Brown Singer Treadle?
 

An elderly friend's home in the country was burglarized recently. They stole her grandmother's treadle sewing machine, a prized possession (along with everything of value, including a tractor and all the copper plumbing out of the house).

She's reached the age that she no longer thinks clearly, so I'm not sure I have the right info. She's told me previously that the machine was purchased in the early 50's. Her grandmother had always sewed on a treadle, so she didn't want an electric. (Her grandmother made gorgeous quilts.) I saw it a year or so ago, but it was in the cabinet and had a TV on top, so I didn't ever see the machine itself. It looked like a Singer treadle like my grandmother had.

She called me yesterday about the theft. At that point, she said the sewing machine was brown. Does it seem reasonable that the machine was brown? I can't think of a machine that would have been available in 1950 or so, in East Texas, that would be both brown and a treadle. (I thought I might try looking on Craigslist and those kinds of sites for her machine.) I think maybe she meant the cabinet. I'll see her Friday and can clarify that, but I'd like to start looking now. It means a lot to her.

I had questioned her in the past, and was sure it wasn't a 15-88. I assumed it to be a 201 or a 66, which would be hard to prove one owned, but not a brown treadle. Any ideas about the possibility of brown treadle?

bkay

I've seen a pic of a Singer refurbished in the 40s that was like a dark crinkle green, so why not brown? It would be very unusual but never say never, you know? On the other hand, if she's not thinking clearly, you could be right about her thinking of the cabinet. That's more likely. Does she have any pics of the machine? That would help.

Cari

The treadle irons for a machine of that vintage could be brown, so that may be where the confusion is.

However there was also the Singer 401G that was made to go in a treadle, and it's a tan color.

This sounds so much like the Eastern Shore of Maryland, especially Caroline County. I heard of an entire curved staircase being stolen. We had a cast iron woodstove, all the interior plumbing pipes, and anything else that looked like it could sell to a remodeler stolen while our house was up for sale and empty. Locals told me that the stolen property was probably located over the line in Delaware at one of the many old farms that had become places to sell antiques and used building supplies. People became leery of any unfamiliar vehicle in sight, but the people who bought those old houses had to work out of the area to pay for their places, so it was hard to protect property. Once while I was working outside, a truck pulled up and several young men jumped out and one told me they were there to "move that pile of dirt". At the time there was a restriction on businesses that sold topsoil, so my "pile of dirt" that looked like a small mountain covered with daylillies was an invitation to thieves. I heard of old beds, doors and windows being stolen, but never a sewing machine. The irons may have gone to a scrap metal recycler.

I feel for your friend having to deal with this violation of her home and sense of security. Is it possible that somewhere in her family photos there is a picture with the machine in it, or could it have been listed in old insurance papers?

Perhaps she meant the tan coffee color that some of the older Singer machines can in such as the 306 or the rocketeer?

There are tan Singers made in the 50's... my 403 is that tan or light brown. Don't know which came as treadles, tho.

Could have been one of those tubular steel frames. I have one and the irons are brown but the machine is a black 66. The cabinet is dark oak. It is from the 50's.

I feel so bad for her. I knew she REALLY wanted to bring that machine to her apartment, but didn't do anything about it. I didn't think I could lift it, so I just put it off. In hindsight, I know some folks in that town I could have asked for help in loading it. Once I got it here, getting it unloaded wouldn't have been a problem.

Thanks for your insight and help. It's not likely I'll be able to find it. She's not even sure when it happened, as she hasn't been there in a few months.

bkay

This thread made me have to go back and look at a machine I saw on Boise Craigslist. It is more white than brown but goes to show that newer models can be treadle machines. I am not sure if this one is original or adapted - at $85 I'd love to go find out but my DH would not approve. [ATTACH=CONFIG]582085[/ATTACH]