Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Ashland Treadle Sewing Machine

Since I haven't made much progress on the Wildberry Vine BOM quilt I thought I would tell you a bit about my treadle sewing machine. I bought this machine from an antique dealer the next town West of me. He's one of those individuals that keeps all of his treasures in a barn and every now and again he opens his barn doors for us curious souls. Unfortunately, he does not advertise and since I bought this machine four (4) years ago, I have not found him open. I do drive by every now and again to look for signs, but nada.

Sadly, I know very little about the company who manu-
factured the machine. I did a search and found nothing. As you can see, it's in an impeccable shape. There was some damage on the top of the cabinet from what my husband thinks was alcohol. Once the original finish was removed, he was able to see that the wood had not been damaged at all but only the finish. To maintain the original look of the cabinet, he was able to duplicate the original finish by using an old refinishing technique involving a lot of "elbow grease". I will say the cabinet looks beautiful. You can see the wood grain and finish on some of the photos. This machine is in my sunny "Yellow Room". I keep the cover closed, it's a lot easier to dust.

I had one pre-requisite for a treadle machine, it had to be functional and come with attachments. I will admit that I'm quite please with this find. I had been looking for a treadle for quite some time. I found that there were lots out there, but very few with attachments. I wanted to be able to make a quilt on a treadle machine, so you can understand the importance of attachments. It even has what I think is a ruffler. It was missing a belt, which is not uncommon given the age and wear and tear of the machine. I was able to purchase a leather belt at an old Amish General Store in Intercourse, Pennsylvania.

This little gem came from the Estate of Esther Fischer and I will say that she took very good care of her machine. The drawers had not been cleaned out. You can imagine how exciting it was for me to go through someone else's sewing cabinet drawers. This woman had bits and pieces of patterns she had made as well as old medicine bottles to keep odds and ends. I have numerous original sewing needles for the machine and lots and lots of bobbins. Buttons, yes she had lots of buttons as well as attachments for an electrical Singer sewing machine. I have the manual for the treadle and the electrical one (that I do not own). It's obvious that no one had bothered to look in the drawers. Oh I have to tell you that I also have the original key to the drawers. An old fashion key, it's a beauty.

So there it is, a treasure I am so pleased to have purchased for a song. I think the gentlemen just wanted to get rid of it and there I was!

18 comments:

Darlene said...

You were meant to have that machine, Carole. It's a real beauty.

I learned to sew on my grandmother's treadle and when she passed away she made it very clear that it was to be mine. Well, my mom kept it and would not let me have it. Recently she's been rattling her chain saying that I can have it now - well, I'm in AZ and she's in TX. Sigh! Someday! I'd love to get back into good working condition and sew on it like you do yours.

Meredith said...

I was given one as a gift it is a singer, maybe I will start to clean mine up. You have inspired me to get moving on it. It is lovely.

Sweet P said...

What a beautiful machine. You are blessed to own it.

Judy said...

Your machine is beautiful! I have one that works but it isn't a Singer - which I'd prefer to have. Your applique blocks are stunning!

swooze said...

Beautiful! I love seeing your machine. You have to take a pic of the key too! Keep at those UFOs!

Pam said...

A wonderful sewing machine and the cabinet is so lovely, it is beautifully refinished. A great find. It is nice to have a bunch of little extra's that make it special.

swooze said...

My friend said to try this yahoogroup to ask about your machine www.treadleon.net

Anonymous said...

What's the name on the machine? I'm Suzette's friend,Purplefiend.
I am sewing with a 1935 Singer 201K treadle,I'm really liking it.
I only bought the machine in January and been using it for about a month.I am currently making
a Bento Box quilt with it.

Jenni said...

It's a beautiful machine. I remember using my Nana's treadle machine when I was very young. Lovely to get all the gadgets too.

Cynthia said...

your treadle sewing machine is beautiful. What a lucky find. I bought a Singer treadle machine a few years ago from a lady who advertised it in the local paper. Dad had bought the paper early in the morning and then rang me when he saw the advertisement. This was 8:00am and by 8:30am it was mine.

Nicole & Phil said...

what a great looking machine. I have never sewed on a treadle...
enjoy!

Beth said...

I got to see some antique treadles at the local quilt show. I had only ever seen Singer treadles, but they had a Pfaff and a couple brands I didn't recognize. SO cool!

Tracey @ozcountryquiltingmum said...

Love it and one day one will find me as well. Tracey

Bea said...

What a beautiful sewing machine. I love old tredles, too. I owns a "Teutonia". But I haven´t found a new place for the machine after bying new furniture.

Anonymous said...

Love your treadle.
I cried the day I found out my mother had thrown her old treadle machine on the tip. But I do have a lovely old motorised Singer. Maybe it is the one in your manual. I haven't sewn with it as I think it is missing a small part of the bobbin assembly. You have jogged my memory about getting it to a repairer and having it overhauled.

farmgirl said...

Did you get a manual with your machine? I was given my great grandmother's machine, exactly like yours (!!) but I have no manual. I would love to know how to operate it as it has a much different bobbin case than my contemporary singer, or do you know how to get one?

Carole said...

Please contact me via e-mail (You do not have an e-mail associated with your profile) and I can send you a pdf version of the machine. Mine came with the manual.

irberry2023 said...

Carole I recently bought an Ashland like yours except my is a mess , locked up. If you would be so kind as to send me a copy of your manual I would be eternally grateful. Thank you , Ivan Berry

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