Meet the newest addition to my vintage sewing machine tribe: A 1956 Singer Model 301A in Light Beige/Oyster White (LBOW) with a short bed. She was manufactured in Anderson, South Carolina.

This gal was farm fresh from an estate sale near Pensacola, Florida. My best guess is the former owner passed away. Someone tried to run the machine and made a big mess resulting in a thread jam of epic proportion. Said machine was deemed inoperable and spent time in someone’s storage shed. Thankfully no rust and no bugs – just a lot of dirt and a crumbly bobbin winder tire.

This old girl is stitching pretty after a good clean under the needle plate & bobbin assembly, a long drink of oil and a new needle. Yep, she’s in dire need of a complete spa day, but that will come after Christmas. I’ve ordered the few parts she needs (Quilter’s Connection or Featherweight Shop linked in sidebar). Since her user manual was missing, I joined a 301 enthusiast group on FB to obtain a printable user guide and service manual free of charge.

The 301 is often referred to as the Big Sister to the Featherweight 221. They share some of the same parts – most notably the same bobbins, bobbin case and hook assembly – but the 301 is a slant shank machine with an internal, gear-driven motor. While I absolutely adore my FW, the 301 may just become my new favorite for quilt piecing. To me, the visibility seems better compared to the FW and the harp area is definitely much larger.

This has definitely been my stretch project for 2022. Pattern: Metamorphosis from Lo & Behold Stitchery. Circles aren’t difficult, but do require special handling – especially if you are using “unequal” fabrics. The butterfly wings are made from a mix of polyester, rayon and cotton Hawaiian shirts. Tip: stabilize rayon and polyester pieces with a lightweight fusible interfacing before cutting. The fabrics will be much easier to handle.

Pillow covers are double sided, quilted and have a zipper closure at the bottom. Each of the pillow sides has a slightly different quilting design. I decided to go with the design on pillow #1 as the overall quilting design for the throw. The back will be pieced incorporating six 10-1/2″ squares from leftover shirt materials.

Thank goodness the ads have finally stopped.

If all politics is local, why did we have more money from out-of-state pouring into the political coffers than donations made by Georgia residents themselves?

When I talk to people from both sides, we seem to want mostly the same things.

Why can’t the media highlight this middle common ground instead of the extremes on both sides? Y’all are contributing big-time to the ongoing divisiveness in this country in your quest for likes, comments, views, shares and whatever other metrics you use.

Stop it.