I can't believe it has taken me this long to get back to my blog.  I think part of the issue is that I plan to blog in the evening at the end of the day to share what I did that day, but by the evening, I'm too tired to put it into words.  I truly am a morning person.  

A lot has happened since my last post.  I have spent some time working with 4-H young ladies on baskets for their visual arts projects to show at the fair in July.  Danielle and Ashlyn have completed baskets that are even stained and ready to go.  Hannah P and Hannah A have their baskets going well and will probably finish in one more session, and my DD has one basket finished (not stained), and another ready to rim.  I'll take some pics the next time they are here.  And Nichole, a past 4-H'er has visited to get an antler basket started.  She made 2 last year and donated one to a silent auction to benefit Western Heritage Shooting Sports, and is doing another to donate this year.  She was here with her mom for a couple of hours one evening getting her basket started (Mom was busy cutting leather, pillow ticking, and burlap into strips for her to weave into her basket).  When we had it sufficiently going to where she could take it home to work on, we started talking about sewing.  I showed her my projects and my sewing machines.  

This is Lucy (named for DH's grandmother Lucille who owned the machine).  She is a Singer 15-91 and sews beautifully.  

This is Bitsy.  She's my Singer Featherweight and goes to all the retreats and classes with me.  She sews a great stitch and is much quieter than Lucy.  Nichole was fascinated with Bitsy (loved the spool pin doily), and might have to find one of these to take to college.

This is my "modern" machine, a Viking 230.  It seems so funny to call it modern when it's older than my DD.  It doesn't have a name, and I should probably work on that.  We've spent lots of hours together sewing.  

I also have a serger (notice it sitting on the floor in the picture above).  We have never been the best of friends.  Lucy is my favorite machine to sew on, even if she is a little loud.  I almost had another machine.  My aunt decided to give me my grandmother's sewing machine.  It wasn't a singer, and didn't work.  DH and I looked her over carefully, and decided that she wasn't worth the investment it would take to get her running (weren't sure if that was even possible).  We did salvage the cabinet (Lucy sits in it).  If I had been able to save her, she would have been called Ethel (after my grandmother), and I would have had Lucy and Ethel hanging out in my sewing room!  Can you imagine the fun!  We didn't just throw Ethel out though, she was repurposed into a gift for my mom to use in her living room of her new house.

If I do get another new "old" machine, I think I would really like a hand crank machine.  I've tried one and got along well with it.  However, family members readily ask me, "How many sewing machines can you sew on at one time?"

I have yet to come up with a really good answer for that one!