I adore antique toy sewing machines – do you?

Hi all

Collecting sewing notions and sewing machines is a fun hobby and has been for centuries. From antique treadle machines to the old-fashioned handcrank machines, I have always been curious about the past of sewing. I am a huge collector of antique sewing notions and have been fascinated by them since I was a child. The featured image is one that I have and have made a quilt with as well for my son. A Singer Featherweight 222.

I adore antique toy sewing machines – do you? I’ve recently returned from a wonderful 10 days touring Tasmania with some great friends with similar interests. We visited tourist spots, antique shops and many quilt shops as well along the way of this epic trip.

There was a large variety of toy sewing machines and some larger ones as well, to be tempted by. I was STRONG and only purchased two on this trip. I do plan to have them displayed a little better in the future, but in the meantime would you like to see some of them on the website instead? Let me know in the comments of this blog post below…

At one shop in Devonport I discovered this great display with lots of choices of toy sewing machines! I put this on my Instagram/FB and many were trying to guess the one I eventually chose.

It was a tough decision and most got it wrong actually – not knowing what I already had hehe… but here you go with a picture of two machines I obtained on this trip. The one on the right is from this shop/picture above. The one on the left was from an antique shop in Hobart. Definitely well loved and tarnished, but a totally different shape to others that I already have.

We had the most amazing time visiting iconic destinations in Tasmania this trip. Truly need way more than 10 days in this state. We have been a few times before but never to the West Coast to see the Wilderness area and ALL THOSE WINDING ROADS!! Absolutely blown away with the awesomeness of  The Wall in the Wilderness  No photos allowed of anything inside but I did buy the 3 books to be able to continue to fully appreciate this amazing work of art – what an inspiration.

The very first day in Hobart was spent with my sister and visiting her gorgeous quilt shop – QuarterInch in North Hobart. My friend thought so too and this photo shows just how much pretty fabric she restricted herself to buying. That evening I was guest speaker at the Tasmanian Modern Quilt Guild in their wonderful meeting rooms at the Newtown Bay Rowing Centre. So spacious with easy access for anyone keen to join. We had a fantastic time discussing the 7 Wonderful Reasons to hire a professional quilter and providing hints and tips on finding and communicating with each other. Ending with a handout for all to take home on ‘How to add borders to your quilt top & keep it square and flat’. If you would like a copy of this then you can download it here . The wine was a gift for speaking and very much appreciated!

Over the 10 days we visited many quilt shops with my friend adding immensely to her stash (many kgs made it into her luggage) and I also managed to find some new fabric that I intend turning into some new baby quilts that are needed in my family.

Tasmania is very fortunate to have so many to visit and we took it very seriously to support them in these trying times.

So thank you for the warm welcome, lovely chats and great service to:

The Quilted Teapot in New Norfolk (with the best lunch of the whole trip!), a tiny one in Cygnet, QuarterInch in North Hobart, Apple Patch Quilting & Craft in Cooee, Cranberry Crafts in Ulverstone, Stewarts Sewing Machine Centre in Devonport, Wells Clothing and Craft in Latrobe, The Quilter’s Corner in Deloraine and Esme’s Patchwork in Launceston (who was closed but came and opened for us).

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So now I have to design or find some patterns to use with my new fabrics of course. I am planning on using a NEW book that I just got in for some inspiration. I’m sure you might like it too!

The Ultimate Quilt Finishing Guide

Master Quilt Borders, Backing, and Bindings! Finish your quilt strong with a polished and professional touch! From borders to binding (with batting in between) this is the perfect reference tool with step-by-step instructions on how to complete each finishing touch.

Go from ordinary to extraordinary with over 100 different border options to give your quilt pizzaz and explore numerous ways on how to bind a quilt. Plus, you’ll never ruin a quilt again with the wrong choice of batting as tips and tricks will give you the insight and confidence you need to always make the right decision. Take all the guesswork out of finishing quilts with this essential guide!

Make more than 100 different borders with step-by-step instructions on how to piece and add them to your quilt top. Learn numerous ways to bind your quilt from straight and bias binding to prairie points and beyond. This guide is the perfect lifelong reference tool that can be referred to again and again.

• Pages: 128
• Author: Harriet Hargrave and Carrie Hargrave-Jones
• Publish Date: 04/25/2021

Only $43 for current stock!

This little book was really handy to carry around when deciding on how much to buy at times. Though honestly I rarely buy less than 1/2m these days if I really like the fabric.

No Math Quilt Charts & Formulas

The quilters’ guide for calculating quilt dimensions and quilt measurements. Keep all the basic quilting information you need right at your fingertips with convenient charts for standard bed quilt sizes, reducing and enlarging patchwork blocks and even how much fabric is needed for basic quilt blocks. Calculate fabric requirements for patchwork blocks, squares, strips and triangles. Includes formulas to calculate the fabric needed for quilt backing and quilt binding. Includes quick quilting reference guides for measuring diagonal blocks, side-setting and corner triangles, as well as half-square triangles and quarter-square triangle blocks. 16 Charts and Formulas. Handy 4 x 6 inch size that fits in any purse or tote.

Price $14.50

Hope you enjoyed a little about my most recent trip away. I’ll endeavour to share some more photos of my collection in future blog posts.

Happy quilting

Tracey