Move Over, Make Room

For the first time in a very long time I sat down yesterday-- and stitched; on my brand-new, inherited, vintage Singer 301.  After lovingly oiling her this past weekend, and adding some motor lubricant to the teeth of the gears, she purrs like a kitten and makes a most impeccable stitch. It took me all of, hmmm... let's see, ten seconds to get used to the sewing posture for this one. There is a knee-lever which controls the (mounted inside the cabinet) foot pedal; for the last twenty-plus years I have been sewing on Berninas where the knee lever controls the presser foot up/down. I adjusted quickly to the change. There is a handy little cross piece along the inside bottom of the cabinet on which to comfortably rest my foot. I adore this machine, I have named her Ruth.  When it was time for me to bring her home to live here my husband innocently asked: "where will this machine go?" I answered, immediately, "in the sewing room, of course." "Is there room?" he continued. "I will make room" was my reply.  And I did. I have two other cabinet machines situated in the center of the room.

This picture is from ten years ago, when Mr. Goodneedle built this three-part table for the machines and storage. It is well used and much loved.

Ruth and her first real project since arriving at Chez Goodneedle, a pillow case for Ryan's Case for Smiles.

Ruth entered this space quietly and graciously, she fits nicely right in front of the window and gives me a wonderful view of the bird feeders just beyond the side porch. My other machines haven't been one bit jealous of Ruth's arrival, they have deferred to her senior status; there's been no pushing or shoving for top-dog status. This relationship is one of harmony and cooperation.

The comings and goings just outside the window, at the finch feeder on the other hand, are the exact opposite. These pretty little birds are quite aggressive with one another vying for a place of their own at the table. They could learn a lesson from Ruth if only they just peeked inside, there's room for everyone to coexist peacefully, if they would only wait their turn.

...and we just keep buying seed...

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!