Sewing machines

This is one of the tabletoppers I made, they went together fast!  It's a pattern I came up with after getting ideas from quilting magazines.  I call this pattern "Comin' and Goin' ".

This is why I chose this design... My sister's house caught fire January 12th.  Enjoying a day off from work, she was sitting on the floor of her 2nd bedroom, filing tax paperwork piled on her lap and around the floor. Then “someone” told her to go get something to drink. Thinking she was going crazy for a minute, and not wanting to move since she had just sorted things. she decided to say back ‘I’m not thirsty, I don’t need anything to drink.” And the voice said, “Yes, you do.”

So she moved everything she had just sorted, went to the kitchen, saw puffs of snow blowing past the window and turned to the refrigerator.  As she grasped the handle, it hit her... it's not snowing today, that was SMOKE!  She ran out the door only to see flames beginning to come from the attic vent near the roof.

She ran to wake up her son, grabbed her cat, and the tax papers.  As she was headed outside, on the phone to 911, a man in a red truck pulled into the driveway. He yelled out the window “are you on the phone to 911?” She yelled back “yes!”. He nodded, pulled back out of the driveway and left. She still doesn’t know who it was.

I said "Isn’t it cool? God sent back-up just in case you decided you weren't going to get up!  He's got you comin' and goin'!"   And that's what I decided to name this design.  I made 2, one will go to her friend who is taking care of Sushi (the cat).

Update:  My sister's house was spared, the volunteer fire department arrived within 5 minutes.  The fire damaged only the roof and attic.  It was 10 degrees that day and all the water pumped into her attic froze in the attic insulation, she didn't have a drop of water come through the ceiling, another miracle.

The fire was caused by old wiring in the attic. Farm Bureau Insurance is the BEST insurance company on earth.  They took care of EVERYTHING, even giving money to the family friend who took care of the cat. My sister rented a propane heater and placed it in the basement to keep the pipes from freezing overnight, it was below zero that night.  She spent that first night in the house, with no electric or even gas, to make sure the heater stayed on.  It didn't do much for the upstairs, her bedroom was a nice toasty 44 degrees unfortunately.

In the following months, the roof and insulation was replaced, and all is well.  We still don't know who the man in the red truck was.  She lives on a dead end road, no one ever drives down that road.

 Update:  I found a pattern that closely resembles my quilt!
Click here to download a pdf file of the Pinwheel Pindot Quilt pattern from the fatquartershop website




What machine do you use for quilting?  My main machine is an Elna sewing machine (shown below).  Before the Elna, I had a 20 yr old Bernina Artista 640.  It was a well loved machine and I put 2 million stitches on it.  Before the Bernina I used Brother sewing machines.  

I found a faaabulous vintage sewing machine at the thrift store the other day.  It's a beautiful Belvedere Adler 950-B.  I can't find any information online and I've searched for hours!
But I did find others who were looking for the same info! 

Someone thought it needed a thick coat of white paint, I'm in the process of stripping the paint.  I'll post photos when it's finished.


The machine is immaculate, not a scratch on it anywhere. The paint and the chrome are beautiful, almost like looking at a 57 Chevy! The entire machine is metal, not a bit of plastic on it anywhere. It has decorative stitches, l-c-r needle, a 4-step button hole and you should see the innards, just like the day it was born. 
Even the foot plate is like brand new. There were no attachments or manual, but the bobbin case was there as well as the all-purpose foot. The poor thing was bone dry so of course I slathered it with oil.
Boy you should hear her hum! The picture doesn't do the chrome justice, it's beautiful.  

 I created a manual for the Belvedere Adler 950-B .  It has photos to show how to reassemble the tension, and a lot more.  

The innards look identical to a Singer 15-91 I have.  There are other elements that are Singer-esqe, for lack of a better word.  The motor has label from Japan.



 I've added a new gal to the sewing room.  I've always wanted a Singer 201 and I found one on ebay.  It's a 201-3, with the light attached on the back of the machine rather than the front.  It's in great condition, manufactured in 1948.  I need to replace all the wiring before I plug it in, that's next on the to-do list. 


My main machine was purchased recently.  It's an Elna eXcellence 780+ sewing machine.  It is my dream machine!  It has so many features that make sewing a pleasure.   This machine is identical to the Janome 9450.  I especially love the retractable LED light that shines in front of the needle.  It is so handy for sewing in the evening.



And my travel machine is a Elna Experience 570.



I found another 201 on facebook marketplace and couldn't pass it up.  This one
was locked up and I needed to take it apart for a good cleaning, it was locked up with hardened old oil.  This happens when you use the wrong kind of oil, such as 3-in-1 oil.  It works great now!



5 comments:

  1. Your sisters fire story sounds familiar to me. I had that same voice before. I had this guy tailgating me. I had to make a turn. I thought to myself, I'm gonna have to make this turn fast or he is going to hit me. Then a voice said "No. To many people walk this neighborhood." I listened. No sooner than I turned the corner, a mother who was already out of her car was going around to the other side of her SUV to get her daughter. She had left her door open. Her daughter hopped out of the driver door and in to the road. She could have only been 3. Thank God I LISTENED! The mother and I looked at each other in horror of what almost happened. She appologized for her daughter(there was no need to). I know in my heart what would have happened if I didn't listen.

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  2. Wow, Danielle, the Lord is so good. The 'voice' is something I've learned to listen to as well. Thank you for sharing your story! :~)

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  3. Your quilt studio looks awesome!

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  4. We have the manual for the Adler in FB group I admin. This machine was a badged machine, made 'naked' and had various names put on it by buyers to sell in their stores.

    Dressmaker, Universal, Good Housekeeper, Remington...many names may be on it.

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  5. I have the Belevedere Adler 850-B. Case, manual, all attachments. The case is a mess from being in the garage. I'd be willing to sell it. It's is GREAT condition. Had it listed on E-bay but no one really knows the brand.

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