Friday, April 9, 2010

Vintage Singer Update: 96 Years Old, and Sewing Just Fine!


IMG_6842, originally uploaded by beryldrue.

Many thanks to those of you who tipped me off to the serial-number lookup on Singer's website! They even had a PDF of the instruction manual.

My grandmother Sylvia may have learned to sew on this machine in the mid-1950s, but it was already an antique when she got it. It's a Model 66 (G-Series), manufactured at the Elizabethport Factory in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1914, along with 25,000 others of the same model.

As you might guess, it was originally treadle-operated, but at some point before my grandmother got it it was retrofitted with a motor and electric foot pedal.

My mother Beryl took it for a test drive (see her photo gallery here) and reports it has perfect tension. Sadly she lives 5 hours away, and I'm too close to delivery to want to travel anymore... so I probably won't lay my hands on this beauty until well after Cartoonist Baby arrives! Luckily this reminded me that my good friend Mary has a similar machine right here in Brooklyn, so maybe I can play with hers.

No offense to my computerized Viking, but I doubt she'll still be in service in the year 2101... and she was never this pretty!

4 comments:

  1. She is soooo pretty!! I did a lot of sewing on the treadle version of this, believe it or not (an old boyfriend's mom had one) and it was a lot of fun. If it was mine I'd have had it powered up too though! How lucky! It's going to look so awesome in your place (someday).

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  2. GORGEOUS. This machine will last several lifetimes.

    I'm boiling over with jealousy right now ; )

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  3. Here is some more info from a lovely lady who knows her machines.

    http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=993674&postcount=183

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  4. That's a beauty! This model is nicknamed the "Red Eye" because of the red football shaped decals on the front of the machine. I also have one that belonged to a family member, and it sews like butter! Enjoy!

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