GEMMA

A beautiful machine to use and named in honour of our smallest grandie, Gemma. I purchased her some time ago, a Singer 201K, 1952. The cabinet she sat in was awkward to sew with and ended up injuring the bursa in my left leg where it was jammed up against the cabinet edge while I was sewing. Now you know why I have not added anything to the blog for the last few weeks. My dear sewing friend, Margaret, who lives down the lane, purchased one last weekend and it had the open cabinet, similar to the ones produced in the twenties, the type with the six small side drawers, only hers had one each side, if all that makes sense. I had been de sewing machining, meaning, making room by discarding some of my collection. I asked Margaret if she would like one and within a day her husband had purchased her a 201K as well. She is now a very proud treadler. This prompted me to remove my 201K head and put it into a 1920's cabinet for more leg room. As for the little grandie mine is named after, well she is a sweetie, but she does have a bit of grunt, just like the sewing machine. Lots of things have been happening since I last wrote and the biggest of all was my youngest son took a wife. Since he turns forty next month, I think it was high time too! The lovebirds are off on their honeymoon in foreign lands and we await a visit in the festive season to meet our new d in law. So Gene and Donna, congratulations! Maybe I might name another sewing machine after Donna, you never know. Oh, and Margaret's machine, well it is made the same year as mine and in the same place, Clydebank, Scotland. We have decided they are sisters. How extraordinary that they travelled across the sea and ended up fifty odd years later owned by two friends who lived a laneway away from each other. I love stories and I love the story of these two old ladies, the machines I mean.

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