Another one bites the dust!

One down, 4 more goals to complete!  I got my new hand-crank cleaned and oiled, and learned how to thread it properly.

Isn't she pretty? She's in excellent shape and such a beautiful smooth stitch. The case needs a good feed 'n wax, but is otherwise in good condition as well.  Better shape than the top of my treadle!

The serial number identifies her as a Singer 99, made after November 1940. I was kind of surprised she was that young, as there are no numbers on her tension dial, and there is only a knob for the length of the stitches - no guide.

The kids took turns turning the crank as I corrected the tension, then practiced sewing strips together.

My sewing room is still in disarray after getting a new table, but I was able to make enough room to finish one more block for the Splendid Sampler. 5 of 100 done now!

I'm using these blocks to improve my quilting skills.  Each block gets partially sashed, then quilted in the quilt-as-you-go method.  On Block 7 (Simple Simon) I cut the back too short so before I get too far, I joined it to Block 1 (Hearts Aflutter). It's taken a while, but I finally figured out how to do the sashing and still be able to quilt the blocks individually.