Crystal Clear

About once I year I have no choice but to empty out the glass front cabinets, fill the kitchen sink with hot, soapy water and hand wash (and dry) all the crystal and glass until it sparkles brightly again. It takes me the better part of a day. Although it's tedious, I'm always delighted to be reacquainted with glassware that reminds of special people, times and places. 

For example: this decanter and drinking glass set was my grandmother's; it is at least one hundred years old. My mother remembers it from her childhood, sitting on a bedside table. It's in perfect condition, stands about eight inches tall, and brings a smile to my face whenever I see it, it's a true treasure. So it goes: shelf after shelf; wash, dry and put back in position.

Do you have occasional, mundane tasks at your house that you put off (and off and off...) until you can't stand it one more day? Plunging in has it's own reward; it's deeply satisfying afterwards to stand back and take in the gleaming sight of a job well done. Having it all out made me think we should have had a party to celebrate. But, then, there'd be all those glasses to wash up! 😉

Life is Good!

Discovered Treasures Providing Smiles

We've been dining by candlelight the last few days, from the glow cast by candles standing in vintage silver candlesticks no less. These, and other treasures, have recently come to live here as we continue the monumental task of cleaning out my dear mother-in-law's home. These candlesticks represent the blending of two families when my husband's parents wed; these belonged, at one time, to both sets of his grandparents and were passed down decades ago. Now they reside here. Their shine and patina are thanks to a generous amount of elbow grease and silver polish. They make me smile.  

While cleaning out drawers in the kitchen I ran across this gem. Mom had a terrific sense of humor and this made me smile too, I can just hear her chuckling when she bought this tea towel. I had never seen it before, it was brand-new; of course it was, she was probably "saving it" as she did items "too nice" to use! 

This grand-prize of all treasures is not brand-new, but it is in brand-new condition! According to my husband's sister, Mom used to sew a good bit; that statement, and the contents of the cabinet's drawers, prove that may have been the case at one time. However, in the past 42 years that I had been her daughter-in-law, I never once saw this cabinet opened out and had absolutely no knowledge of what model machine was contained therein! I was beyond thrilled to discover a pristine Singer 301 nestled inside. The 301 has long been prized for its stitch quality and dependability. According to some tracking that I have done using the serial number, it appears that this machine was manufactured in Anderson, SC in October of 1952. It has followed me to our house, Mom can rest assured that I will give it a loving home; I do believe that fact is providing an approving smile, from her, in Heaven.💗

Life is Good! 

Hand-Cranked Sweetness

I'll bet you thought this post was going to be about homemade ice cream, didn't you? Nope. It's about this Singer model #20, hand crank operated, child's sewing machine. I don't exactly how old this one is, they were manufacured from the 1910 through 1975. I've had mine for quite some time and it's quite old. My husband gave it to me years ago, it was an antique at the time. I set it on a shelf and have displayed it over the years, I honestly never gave a thought to actually using it or even that it might stitch at all! It's only been recently, when Gregory's been visiting (he adores all things mechanical!) that he asked if he could really sew (with thread), as opposed to "air" sewing (turning the crank and running scraps under the presser foot that fall into a heap behind the machine). I got serious about researching the machine and investigating the possibility of actually bringing it back into functional mode. I never had an instruction manual for it, I had the original box that it came in and the clamp that attaches it to a table top, that's it. Luckily, I found a free download for the manual online and printed it out. I ordered some needles specifically for it, it takes a rather rare 24 X 1 needle. Mr. Goodneedle took a look at the mechanism underneath and made one simple adjustment and, just like that, we were off and stitching!

The machine has no bobbin; it makes a chain stitch, and a very nice one at that! In this photo you can see the stitch on the top side. I turned this practice piece upside down to show the chain stitch as it looks on the backside (as indicated by the arrow), it's a little thicker stitch underneath but equally pretty.  I am impressed by the engineering that went into this machine as well as the longevity, with NO maintenance whatsoever over the years that I have had it, for it to pick up and stitch so effortlessly this morning is a terrific testimony to a well built machine. It still could use an adjustable seam guide, I'll have to order one; it was an original attachment that screws down into a threaded hole in the bed and will be helpful when the grandchildren use it to keep the edges straight as they crank the fabric though.

I needed the assistance of additional lighting to thread the needle, I'm sure a child's eyes could handle that task easily without one. But, the thought occurred to me when I pulled out this flashlight, if we have a power outage in the future all is not lost... now I can still sew! 

Life is Good!