miriam

I like that but it doesn't look all that comfy.

Macybaby

Hmmm - that's an idea to use up some of the treadle stands I have once the patio is in place for the Machine Shed. When I bought out that "2 van loads" off stuff, I ended up with several treadle iron sets (mostly White and Singer) without tops.

Cari-in-Oly

I kind of like it too. I can visualize some of these on the deck at my new house with cushions made to go with the color of the house. Hmm, getting fancy in my old age if things have to coordinate, lol.

Cari

ThayerRags

A lady at the Quilt Show yesterday said that she’d seen a treadle stand built into a rocking chair. I told her that I’d seen photos of benches, but she said this one was definitely a rocking chair that someone had rigged up.....

She didn’t have a photo of it....

CD in Oklahoma

Rodney

I know we can't save them all but I still prefer to see treadle irons under their sewing machines. Supply is greater than demand but that won't always hold true.
Life cycles of furniture and other items go kind of like this: New, used, junk, antique/collectible. Old sewing machines other than the truly old ones like Steve's are currently somewhere around the "junk" stage-at least to most people. The supply is greater than demand and people are repurposing the stands and machines into other things they think have more value. As the supply diminishes and/or the demand increases they will enter the "antique/collectible" stage where they have some value as sewing machines again.
Rodney
Rodney

costumegirl

Rodney - I agree - I have noticed that on CL and other similar sites many of the sellers have separated the machine and treadle base to sell them. Guess they feel that, due to trendy repurposing, it is more profitable. There are lots of bottomless treadle machine heads for sale which are in great condition but for me, who doesn't have the resources to build or put together a base, it's not practical. "Pickings" are getting leaner and more difficult. I also am a bit of a purist when it comes to obtaining collectibles and I would prefer/want the correct/matching base for the machine - LOL -this means that I usually spend more than I should.

miriam

Here they donate the heads to Goodwill and do their thing with the bases and other parts. But when they are separated, broken and parts missing I think a chair is pretty cool.

ThayerRags

That’s probably not a bad habit to be in costumegirl. Keeping things as “factory original” as possible is a good thing, I think. I don’t always do it.... but I like it.

I can’t tell for sure who’s base that is in the photo of the chair that was posted (not Singer), but, keep in mind, that when most old Singer machines were purchased, the base/cabinet/stand to accompany it was available in your choice of furniture. Therefore, there are very few set Singer combinations for household machine and cabinet, making a variety of head/cabinet combinations totally practical, and great fun to swap them in and out from time to time.

CD in Oklahoma

ratherhaverain

Must be one of those heavy duty wood machines....
http://salem.craigslist.org/atq/5234108046.html

Is that a tension assembly on the top of this trestle machine?
http://bend.craigslist.org/atq/5240243931.html

chris_quilts

I have at least one Singer top without any irons!!!