…and you mysteriously received this pretty blue box in the mail, opened it up to find a trunk full of quilty goodies (which at first you thought were sent to you by some serendipitous mistake, a fleeting thought running through your head: should you tell anyone???) as your hubby giggled in the background, giving it away. That was last month.

Then this month’s “Sew in Love” #sewsampler subscription box arrived from the Fat Quarter Shop, a Christmas present from my husband this year. He was sooo tricky, and very nice to me! Look what’s inside this month -

Look at all of the goodies in this month’s box! Love it. I am especially in love with the retractable double sided stitch ripper. You can never have to many stitch rippers. Or for that matter, clover clips!
Here’s a full listing of the contents of this month’s box:

Love it. Love the Jolly Bar, too. Really appreciating this monthly subscription, it was a really thoughtful gift from him! Thanks, hubs!

The Fat Quarter Shop has these monthly subscription boxes for $24.95 a month and you can sign up any time. It's like Christmas every month! I like it because it's an affordable option to all of the subscription boxes out there.

What is your take on the subscription box craze? Thoughts? Comments? Have you signed up for one somewhere? Leave me a comment!

Craftsy is having a Save up to 50% OFF kits and Supplies Sale! -


They're offering up to 50% off kits + supplies (knitting, sewing, and quilting!) right now while supplies last - ends tomorrow!! Click {here} to see all of their deals! 




I'm heading over to check out the Aurifil today. Often they'll have the best sales, and then I stock up on 3 or 4 spools (and I've also been known to organize a group order with my friends to get the free shipping hehe). Right now the 50wt is on for $7.15.







Or, I might just pick up that cone of Dove Grey I've been eyeing forever and add to my cone stash - I love that Craftsy is carrying 70 colors in cones now. (As an aside - did you know you can use cones on your home sewing machine? here are two posts I wrote with tricks to do just that - for both vertical and horizontal spool sewing machines - save money on the thread you buy! it's like the equivalent of buying food at Costco, but for your sewing machine, lol.)


 *this post contains affiliate links to Craftsy at no additional cost to you. For more information, please visit my Disclosure Statement and Advertising Policies page. 

…of sewing machines.

(you dirty birdies! Get yer minds outta the gutters. What did you think I meant? *chuckles*)

If you’ve been following along at all, I fixed my Singer 185k3 Christmas present that arrived smashed up. The only thing I didn’t/don’t have for it was/is a case or base. I’m working on that.

Then I dismantled it again. Like, really dismantled it. Like my zipper bags? (are you freaking out yet??)


Okay, so admittedly, I was totally okay until it was time to disassemble the tension assembly. I have never done this before. And even looking at this photo again today to crop and watermark it I was having literal palpitations. I’m not kidding. Gaaaaah. Keep on chugging, Erin. You’ve committed, now -



(time for a glass of wine here)

Set it in some Dollar Store baking trays…then…

Bathed it in stripper using Dollar Store paint brushes, let it sit for 24 hours at a time –



scraped, sanded, cleaned, bathed in stripper again -



lather, rinse, repeat (please note by this point I have stopped putting pictures on social media as I am starting to get flamed over email for my decision to customize my little machine – true story – but meh – I have tough skin – I just don’t have the time nor energy to reply to all of the naysayers…plus, my thoughts are – this machine didn’t end up in a dump somewhere OR salvaged for scrap metal $$$, I am actually going to use it and it’s my prerogative on how or what I do to it. So there.)

At this point I’m going to tell you: THIS SUCKS. If you can ship your machine off to have someone do it all for you, and it costs like $500 to do it? PAY IT. This is hard on your body. It takes a long time, and a lot of patience (both of which, notably, I’m lacking in. I’ll admit it.)

I did a lot of research on the products to use in this project. A LOT. Like, for months. I listed them below with links to Amazon. Most people out there are using Citristrip (aff link) BUT everyone I came across doing this were stripping older machines – with no doubt older paint technology. This paint did NOT want to come off. I stuck with the Citristrip (aff link), but I’d recommend if you’re going to strip a 185 yourself? try something a little more, well, toxic. Something that’ll melt the paint off the first time. All of the other bloggers I researched were stripping 80 and 100 year old black Singers with the Citristrip and the paint came off like butter. Not so here. I had to really fight with it.



There’s quite a bit of pitting on this machine now that the layers and layers of varnish are off; I’m seeing quite a bit of Bondo in my OCD Type A future. Oh well. Good thing I’m not in a rush.

The nooks and crannies are the toughest part to get at. They take the longest and are the hardest on my poor fingers -



After all of the paint was scraped off, I hit the machine with a lot of elbow and shoulder grease with #150 dry sand paper then steel wool (#1, #0, then #00). Again, as a reference, see the Amazon affiliate links below the post for the products I used if need be.

A really important part of prepping the machine for paint is removing all of the oil and grease that it’s come into contact with over the years AND from my fingers and the stripper.

So, the final step before the Self-etching Primer (see below) is to wash it down according to the instructions on the bottle with Grease Remover until your cloth comes out nice and clean.

I am tired. This is the toughest part, I know. And it’s the part that takes the longest. I have worked on this machine every night for almost 2 weeks, cleaning it, dismantling, stripping, rewiring.

Probably a good thing it’s taking me so long to sand it down – I’m having some trouble deciding on the custom bed waterslide decal I want to put on it and I feel like I need to be really sure about the color I chose. Or maybe - the colors. Heheh. And that part is a surprise.

So. Stay tuned for the next step – primer and filler. Maybe some color. Hang in there.

a pretty little jadeite Singer 185k-3, and it arrived in the mail smashed to bits -


For the longest time I have wanted a Singer 221 – better known as a ‘Featherweight’ – it’s a vintage machine, made from 1933 – 1966 by Singer Manufacturing Co., and it was their answer to the age old problem of portability (or lack thereof):

courtesy of ismacs

Singer’s Featherweight machine allowed ‘little ladies’ to tote their machines around with ease as it weighed in at only 11lbs – something I found particularly appealing for my late night kitchen table sewing and retreats and Guild sew-in events. Something that I could tote more easily, something with a gorgeous straight stitch for piecing, and something that wouldn’t break the bank if I dropped it/broke it, etc. – something I was very concerned about doing dragging my big Janome 6500 (aff link) along with me everywhere (especially since that’s the machine I use for my little Etsy business).

The problem with the Featherweight is that they are very sought after and have become quite popular in recent years. Which has driven the price up. And I just couldn’t justify spending $3-400 on a little machine like that for just retreats and sew-ins, as much as I really want one.

Enter what I like to call “the poor man’s Featherweight”. Or I should say: “the poor WOMAN’S Featherweight”.

Just as cute. With a stitch just as nice. Not as lightweight. (Ha!) - the Singer 185 - a 3/4 size portable, low shank, oscillating hook machine that takes class 66 bobbins - and rings in at about $50.

...my little machine after weeks of cleaning and fixing and replacing parts - isn't she pretty?

I researched this machine for several months; watched for one for months at garage sales and estate sales and the like with no luck, and eventually gave in and asked at Christmas for hubs to buy one off eBay – play the online-auction-sewing-machine-buying-Russian-roulette-game. Ugh. We lost.

They had no idea what they were doing with respect to packaging a sewing machine – one piece of bubble wrap (literally) and a few sheets of newsprint in a box that was miles too big, and the machine arrived with the bakelite case smashed to bits, the bobbin winding mechanism destroyed – it had been punched through from the inside to the outside of the case, the original green tire visible when I opened the box from the outside of the case (not a good sign); the spool pin had snapped off flush with the body; the light broke; and the list went on.

Luckily eBay’s return policy is fantastic and the seller was good to deal with and I received a full refund as the machine was just not useable in the condition I received it in.

A few weeks of dismantling the machine, tinkering, replacing parts, cleaning, and more,

top L: the handwheel, bobbin winding mechanism dismantled for cleaning; top R after cleaning bottom L: bobbin case before clean, bottom R: after cleaning

and I managed to get it turning-



and then stitching its first few stitches -



Next up to rewire it, which is always fun. I’ve done a few machine motors, pedals and lights now, and I’m excited to do it. It’s just a matter of trying to find the time. The other pretty major problem is that I have neither a box/base or a table to put it in. Which means that for the time being, any tinkering is just that. Tinkering.

I can’t use it until I save up even more pennies to buy a base or case for it. Here I have one of two options - buy vintage (which means I run the risk yet again of receiving something smashed in the mail from an online auction site, or something old, smelly, and not worth the money) or buy new (which means I'm buying something custom and handmade (no doubt gorgeous but costly, and the ideal option) or plastic and ugly).

 My friends say I should just make a case – why not? Oy. TIME. I NEED MORE TIME. Plus, who are we kidding - anything I make just isn't going to be as nice as what I can buy from a professional woodworker.

Sharing my pretty green machine today with Molli Sparkle’s Sunday Stash Share. I’m so proud of my little machine!!!

Make sure to pop over to see what he and the others are sharing from their stash acquisitions this week, there's always lots going on over there. Lots of juicy eye candy :)



Oh! And, don’t forget to enter my giveaway if you’re visiting here today from Stash share and you haven’t yet entered

 – you can enter

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Quick post today!

A little giveaway from my own personal stash today -

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Check my Instagram feed for the Winner announcement shortly!

Thank you all for entering - and good luck!


To enter, please be a follower, and let me know how you follow in a comment - each type of follow gets another comment and another entry!

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As a bonus entry, or if you don't want to follow along in any way (and that's okay too!) let me know what your favorite part of Spring is!

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Oh I have been having a bit of fun lately getting back into the swing of things again!

I always seem to have a bit of a tough time after the Christmas holidays finding my way back to my machine. It’s not that I’m not motivated – I think that it’s more so that I just don’t know where to start.

I think this year might be a bit easier as I aim to be a bit more organized with my life (which seems to be a much simpler task as the kiddos get a little older) – and I’m finding my way back to writing everything down.

I know. Archaic.

I’ve gone back to the ways of the “Planner”. “To-do” lists. Pencils. Pens. Highlighters. You name it. I’m writing. It. Down.

stock image. I wouldn't photograph (or own) something so pretty....

I feel like I’m in University again. ((((flashback)))) And – I’m honestly loving it. I feel more in control having stuff on paper rather than in my phone/computer/___electronic device___. Am I the only crazy person out there who might just be moving backwards in technology just a tiny wee bit?

Anyway! I digress! I’m excited for my first new project of 2017 - and I hope you'll join me!


As one of their Partners, I’m participating in The Fat Quarter Shop’s Moda Bella Skill Builder Quilt Along, and this first month’s block was a LOT of fun (and easy!). The pattern is free and is available on the Jolly Jabber today so make sure to head over there and check it out afterwards, and there’s a kit for the quilt along available here on the Fat Quarter Shop's site!

Fat Quarter Shop's Bella Skill Builder Quilt Kit! - Ooooo - preeetttty....

A little background on my fabric selections-

I decided to go with a color palette that I loved and that was a little wintery – something that would look good in our master bedroom. Here I’ll be 100% honest – I don’t have a color scheme in my main bed – we moved in 2 years ago and the walls were all cream when we moved in, and they haven’t changed.

I went with grey curtains (because I needed curtains right away and didn’t know how I was going to decorate the room in the future) and I’ve been working on any and every other room in the house since.

The master bed will be the last to be done. I’m wondering if this is the case in every person’s house… (readers: thoughts on this?)

Anywho! Here’s my color palette inspiration:


…and here’s what that looks like in Bella (from Moda) solids:


…I decided to add a pop of orange to the mix, just a little, to give a tiny bit of visual interest, so I added the Melon in. I may still add a darker red at some point, but I do love where this is going.

Without further adieu, my blocks for the month of February:


(Don’t look too closely at my centers. They are not the greatest. I quite honestly will most likely be ripping these apart and re-doing them as my Type-A sub-conscious is sitting in the corner twitching right now – but these were done before I figured out a little tricky-pooh which worked well for me, noted below, which made my life a little easier)

And if you decide that you’d like to participate in the quilt along, here are a few little tips and tricks I found really helped me in my process – but make sure to check out the Fat Quarter Shop’s You Tube Page (here) for their video tutorial on these blocks -

- instead of pressing your seams open, I pressed towards my darker fabric; you’ll find that your seams nest better when you go to join them, centers will match better and will tend to buckle less (a trick I only ended up experimenting with at the end with my last block – oops – I might end up ripping out my others so that seams all lay a little flatter)
- a note to above – I was using the paper template and I have to think that if I had invested in the actual plastic Creative Grids Spider Web template I may not have had as much trouble with my centers being perfect. Speculation, but something to be considered, for sure! Paper templates are not nearly as easily used as legit non-slip super-grip fantastical plexi ones are.
- make sure to chain piece/assembly line piece – it’ll speed the process, especially if you’re like me and you have to work in spurts. I would sew all of the first seams in one sitting, then that night in front of the tv do all of my pressing, then the next sitting sew all of the next seams, and ‘sew’ on.

This block was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see everyone else’s blocks and color palettes, and of course for March’s block! Thanks to the Fat Quarter Shop for such a fun quilt along. Stay tuned for more fun!