Goodbye, dear old Singer

By “Singer” I mean the lovely old Singer treadle sewing machine I’ve had for years.

My grandmother used a treadle machine to sew clothes and more. A treadle machine, if you’ve never seen one, works by you moving the treadle back and forth with your feet. It’s surprisingly easy, once you get the hang of it.

But I’ve never used this one. When I was sixteen my parents bought an electric sewing machine and that’s the one I used to make clothes when I was a teen, and it’s still the one I use today. It’s nowhere near as fancy as the new ones, but plain and simple suits me fine. Though I don’t make clothes so often  anymore — mainly it’s just to take up hems. But you never know — I still have lots of gorgeous lengths of fabric, so maybe I’ll make them into something.

These treadle machines last for years. Mine isn’t the one my grandmother used, but belonged to a friend who asked me to look after it while she and her husband went overseas.

That was thirty years ago and I haven’t heard from her for almost as long, so I’m finally biting the bullet and giving it away.

Yes, giving, not selling. I don’t feel comfortable selling something that’s not exactly mine. I was also reluctant to sell it on the open market as some people simply remove the machine, toss it and use it as a table, whereas I know my friend will love it for himself and treat it well.

I did try donating it to a charity organization that exported them to less developed countries, so that people with no access to electricity could use it to sew clothing and perhaps make a living. But after first saying yes, they later said they couldn’t come and pick it up, so that fell through, as I can’t transport it in my car. Or even lift it by myself.

It’s very heavy, not just because the machine is metal, but also because the frame and treadle part is made of wrought iron. 

It’s a beautiful machine — they really valued good design and marrying it with beauty as well. The cover folds out to extend the table, and the machine folds away into a special storage space (currently a bit dusty, like the wrought iron).

I particularly love the designs that serve no particular purpose apart from beauty. See them below.

The person I’m giving it to fell in love with it as soon as he saw it, and is going to polish it up and keep it in his house.

He’s coming this weekend to collect it, so I’m saying goodbye to it now.

And here it is , all cleaned up and in its new home.

Have you ever used a treadle sewing machine? Do you  sew — or did you sew in the past?