For those of you who missed the move posts/video mentions, yes--after some minor (read: 11-month) pandemic-related delays, I've finally been granted a visa to come and work in the UK. Yes, Lord Cesario has come with me. Yes, there will be a new workroom setup vlog, but probably not for a few months as it will take some time to acquire things around the lockdown restrictions here, and I'm trying to find as much as I can secondhand or through independent craftsfolk. :)
My great great grandmother worked for Singer, she taught women how to use the new sewing machine. My great great grandfather met her while she was working. He came to visit her and asked “so when are you getting married.” She answered “whenever you ask me” 💕
When Bernadette said her other sewing machine was still on its way to her, I just imagined this dramatic scene of it arriving and saying, "Honey! I'm home...wait, who is this??" And Bernadette insisting, "It's not what it looks like!"
I've been looking for linen sheets/comforters for months now and haven't found anything under $250. It'll be cheaper to just buy the raw material and make them myself.
The staple in the belt is exactly what should be there to hold the belt together. I have several belts for my treadle machine and they all have the heavy staple. Congratulations on you new best friend. I got my treadle machine from my uncle Cecil. He wore overalls all the time but he made all his shirts on the treadle.
We have an old singer as well and the reason for the staple is that it is impossible to make a leather loop. So to form the circle the ends are stapled together :)
Important tips: This is a beautiful Fiddle Base treadle machine. The correct size shuttle is not for sale on Amazon. Those are too long. Bernadette is correct in that they are very expensive to purchase...when you find one. Measure before you buy. The staple in the leather belt is correct. You can purchase the leather belt and special pliers to put in the staple and make sure it is not too tight or too loose online but not from Amazon. Foot placement (human feet) is done by placing your right foot on the bottom right corner of the single treadle and the left foot on the top left corner of the treadle. Or vice versa. Test which is most comfortable. Press down with your right foot and then your left in a rocking motion. This keeps your ankles from getting ‘sore’. Yes, place your right hand on the top of the wheel and roll, palm flat, toward you to start. You may need to do more than once. This will take coordination. Be ready to use your right hand to stop forward movement when sewing. And, since the sewing machine ‘foot’ is a side mount...this machine can use Low Shank attachments from modern day Singer machines to include a walking foot which will certainly help with some thick fabrics. Buy a couple different brands of the correct sewing needles for your treadle sewing machine as the needles you use in your handcrank may not be happily used in your Fiddle Base. Enjoy your new ‘dream machine’ Bernadette.
Totally agree it's nothing like sewing with a modern day machine enjoy learning. Please don't buy attachments etc from Amazon or eBay they just don't fit
I've been able to find a number of parts for my 1925 treadle and also for my 1931factory treadle, from Singeronline.com. By the way, the best way I've found to join the belt is to use a rotary tool with a tiny drill bit, and drill the belt where I want the staple to go through, MUCH easier than trying to push it through. The main trick for me with a treadle was learning to pump the treadle while throwing the wheel. I couldn't see for sure, does this beautiful machine have the lever and the extension on the large bottom wheel for throwing the belt on and off to avoid premature stretching?
I AM SO EXCITED. My mother has had her great grandmother’s machine in our garage for YEARS. I had no clue we could find out what year it’s from, and as soon as I did, I could not help but force her to help me check. Turns out I have an 1899 Singer machine!
This video series has reminded me of learning to sew on the antique Singer my mother and grandmother used. It had gone through a conversion to electricity at some point which is not uncommon. There are instructions on the internet for returning a machine to treadle operation and I so want to do that! Once I have a place with space enough and can get mine out of storage!
@@dustysgarden2254 I know this book! Bernadette is 100% real-life Enza, specially once we remember that Enza was also a seamstresses not for theatre companies, but for the Metropolitan Opera. I see Bernadette sewing and all I see is Enza ♥️
" we are confined to the span of a human lifetime " is such a profound statement that hit me far harder than it should have. I absolutely adore you and your content! ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you for being you
Random tip from someone who grew up with a treadle: the easiest way to get it going is to put the flat of your hand on top of the wheel and pull sharply towards you. The friction with the palm of the hand will start the wheel turning at a good speed, and you can very quickly repeat the motion if it isn't going fast enough yet. The little wheel is more for stitch by stitch sewing (like when finishing a seam). Flat of the hand onto the top of the wheel is your brakes. You will want to know that at some point :)
I remember my mother doing this on her 60s era electric singer. So much that I still reach out to do it even when I'm using her new sowing machine with a mind of it's own that very much doesn't need help, thank you very much.
The little wheel is actually a stop motion knob used to disengage the internal working mechanism so the needle does not move while you wind thread on a bobbin. This way you can wind a new bobbin without removing the thread from the needle.
I got a mint condition, almost never used 1896 Singer, everything included, original manual, spools, threads, needles, everything you need, for free!! Just because I helped a old lady with her groceries one winters day. She complemented my coat, I sad I've made it my self and she sad she had her grandmother's sewing machine in the attic and she gave it to me! I've used it several times, it works perfectly and I'm so happy I helped that old lady. I kept helping her with small things when I had the time but she passed away a few years ago.
Bernadette your cinematography is simply supurb. Every video is truly a joy to watch. The way you craft a storyline with video, narration and music leaves me feeling like I could watch this all day. Thank you for the time and effort you put into sharing your art.
I recently bought a house and when we moved in, we delightfully discovered that the woman who sold the house left an early 1900's Damascus Grand Treadle machine complete with the original instruction manual and different types of feet and other add-ons 😲😲 it needs to be oiled and a new needle but it works!
Wow are you one lucky soul. I wonder if she knows more about the machine and if she would share that with you. My grandparents didn't have anything of the such and I finally got my hands on a Pfaff from 1961 and she has an attitude. With original manual as well, although she may have gone through a house fire. I wish you the best of luck and joy with yours.
@@tarasnow-burch7203 a friend of mine found a Pfaff from 1959 -- I knew nothing, still don't, but the labels were all intact and complete... I had a shop "bring it back to working order" for my friend....she has 4 sewing machines and is single, I find that funny.
a few years back, I was browsing in my favorite store, St Vincent. I had just paid off my credit card and swore I would charge no more. But, there before my eyes was a most beautiful Grand Damascus treadle sewing machine in a most beautiful cabinet. Love at first sight! so, guess what? you know it, I used my charge card and bought that beautiful baby. She dates to 1875. Even have the instruction book that came with it but, of course, the pages are very thin. I've sewn quilt tops with it and just last year made curtains for my daughter. I tell everyone that she and I have a special relationship going. She sews like a dream.
These kind of sewing machine are still very common in africa, since there is no reliable electricity in some places. I learned to sew on one off these.
They are still produced today. Mostly in India. This is why you can still get the parts. Mine is from the 1970, but basically looks like a Singer type 15
I use to work with a bloke that would go round the 2nd hand shops and car boot sales and buy up old machines to send back to Kenya for his familys shop
I’ve also been referring to my machine as “she” and had the same glee when bringing it home. I just got it, for a heck of a deal too! She’s a 1927 electric singer, and it’s amazing to think about the garments this machine made and the work it did to keep people clothed during the great depression and during wartime. Im going to attempt to thread her today and see what she can do!
Exactly what I was thinking!! Especially in rural America, a quick fix until a part could be ordered in was a way of life...heck, in some places, it still IS a way of life!!
It probably would have been a scrap of cloth, and it might have stayed there for years. I'm sure that's exactly how great grandma would have handled it on the farm.
I own a Singer treadle machine from 1923 (I checked the serial number). When I mentioned to my husband that I wanted a treadle machine, this wonderful man found one and bought it for me. A coworker had it in his basement and said it belonged to his grandmother, who had saved her money for years to be able to buy it. I cherish the machine and feel honored to use it. Knowing the story behind the machine makes it more special and when I use it , I think about it's original owner and what she might have made with it.
That's one of the amazing things about historical items - the many lives they've been part of. While house shopping I initially wanted a new build, but realized at some point that each existing one contains a wealth of stories and memories. The 50-year-old one we bought revealed several historical surprises while I lived there, that always got me thinking fondly of its past residents and their every day experiences over the years. ♥️🍍
Mine (1897) came from my client who got it from her mom, who got it from her mom. She has definitely seen better days, and I want to clean her up a bit more and learn to tune her. I am so excited.
Also, pianos. To learn that the one you hated practicing on as a child was built in the 1920s is to also learn that it possibly provided hours of entertainment through the Great Depression, and definitely survived becoming firewood in that time. Not to mention all the music it's made since then! 🎹🍍
When you turned the key to open the case of the machine it was like you were turning the key into history. I know I've stated this on previous posts but imagining what this machine has sewn before makes my mind go wild. Where has this machine lived, been owned, traveled, or traversed. It's A MAGICAL machine!! It's a 130 years old and still works and you know it's provenance. What a gem! One day, I too, will own a piece of magical history - I just need to talk my husband into it after my foray into expensive modern machinery. He'll probably end up surprising me one day because he knows how much I value you those things old and new.
Imagine what a boon all sewing machines have been to their owners. Sewing by hand isvof course something many people like but imagine if you had no choice but sew by hand. Whether you were making clothes for your family/ business a sewing machine would have been magical
@@marjorierutimann8577 The modern needle was called the 15x1 needle by Singer and was first introduced on Singer Improved Family High Arm sewing machines way back in 1879.
I think your solution to the treadle slamming against the spoke is historically accurate enough - someone 100 years ago probably would have used a rag, so a napkin is the modern equivalent i feel...
Better than have the leather break at least. That happened to my grandma's Treadle machine. If I remember correctly it has the ability to hide the machine in the desk. I know my mom got rid/sold the treadle machine because she could find no use for it
The husband of my grandma has one of this. I tried for years to convince him to give it to me,but he won't budge. This year he saw some of my handwork sewing and out of nowhere he finally decided to give this piece of history to me. 🥰
Not going to lie. I feel really bad now. My mom has a old sewing machine like this but we used it as furniture. We use the counter space by our front door (for car keys and mail). Not sure if we still have the machine part. My grandma was born in 1912. It was her mothers... so I’d imagine it was from the 1890s. I don’t sew but I definitely appreciate the art form. EDIT. HOLY COW. I went and looked and the machine folds up inside the table... I wonder if it still works. The leather band has a thick hardy staple in it as well. I wonder if that was common repair work? My family’s machine is by Davis and it has a serial number too. Ah. It was a company out of my grandpa’s hometown. I assume my grandmother got it from her husbands mother. It’s really hard to date since the sewing company was bought out by 1924. But it seems to be around 1870s-1880s. 2nd Edit. I took half the day to clean it and see if it was working. It is/can. Might need some oil and small repairs but it seems in decent condition.
I sew on a treadle machine from the 20's (not Singer though). These machines are absolute beasts. As lomg as it hasn't rusted, it may not need repairs. Just cleaning. And oil.
I live in a Third World country and you can buy the leather belt for threadles with the industrial staple attached to only one end so you need to form the circle yourself. I use an electrical machine myself bc I can afford both the machine and the alternative electrical resources but most tailors and seamstresses in my country only use threadles.
The staple holding the drive belt together isn't a repair - it's the original way they were joined. The belts were leather and would stretch over time, the staple allowed a home sewist to take it apart, tighten it by trimming the ends, and re-join it 😊
This is probably a weird thing to say, but I teared up a little bit watching this. I just got my newly serviced singer 301 sewing machine yesterday and am about to take on the monumental task of teaching myself to sew, and you have perfectly captured the feelings of excitement and anticipation and joy of finally having in your hands a piece of history that you have been researching and preparing for for who knows how long, something that is going to help you create beautiful and functional and spectacular things. I'm happy for you, and I am so excited for the journey that I am about to embark on myself!
God's Son is coming back soon, repent while there is still time! DO NOt take the mark of the beast vaccine! New World Order is here! Stock up on food and necessities! The Bible said many would die of fami ne
As someone who had to hand-sew a tabard that took half an hour, and then managed to borrow an 1890s Singer and a similar amount of sewing took 2 minutes with no hand or wrist issues with a perfectly even stitches, I can say the excitement was very, very real.
God's Son is coming back soon, repent while there is still time! DO NOt take the mark of the beast vaccine! New World Order is here! Stock up on food and necessities! The Bible said many would die of fami ne
Note that when threading the bobbin you can disengage the needle by unscrewing gently the circular plate attached to the wheel of the machine, I don't know if it was meant for that purpose but it works quite well Edit: thanks to a video from 24 Washington I now know that it was an intended quality of the machine and it was in fact advised to disengage the mechanism when first familiarizing with the apparatus
The foot treadle will continue to move for a while after you stop pumping. Be very mindful of Cesario's location. More than once, our spaniel got her paw or tail mashed by Mom's treadle-operated machine.
YES! This is a very important consideration and it is all too easy to forget that a critter will regard the area under the treadle as a nifty hiding place.
It definitely makes it easier for my brain to understand everything she’s saying. I sometimes struggle to process speech, so while Bernadette usually enunciates very clearly in her voiceovers, good captions are always welcome.
I'm not THAT old, and I remember as a child “helping” my mother (or more accurately, being tolerated by my mother) as she would use her New Home treadle machine (handed down from an elderly aunt, I think.) She'd sit at the machine and I'd sit on the floor and work the treadle per her verbal directions. A voice-controlled sewing machine, imagine that! I still remember the exact feeling of my fingers gripping the cast-iron filigree on the treadle.
How precious is that memory! Plus, it is similar to mine. I grew up with a treadle driven Singer 31, and I learned how to sew on it. Unfortunately it got lost after my mother bought an electric machine.
My great grandmother taught me to use her Singer treadle machine one summer when I was young (it looked just like yours and was regularly used by her and my grandmother; also, I'm old). It was wonderful to use, and listening to the sound of the treadle moving via your video has brought back some amazing memories-- thank you!
"Are you crying watching a video about a sewing machine" No you don't understand, it's about life, both living and inanimate. And I expected nothing less from this channel
Find a furniture restorer. Take him the wood piece that has rot. Ask him to use same type wood and match stain to original. He will remove the strap, cut a piece of new wood and, using the old piece as a pattern, will draw the shape on the new wood, at the same time marking where to keep in the area were the rot us. He'll use a router to reshape the new bottom piece. He'll then join the original main stem with the new part. This will save the majority of the original piece. Then he'll sand and match the stain. Make sure he knows where the pressure is in that rod so he knows the best place and strongest way to join. Then he put on lacquer or other finish and reattach the leather. Hey... you're in London. You will definitely find someone who specializes in that Era of restoration.
Having spent my adult life in museums, I would suggest replicating the entire crankshaft and saving the original. It’s like antique dealers tell you never to clean off the original patina. If you keep the original part you can always put it back on if a buyer is interested in it as an antique.
I think the part is called a pitman arm, there is a listing on ebay for one, it does not look like the leather strap is original, from what I've found the wood was later replaced with a metal rod, hope this helps
To be honest, if someone shipped me my grandma's treadle machine, my reaction would be the same. Plus they'd get a medal, since that means they managed to sneak into my mother's house and liberate it from its forced languishing. My mother knows how to sew; she's just too stubborn to learn how to use the heirloom treadle she has since she uses strictly modern machines. 😑
The belt is supposed to be stapled like that. I repaired my grandma's treadle machine and the belt was just the same. Also if you want to you could clean the outside of the machine with a bit of singer oil on a rag and a bit of light pressure. You'll really be able to see the gold of the decoration!
I cleaned an old singer sewing machine as well, and read that oil residues should be cleaned with oil: you put new sewing machine oil on the dirty places, let it sit a while (very important) and then wipe it delicately. It worked quite well for me.
From what I've read of manuals and repair blogs, it's because the leather stretches with use and you can restable it easily yourself and retighten the belt. I'm glad someone mentioned this, I was checking comments to find out!
Legitmately, as a nonbinary person as she was saying "ladies and gent" my heart sank, thinking she was gunna not welcome me into the youtube video, and then she said "gentlefolks" instead of "gentlemen" and I was so happy!
That's just the bubble Bernadette creates. Some sort of wrinkle in time and space. I have no interest in sewing, but love history and when I watch her videos it feels like this glimpse into the past that I find very soothing and relaxing. I envy her ability to do this.
Two of my great-grand-mother had Singer sewing machines, and one was in our living room when I was a child. I was so fascinated, whenever my mom lift the chest to clean this beauty I was amased, and I think it still worked, because I used to turn the big wheel with my little feets and watch the needle do its thing. I never knew the great-grand-mother who owned this sewing machine, but I somehow felt connected with her when operating it.
I collect antique and vintage sewing machines…mostly Singers. I love seeing other people enjoying and sewing on them. They were/are beautiful pieces of art. Thank you for saving and respecting another piece of history and giving the beautiful old girl a new lease on life.
My grandmother owns a treadle machine. She inherited it from someone in the family who was a seamstress, and she used it for normal sewing needs and repairs while she raised four children through the 50s and 60s. She only bought an electric sewing machine in the 70s when my mom and my aunt were learning to sew at 4H and they were learning on electric machines. She was very salty about having to buy the electric machine from the tone in her voice when she was telling me about the treadle machine. 😂
My grandmother had a treadle machine too. She said it was a wedding gift (my grandparents married in 1921). When my aunt got her a side pedal electric sewing machine (sometime in the 1960's?) , my Nana also did a lot of grumbling too. She would always be reaching for the treadle, forgetting that the newer machine had the side pedal and I suspect she gave up a lot of sewing because she could never get used to the electric Singer.
@@stephaniecowans3646 I learned machine sewing on a treadle so I feel for your grandmother. I don't usually sew, but I'd pick a treadle over an electric pedal, too. (And even hand sewing if necessary!) There is a rhythm and a momentum that once you got used to gives a sense of security with the needle that just isn't the same with the electric machine.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate whoever does the captions for Bernadette? Because wow do they know how to describe the ambience, the vibe if you will
They're done by an outside captioning service, then reviewed to correct technical vocabulary by my fabulous assistant, Betsy. She also has much fun with the noise descriptions. :D
The belt on her machine doesn't look like the original. The original staples are much sturdier than what we see here. I had to buy a new belt to my 1897 machine, the staple that came with it was very flimsy looking, same as here with her machine, so I just took the original staple and put it on the new belt.
Oh she's simply gorgeous ❤️ I love how these old singers not only built to last and survived their way to us, but how they decorated with flower details and how elegant they were
@@ragnkja Also philosophical principles from designers from the early 20th century such as Adolf Loos - author of "Ornament and Crime" - that considered decoration not only useless and/or tacky, but * morally wrong *
So in my house there's always been an old table that I didn't even realize was a sewing machine until I watched this video. I looked and it's also a Singer and I looked up the serial number and it's from 1912!? I can't believe this I'm still in shock
@@warriormaiden9829 Well it's in definite need for some cleaning and maybe some repairs but yes I definitely want to learn to use it. I'm told it was my great grandmother's and I still can't believe it's been here all this time!
Yes, Singer produced those sewing machines that function the same way as Bernadettes, but where the sewing machine can either be moved down or flipped down, so that you have a little table. My friend has also one of those, from 1907, bought from a flee market for 30 bucks cause that belt was broken. We repaired it, took the machine apart for cleaning and oiling, and then we moved on to sew a viking linen tent (Oseberg style) with it. We took turns in sewing and the other holding/pulling the fabric (we are talking about several kilograms of linnen, afterall). Just at the very end, when turning the last seam allowances (that were about half a centimeter thick) we had to switch for my grandmas 1960s sewing machine (Miele, i think). But yeah, all the outfits of the viking group were sewn mostly on that same Singer machine, except the outer visible seems, which were done by hand.
I learned to sew on a treadle Singer sewing machine and I'm 67. It was my great grandmother's (born 1860). I loved the rhythm of my feet on the treadle and could hardly reach it at the time. These machines are beautiful pieces of craftsmanship in wood and metal. I could weep when I see them being broken apart to use as "farmhouse" wash basin stands.
What a beautiful machine you've found! Two tips for working the treadle that may help with preventing back and joint pain. First, scoot in a little closer to the table so you can get your whole foot on the treadle. You'll find that you can press down with both the ball and heel of your foot and get better control of the motion. Second, consider treadling with both feet on the treadle. If you prefer to use just one foot, be careful that you are still sitting square to the table surface. Otherwise you'll end up twisting your upper body towards the machine and it can be quite painful on the lower back!
You are so right, Genny! Two footed treadle work is best practice! I love spending time on my treadle machine in front of my window with no electronic distractions. The daylight is wonderful, view of trees, birds and squirrels entertaining. So soothing and peaceful!
I am sitting in a house watching this video on the site of where that machine was probably made! There are so many references to Singer and little logos dotted around this town :)
Just clicked in but have already heard that your machines are a year apart and maybe it's strange of me to think that that's kind of nice? They're like siblings in the same house now! 🏠
I use my treadles for free motion quilting. I love the sound, the rhythm, and the control I have over my speed. The antique singers are just the best. Nothing is made today with the same level of quality!
The whole ending gave me very "a trailer for a very moving, artisting movie" kinda feel and I live for it. Like wth Bernadette, how did you manage that, it's almost as impressive as the machine itself.
OMG this brought back so many memories of my grandmother sewing us new clothes. She had a treadle machine similar to this. Hers had a cover that lifted up and lay flat like an extension of the sewing table. The machine was actually stored underneath. So many memories and so many outfits were made on it. I don't know what happened to it. I wish I knew. Thanks for the memories.
I am blown away by the editing of this video. You took us back in time, sparked our imagination, and created a romantic drama around this beautiful piece of historic machinery.
Bernadette: "rather than the electric machines that are made to adapt to us" Me, who fails to even get an even rhythm with the peddle of the electric machine: 👁👄👁
I find the electric pedal is way too sensitive and the machine "runs away" from me and that for a big portion of my sewing i'm turning the wheel by hand.
@@jermainerace4156 I would too if I had the option, honestly! Anything faster than the slowest speed makes me mess up the seam so it's really a game of "when do you start and can I keep my foot at the exact same position" 😂
@@jermainerace4156 you should try a commercial machine! They take of like a greyhound and sound like a machine gun! I eventually got fine with them in fashion school, but since I'm not doing commercial work I don't prefer it.
I'm certain you're done reading the comments. But, you've I inspired me to start making my own clothing. Wish me luck as I make a skirt for the first time using the back stitch video you posted as reference. Thank you for being so inspiring.
You do not tie the thread to the bobbin, you put it on the left side catching the thread with the bobbin in the winder. This way when the bobbin runs out it won't jerk out of the bobbin holder inside the machine while you are sewing. I grew up using a treadle and it is probably part of the reason I am an engineer now. Use the flat of your hand to pull the wheel forward and to stop use the flat of your hand on the wheel as a brake. Thank you for this. My grandmother taught me to sew and I love her and that machine.
My grandmother's sister sewed on their mother's treadle machine until she died in 2010. She was completely in sync with it and could sew as fast as an electric machine.
My grandmother received one as wedding gift. It was old when she got it and was still using it as late as 2005 alter curtains for her home. She wasn’t a prolific seamstress, she just used it to repair clothing ( and made at least one prom dress in the 60’s)
I am loving the cinematic/documentary style of your newer videos. They look incredibly professional and actually stir quite a lot of emotion, which is something that is rare these days.
Can we talk about the fact that the cinematography in this video is just perfection? 😘👌 I was so thrilled to see how giddy you were when you took the cover off of the top. What a marvelous connection to history! That's so awesome, and I know you'll take great care of it!
My grandmother taught sewing for the Singer Company in Olympia, Washington in the ‘30s and ‘40s. I have some of her working samples where she made lace, openwork and even sewing with wool yarn. She passed away before I was born, but my mom taught me to sew. She made her first garment (a skirt) when she was five and sewed until she lost her sight. Whenever I sew, I feel such a connection to them.
Its probably been said before but as a sewing machine enthusiast -the broken wooden part is called a pitman rod, you can either find a matching replacement or find someone good with woodworking and commision them to make one to the size you need. The staple is meant to be their, although it looks like it was clamped on a bit sloppily though. -leather strap bit is most likely a repair done somewhere in the 20th century -people often forget that the little hole thing in the bobbin area is actually an oil well to lubricate the bobbin shuttle race area. -your machine looks to be a singer vs2 fiddle base with "gingerbread" decals (although im not sure if its gingerbread or victorian decals). This machine after a little tweaking becomes the singer 27, 28, 127 and 128 family. So like your handcrank friend it is a vibrating shuttle machine, an improvement from the old transvers shuttle machines. - Since its in a treadle table it is more likely to be a full sized machine, am not sure if your handcrank is also a full size or a 3 quarter size -remember that you turn your handcrank AWAY from you butit actualy turns the handwheel TOWARDS you -when winding the bobbin or just practicing the treadle movement, you can disengage the clutch knob (small silver circle in the middle of the handwheel ) by turning them in opposite directions to disengage the needle drive. To set it to sew again you turn the clutch back to its original position. -there are plenty of tutorials on the internet! I can recommend curio b-spoke design! His channel is a wealth of information. Your machine's beautiful and i wish you luck in your now two-armed and two-legged sewing experience!
Lol, seems Singer kept that clutch design for a while. My grandmother gave me one of her Singers from the 60's (she had 5 or so) when I moved out that had the same feature. Anyone she taught to sew (especially her grandkids) learned the basics of a straight stitch on her newer machine (also a Singer) and once we got that, she put us on one of the older ones to learn how to thread, spot tension issues, clean the machine and such. All of them were finicky, and ornery, and didn't like to cooperate. If you could learn to take care of and sew properly on those, THEN you got to go back to using her thousand+ dollar modern machine. 🤣 Now, the reason she had 5 was not because she hoarded machines, or she couldn't resist rescuing them from thrift stores.... It was as Bernadette said; younger people would have relatives that died, and they had no idea how to use it, and would just give it to her. The one she gave me was the only one she had bought herself, back a few years after they were made. The rest were from people she had failed to convince to take sewing lessons and learn to use the machine they were given. Out of the dozen people a year that would try to give her machines, only 4 of them over the course of 10 years refused what she had to teach. And those are the machines we learned on. I always wondered if they regretted not accepting her offer. I still have the one she gave me, and I plan on following in her footsteps. Once my sons are old enough (one is 5, the other is due this May), that's what they're going to learn to sew on. Part of me feels a bit bad for their future Home Ec teacher, since those boys will have a very good grounding in how to run and maintain a household before they ever hit high school and they'll be bored to tears. Hopefully they follow in my hubby's footsteps and become a TA for the class rather than sitting and doing nothing. XD
When my gran taught me to spin she made me sit there and treadle for more than an hour until I got the rythm right before she would show me how to actually spin the yarn.
Lol!! My mother has a treadle machine that I used to sit at for a good half hour at a time working the treadle. I used it to help stretch my calf muscles for when I could finally start riding. Good to know that all my practice had a second use! 🤣🤣
I'm not into ASMR, but I would love an ASMR video of just peddling the machine and sewing random pieces!! Very interesting and informative video for a fellow history but 😁❤️
the editing must have been quite a work load. the individual close-up scenes and slow and quick sequences complete each other so nicely. and the music works so well with them. 😍
@@jayda2364 my best guess is that a lot of the people around here and including myself have families who immigrated from other countries usually Italy because we had a lot of steal mills and factories (emphasis on the “had”) so while the men would work in the factories you had stay at home mothers who had to take care of pretty large families. *SO* you had a lot of families who needed clothes, pillowcases, quilts, etc. We also have a lot of farms and a decently long way to any city so using any scrap fabric to make things would be easier than going all the way to the city and coming all the way back
My great grandmother's is a 1906 model, and compared to the almost pristine condition of the lacquer on the base of yours, I am flabbergasted the degree to which hers has been polished off. To think how much use it must have taken to achieve such a feat of erosion... Extraordinary.
And here I am just going crazy about the cinematography. Bernadette could make a whole documentary if she wanted to, and I'd probably end up watching it multiple times.
My Gran, Tilla tried to teach me how to sew on a 1904 Singer treadle that belonged to her mother. Her mother sewed all the clothes for the family and they were apparently beautiful. Tilla became a seamstress and her mother gave her her sewing machine so she could make a living after WW1. Unfortunately there were many spinsters after WW1. She eventually married at 27 though. I was 13 and being taught to sew at school on a modern Elna (in the 70's) and then had to try to sew on the Singer at home. It was a disaster! That whole must get going to get going thing did my head in. But Tilla never once sewed on a modern machine, and she was still sewing at the age of 89 before she passed away. Thank you for bringing my lovely Tilla back to me.💖
My grandmother had a treadle sewing machine that she used regularly. I learned to sew as a young girl, on both my mother's 1950s electric and this antique model. I didn't grow up learning to love sewing as much as you do, but I've always been glad that I learned utilitarian sewing and I really, really got a kick out of watching this video. My favorite of yours, by far. Hope you and your mechanical friend are still enjoying each other's company.
What really gets me about this, apart from how stunning the video itself is, is how much you can hear her smile in the voiceover, and see how excited she gets while unwrapping the machine. Truly a history nerd, it makes me SO happy
Two fabulous historians, Ruth and Luca, I hope they are doing well during this parallelogram also congratulations on your newest acquisition! The little drawers are so cute
It didnt have the actually sowing part up top, but I think it was somewhere in the attic too, though it would probably need to be really carefully reconstructed to work again
I'm learning how to sew on my grandmother's machine and it also has that staple, it's not an issue. Hers is like 60 years old and it's my inheritance 😁
The staple was a standard thing with belts on many kinds of machines. I've seen some big lathes that had very wide leather belts with literally dozens of staples in them (although some were sewn isntead).
Now I completely understand Bernadette's post about overdramatizing the last minute of this video. It felt so much like the intro to an English Heritage video. It feels so exciting
As a 61 year old male professional woodworker from NC, I really care very little about period ladies apparel, but your presentation style is so fascinating I keep coming back.
TENSION TROUBLESHOOTING TIP I can't remember if I mentioned this in my multiple burbles on this thread trying to share what I hope are some useful tips... Please forgive me if I'm repeating myself but with thousands of comments on this thread checking back to see would take forever (and I'd probably get the urge to offer help on yet something else!) :-) I have a couple of really old machines (one is the same model and age as the one in this video - but nothing like as pretty and quite different decals). Getting the tension on them just right is a bit hit-and-miss. The reason turns out to be (after much investigation) that when I remove the leaf spring from the shuttle the underside of the leaf spring and/or the shuttle case has a little "groove" in it that is the rut made by enough thread going through the shuttle to sew a seam to the moon and back. The thread (nearly) always want to settle into that groove which prevents the leaf spring from doing its job properly. I think the times when it hits rather than misses are the odd occasions when the thread from the bobbin doesn't slip into that groove. I consulted with experts and they say there's no remedy they know of for that - it's best to get a replacement (genuine vintage) shuttle that doesn't have that problem. Then you can actually achieve the proper bobbin thread tension after which you don't need to mess with it much again. You can do nearly everything you ever need to do after that just by adjusting your top tension. For my shuttles that suffer from this malady they have very loose tension. I won't get rid of them. I'll keep them as separate shuttles to use for those times when you really want a loose bobbin tension - it will save me having to change the tension setting on my "usual" sewing shuttle.
