Pam S

Congratulations! What a great find! I have my great-grandmother's White treadle. My Mom learned how to sew on it back in the 20s-30s. You may not be able to find any kind of manual for yours, but I purchased a book "The Complete Guide to Treadle Sewing Machines" by Reuben O. Doyle from Clothilde's website ($24.95). He says he is a sewing machine repairman who has worked on these machines for over 25 years. The book is generic (but the machines are all basically the same) and covers everything from oiling the treadle to changing the belt to adjusting the tension and how to use some of the attachments. I thought it was a good investment.

GailG

My DH surprised me on my birthday a few years ago with a treadle Singer.
The patented dates on the throat are 1880, 1886, and 1896. The machine has really seen a lot of use. Decals on the head show a lot of wear and the veneer on the cabinet is damaged. I don't know the name of the piece, but the head is covered with a type of box cover (very ornate wood.) I would love to have it restored or at least repaired enough for me to use it. The wheels turn well and it only needs a belt and bobbin. I don't have a clue where to bring it in our area. For now it just sits in my sewing room taking up space.

Wendy

Congratulations! I had my great aunt's old treadle machine and wanted to use the top as an end table. We actually threw out the machine and my husband took off the part of the top that opens and slipcovered the entire top with one flat piece of wood. It looks great and is wonderful as a flat table, but in my old age, I sure wish that we had kept the machine and left the table alone. I now have it in my quilting studio in our new house with an antique two drawer Coats spool chest and a collection of old wooden bobbins on top of it. Above that on the wall, I have a framed collection of old Coats and/or Clarks (when they were still separate companies) advertising cards. One of them is dated 1884. My husband mounted and framed them for me for Christmas last year. I also have an antique wooden ironing board and 6 antique flat irons and an antique child size wooden ironing board and child size flatiron. The other antiques I have in the studio are a collection of darning eggs in a basket and a collection of old red/gold Chinese bobbins, most of which are hand carved. I got those when we lived in Shanghai, China for 3.5 years...very cheap over there and quite decorative. They would have been used for rewinding embroidery floss type thread. Now I am on the lookout for old wooden spools. I guess I am a compulsive collector. I will post some photos of my studio sometime. Enjoy your treadle machine!!
Wendy

GailG

I know how you feel about throwing out the old machine. We left one (my MIL's) out IN THE OLD BARN. It's no longer there so we think it was probably hauled to the dump or burned. [We had also left a beveled mirror out there.] I have a few old wooden thread spools (with the thread :wink: ) from my early sewing days (and from my grandmother's sewing box). I don't know if they're antique" but since I'm practically antique, I suppose they are, too. :lol: By the way, how old does something have to be to be considered "antique"?

Wendy

Gail,
I have always been told that for sturdy things, like furniture, an object must be 100 years old or older to be considered an antique and breakable things like glassware and china must be at least 50 years old. I guess it depends on the country. We bought many antiques when we lived in China. When we were ready to move home again, the Government sent someone from the Antiquities Bureau to come to our home and evaluate all of our antique purchases. Each piece received a red wax stamp and had to be less than 200 years old to leave the country. I imagine that was to protect their heritage and make sure that Ming vases or Tang horses were not leaving the country. We had no problems as nothing was that old! The rules for antique boats and cars are different. They become "Classic" before becoming antique, but I don't remember the ages.

Maybe there is a quilter who is an antique dealer who would have better information. Wendy

mountain deb

Several years ago, I saw something interesting on TV. They took an old treadle, removed the machine, re-did the hinges to the back. Then put on a mirror, built a box for the opening and ta da a vanity dresser. They also painted it white for that white chic look. The drawers were reinforced for their new job.

GailG

Thanks Wendy. Very interesting. So I suppose it'll be a while until I'm considered antique. Now, go tell that to my kids. :lol:

judee0624

:D Got pics of MIL's 90 year old Singer treadle. Looks a lot like yours. How are you enjoying yours?
judee[img]

ButtercreamCakeArtist

For a car, 30 years is antique, and 20 years is a classic. As far as other things, I don't know. My parents have an old cast iron sink that was recently removed from Dad's "shop". It had been in there for a long time. We moved there about 25 years ago, and who knows how long it was in there before that? On the bottom, it says Richmond. The date was somewhere around (and I can't remember for sure. I didn't write it down) 05-22-44 (or 46?). Then somehwere else it has the dates of 1814 (or 1816)-44. So....is that thing old or what!? It's to my uneducated-in-antiques-opinion, in very good shape!

I also have a Singer treadle. I think mine is a 1908 model that came out of New Jersey. Mine was "seized up", and the big, long metal bar/shaft that runs through the inside of the machine was broken when we tried to fix it. My mom gave it to me a couple years ago. Maybe I can get it fixed someday. My aunt has one that is in better shape. She used to sew with it; it was her only machine. She left it in her house when she moved into her new home (right beside her old home), and they turned the old home into a storage area. She hasn't been able to get in there to make sure it is OK (health issues) and hasn't been leaked on or anything.