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New to me antique....

Cozystitches

Brilliant_Rock
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Mar 2, 2010
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1,229
Ok, so I'm sure I've posted here before that I sew. And that I have an antique machine (Featherweight) that I love. Well, apparently vintage or antique sewing machines are like pieces of jewelry, and they can be addicting....Maybe VSMAS (Vintage Sewing Machine Acquisition Syndrome???)...anyway. I've been playing with the idea of getting another machine. This one maybe a hand crank or treadle (powered by your feet) or something that I could adapt into either of those, and maybe one of those cool cabinets. Well, trying to find one of these beauties in good condition, living here in the desert w/o paying a small fortune is apparently challenging. I was trolling Craigslist (as I do on occasion) and I saw two machines I was interested in. One was a treadle that was quite a bit more than I wanted to spend and the other was a cheaper electric model in a cabinet that was smaller than the treadle. Both were about the same age and were the same model (as much as I could tell from pictures).

So I debated. Posted pictures on a Vintage Sewing Machine site (yes I am that dorky), what the enablers thought. Asked mom what she thought. All said to go for the treadle. So I text back and forth with the seller. Pouted to DH that it was cool and I wanted it; to which he said "How many machines can you use at one time :angryfire: (really what kind of question is this??? :Up_to_something: )....pouted some more. Hubby forced me to go watch shopping after he had consumed adult-type beverages :naughty: and he purchased the watch he had been eyeing for a long while (Watch guys: Tag Hauer Aquaracer Automatic w/blue face blahblahsomestupidwatchblahblah). And so it was during that trip I informed him I was going to get the treadle. :Up_to_something:

Fast forward to that evening. The seller said he had someone else (an investor) interested and they were going to come early Sun morning, after I had said I could come Sun afternoon to look :shock: . Informed dh that we would be going Sat evening. We did and this is what we came home with:
66closed.jpg 66full.jpg 66close.jpg

This was BEFORE I cleaned her off. I have since oiled all her parts (she was pretty stiff when I got her, now she runs much better), cleaned off all the wood with some Pledge with Orange Oil (made the cabinet LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL!), and have fixed the tension so she stitches beautifully. Now I did have to order a new belt but those run less than $10 so I'm pretty excited. In looking at Craigslist, eBay, and etsy this machine would have been well over the $125 I paid for it (there's another in worse condition on CL now for $125 and another in similar looking condition that is $250). :D I'm excited :appl: :appl: :appl:
 

PattyCo

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 26, 2011
Messages
598
That is fabulous!!! It brings back memories of my mom's antique Singer she had in the 70's. Yours and hers could be twins. Ahhhh, to be young again...
 

maccers

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 19, 2012
Messages
1,167
What a beautiful machine. That paint work is wonderful. Mine is the sister (older, I suspect) to yours! She still works. It's from our family farmhouse. My great grandmother used it. I don't know much about it at all. I'd love to know more about them. What have you learned?

img_13296.jpg

img_13297.jpg
 

marcy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Feb 27, 2007
Messages
26,273
That is awesome. I remember my grandmother had one similar to that; definitely a Singer. Very cool.
 

VRBeauty

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Apr 2, 2006
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11,209
Oh my that's gorgeous! How wonderful that it runs well - and that the cabinet is also in great shape!

It reminds me of the hand-cranked machine my mother brought "over the ocean" with her when we emigrated. My brother and I were not pleased to hear that she had donated it (and its beautiful bentwood cabinet) after she got her new Kenmore zig-zag machine!

BTW I also have a featherweight - two, if you count the one I gave my mother that will most likely be coming back to me. (My mother's machine has the engraved end plate, mine has the striated end plate.)
 

Cozystitches

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
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Mar 2, 2010
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1,229
maccers|1477965999|4092513 said:
What a beautiful machine. That paint work is wonderful. Mine is the sister (older, I suspect) to yours! She still works. It's from our family farmhouse. My great grandmother used it. I don't know much about it at all. I'd love to know more about them. What have you learned?

There are several blogs and sites that are helpful in figuring out machines. This one is helpful for identifying yours (I'm not so great at this part) http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/visual-guide-to-identifying-singers.html

Here's a site that talks about Featherweights specifically https://singer-featherweight.com/

Here's a site for helping to date the machines. :D http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_mac...er-sewing-machine-serial-number-database.html

I'm also on 2 facebook groups: Vintage Sewing Machines and Singer Featherweights :D
 

PintoBean

Ideal_Rock
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Jul 27, 2011
Messages
6,589
Ermagherd this is gorgeous!!! :love: :love: :love:

I haven't had a full cup of coffee, so I apologize if you have already posted this, but what sites do you look at when you're interested in buying vintage sewing machines? My MIL has a table type, and my neighbor has a bunch of sewing machines of the vintage variety as well - all are looking to offload them!
 

luv2sparkle

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
7,950
I love it! I am actually a collector too! I have three cabinets with machines. Two singer and a White. I don't display them with the machines though. One is used as a coffee table in my living room, one an entry room table (White) and one I took the cabinet off and put a butcher block top on and use it in my guest room as a bedside table. I love them. My daughter would love to have the one in my guest room!

I would love to have a featherweight. There is a shop in Carpinteria Ca that has 20 or so and they are all painted in cute colors. I am planning on getting one. I don't really care to sew on it, but I would love to have one!!!!

Leaving tomorrow to go to Quilt Festival in Houston. Maybe they will have some great ones there!
 

Cozystitches

Brilliant_Rock
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Mar 2, 2010
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1,229
:D Fun times! I have thought of buying another Featherweight and having it painted, but it's sooooo expensive! Not diamond or PS expensive, but pricey anyway. ;-)
 

maccers

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 19, 2012
Messages
1,167
Cozystitches|1478007954|4092625 said:
maccers|1477965999|4092513 said:
What a beautiful machine. That paint work is wonderful. Mine is the sister (older, I suspect) to yours! She still works. It's from our family farmhouse. My great grandmother used it. I don't know much about it at all. I'd love to know more about them. What have you learned?

There are several blogs and sites that are helpful in figuring out machines. This one is helpful for identifying yours (I'm not so great at this part) http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/visual-guide-to-identifying-singers.html

Here's a site that talks about Featherweights specifically https://singer-featherweight.com/

Here's a site for helping to date the machines. :D http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_mac...er-sewing-machine-serial-number-database.html

I'm also on 2 facebook groups: Vintage Sewing Machines and Singer Featherweights :D

Thank you! Such great information. I learned my machine was made in 1920, model 127 and has a vibrating shuttle. Also, the entire manual is available online. Someone scanned it in, with yellowed and beaten up pages. So neat!
 

4ever

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
2,260
Very cool! I was originally looking for a vintage singer which worked but they were hard to find here in good working condition and the odd one that cropped up was out of my budget. We also have very limited space in our current house so I bought a rusty treadle base, gave it a repaint, hand painted the gold back on and had a stone bench top off cut cut and polished to fit. It's now one of my favourite pieces of furniture.

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Cozystitches

Brilliant_Rock
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Mar 2, 2010
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1,229
Looks great! :D
 
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