I was a little pre-occupied with blogging about Ste Anne this month, and didn't get around to sharing a few other projects that were also underway.
I was all caught up with Barbara Brackman's Grandmother's Choice blocks at the beginning of the month. Here are blocks 42-45. Two of my favorites, in terms of the story associated with the block, are Gentleman's Fancy (bottom left) and Cats and Mice (bottom right). Of course, now I'm behind again; there aren't many weeks left in the BOW, so I better focus on getting caught up!
I also got caught up in some Pinterest-inspired furniture painting. This Ikea shelving unit was part of the furniture that came with our camp. I have a growing collection of cobalt blue glassware at the camp, and needed more display space. Cobalt blue just doesn't show up against black, so I decided the shelves needed paint.
It only took two coats of primer and two coats of white latex paint to get everything covered! I'm more than happy with the results, though. Not all the glass is on display yet and I haven't re-hung a quilt on the wall, but I can check that painting project off the to-do list.
I found this vintage sewing machine on Craigslist a few months ago, but it's been sitting, unloved, in my dining room since then. I really just wanted a vintage Singer sewing machine cabinet for one of my other Singer machines, but this was a deal I couldn't resist. The machine was in good condition and the cabinet and bench were included. The bench was full of vintage scraps, but nothing worth saving.
I needed a machine set up to do some heavy-duty sewing, so I went to work on cleaning and oiling my new baby. It's amazing what a little sewing machine oil can do to clean off gunk and rust. I oiled her up and let the machine run for several minutes. The cord is in excellent shape and I didn't smell anything burning, so I think she's ready to sew!
She's a Singer Model 15-91 - a real workhorse of a sewing machine. The serial number dates her to around 1955, but she looks great for her age. I can't wait to thread her up and take her for a spin!
