Allietare Mystery Part 1, Learning to Sew on my Treadle

Yes it is time for another Bonnie Hunter mystery!  You can link up with us on her site if you want to share!  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2015/11/mystery-monday-link-up-allietare-part-1.html

I had every intention of doing Bonnie Hunter's mystery this year, what is there not to say to commend it?  It always challenges me, I learn a ton, and I love the camaraderie (even when I dislike the nitpicking and quilt police),...So with all that to commend the mystery why would I add one more layer?  Well, lets start at the beginning.  A couple years ago my husband and I bought an old Franklin Long Shuttle Sewing Machine.  It was love at first sight, however; I had no clue how to use it.  

I initially attempted and failed and then it sat and sat and sat.

This fall I decided to move it to the living room, knowing that if it was visible I would be more apt to open it up and attempt to do something on it.  To learn how to treadle.

This last Sunday, instead of working on clue one I opened up my treadle, oiled it's parts, watched YouTube after YouTube video to learn how to wind the bobbin, how to thread the machine..how to operate the treadle to make it move in the right direction.  I had to clean up some serious screw holes that were oh so gunky. I know it could use another serious clean like I've seen online but that will wait for another day.  

These are the colors I am using from my stash... If I need to buy more I will.  I am not sure that my yellow works-that is definitely the one that I may go out and purchase more of.

At the end of the day I cut a few triangles with my Easy Angle and gave it a go and I LOVE IT!  I have decided that this mystery is going to be my quilt to learn to use the treadle, I hope to even quilt it on it- we will see how that goes.  By the end I hope to be proficient.

And look at this handy dandy seam guide!

This is AWESOME!  My seems have never been so accurate...holy cow.

Alright then,  time for me to try to get caught up...7 down and a whole lot more to go.

Scrappy Christmas Quilt

I was going through my Christmas fabric and noticed I had some seriously 'ugly' fabric that goes back in time,,,,a long time. I'm not sure if it was my Grandmothers or someone else gifted it but I was challenged to do something with it.  Initially....I hated everything about it.... but as it has come together, through ripped stitches and all, I have decided I really like it..  I like that, (I think), it comes from Grandmas stash, which always makes me a bit nostalgic.  I like that I didn't use a pattern.  I also like that there is not much of the green left! 

I had to throw this picture in of Pepper, our princess of a cat.  She was not impressed when I was attempting to quilt 'her' bed.

Front

Back of quilt

Holly Quilting

and Swirls