I’ve wanted a treadle sewing machine ever since I visited my cousin in Apple Valley. We slept on the two twin beds in her room and played with the treadle, making the sewing head sing it’s sweetly-oiled rhythm.

A few years ago I found a 1906 Singer treadle for sale. But the cabinet was in only fair shape, between years of abuse and an ill-considered coat of gold spray paint. The machine was a Model 66, decorated with lovely lotus decals. Unfortunately I was missing bits, and Model 66 machines had unique fittings – read unobtainable at a reasonable price. The Singer and its cabinet were passed on to someone else years ago now, early in my de-cluttering campaign.

This week we went to visit friends who are leaving the area. When we arrived, I saw several things on the curb, including a treadle sewing machine. To my surprise, the items on the curb were free for the taking. So for the second time, now, I am the happy possessor of a treadle sewing machine.

I’ve got the head whirring nicely, though I’m missing the bobbin and shuttle necessary to actually sew anything. I’m hoping old Singer Model 27 parts will work… The old leather belt is stretched and frail, but eBay has any number of replacement belts available for old treadles.

There’s something solid and practical about old household “appliances.” I cherish the palm wood washboard my chinese grandmother used until the day she died and the sewing scissors that may be the only thing she still had from her days as a bride, before becoming a refugee from Chinese communism.

I’m sure my forebears were glad for their sewing machines – these mechanical marvels that created even stitches in a small fraction of the time it would take to sew the same fabric by hand. But somehow the machines my ancestors used are lost to their descendants – likely used up and worn out, as stated in the old Depression-era slogan:

Use it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do, or
Do without.

Luckily for me, there are still vintage treadle sewing machines available in 2011. It may not be the very one my great grandmothers used to sew clothing for their many children, but when I work the treadle and load the reciprocating shuttle with the narrow, antique bobbins, I’ll know I am going through the same motions they did for countless hours during their lifes.