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Antique Sewing Machines
Here are pictures and a little history of the machines I use for all my sewing projects. Careful though you might get hooked on treadles (people powered) sewing machines as they are addictive!
This is my favorite machine of my collection. Her name is
"Willie" she is a 1909 Willcox and Gibbs Chain Stitch Treadle.
She makes this lovely little quiet "tick tick tick" noise as you treadle. Look at her beautiful irons and her treadle pedal is a butterfly. As you can see from her machine body she is small by mighty!
I have sewn everything from silks and furs to leather on her and she sews like a dream. I love this machine so much I also have one like her in a American Hand Crank version. The only thing bad about having one of these machines is that needles are no longer being made for her as she takes a special small grooved needle so if you ever run into some of these needles let me know!
This little machine has most of it's gold still intact on her body and most of the bronze still left on her irons. I hope to take a good picture of her irons later to show you all the beautiful scroll work.
One of the next machines in my little "herd" is a Wheeler and Wilson No. 4. She is from 1868 so she was born not long after the end of the Civil War. She was not all put together when I got her but was somewhat taken apart and she looked liked she'd seen better days. My husband thought I was crazy and that I would never get her sew. Well she's not a beauty as far as looks goes but after a good scrubbing and polishing she is running like a dream. She is very unusual as she sews from left to right rather then front to back. She also has a glass presser foot and has a bobbin sew she sews a 2 thread straight lockstitch.
She takes a very special curved needle so I only use her for very special task such as making heirloom quilt blocks as I only have 3 of these needles to my name - they are no longer made and are very hard to come by so if you ever are out and about and run across some of these please let me know!
The most used machine in my herd is a Singer 127 Tiffany decal Treadle. She has a vibrating shuttle (bullet style) and long bobbin. She takes standard needles sold today and they are even still making bobbins for these beauties. She is a two thread straight lockstitch machine. She can sew just about any fabric I want (even dreaded heavy jean material - try that with one of the plastic models of today!)
If you order a Bear or Quilt from me then your bear or quilt will have been sewn on Tiffany in whole or part as she does a little of everything as I have a complete set of attachments for her.
When I travel and want to sew I have 2 hand cranks - a Willcox and Gibbs American Style Hand Crank and a Harris 1-H transverse shuttle hand crank. I have been known to found sitting in the back of my van sewing away on one of them when having to wait on Children or Grandchildren to finish practice for sports etc. so I could save time and gas. I would just work in my van.
Look for more pictures of my machines and stories and history as time allows me to write.