It's an Antique. . .

. . . as in One Hundred Years Old!

White Rotary USA Treadle Sewing Machine
Serial FR2221746, Circa 1913

This old treadle sewing machine is in dire need of some TLC.  She has served 100 years or more of sewing beautiful garments for three generations!

This is the exact sewing machine I first learned to sew as a little girl.  I can remember sewing with my sister, Germaine Cruz, clothes for our Barbie dolls. Oh, what fun we had peddling and stitching till we were summoned to do our household chores. I remembered first sewing in the third grade, probably about nine years old then.

I recently learned that this is the exact sewing machine that my maternal grandmother, Rosa Q. Palomo, known to me as "Nana," sewed clothes for her family all these years. Later, the sewing machine was passed down to my mother, Isabel P. Ibanez, who also sewed clothes for her family till she acquired a Singer 500A (1963).  To this day, Isabel still has her Singer 500A!

Maintenance and care on the antique sewing machine was provided by my grandfather, Juan G. Palomo, known to me as "Tata," and then by my father, Delmacio S.N. Ibanez.  I have now taken possession of this antique sewing machine and hope to be able to restore it.  Much of the restoration will be dependent on the cost.  Mrs. Marmalade sure seems to think it's doable!  I suppose I should roll up my sleeves and put some elbow grease on it!  I sure would like to get this o'l gal up and running!

The sewing machine survived WWI (1914), the Depression Era (1929-1940), Pacific War WWII (1941-1944), and numerous catastrophic typhoons, including Super Typhoon: Karen (1962), Paka (1997), and Pongsona (2002).  It was Super Typhoon Pongsona that caused major damage to the sewing machine when flooding occurred in the basement where the sewing machine was stored.

Juan and Rosa Palomo

Delmacio and Isabel Ibanez

Party Favor

Party Favor

Tip: Save Time By Threading Your Needles

Our Cotton Patch Guild brought in a guest speaker, Susan K. Cleveland, the "Piping Hottie," who gave us this tip. She says, "Thread all your needles on the same spool of thread at one time. When you need to load up, select one needle, slide the remaining needles down, and cut the length of thread you need." After cutting my thread, I tied a knot on the thread end with all the needles so as not to lose the rest of the threaded needles. The threaded needle you select already has a knot on it so you can start hand stitching.

My favorite needles are John James, milliners or straw, size 11. These needles have one of the tiniest needle eye and are difficult to thread without a needle threader. So, I tried this tip on a binding project I took with me on a road trip and wow! What a time saver! Give it a try!


I completed my binding project without the frustration of having to stop and thread another needle!

Autumn Splendor Quilt

This is one of my favorite quilts!! I love the color scheme, the warm earth tones, and the charming feeling it brings of Fall. This quilt took me one week to complete from start to finish. It is quilted by "stitching in the ditch" around the outside of each leaf and around each block. I quilted the center to echo the leaf vein. Anyone interested can purchase my pattern at my Ebay site HERE.