Monday, September 8, 2014

It happened again!

Yep, I did it again. 

I bought another singer machine. 

I had no intention of buying another one, well maybe kind of.

Here's my story and I'm sticking to it. On Craigslist Sunday evening there were two Singer sewing machines advertised. One was a 1913 Red eye in treadle cabinet (very nice) and an older fiddle base singer.  

I really didn't think I wanted or need them. So I sent the listing to my friend Phil. He said he'd like to have the Red Eye for a price, so I replied to the seller and made an offer. 

Monday morning I got a reply, from the seller that he wanted to sell them and would take a bit less than what he had them listed.  I replied, asking if we could come by after grandparent day activities at school. 

Donuts with Lizzie and an art project, 2014!!


 Here she is!  It's an 1874 Singer model 12. It's a beauty! It's MINE!




 (See the shape of the body?, thus the fiddle name)

In the drawer I found the original paper/booklet. I also found papers indicating that the machine was owned by the Wunderlich family from Osage City, Missouri (about 15 miles from my home)

 The nice gentleman also gave us some spare bobbins in the old cough lozenges box.

He had both the original drawer key and the coffin top key and the tool to work on it. 

Claude (the fine gentleman who was the seller) is a quilter too. He had collected old machines but it was now time to reduce his inventory. We came at a good time. I told him the red eye would be working in the Amish community. He then asked if we would be interested in a spare treadle base. 


 This is the cabinet the red eye was in.

He then carried this singer 15-91 (A real great quilting machine) up from the basement.

After loading 3 cabinets and 3 machines we were out of there.

I set the 1874 machine in my living room. Beside it I set the blacksmith's grandmother Martha's sewing rocker.
Martha was born in 1894, so this is probably something like what she might have sewn on.


I sometimes do pass on great things. Below are several pictures from an auction we went to Sunday. It was cast iron heaven. There were so many unique pans there. But not the one I needed, a Wagner #11 skillet, so we left.






We came home to work on this tree. . . instead of a good auction.

Life is good.

4 comments:

Diana LaMarre said...

That machine found a loving home!

I have not done any sewing for many months...kind of getting the urge with the cold weather we have been having.

jerilanders said...

It is just wonderful! The history entwined with that of your family, the little lozenge box of bobbins, the fiddle shape on the machine, I love it! Where on earth do you store all these machines? I would have liked to take home the coffee grinder amidst the cast iron pans.

Flat Creek Farm said...

Great stories, history and pics! Those are all gorgeous machines, and I love the pic of you three on grandparents' day. -Tammy p.s. scored a Gem pan! Still in the market though!

Deanna said...

You make me want to get a treadle machine. I think Jim would kill me. Love that old machine. It makes me wonder what happened to my Grandma's old treadle machine...

Looking forward to next weekend. We need to talk soon.