Liz Bergey's other sewing machines
My New Home treadle is shown on the quilting page.
I have a couple of other treadles, a 1954 Singer 15J (serial number: JD174107) that I (re?)converted to a treadle (at right) and a Jewel treadle (not shown).
Putting together the Singer took 4 e-bay purchases (machine head, hand wheel, leather belt, and casters) and 1 Craigs list purchase (the base, which had two missing casters).
I don't know which company made the Jewel treadle (there are 3 or 4 possibilities), or when it was made. The bobbin cover that usually has the manufacturer information is missing. The machine needs work.
Below are my two working hand cranks, both purchased on e-bay.
The Home Companion (on the left) is made the New Home Company (in Orange, Mass.; serial number 3170819, which has a 1910 date). It sews wonderfully. The machine on the right is an Atlas and is most likely a New Home machine, though it says it's from the Atlas Sewing Machine in Camden Town, London. It has serial number 3685717, which corresponds to a New Home date of 1916. The machine is usable, but needs a bit of work to get it running smoothly. It is smaller and lighter than the Home Companion. Check out the beautiful wood cases!
Here are some details of my machines:
(right) The tension works by adjusting the friction of the thread going between two metal plates.
(left) This is the bobbin winder, which is powered by treadling. After the bobbin is wound, the winder is disengaged by rotated the winder away from the leather belt.
(right) This photo this shows a 'vibrating shuttle', in which the shuttle swings forward and backward. It's also called a bullet shuttle. The bobbin (inside) is long; hence the name 'long bobbin'.
These are old machines and I sew with them, so I occasionally need new (or at least unused) needles. Plus, it's nice to have several bobbins, a shuttle or 2, machine manuals,... Next thing I knew, I had a couple of Boye needle, bobbin, and shuttle metal display cases, one of which is mostly full.
Here are some details:
I also have a couple of vintage machines: a Singer Fashion Mate (Model 223), which I received for Christmas when I was a kid (approximately in 1970), and a Kenmore 12-stitch (Model 158), which I inherited from my mother-in-law.
The Fashion Mate (right) is great for zig-zagging (e.g., in making fabric bowls) and the Kenmore (not shown) is currently set up on an Easy Quilter frame (I'm learning how to machine quilt).
