So Victorian Sewing Tech is Really Cool? 

A quick note on feet since I wasn't as clear about this in the video as I meant to be. Even some Singer machines have different shanks (like the 66), even though most vintage & antique models do have the low-shank. The nice thing with Singer machines vs. other brands is that it is still possible to look up the serial number of your machine and learn the model and year it was made! From there, you can figure out what sort of attachments work for your machine. Basically if you buy a vintage machine, just know that not all feet work for all machines, and some research is a good idea. One of the best places on the internet for antique machines (including the Singer database) is here: ismacs.net/ and if you have a old singer and want to get an idea for parts/accessories this website is well organized (though mostly sold out): oldsingershop.com/ and this website is also fantastic: www.vintagesingerparts.com/ If you're a antique sewing machine lover and have other website suggestions for folks - leave them below! ❤❤

Have to think about Bernadette's dress with the lace, with your feet it would have been much faster. Fascinating to watch.

Oh, what fun to find you working with feet. Singer did an amazing job with their attachments so good in fact other brands had Singer make the feet for their machines. They did make 4-5 different rufflers each with their own ID number. I should spend a day testing one against the other. The button hole attachment today still makes the best button hole of any vintage or modern machine. There is one for spaghetti straps. Many for embroidery. Another to make rugs. These are all low shank and most are interchangeable from one vintage sewing machine to another. Instructions on how to use them is now available on line.

I hate my modern machine but I loved my grandmas foot pedal machine. It was exactly the same model as this video. I had so much more control and it was so much simpler than a modern machine.

I really enjoyed the little spring time transitions.

100% the edge-stitcher. That lace is so annoying to handsew 😢😂 Also, your face at 10:48ish ...that intense but quiet satisfaction 😊

I'm often perplexed by machine feet. This was great to see! I also love your striped pants and red belt.

This sewing content is 🥵🥵🥵spicy. I have an antique singer treadle machine from 1909 and I had no idea how to do anything with it other than the straight stitch. So this video is critical content! 10/10!! 🤩🤩🤩

Don’t feel bad Abby. I have 4 puzzle boxes, 2 sets for a featherweight and 2 sets for my White Rotary. I’ve a serious addiction to old sewing machines and their feet.😂

4:35 You mean, ASewMR?

That looks just like the one my Grandma had! Does she have a name yet? ❤

I have a singer of about the same age. It belonged to my Great Great Aunt. My Grandfather worked for Singer as a repairman. He gave me a bunch of feet’s and parts. It was originally a treadle. That was in 1970.

i have a 1910 (aprox) hand turn singer sewing machine. I bought it for only £15 and it works really well. However, the tension is off and it only happened recently and I have spent Hours trying to fix it to no avail. Any tips? it came with the instruction manual but that didn't help much. Also have been looking for feet for it for ages. Love the video

You know, I don't think I trust any RU-vid crafter or sewist that doesn't have a pet and include them in their videos at some point

completely relatable LOL

I, a beginner, haven't even arrived at things like different feet yet xD I just got a functioning 1910 Singer, but without a belt, so I need to get that and then teach myself how to use a sewing machine for the first time in my life. Looking forward to it! Good to know there are whole other levels to reach after those first steps though xD

What I love about these old machines is how tangiable the technology is, if you get me - you can see and feel how everything works (unlike ekectronic machines), it's delightful 😊 My mum has a vintage Singer (hand-cranked) with a box of Mystery Bits, I'll be investigating them next tme I visit for sure!

Being "stuck" with only a modern machine, this was much more interesting than I thought it would be. Deep respect for the product engineers who invented all the various feet in order to expand sewing machine capabilities so far. Many modern feet are still very similar to their ancestors.

Gosh i haven't heard the sound of a sewing machine for decades - such a lovely soothing sound. My grandma had a machine like yours. such good memories!

My elderly neighbor had what I thought was just a 1960s blond wood sewing machine cabinet in the driveway with a sale sign on it. They wanted $15 for it. I went up did a quick once over and said I wanted it. I only a $20 but it was in perfect condition so I just knocked on the door gave them the money and said thank you. When I went to pick up the cabinet and haul it down the street to my house I realized it was very heavy. Inside was a beauitful ejaculated 1940 Singer sewing machine. I mean in perfect condition with all the accessories. I was stunned. I thought it was just the cabinet. The sewing machine works beautifully. It is a simple straight stitch machine. It has its serial number and I was able to look it up and as you may very well have guessed by now I got a fantastic deal. I now have the machine. My grandmother's 1950s era singer, and my mother's 1960s era singer, which she bought used as a teen in the 1970s. I feel very lucky to have all these great machines.

I also have a "feet problem" I call it "attachment issues" I love-love mine and use them all the time.

I think Bernadette is going to come steal your box 'o feet LOL

I recently became the new owner of a 1905 Singer 27k hand crank (The Sphinx design). After a good cleaning it works beautifully. I have most of these feet and haven’t tried them yet. You have inspired me to get out some scraps and play with the feet.

To everyone in the comments who has these vintage machines in their possession and hasn't started using it yet: they are INCREDIBLE. With a little bit of care they will work so hard for you, and I feel such joy even just looking at my vintage machines, not to mention using them. Abby, I'd love to see you try the binding foot-- I struggle with that one and haven't been able to get it to work for me.

Heck yes. I have a Singer 127K from 1929 and I've found modern professional machine feet fit on the old ones. Which is fascinating to me, and makes life easier because it only came with one foot.

I personally liked the edge stitcher. Thank you for the video. May the next month be kinder to you and your spouse.

Let's not forget that different singer machines may use different feet, there were several types of buttonhole attachments alone. There's Low Shank, High Shank, Slant Needle, and now Snap-on attachments. If it's a Singer attachment they may have a SIMANCO number which you can search to find what types of machines it's compatible with.

Ohhh the underbraider is so cool!!! But also that edge stitcher 😲 This would make making a lingerie dress so much easier.

I don’t know what it sounds like in person vs on camera but I find the little cruncha-cruncha-cruncha noise of this singer quite satisfying

I've always thought the ruffler foot was just a cruel joke. Thank you for showing how it really works! 💜💜💜

I recently learned about under-braiders and it’s my favorite antique foot now. It’s so specific and so telling of the type of sewing that machine owners were doing. I was actually organizing my feet while watching this and I had gotten them in a pre-owned bundle. It’s a very similar feeling to opening up a vintage foot box. The previous owner had a couple embroidery feet, some pintucks, lots of hemming feet- but no cording or quilting feet even though those feet are made for this machine. My favorite foot in this collection is the zipper foot with a sliding guide on it- to help keep zipper distances even. I imagine the previous owner sewed a lot of garments and zippers and decided to save themselves some work and got a foot with a guide. The under-braider tells a story too- an era where cording and reinforcements needed to be sewn invisibly but sturdy.

My Grandmother (b.1889) was a seamstress in her tiny Friesian village 🇳🇱, working later in her life with just such a "hand" Singer sewingmachine - when they became "available" to the general public. She helped her daughter/my Mom (b.1934) make her Wedding gown in 1964. which I still have. I (b.1971) sadly never got to know my sweet elderly Grandmother (✝️1967) but I'm named after her...and my Mom (✝️2017) passed her sewing skills and pre-WWI sewing "utensils" box on to me. 🥲🥰

I love feets!! This was great Abby. My former father-in-law worked at a Singer shop in the mid 60's doing repairs. He got to work on vintage machines often and even restored some.

Not technically a foot but get/show the buttonholer on the treadle! It's my favourite thing because once you set it it's basically hands free and you just treadle away 😁 you've inspired me to dig out the feet I have, identify them, and try them out!

My grandfather was a tailor and worked exclusively on an old Singer, which I inherited. I have it, as well as the box. I’ve always wanted to use it, but I have no idea what I’m doing, lol. Great video, Abby- thanks 🙂💛

This is scary--this vid drops on a day when I had to excavate my sewing machine box to find my zipper foot amid a whole bunch of Singer feet I've NEVER used.

Welcome back! I was watching ‘Marie Antoinette’ (2006) and now this. My Sunday feels much brighter.

This was great, Abby! I was bit by the VSM bug 10ish years ago. Once I realized the quality, the power of (some of- always check!) the motors if they have them (for example, the modern Singer “Heavy Duty” has a 0.7 amp motor. A Kenmore 1914 has 1.2, and a Pfaff 130 has 1.5 amps. And I got my Pfaff 130 free on the side of the road!) I never looked back. I now fix up & gift donated machines locally to folks who need one. They’re incredible resources that can be had for under $50 98% of the time, and people throw them away. The more we can keep running & out of landfills, the more resources we keep for the future. They were overbuilt & meant to last generations. And with good care, they will keep running! The more I’ve used them, and used the attachments, the more I realize we got rid of all these amazing features when plastic modern machines started rolling out. So I’m even more convinced what resources they are! lol. What I love the most about this is that you’re going to inspire people to try old machines. 💕 Thank you!

I have my great grandmother’s singer from the 20s that I have been wanting to learn to use. This was so inspiring! I had no idea that these machines were capable of this!

What a fascinating video! Your collection of feet for your machine is purely a treasure. I have a 1920 Singer treadle machine that needed a serious cleaning when I got it. I restored it myself and now works beautifully, but all that came with it is a standard presser foot and a zipper foot. Thank you for your suggestion about looking for attachments at flea markets. I will try that and probably take one of the feet I have with me to match up and be sure it will fit my machine.

You mean my antique machine can do more than straight stitches? It's interesting to learn what they can do with different feet, which I didn't know was a thing. Then again I have very little knowledge regarding sewing machines because I only started using one last January. Thank you for the continued education and inspiration.

I learned to sew on, and then inherited, my grandmother's machine exactly like this. Back in the 80's I made a big set of "country curtains" for my daughter's room, using the hemmer and ruffler. Miles of ruffles! 😂 Thanks for this trip down memory lane. These were fantastic machines!

LOL not me looking at the silly amount of feet that came with my vintage Singer 301A, and being like, oooooohhhh, THAT’S what you’re for!!

This helps a LOT! I inherited my husband's great-grandmother's vintage Singer and literally just was looking at all the feet with such confusion lol.

Thank you Abby, you've just solved a 30 year mystery for me. Inherited some Singer sewing feet from my grandmother and worked out what most of the were but until now the edge stitcher had me stumped xx

I know they can sew through anything, because my mom learned to sew on a treadle machine. She also told me that machine made two stitches in her thumb before the needle broke. It didn't stop her from sewing with it she made sure her fingers where out of the way

I have a Singer 201, a Singer Featherweight, and a Singer 99. They all take the same feet but each has it's own unique bobbin. I use the narrow hemmer foot and the ruffler the most. I also have the Singer buttonhole attachment with templates for eyelets all the way up to 1 1/4" buttonholes plus keyhole buttonholes. I do contract sewing for an internet company that specializes in 9th to 15th century clothing for museums and reenactors. The 201 is my main machine and is used daily. The owner of the company I work for has a Singer 301 for her main machine. I love the old machines. No modern sewing machine could take the amount of sewing that these can unless I go industrial.

I love how Abby talks to her machines as though they're people. I do that to, especially since sometimes they do seem to have a mind of their own.

Your outfit and hair in this video is giving “Sally Field” in Mrs.Doubtfire and I’m LOVING it

I consider myself very lucky to still have possession of my great grandmothers 1921 Singer Seeing machine (still attached to its table). It’s almost surreal that it’s been making and mending clothes for my family for 103 years and 5 generations.

Try an embroidery hoop for sewing with the underbraider foot. The tension created by the hoop should create a smoother design . I totally love the edge stitcher! I like to imagine the person who originally purchased the sewing machine. How he or she felt when trying out all the accessory feet for the first time. I suspect they were just as amazed and delighted as you. Your Singer is a beauty.

I just made a massive floofy tiered skirt dress for Dapper Day with my 1938 SInger and my ruffler foot, so I am feeling a lot of fondness for that one. The hem was somewhere between 350 and 400 inches around, but I just pressed that up and then folded it over and stitched it down while sitting at the machine.

I have a sewing machine foot fetish. That is a very nice near-complete puzzle box. Every time I see a youtube sewist bemoaning the chore of ruffling, pin tucking, or pleating, I mutter "There's been an attachment for that for over 140 years." The tucker marker is probably my favorite--I have at least 6 of them for various makes and models of sewing machine dating back to the 1880s. IMO the hemmers take the most practice and test runs to get good results.

I have a model 99 Great Brittian Singer manufactured. I found a box of attachments at a ReStore for $5. I love my old girl. She purrs like a kitten and I have an amazing store that does cleaning.

I love vintage machines and all the amazing feet and attachments that were available for them❣️ Sometimes it takes a while to get the hang of using them but for the most part they work absolutely beautifully and do cool things I never knew I needed. Singer parts are nice because you can google the part number and usually find a video demonstrating the attachment. I especially appreciate videos from the featherweight shop as they have a good variety including some very rare and hard to find attachments.

I've been collecting old Singers for like 20 years and use them regularly. I tried most of the feet for the first time last year because I was about to emigrate and had to downsize. First time I ever used a rolled hemming foot was on an 1877 12. I was like 'omg I need to use all of these they're awesome'. Haven't sewn since.

My mom worked with an interior decorator in the 60s and 70s. She and I made miles and miles of ruffles for sheer Priscilla curtains. That foot also does pleats, and it can gather a top fabric while attaching a flat bottom. I just used that foot when attaching gathered skirts to my daughters’ dresses. Sure wish my Janice or Brother machines could use that foot.

I adore machine feet! My mom has a 1952 black Singer 301a which came with a huge pile of feet and a clamp on buttonholer. She never wanted to use any of them besides the buttonholer and the zipper foot. That said, she was so expert having learned to sew on a treadle, post-depression. She was Minnesota Ironing Champion of the year, either 1951 or 1952. She didn’t need any feet!!! Lol. I am studying with Andi and Paul Barney of Sewing Doc Academy, spiffing up Mommy’s Singer and a bunch of vintage machines I have been gifted.

I made my first (and only) quilt on a Singer treadle machine when I was 9. A well maintained vintage machine is magic!

you're better than i thought you'd be, sounds like something you say at the end of a blind date.

This is the only internet feet content I'm into 😁

Watching you carefully and yet so casually sew so beautifully with that edge stitcher foot made me gasp and my jaw dropped. I have a modern Singer machine (Heavy duty, 4423) and now thanks to this video I'm going to investigate what feet I can get my hands on. I now want a hemming foot and an edge stitching foot.

For many years I've kept a few feet like these in my sewing boxes, feet I inherited from my step-grandfather who was a tailor in the early 20th century. Aside from checking that they do fit my modern sewing machine, I never knew how to use them. Yes, vintage feet *may* fit modern machines. It's worth checking. My modern machine has snap on feet ... on a removable low shank bar. If I remove that bar, I can use any low shank pressure foot - from my step-grandfather's tucker and ruffler, to the specialty feet I bought for my 1976 Sears (Janome) machine. I'm saving this video ... I know it's not meant as a tutorial, but it will help me figure out my feet. The tucker has always been a great mystery to me.

I was given 3 tins of feet and accessories recently. This could not have come at at better time! Thank you. I dont know why but playing with feet has always confused me a bit so being able to watxh it is so helpful.

Regarding the hemming feet: starching the fabric helps enormously.

Such a lovely video! Really love the decor in your sewing room too, so calm and pretty. More like this please, perfect Sunday afternoon vibes!!

aaaaaaand now I need an antique Singer. (My own Singer is from 1985 - Mom saved & saved to buy it for me as a high school graduation gift. I still use it all the time, of course.)

Holy moley I can't believe how well those work. Insertion foot?!? My mind is blown.

The insertion lace application blew my mind.

Wonderful video!! I feel the same way about all my feet! My Singer 27 came not only with all the puzzle box feet (plus random feet for a different shank machine...?) and manuals, but a newspaper article from during WWII that said, basically, "Ladies, you can't buy a new sewing machine now because all the manufacturers are making munitions. But if you have a problem with your machine, don't take it to a repairman; he'll rip you off. You can repair your machine yourself!" I love that these machines are such workhorses, and nothing is hidden behind plastic panels that will void your warranty if you remove them. It's all right there, ingeniously and precisely designed, but understandable if you put your mind to it. And they are also beautiful! (When I first got my machine I told my brother that it was "gorgeous, ingenious and will work forever," and he said, "I've been looking for a woman like that all my life."😆) I wish we could go back to the days when practical, useful things were decorated within an inch of their lives.

I went to a quilt fair today. Several booths had these 1938 singer sewing machines. They were cute and repainted bold colors and most worked. One was for sale for $650

That edge stitcher foot and the ability to do insertion lace is AMAZING. I was also impressed with the hem foot! My experience with modern machine hem feet is...not exciting. But that foot's results looked so much better!

I have been slowly rebuilding an ancient singer I got as my latest fidget project and it came with all the original feet attachments that go with it. As soon as I finished the video I booked it to my office and opened the foot container to see the edge stitch foot right on top and just being able to Identify these mystery pieces of metal fills me with such giddy glee. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO 💖💖💖

I sew on a Bernina 1130 and I could not live without my blind hem foot, overlock foot, and baby hemmer. I also love the knee lifter for the presser foot, it helps so much with preventing distortion when sewing curves.

I want one of these old beasts so badly. I recently started sewing with machines after hand sewing only for almost a decade and dear god! It is ALWAYS SOMETHING WITH THESE THINGS! Dont get me wrong I absolutely love the convenience of them but if I ever run into one of these older ones in good shape im hopping on it like white on rice

I have my great grandma’s singer sewing machine from the 20’s. I also have all the attachments, the manuels and the warranty paperwork. I learnt how to sew on it and only purchased a motorized sewing machine after a few years of sewing. It’s been in the family for 100 years and hasn’t broken once.

I’ve found that with at least some vintage rufflers you can set different pleating patterns! Good luck finding a guide for how to deliberately adjust them though…

I inherited a treadle Singer that had been converted to electric. I learned to sew on that machine. It's been in storage for almost 5 years. I just bought a house but haven't been able to get my furniture out of storage yet. I cannot wait to get my machine into my house and get it working again! It has all these attachments that I never really explored using. I will definitely come back to this video when I do get it in my house!

I think I like this style of video best: about 15 minutes, focused on a specific topic, highlighting your expertise. Thank you for all of your hard work. I hope you are happy and well.

Seeing that foot that lets you sew insertion lace really wowed me. It really does remove a huge barrier to making nice insertions

I'm very happy to know I'm not the only one with a bunch of feet that are underused!

This was so fun. My great grandmother had one of these machines with all the feet. It was so cool.

Talk about a blast from the past! I have fond memories sitting underneath the sewing machine as my grandma was sewing, totally fascinated by all the intricate moving parts. I also loved to “play” with the foot pedal moving a scrap of cloth through the machine without thread, pretending to sew something. Back in the 1970s this type of foot pedal operated sewing machine still was a feature in virtually every household in our community. But they began to disappear in the 1980s as electrification advanced.

on the ruffler there are some that show numbers if remember it right those are how often a "tuck" is made there might be a screw i think that one adjusts the "length" of the "tuck"

I inherited a couple of boxes for my singer and love how amazing our ancestors were. People seem to forget that doing things by hand took time and ain't nobody got time for a lot of things when you have to churn butter raise babies of all species etc etc.

How the box closed blew my mind🤯🤯🤯

Seeing them all laid out stresses me out soooooo bad lolll

I’m happily sitting in my sewing room buzzing along on a petticoat using a ruffler attachment when I hear it will look better by hand. Well played. 😂 Going to go finish my petticoat now….by machine!

I have my moms slant shank singer and I have been too intimidated to try to figure out the speciality feet, besides the feeder foot (that I just started using) I make newborn outfits for newborn photography and I clearly need to figure out my foot situation bc it would make my life so much easier making all the tiny things! Thank you for this video, it was the kick in the @ss I needed!

What a treat to see those feet walk the walk!

I love the edge stitcher foot. I have stitched yards of insertion lace using a 1.5mm tiny zigzag stitch, and yes little "holiday" holes (they take a break at a Holiday Inn). My fingers cramp up guiding 2 pieces of lace to create the fancy bands. I have modern Viking embroidery machines and I believe I have all the available feet, I would love one of the edge stitcher feet.

I have a Singer 401G from the 60s, with all its associated feet and accessories and I have only used the zipper, straight stitch and zigzag (the wider opening for the needle) foot so far. I sew regularly but haven't branched into any complicated projects because I haven't had the mental energy to sit down and learn how to use the various feet. Guess I'll get to it now. ❤

Look at this stuff Isn't it neat Wouldn't you think my collection's complete Wouldn't you think I'm the girl The girl who has Everything Even the boxes look similar to Ariel's. I love it so much!

I came to see more of the box, I have one of the boxes but gutted, void of even the velvet interior, and wasn't quite sure what it originally was. So fascinating to see a whole one! And now I have Plots and Plans about refashioning the case for my own uses...

My vintage machine (inherited via a great aunt) came with a few additional feet but I’ve never had the confidence to get them out and try, nothing too fancy though one is a confusing hemming foot as it doesn’t resemble any of the other designs I’ve seen, I need to look it up and see if I can find out why it has an odd design. My machine is actually a Jones but being from the mid 20s Singer attachments from the same era will fit it, not needles though which is somewhat of an annoyance since you do generally need a good number of those.

My understanding, like many VSM owners (vintage Sewing Machine) is that rufflers breed when left in boxes and drawers!

Everybody has 8 rufflers. Years ago, I bought a Singer 401 that "came" with 2 low shank rufflers. Makes me laugh.

Your videos on antique sewing machines are providing great advice and getting me pumped to take care of my own antique sewing machine restoration.! I recently acquired from my aunt and uncle, who had gotten it at an auction, a 1923 treadle Singer 127-3 (the "modern" version of yours, as my research says). I have yet to do a deep dive clean and exploration of her, but she works, is in decent shape, and comes with EVERYTHING. Manuals, a billion mystery feet I don't know what to do with, seven bobbins, and buttonhole and zigzag feet attachments! The only thing that doesn't look particularly great is the wood table - looks like it has water damage with the veneer bubbling and it was possibly used as a plant stand (based on the circular marks) so wood repair is on my list of things to look up. She has the Sphinx/Memphis/Egyptian design, so I named her Lady Memphis. :) I also acquired my grandmother's 1940-50 White brand sewing machine, which is also in need of some TLC. So these are my projects for the summer! Thank you for the video!

That's just great - now I have Underbraider Envy.....{SIGH!} And the edge stitcher foot too....