Date of Manufacture for a 'The Free' sewing machine
 

Hello to all! thanks for letting me join in! I have spent the last couple of hours reading your blogs and enjoying your pictures of the quilts you've made! I don't really know how I found ya'll because I was looking for a site, any site, to tell me how to lookup the date it was made of one of my sewing machines. When I stumbled onto this site I just got lost in your blogs! Anyway, can any of you tell me where to look online for the date of manufacture of the sewing machine brand 'THE FREE"? The serial number is C254812. I'm guessing it's from the early 1900's only because I saw one on ebay with a serial number slightly less than mine that said it was made in 1902......they don't lie on ebay do they??.... surely not..... now back to reality. My machine has lovely peacock decals that are still pretty much intact, it sews beautifully and is in an enclosed cabinet. It even came with the lifetime warranty signed by Mr. Free and all the attachments! I have no plans for selling it, or any of the other 17 machines I have, the kids will just have to either bury them with me or learn to sew when I'm done on this earth!! I just want to know how old it is! Thanks for any advice you may have to offer me, other than I'm a little bit addicted to vintage machines, which there is no cure for, my biggest problem is deciding which one to sew on! Again, thanks for letting me join! Sew On! Sheila

You'll probably get more help if you post this in the "vintage" machine section. Hope you get some answers.

Welcome to this wonderful quilt world. Sorry can't help with your Free machine.

Welcome Sheila, I hope someone can help you with the dating. I'd also love to see the photos of your machine.
Janis

Welcome, you are in good company if you are "addicted to vintage machines"..lol...Hope you get an answer to your inquiry...I only have the old Singers, so no help here, but again welcome, you will soon be also addicted to this quilting board.

Welcome to the our great board Sheila! There is a wealth of information and help here. I just Googled who made The Free sewing machine and came up with this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janome

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_find_the_history_of_Westinghouse_Sewing _Machines_made_in_Rockford_IL

Sheila, here is the link to the Google results that has multiple links to check. Hope these help you.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Who+...ient=firefox-a

Sheila, Go to "ISMACS" (International Sewing Machine Collectors Society), and then "The Free Sewing Machine Company", and you should be able to get the history and parts you want.

I have a Free Westinghouse. I have the instruction book that came with the machine..It does not date the machine. It says it was made in Rockford Ill. The machine is brown in color and styed like the old singers. If you need instructions for a machine like mine, I would be happy to copy mine for you.