I recently cleaned out my Mother’s house so she can sell it. I grabbed everything that looked interesting in the way of old sewing equipment, and I ended up with a number of implements. Frankly, they look like something that the aliens would use to dissect the hero in a Sci-fi movie…. One is identified as a ruffler, there are quite a few others, and I even have the ancient falling apart book that describes how to use them. However, my machine is a Viking 990 – is it likely that I would be able to use any of these arcane instruments on it? Is there a website that shows old Singer accessories and what they can be used for? Or should I sell them for big bucks on E-bay, or donate them to a museum?
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I say sell them on ebay and buy something nice for Mom. Machines have different size "shanks", the area that connects the foot to the head. I doubt that these are the same type of shank as your machine. There is a definite market for these things. Do you know what model number and brand machine she had to use these attachments?
solo
I use a 1951 Singer sewing machine (it was my grandmother's). It came with a few attachments like the one you described, and I have acquired more over the years - mostly at flea markets and antique stores. I have been seeing more and more of them over the years. If you do a search on ebay for 'singer sewing attachments' - you'll see that there are lots of them, mostly going for anywhere from $2 to $20. They aren't much use to anyone, unless they have the machine that they go to. However, my boyfriend found an artist that makes sculpture out of them! Check it out: http://www.microbotic.org/singer.htm
You could try ebay, or just drop them off at a thrift store and hope that someone like myself finds them and puts them to good use. :)
Cool Artt!!
Thanks
stitchagain
Your all probably going to scream at this one. I have my grandmothers Singer treadle machine (1910). It has a straight low shank and all the accessory feet. The bobbin case looks exactly like the one in my Bernina Activa. I interchange all the parts. I use the treadle bobbin case for bobbin work with ribbon. I interchange all the bobbins and I use the feet to the treadle with a low shank adapter.
I don't know what year Singer went to the slant shank. If Kilroy's accessories are slant shank they can only be used on another Singer. Ebay sounds like a good idea to me too.
Val, I won't scream other than to say that this is amazing. Kudos to you for figuring this out. You are one smart cookie!
Hi! You are not saying what serial number is with your mother's attachments and if the machine still exists. If you have the book of instructions for use of the attachments then the serial number should be on the front. It is sad when these attachments are not included in sales and auctions for these old machines. I have an old Singer, Vintage 1956-57 and is number 15-125. I think there are more attachments for my machine than was with it originaly. I also have a button hole maker with cames (little discs) that are inserted for special sizes. I love the button holer because I can get it to rotate around the openings as many times as I wish which comes in handy when you want a sturdy button-hole. On another note you might contact a repair man in your area who might have a customer looking for what you have. GOOD LUCK!
If you can't find a way to use the attachments on your machine (and most of them will probably work on most machines, as Singer was one of the standards) you probably won't make much money off them.
When I inherited 11 treadle machines--my parents loved restoring them--I had a hard time simply anyone to take them even for free; antique dealers said that there are just too many of them in existence--still-- for them to have any value.
However, I have never tried to sell anything on ebay, which my friends say can successfully sell just about anything. If you can't sell them, you might think of donating them to a craftsperson, a school, or a theatre company, many of whom use older machines.
Do you ever pull out the treadle to use once in awhile just to freshen up? It's almost nostalgic, the tempo, the sound, the smell. I've lowered the feed dogs and embroidered with it. For the amount of embroidery that I do it just didn't make sense to buy a machine. So I paint the design, it stiffens the fabric and hides any misses, then I use the treadle to free motion satin stitch my monogram or whatever. You've played on my heart strings.
I picked up a White brand treadle cabinet for $20, and came across all the accessory feet. I've been looking for a long time for the White family rotary machine but can't find it. Well, I should clarify and say that I'm not willing to pay $40 in shipping on top of the e-bay price. One day, it'll show up. Thanks for the memories.
I live in Louisiana and Christian mission-minded people from here drive into Mexico to provide services, also taking truck(s) full of donated items. Treadle machines are useful there, as many homes have no electricity. Galey
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