Hi from the Catskills
01-18-2014, 04:18 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Samsonville, New York
Posts: 268
Hi from the Catskills
I'm in awe of people who can sew. I'm always so happy when I can actually make something, but I have to do a lot of seam ripping because I get things backwards when I try to follow the directions. I love quilts and old sewing machines.
I used a treadle Singer back in 1975 to make baby clothes, but it left with my ex in 1987. For a while, I had a very basic Kenmore that used drop-in cams and I liked it very much, but after making Halloween costumes for the kids when they were young, I didn’t use it often. After a few basement floods, I turned it on and nothing moved. (I’m going to look for it and see if I can get it going again…) Over the last 14 years, I’ve used a “modern” inexpensive sewing machine occasionally but it didn’t really work well with anything that wasn’t very light material.
I saw a treadle machine outside an antique store about ten years ago, but it didn’t work when I tried it, so it just became a piece of furniture. Now I want to make a window seat cushion, so I got the old treadle out and discovered that it's a Wheeler & Wilson 9. Thanks to info I found here, I had the courage to try to fix it. I had a great time immersed in Liquid Wrench and 3-in-1 Oil as I cleaned it up. There’s still more to do to make the machine and cabinet pretty, but it’s mostly working. Then I was inspired (and overly confident), so I bought a Free No. 5 treadle, but it's in such sad shape that I’m not sure I know how to bring it back adequately. The next day, I saw a Singer 66 online and bought that, too. With just one evening of cleaning and oiling, it’s working so nicely. I have to stop buying sewing machines now! It’s just so inspiring to see all the beautiful machines on this board.
I love to draw and paint. I'm currently deluding myself into thinking I can 'touch up' the decals. Even though I know it's not the original, they're just so beautiful that I hate to see them fade away.
I used a treadle Singer back in 1975 to make baby clothes, but it left with my ex in 1987. For a while, I had a very basic Kenmore that used drop-in cams and I liked it very much, but after making Halloween costumes for the kids when they were young, I didn’t use it often. After a few basement floods, I turned it on and nothing moved. (I’m going to look for it and see if I can get it going again…) Over the last 14 years, I’ve used a “modern” inexpensive sewing machine occasionally but it didn’t really work well with anything that wasn’t very light material.
I saw a treadle machine outside an antique store about ten years ago, but it didn’t work when I tried it, so it just became a piece of furniture. Now I want to make a window seat cushion, so I got the old treadle out and discovered that it's a Wheeler & Wilson 9. Thanks to info I found here, I had the courage to try to fix it. I had a great time immersed in Liquid Wrench and 3-in-1 Oil as I cleaned it up. There’s still more to do to make the machine and cabinet pretty, but it’s mostly working. Then I was inspired (and overly confident), so I bought a Free No. 5 treadle, but it's in such sad shape that I’m not sure I know how to bring it back adequately. The next day, I saw a Singer 66 online and bought that, too. With just one evening of cleaning and oiling, it’s working so nicely. I have to stop buying sewing machines now! It’s just so inspiring to see all the beautiful machines on this board.
I love to draw and paint. I'm currently deluding myself into thinking I can 'touch up' the decals. Even though I know it's not the original, they're just so beautiful that I hate to see them fade away.
01-18-2014, 05:36 PM
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Western North Carolina
Posts: 1,432
Welcome from the beautiful mountains of western NC. I can't help you with the older machines. However, I have a Kenmore I bought in the early 1970s and a Singer treadle I inherited from my mom who bought it about 1949. My sewing, though, is done on my Bernina.
