A Featherweight's Contract Satisfied
 

Today, while going through my mother's paperwork, I found a letter from the Singer Sewing Machine Co.. It was the completion-contract my father had with them for $174, the price paid with tax and interest for our mother's Featherweight. In 1950, that was a LOT of money!

Daddy didn't buy our mother gold or jewels. He didn't even buy her flowers. But he did scrimp and save while my oldest sister was a toddler so that Momma could make her clothes.

Seriously, I choked up when I realized that it was over a month's wages for him. At $19 a month, it took him nearly a year to pay it off. Now I know why it was so revered by my mother. I am so thankful my sister has this black beauty stored safely. Someday, it will come here for a spa treatment. I look forward to renewing our acquaintance.

I think that the history of our vintage machines is so interesting and your's is espicially so. What a tribute to your parents. I found the original sale slip for the Morse I got last week with the case. The people that bought it went to DesMoines---about 90 miles from their home and paid $179.00 total for the machine in 1955. They put down $40 and traded in the old machine-----That was a lot of money then, and how hard they must have worked to pay the rest off. No wonder they took such good care of their machines.

One of the things I love best about my vintage machines are the stories they have to tell. My first treadle was shipped by rail and until I was gifted her, stayed in one family. When sewing, I think of all the shirts, pants, and blankets she made!

It is the history of these that attracts me as much as the ability of these machines to still produce quality stitches. Knowing that my 1873 treadle has ventured from Connecticut to Montana to Illinois to Kansas to Texas in the last 140 years makes me stop and think about all the things this girl has seen. She likely spent some time in the back of a covered wagon.

My great-grandmother was born on the Oregon Trail. Isn't it amazing how far we have come? Our treasures will at least outlast us. With God's help, our younger generations will appreciate their longevity.

Using Tom's Inflation Calculator { http://www.halfhill.com/inflation.html } $174.oo in 1950 calculates out to $1,642.31 in 2012.

Not that the machines value is monetary.

Joe

It is nice to hear the history of these machines. I have had my 1919 Singer treadle [in my avatar] for almost22 months. I bought it from a goodwill store in Michigan thru a friend that brought it to me in Georgia. I also have my grandmothers Free #5 treadle, but by the time I got it, there was no one that new anything about it...other that it was probably bought new. I had never even seen it before or knew my dad had it until I was home for my mother's funeral. I was telling about my Singer and showing him a picture of it. That is when he told me about having his mom's. I asked him if I could have it someday and he said it's yours, you can take it now. So I did! It is in a parlor cabinet and since I wasn't living at home when he got it, I never knew there was a sewing machine in it. {i wasn't quilting then}

Thats so neat! I'd love to see photos. Mom and I were talking and I asked her why, when my grandmother kept everything under the sun (and I'm not exaggerating) would she not have older machines that were hers when she was younger, or perhaps from her mother. I mean she learned to sew from her mom and was the only daughter so I would have expected her to have her mother's machines. Mom said that she did at one time have a treadle, but that my uncle ended up with it last she knew and that was 30 some odd years ago. Well, I hunted down my uncle and aunt who are in their 80s now and asked about the whereabouts of the machine, and asked them to please contact me if they ever decided to part with it....turns out his wife gave it to her childhood friend, and she still has it, so she did offer to go take photos of it for me and send them. I really hope it hasn't been turned into a plant stand. I'd drive all the way up to Kansas City to go get it if I had to. Can't wait to see the photos. My great grandmother was a trick skater in Vaudeville and made her own costumes, 2 of which I have, along with one pair of her skates. I never got to meet her, that I recall. I think she passed away when I was a baby.

These posts are so heart warming! Today, I handed my sister (who now owns the Featherweight) the original contract including the envelope from the Singer company. As we went through Momma's chest of "special" clothing, a matron-of-honor's dress was found. My mother wore it for her baby sister's wedding. Using a little math we figured out it was made by our mother using that Singer! Amazing stitches. Very satisfying discovery that made today even more special.