Thread: Vintage Sewing Machine Shop.....Come on in and sit a spell

Originally Posted by BoJangles

Monica what page is the picture of your Free posted here?

Nancy

OH Nancy you are making me think! I need my other cup of coffee this morning to recall what page. Here, it was faster for me to find it off my blog. I have all my machines posted there.

Here is the picture of my first quilt top made on my Singer treadle, just in time for her 92 birthday of March 4, 1919. Sew much fun! Think I will name her Elizabeth, after the place she was manufactured. {it's also the middle name of my youngest DGD, Rainee Elizabeth}

Originally Posted by vintagemotif

Originally Posted by BoJangles

Monica what page is the picture of your Free posted here?

Nancy

OH Nancy you are making me think! I need my other cup of coffee this morning to recall what page. Here, it was faster for me to find it off my blog. I have all my machines posted there.

That's interesting....yours doesn't have the plate listing needle sizes on the front. Otherwise it looks like mine.

Kaye

Originally Posted by HisPatchwork

Here is the picture of my first quilt top made on my Singer treadle, just in time for her 92 birthday of March 4, 1919. Sew much fun! Think I will name her Elizabeth, after the place she was manufactured. {it's also the middle name of my youngest DGD, Rainee Elizabeth}

Pretty quilt! Thanks for posting. It is fun treadling! I like seeing the quilts and other sewing projects that people have made with their vintage machines. Have more fun treadling!

Originally Posted by IT_Nana

Originally Posted by vintagemotif

Originally Posted by BoJangles

Monica what page is the picture of your Free posted here?

Nancy

OH Nancy you are making me think! I need my other cup of coffee this morning to recall what page. Here, it was faster for me to find it off my blog. I have all my machines posted there.

That's interesting....yours doesn't have the plate listing needle sizes on the front. Otherwise it looks like mine.

Kaye

I had my second cup of coffee and realized the difference in the machines. Slow morning for me and I don't even drink.

Nana, I love your cabinet! Your machine is most likely older since it seems the older machines had that plate up there. But I could be wrong. Best is to do a comparison with other photos and records. So, I went back to look at mine and noticed that I have 2 sliding plates with patent dates, and the dates are different from each other. So somewhere in this machines history someone lost a plate and a plate was added. I haven't gotten around to cleaning this machine. Here are photos of the plates.

Originally Posted by vintagemotif

Yes mine is a Free No. 5. I can't tell is the 0 in front of the 2 is a C or a zero. Cleaned it but it is still difficult to read. So take a pick at what you think is correct.

I bet it is a C. Does your slide plate have patent dates, or the cabinet have patent dates? I have patent dates on the slide plate and on the cabinet - it says patent pending.

Nancy

Originally Posted by IT_Nana

My slide plate is plain, no markings at all. The only other markings I can find are on a plate on the front of the arm which indicates needle sizes. I'm attaching a picture of that. I double checked my serial number and it is indeed 827313. On one of the websites I looked at I gathered that it is a #5, but can't find that now.

Nana, if it is a Free No 5, it would say that right on the arm itself - like my Free says "Free No 5" across the arm.

Nancy

Originally Posted by IT_Nana

Also, there is one for sale on ebay right now that is a beautiful machine and is the same cabinet type as mine, but the markings on the head identify it as a "Will C Free", not "The Free", like mine. I would snatch this up in a minute if I were in Illinois...it's in incredible condition!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I love the free listed too! But, more importantly I think this might answer my question about the 'C' in front of some of the serial numbers! The 'C' probably means those are the machines built at the Chicago factory, which was before they opened the factory in Rockford.

Nancy

Originally Posted by BoJangles

Originally Posted by IT_Nana

My slide plate is plain, no markings at all. The only other markings I can find are on a plate on the front of the arm which indicates needle sizes. I'm attaching a picture of that. I double checked my serial number and it is indeed 827313. On one of the websites I looked at I gathered that it is a #5, but can't find that now.

Nana, if it is a Free No 5, it would say that right on the arm itself - like my Free says "Free No 5" across the arm.

Nancy

Well, it must not be a No 5 because it doesn't say that on the arm. My slides plates are blank, too. Were they replaced, or was that the original? I think I'll call my Aunt and see if she remembers grandma getting the machine.

Originally Posted by dirty1mom

Ok, I am going to try to add photos of my "new" machine. I am using the craigslist photos since my camera died. Hope this works.

Wow--this is really beautiful. I want one.