Faith!!! Things work out the way they are supposed to...

After Thursday's workshop on My Blue Heaven with Bonnie Hunter, Limbania and I went back to the hotel rather than shop at SAS with the other girls.  We were both tired and wanted a little rest before dinner.

We were sitting in the sofa doing some girl/quilting talk when we stumbled into how Limbania wanted a treadle machine.  She had learned to sew on a treadle and was very interested in returning to her roots.   I had the brilliant idea of looking on craigslist in Tucson for a treadle machine.  We had come to Tucson in the our big 'ole pickup so we had plenty of room to take a treadle home.

As we were surfing craigslist, we found several treadles priced ridiculously high but kept on....  we also saw a few featherweights too.  Limbania has an adorable little white featherweight but I was still lugging around my treasured, but seriously heavy, Pfaff.

We called several of the listings for treadles.... and even the featherweights as we ran down the ads.  I didn't figure I could afford a featherweight but I stayed hopeful. We weren't surprised that there were very few answered calls as it was still early afternoon.  We left message after message.

As we continued down the list of sewing machines, I came upon a listing with no price, no photo, and the title was simply 'sewing machine'.  Having cat-like curiosity, I opened the listing.  The verbiage described a featherweight that they had picked up at an estate sale and they were not interested in keeping it.  I called Perry, the owner, and left a message.  Probably a shot in the dark but nothing lost, right?  Plus, we were leaving the next afternoon so there wasn't much time to arrange a meeting.

We were having a lot of fun looking at the listings, each of us dreaming about taking a new sewing machine home, and wishing our budget was a little higher.

While making the next call, my phone beeped into my conversation.  It beeped again.  When I finished the conversation, I checked the number that beeped in and called them back.  It was Perry. 

Perry had the unpriced, unphotographed, sewing machine.  He described what he had and reiterated that he had no intention of keeping it.  He said it was a featherweight with a manual and a bunch of other stuff.  I asked the price.  It was in my price range!  I was sooo excited.  I never really thought I could actually own a featherweight.  BUT!!!  I hadn't seen it yet.  Anything could happen.

Perry was unable to text me a photo, nor was he able to email me a photo.  And it turned out that Perry lived very close to DS.  We decided to run over and look at it but stopped and picked up my DS and a DGS to ride with us.  We arrived at Perry's house, he showed us the little treasure, Limbania tested it for me...  and we drove away with an all original 1953 - 221.  It has an original case, original manual, 25 original bobbins, oil and grease containers still in their original packages,  a spare light bulb and needles also still in the original packages, and about every attachment they offered for the machine at that time.

We took my new baby to the workshop on Friday and Bonnie Hunter sat down and tested it too.  Bonnie declared it a wonderful purchase and that she sewed like butter.  After confirming the grease on the gears appeared sufficient, I sewed on her all day at the workshop on Friday. 

The featherweight took a little time to get used to me.  I liken sewing on her versus my newer machines to cooking on a gas stove, then switching to an electric stove.   But she was patient with me and we were able to get into a rhythm in no time!!!

And to make this story even more amazing...  Limbania got her treadle too!!  Limbania has already found a batch of attachments to go with her new machine.

I have decided to name my new girl Faith....  after all, naming a sewing machine Blessing just seemed silly.

Just because they are small, it doesn't mean they are not blessings.  Appreciate the little blessings.