1906 Singer Treadle

 This is my first treadle!  I've wanted one for a long time and I traded with a friend of mine for this one.  This is a 1906 Singer 27 with the Sphinx decals and shuttle bobbin.  Vin# H653733 made in Elizabeth, NJ.  

This is the day that she was brought home and she was sitting in the middle of my living room.  My friend told me that it had belonged to her aunt that is still living but no longer wanted the machine.  I'm not sure how the aunt acquired it, if she bought it used or if it had been passed down.  That is certainly something that I would like to find out.  My friend, Mitsie, said that it had been used up until a few years ago and it was just taking up space in her house.  I am quilting a quilt top for her in exchange for this machine.  

Mitsie said that someone in the family was going to redo the cabinet and ended up only doing the drawer.  I think I may have Richard to sand it and stain it darker like the original cabinet.  

This machine has been well used and the decals are worn but hey, it is 106 years old so I don't expect it to be perfect.  I love it!  After I got it home, I sat down and took it part, cleaning and oiling everything.  Actually it didn't have that much gunk in it so I figure it had been cleaned and not really used since then.  

The treadle pedal was a little stiff and when I first started treadling, my legs hurt because it was stiff.  So lots of oil everywhere and working the pedal loosened it up and now it is perfect and treadles very easy.  This was my first machine ever with a shuttle bobbin so that was a little odd at first but not that bad once I figured it out.  The tension needed very little adjusting and now sews wonderfully.

 I was sewing around on scraps adjusting the thread tension and trying to get the treadle action down and Hunter came up to me and said, "mom, let me do it"  I told him that he probably wouldn't be able to because you had to get the wheel going a certain direction and get the treadle action just right.  He wouldn't hush so I got up and let him try it.  He has yet to break the thread!!!  It was like he had been treadling forever!  LOL!  He loves it and thinks it is cool.  This is his scrap that he had been sewing.  

 I heard him talking to a friend of his and he said, "Hey Wyatt, you know how my mom likes to sew all of the time?  Well, she got this sewing machine and it is 106 years old and it doesn't even use ELECTRIC!!!"  LOL!  I thought that was cute!  Even though a lot of us grew up seeing treadles or learning to sew on one, to kids now days they are fascinating and cool.  :)

You can read the original post of when I got this machine on my other blog... Cowgirl Quilter

After I finish the quilt that I am piecing on my Featherweight I want to piece a quilt on this treadle.  I'll keep you updated on that...
Kristie