My new toy

A long time ago, I used to have a treadle. I loved it. It was German made, turn of the century. I had it in the schoolbus, but when we moved into the Airstream, there wasn’t room. There was condensation in the trailer and I was afraid it would be ruined. I found a good home for it in Walla Walla.

I’d been talking to Lon about treadles and showing him pictures of them. He likes antiques and was fascinated by the decoration. I had a post from the Vintage Machines group on Ravelry with a link to a Craigslist ad in Seattle. It was the back of the machine and you couldn’t make out a lot. I sent the link to Lon. Then a day later, he told me he’d made the deal for it and she would hold it for us until payday. I used a vacation day yesterday and we went to pick it up.

This is a 1891 Singer VS2. That means is has the vibrating shuttle (long bobbin) instead of the more modern round bobbin. My old machine used a shuttle like this too. Singer calls this the roses and daisies decal. It’s one of the prettiest machines I’ve ever seen. It needs a belt, but she said it sews fine. It also has the “puzzle box”, as folks call these folding attachment boxes.

I’ve ordered a belt for it and will try and do a little work on it over the next couple of weeks. I’m just amazed to own this machine.

1891 Singer treadle en route home

side decals

more decals

treadle base

treadle

puzzle box

more puzzle box

attachments

attachments in place

stuff I don't recognize

beautiful machine

damaged spot

needs to be cleaned

I love the decals here!

don't use your treadle as a table

more decals

  1. Wow, that is beautiful. I bet you got it cheap also. Nice investment once it is cleaned up and functional. But great of you to “recycle” such works of art. Good on you!

  2. So beautiful! If I ever saw one of those Singers with the rose design, I’d grab it in a heartbeat! My Singer 27 is the Sphinx design, which seems to be pretty common – I see them listed for sale all the time. But half the fun is rescuing something that everyone else thinks is useless and bringing it back to life again.

  3. I have a 1910 Sphinx too. It actually is the machine I use most often. Do you know about dragon poodle.blogspot.com? She’s done some interesting restorations.

    I have a singer 128 head. I suspect I’d have to make a base for it. The Rose Singer I got by way of the Ravelry vintage machines group. Someone saw it on Craigslist in Seattle. Road trip and $50, it came home with me.

  4. where can i get an exploded diagram of the top-thread tension adjustment assembly?
    (the thumbwheel thing on the left side).
    I think my sister might have lost a washer or something, forty or fifty years ago. I’ve never been able to get the tension >just right<. there doesn't seem to be any tension adjustment on the lower bobbin, other than a piece of spring steel on the bobbin holder.
    PS my machine is electric, probably from the '50s.
    any help appreciated.
    steve550@safe-mail.net

  5. Start with this:

    http://ismacs.net/free-sewing-machine-manuals-list.html

    There is a really good site that rebuilds old machines for use in Africa. They have great manuals but I’m still trying to find that link.

  6. wow!
    thanks!

  7. Lovely. Actually your machine has one of the “Painted Roses” decal variants. “Roses and Daisies” is similar but the grouping of three flowers at the top right is on the upper edge of the pattern for “Roses and Daisies” and lower edge for “painted Roses.” I have the same machine with “Painted Roses” as well.

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