Congratulations! Looks like you are passing thru Cleveland, Ohio. I could meet you two for a meal or coffee since I live there.

Congratulations and Best Wishes for both of you may your marriage be blessed with happiness and health.

LOL, I will not be making it into Florida this trip, but I was there as a kid to watch the Apollo 11 launch!

Awesome! I really want to see that!
Rodney

I never heard of McDowell Garment drafting system so had to look it up. Wow, that is some gizmo! Where did you ever find that system? Looks like you have to do a lot of measurements but then you can use it to make whatever you want after that initial measuring. Yes, yes, we definitely need photos of the finished products.

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Congratulations have a fun and safe trip.

Interesting drafting system. Well- looks like you'll be passing right through Albany NY on the way to Jamestown. Anyone looking for something I might have to send on the loop back with you?

That is a heck of an interesting system. Looks like a "one size fits all" setup. Measure yourself, move the "bars" for those measurements, then you have your pattern. What a great idea that was back in the day .... and maybe even now. I am so fascinated by this system for some reason.

It is amazing. The issue was that in the day a Tailor would be paid 5 times what a Seamstress was paid, even though the mans suit was actually a simpler process. The inventor was offended by this disparigy that she made this system to try to make it so that a Seamstress could compete with a Tailor. The other idea was that a woman could even send in measurements and get a dress in return without ever having to "go to the city" to get one.

These are really cool. and they work.

I am more than willing to transport machines for folks, just let me know what the need is.

Wondering where you would even find one of these "systems" now days but of course if anyone was going to find one, it would be you! Thanks for the history of this set-up. It's great to have the story that goes along with it and what a fascinating story it is.

wow congratulations!! hope you have many blessed years together!

I'm in Houston - don't know how far south you're swinging LOL! probably not as far as Houston though! have fun!

Ebay - I have one complete set from 1880, and a front piece from 1895. I am still looking for a "sleeve machine". It was an add on to the set that in later versions was added to the main set. I have the two sets of instructions for the different sets as well.

quilt938 - Sorry, nope, just through the top of Texas.....

Congratulations; I hope your wedding is the dream wedding you have described and that you two have a long and happy/prosperous marriage.

Congratulations Steve & Heather!! Wishing you a great future together and a wonderful trip!!

Congratulations Steve and Heather. I haven't been on the QB for about 6 months but today I thought I'd see what's going on with my old vintage friends and there you were.... telling about your soon to happen wedding and fun traveling honeymoon. If you haven't been in Ma you should really try to fit it in and cross it off your list. It's not that far a trip from Boston and is a beautiful place.

My DH and I are doing an across the country trip soon as well. We've been in all the continental states except Wa and Or. Our kids gave us an Alaskan cruise for our 50th wedding anniversary (WoW! 50 years is a long time)so we will drive to Seattle, cruise, drive down to Or so we can check it off our list, and travel back to Mi along US-2. DH has always wanted to do that just never wanted to take the time away from our summer cabin. Anyway, after this trip, the only state we won't have been in will be Hawaii. I'm going to try and save some cash so we can do that one before we're gone. I think it's a special thing to say you've been in every state.... at least for simple common folk like us.

If you get close to Huntsville, AL give me yell. Love to see you.
Skip

I may have found something interesting enough to temp Heather and Steve to divert their course a bit north. If that happens, I'm more than willing to invite anyone else to come over and meet them. Plans will be tentative for a while - we'll see how tired they are when they start heading back home!

Wee Haa..... Today is my last day before beginning my vacation. This is my first two week vacation in over a decade....

As an IT manager, the idea of leaving my systems alone that long is stressful, but I have full remote access to everything, and a good backup to my backup.

We are planning on the stop at Macybaby's, I will see how many other ones we can squeeze in. My only regret in this case is that I will be stopping to drop off the 1867 Grover and Baker, Mother of Pearl, rosewood parlor cabinet machine first.

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What a treasure!

Happy trails - and stay safe! Both of you :-)

congratulations and happy trails! Stay Safe.

That's a beautiful machine but maybe it's safer that you're dropping it off first? Allegedly, Macybaby is well-armed and if she saw that machine, she might not let you leave with it! I've noticed she's a little covetous of machines.

Have a great trip. My only caution is that as you pass from New Mexico and enter into Texas, slow down a little. The speed limit suddenly drops a little and the Texas troopers are notorious for pulling over out of state vehicles to bolster the coffers of Texas.

Travel safely.

Napa John - Steve knows that's too old for my tastes! We've traded machines a few times when he's gotten a newer one that didn't quite fit his collection, or I've gotten an older one that didn't quite fit mine.

However, I am a sucker for a pretty cabinet!

yeah, I didn't think Macybaby would wanted but it sure is something amazing to behold with your own eyes.

besides it's already committed to another museum

First, congratulations on the wedding and trip! Just wonderful! Sorry to be in Florida when you will be in Jamestown. We have a summer place near Jamestown and it would be fun to meet up. Wondering why you picked Jamestown. Not that it's any of my business. Maybe you'll visit the Lucille Ball Museum? Or Chautauqua Institute, if it's open for the season. Nice area. Enjoy your trip!

Safe trip. It would be Very hard to let that beauty leave my hands regardless of the price. Once in a lifetime machine for sure.

A beautiful machine for sure!!! You did an absolutely fabulous job on bringing the beauty of that whole set up out for all to see. No wonder the museum wants it. Hope they put your name on a tag somewhere to indicate who did all the work on it.
Guess your packed and ready to go .... or maybe already on the road. Either way, have a wonderful wedding and very safe and scenic trip. Guess we will all be watching for photos. Personally, I am dying to see your wedding attire!

I'm super interested in seeing the wedding attire too!

Wishing you both sunny skies for tomorrow and the rest of your life. Don't forget to post pictures of your wedding attire!

Because I was born and raised there, and my folks still live there...hehe

We are currently in Portsmouth NH. We just delivered the machine to the broker safe and sound.

So far we have traveled 4153 miles, now it is time to start heading west (run out of east anyway...) Going to take a quick 30 minute detour to Maine. Maine and Hawaii are the only two states that I have not been to so i get to cross that off the list.

Today it is The Statue of Liberty then Philly. Tomorrow it is off to Jamestown.

Back home!!!

8011.9 miles later.......

We saw a lot of amazing places, met some really cool people, and even managed to pick up a treadle along the way!

Just one? Too bad it was so crazy at work. I wanted to meet up with you but there wasn't any option to adjust my schedule. Waiting for pics of the wedding.

That would have been great!

Yes, just one. 800 miles a day does not leave much time for shopping. I tried over a dozen times to hit antique shops along the way and they were either not open that day, had closed by 3 or 5 pm, or were not there anymore. After a while we just stopped trying.

Here is my favorite wedding shot (so far). We had several folks taking pictures and videos and we are now in the process of sorting though them and getting them online. I'll share a link once done.
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So many stories, but I don't want to abuse the site with too much personal stuff, so that will be elsewhere.

and here is the machine I picked up
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Nice duds! Definitely not “ordinary” wedding clothing. Looks good.

CD in Oklahoma

We were planning to be married in Victorian Garb, but a snafu with the rental car agency(s) that resulted in me having to BUY a car rather then rent one totally destroyed my last day of sewing. Heather dress was done, but not my outfit, so we adapted at the last minute and went with more modern stuff. The good news is, instead of renting a car for $1000 I used the money as a deposit and now own a 2004 VW Golf. 31mpg, 5 speed, A/C, Cruise. Did the 8000 mile trip without a hitch.

All works out as needed...

Welcome back! Congrats on getting hitched!

I guess if you had a Golf, one treadle was about the max anyway, lol. (I like Golfs, I almost bought one of the new ones a couple years ago but got a Hyundai with similar specs instead)

HA! I could have EASILY put in 4 or 5 if taken apart... This car is a Tartus (Dr. Who reference, bigger on the inside than on the outside)

Steve knows how to take down a machine and cabinet to take up as little room as possible - if we'd have been thinking a bit more, we could have shoved another in there too!

The Domestic machine was a wedding present to help insure Domestic Tranquility in the marriage - for the years to come!

Ok - but that sounds better than - I was desperate for more room and something had to go!