"Pfaff
Quilt"
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Click here for information on the "I Love My Pfaff" Challenge |
If you want to create your own Pfaff memorabilia vest, jacket, tote bag, pillow, wall hanging or any creative project you can think of, check out our Pfaff Prints page. For ideas on how to get started on your "I Love My Pfaff" project, click here. If you would like to add some embroideries to your project, check out Patti Porter's website for some free designs. She has several embroidery designs that reflect the love we share for our sewing machines and dealers, such as "I Love My Pfaff", "I Love My Dealer" and several heart designs including a heart border. The designs used in this quilt are from my collection of antique advertising & memorabilia from all over the world. Many friends helped me find the advertising art that is in this collection. Following is the story of how this quilt came to be. I became fascinated with the history of the Pfaff Sewing Machine Company when I saw a Pfaff trade card on the internet. It was so pretty and I began to wonder if there were any other trade cards similar to it. I had a small collection of sewing trade cards but nothing that was specific to Pfaff. I began by using many search engines and placing ads in various antique sewing and memorabilia sites that offered free listings. I had several responses to my queries. I also contacted ISMACS (International Sewing Machine Collectors Society) for additional information on the company history. Graham Forsdyke and Maggie Snell offered copies and answered many questions. They were kind enough to send several copies and a bit on the history to get my search started. I also contacted an ISMACS member, Sharon Tedro, who had a collection of toy sewing machines. She sent me photos of her machines so I could make copies of them. By this time my desire for information increased and it became a challenge to find more memorabilia. I researched the history of the company by going into German libraries online and requested information. A friend of mine who could read German translated some text for me. I was learning about history and having fun too. I was fortunate to have assistance from an Email friend in Australia, Brenda Dean, who sent me copies from her collection. She is the ISMACS contact for Australia. I also found 2 people living in Germany, Rudolph Veit and Anna Conrad, who found pictures and actual memorabilia they forwarded to me. Melissa Bishop gave me permission to use a trade card and a picture of a treadle from her collection. I was also sent a copy of the front page of an antique manual from the Antique Sewing Machine Museum in Arlington, TX. I wanted to create a vest or jacket using these designs. By this time I felt I had enough to work with as I began the planning of the garment. As I began designing I realized that I had more than I could ever put into any garment and decided to make a history quilt instead. I took my favorite photos and copies to Innovative Imprints, a local business that imprints photos onto fabric. I sized and adjusted the images to make them suitable for each quilt block. I then began searching for an assortment of antique looking fabrics for the block sashings. Brenda Dean emailed to tell me that she found a 1910 Pfaff handcrank sewing machine and asked if I would be interested in it. I said yes, and the picture she sent me appears on the quilt. A few months later she carried the machine on the plane with her on a trip to the states and then shipped it to me. It is now in my possession and I love it dearly. A sketch of this machine, drawn by Sandy Mooney, also appears on the back of the quilt. Several antique Pfaff oil cans are pictured on the quilt. They are part of my collection. I wanted to include the embroidery features of the 7570 to show the transition from old to new and how technology has developed over 135 years. I downloaded every design offered at the Pfaff web site. I embroidered each frame design onto osnaburg to give the blocks an antique appearance. As new designs were put up, I added blocks to the quilt. I was an invited quest teacher at the 1997 Pfaff Dealers Convention. I thought this was the perfect place to attain signatures while everyone was at the Awards Banquet. Elvi Tarien was kind enough to assist in this process by asking each employee and invited quest speaker to sign the fabric. These signatures are on the back of the quilt, along with a brief history of the company. I also added a couple of Pfaff pins to a section of the quilt. Additional pins can be added as new ones become available. A few antique buttons are also scattered on the quilt. Patti Porter digitised my logo, the ìHappy Sergerî, for frame embroidery using the Pfaff PC Designer software. This free design is available for downloading. I reduced the size of many of the images used on this quilt and I was given permission to offer these to other interested Pfaff enthusiasts. This will help others to make a Pfaff garment or quilt of their own. For more information on the prints please call Linda Lee Originals at (810) 621-4665 or click here to view the prints. The quilt took over a year to research and complete but it was very educational and I made many new friends in the process. |
Look for it at your local Pfaff store.
Copyright 1997 Linda Lee Originals (All
rights reserved)
Linda Lee Originals
PO Box 848, Fenton MI 48430
Phone: (810) 621-4665
Fax: (810) 266-4443
No part of this web site may be copied or reproduced in any way without permission!
Web design by Linda Lee Vivian
