Sailboats, Dinosaurs, and Flea Market Finds

Welcome to Treadlestitches!

Now that Hands 2 Help is done for another year, I'm getting back to other projects.

Here's what I started with, a little quilt top.  It was made by Mary G., a nice lady who worked in a local post office.  When she passed away, her heirs contacted our quilt group and donated lots of fabric and unfinished objects.  This was one of those UFOs.

The top originally was long and narrow.  I had a border fabric in mind, but didn't have enough of it for a larger quilt.  So I took off one row of sailboats.

Don't worry, I didn't toss them!  I put them on the back, along with a sailboat print.

There was just enough of the wavy blue fabric to go on the border.  The binding is a solid navy blue scrap.  Can you see the ocean creatures and plants in the black print?  Mary G. had a good idea there.  And she even staggered the blocks, like I've been doing lately.  I'm sorry I didn't get to know her.

For quilting, I chose these curvy lines, like the wind blowing the sails or the waves in the water.  I used a stencil and a purple disappearing marker, which washed right out.  

So, lots of dark blue in this little quilt for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  I also got my 16 patch blocks done in dark blue.

I think this print looks like gumballs.

This one is like a rainbow brick wall.

Here's some Thomas the Tank Engine print.

And numbers.  Why is it if I only have a little scrap of something it becomes my favorite?

In other news, dinosaurs!

Dino skeletons invade the library lobby!  My little guys wore their dino shirts, and posed with their dino pals.  My Little Buddy made sure to tell me this tall one was a baryonyx.  He's going to be a first grader in the fall, so he knows these things.  Our Little Guy liked the dinosaurs, but really loved getting more train books.  We're all signed up for summer reading.

Hubby and I went to a flea market on Memorial Day weekend, and I got this little group of fabrics, all good prices.  There are 3 yards of the dog fabric, I just have to think of something good to do with it.  (Any ideas?) We also got some toys for the kids and more track for the toy trains.

I just couldn't resist stopping to look at this pretty treadle.  It's a Singer 66, with the decals collectors call Red Eye.  A very useful treadle, by the way, since it takes modern needles and you can still find bobbins for it sometimes in the chain fabric stores.  

This tag on the machine cabinet caught my eye.  The M.P.S. is probably Milwaukee Public Schools.  The machine dates to 1920.  I'm guessing it was used to teach sewing, either to high school students or adults in the Extension Dept.  Not much wear on the decals!  As electricity was coming in, treadles were going out of favor, so it may not have gotten much use.  Wonder where it's been all this time.   While looking at it, I met another sewing machine enthusiast who also uses her treadle.

And that's what I'm going to do today, use my treadle to stitch up some more blocks and tops.  Right after I get back from the Farmers Market.  And there will definitely be some time to read quilt blogs!  I am so grateful to the bloggers and to the gracious ladies who provide the link ups. Many thanks!

And thanks to you for reading this!

Sincerely,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap