machines, here is a little Kimball & Morton machine I picked up when I lived in Glasgow - they were made there about 1900. It is more temperamental, and sometimes I can't get it to work at all.