A surprise in the mail and some new additions to my sewing space

Another wet and windy day here on the East Coast , summer is eluding us to say the least . One day last week I received a lovely surprise in the mail from Eglea , a beautiful postcard , so very sweet of you Eglea , I sure love it .

These little boats are a common sight in Brazil and are fishing vessels , don't you just love her sky and the reflection of the boats in the water , such a talented lady . Thanks again Eglea :-)

 I have been doing a little wool work , this first one is a pattern I have had for a long time just never got around to making it . It still is not finished but I am planning on trying something a little different , I am going to put a fabric backing on it and bind it like a quilt , we shall see how that goes. Thanks to my friend Shirley for the wool background fabric it is perfect !

Another little wool project is my BOM for July from Buttermilk Basin , I love these little blocks ,so quick and easy and so adorable . 

I do need to stitch around my star , I removed the first one I had done , just wasn't happy with it so this one shows up better . Thanks Stacy for this cute pattern .

Now for an introduction to my new additions , I have had the desire to own an operating vintage sewing machine for a while and last week I added not one but two to my collection . You see I have several vintage machines , most not working with the exception of my dear sweet Featherweight which sews like a dream . However freemotion is not possible on that machine as the feeddogs do not lower so that was my reason for adding a new to me machine . I had done my research and have always been intrigued by the 15/91 made by Singer , it has a direct drive gear and no belt so this gives it lots of power and starts sewing immediately , no turning the handwheel like some older models . Singer made this model as well as a 201 which are very much sought after . Well I was quite surprised when I came across a 15/91 in a local new to you shop in a lovely cabinet which I also wanted as they are very heavy machines and taking them out and setting them up was definetly not something I wanted to do . So do you want to see my new baby , I am calling her Elizabeth , Liz for short after my grandmother who I watched many times treadling along on her machine , she was my earliest inspiration other than  my Mom who did lots of sewing making our clothing etc.  I don't normally name my sewing machines but this one deserves a name , sure would love to know the name of the previous owner , and I thank her for taking such wonderful care of her .

I have now expanded my sewing space to my dining room ,hey you have to make these things work and there simply was no more room in my actual sewing room so here she sits in all her glory . I absolutely love her and she sews like nothing I have ever owned before .

 Now I know my friends will shake their heads at this but you can blame it on my DH , he insisted we come home with both machines and by doing so we got a much better deal . I was having such a hard time deciding which machine to buy as this one was so darn cute and so simplistic in style , no fancy paint job and I wasn't even sure she sewed but again her body was in incredible condition so I figured she was just tired of sitting and not being used and I was right . She does a perfect stitch now that she has been oiled and adjusted .

This machine is a Singer 227m , the m stands for a town in Italy where this machine was manufactured . It also just does a straight stitch and has the ability to drop the feeddogs by a small dial on the bed of the machine , Now a couple of days after I got this machine I noticed Bonnie Hunter sewing on the identical machine only she had turned hers into a treadle ,kind of neat but I doubt I will be doing that . This machine came in a much smaller cabinet and she fits perfectly infront of my design wall . What shall I call her , maybe I should call her Billy after DH since he is the one who insisted she come home with me , he is too good to me;-) 

Now do you see what is behind the machine , my mystery quilt designed by Kaaren of the Painted Quilt , I have my piano keys made but not yet attacched to the houses . I also made the four nine patch blocks and have my outer border cut so progress was made . You see rainy weather is good for something :-0 Thanks Kaaren for such a fun project and I am really delving into those scraps which is what I want to do , feels so good when you can make a quilt without visiting the quilt shop . Now don't get me wrong I love shopping for fabric but oh my I have enough here for several quilts so best to use it up then fill it up again . 

 Thanks for stopping by today and if it is sunny where you are do you think you could spare a few rays for us , we are turning mouldy .

 Hugs Sheila