Last year I wrote about my Demorest treadle sewing machine and today I finally sewed with it! The thread guide is missing so my Dad rigged up a wire thread guide for me.
The thread guide my Dad made.
Isn’t it clever?
The poor machine bereft of its thread guide.
I hope you all had a great Independence Day!
Filed under Historical, Life, Sewing, Uncategorized
Lately I’ve been doing more hand sewing and really liking it. There are a lot of benefits for stitching your stuff by hand. Here are eight of them:
1. No danger of sewing over a pin. This messes up a sewing machine’s feed dogs.
2. More portable. No need for electricity or extension cords.
3. Damages delicate fabrics less. My Granny told me about a skirt suit she made for an officer’s wife out of silk that the officer had brought home from Thailand (I think). One of the lapel points wasn’t coming out right and, having taken out the machine stitching a time or two, the silk was shredding. There wasn’t enough material to cut a new lapel so Granny sewed that pesky point by hand. It turned out perfectly and the lady never knew. She adored the ensemble and wore it all the time.
Colorful Threads by Petr Kratochvil
4. Less expensive. Compare the price of a machine with the price of a packet of needles. ‘Nuff said.
5. More control. I dislike overshooting the mark and sewing over something that’s not supposed to be sewn over. And going reallyfast then r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w then reallyfast then r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w holds no appeal. (But that can be fixed if your machine has speed control.)
6. Quiet. No buzzing. It’s like…ninja sewing. Until you stab yourself.
7. Uses less space. If you don’t have a machine you can fit more fabric on the shelf! A bigger stash is a good thing, right?
8. You can squish more fabric into a smaller area. Generically speaking, a machine can gather about 3″ into 1″ whereas by hand you can get up to 10″ in 1″! And it’s less bunchy. See #5.
Do you do more hand sewing or machine sewing? Which do you prefer? Leave a comment and tell me about it!
Filed under Crafts, Historical, Humor, Life, Sewing
Daylight Savings begins at midnight!
Hooray. Be overwhelmed with my joy at the occasion. Joy as in, “Oh no, less sleep. How will I cope?!” Actually, it’s not that big of a problem, just bothersome. It’s quite nice later on when we get extra sleep. (To make up for what we missed in March.)
Remember: Spring ahead!
Prague Astronomical Clock Detail by Vera Kratochvil
Filed under Life
Have a great Christmas full of fun, love, and laughter! (And pie!)
Merry Christmas from me to you!
We put up our tree on Tuesday, and it looks beautiful! I finished my Sister’s present–only three more to go. Mom’s is 1/4 done, and Dad’s is off to a good start. Big Brother’s has the least progress, however, that shouldn’t be a problem, I have nine days. Nine days?! EEEK! I will get those presents made, by hook or by crook! (Actually, I don’t crochet, so a hook is out of the question.) =)
<><>oo<><> Merry Christmas! <><>oo<><>
…for five kernels of corn. That’s a line from a historically based poem by Hezekiah Butterworth about the first Thanksgiving. According to the poem, the Pilgrim’s rations were so low, since the supply ships hadn’t arrived, that five kernels of corn was the only food each person had daily.
One Thanksgiving, we all came to the table and only five kernels of corn were on each plate. My Mom read us the poem before bringing out our meal. Dad cooked and mashed his corn to see how much it would be and it was barely a spoonful. It amazes me that a holiday associated with plenty originated with want.
I’m very glad to say that no matter what, God has provided for me and my family. We have never gone without food, shelter, or any of life’s necessities. He has always been with us and always will be. That’s what I’m thankful for.
FIVE KERNELS OF CORN
by Hezekiah Butterworth
‘Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o’er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
and dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!
“Five Kernels of Corn! Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!”
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
“Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!”
O Bradford of Austerfield hast on thy way,
The west winds are blowing o’er Provincetown Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners’ Hill!
“Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone,
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!
“The raven’s gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice!”
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the “Five Kernels of Corn.”
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!
To the Thanksgiving Feast bring Five Kernels of Corn!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Filed under Holidays
Sundry Wonders 