Antique 1910 Singer treadle sewing machine glossy black with gold designs

Description: For quite a while (when I used to have a lawn) I would mow it with a push mower. A real push mower. A human-powered mower. People would drive by and pull over to watch. Nearly everyone would say: "I remember that sound from when I was a child. I haven't heard it in years." (No one ever offered to pitch in, which I found just a touch irritating.) (In case you haven't ever heard a push mower, you can google sound files for it.) I bring this up in the context of a sewing machine because anyone who has ever heard a treadle sewing machine will almost certainly almost associate the sound of sewing with the rhythmic pumping sound of the treadle. (There are sound files available for treadle sewing machines as well.) The cords need to replaced on this model -- which at some point had an electric light added to the front. All of the machine parts are in good condition and move smoothly. The belt is in good, flexible condition. It has a cast iron base, which is not at all flexible. The machine -- what with that cast iron base and the amount of steel throughout -- is heavy. It is not something that you would carry about the house at the drop of a pin. There are technical reasons for the fact that sewing machines are much lighter now. The inventions of different kinds of plastics, most obviously. But just as important are the ways in which sewing holds a different cultural and economic position in American households today. Most people don't have beautiful sewing machines like this. Most Americans don't have sewing machines at all, which makes sense, given that most Americans don't know how to sew. I myself do not have a sewing machine, at least not for my personal use. I know how to sew, having learned on a machine similar to this one. I know what a treadle sewing machine sounds like. But to me it belongs to the houses of my grandmother and great-grandmother, and to use one today feels that it would erode those memories. I've learned to make needle lace instead. It's much quieter, of course, and so leaves my own early memories safely tucked up in the fragmented, but often sacred, glimpses of childhood. Local pick-up in Sacramento is also available.

Price: 235 USD

Location: Sacramento, California

End Time: 2024-12-27T02:52:28.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD