I have been very controlled in my spending lately and feeling very proud of myself for it, but I had to break my moratorium for these great items:

The book on the right is the one I am excited about. You see, I have my grandmother’s White Dressmaster sewing machine from 1947. (Dressmaster! Isn’t that great?) It still runs like a champ, but I can’t figure out how to thread the darn thing! For years I’ve been saying that I wanted to start using it, but I was getting pretty discouraged about not being able to thread it. I decided to do a little internet searching and I did find a website that was selling a xerox copy of this manual for $20! Then I decided to try ebay and I can’t believe my luck! It was the only one listed and when I saw this picture I had such a flashback! I’m the one who lost my grandma’s original manual! Way back when I was 12 and learning to sew, Grandma lent this book to me. It’s much more comprehensive then just a machine manual, and I loved it. I still remember learning how to hem from this book. But of course, I lost the book. I had forgotten all about it until I saw this photo. The auction just ended so I don’t have it yet, but when it arrives, I’ll take some photos of it and the machine itself. It’s a real beauty. It’s got a box full of attachment that I don’t know how to use, like a ruffler and narrow hemming attachments, and a pleater. Also, it doesn’t operate with a foot pedal- it’s got a bar that comes down from under the machine and you use your knee to operate the machine! Apparently, from what I read on the website I was at, the knee control is pretty rare. I can’t wait to show it to you! (The second book looks pretty cool too, so I’ll show you what it’s got also.)