Vintage Singer Sewing Machine
I landed back in England this week with a list as long as my arm of things that need to be sorted out - accommodation, furniture, appliances - all vital. So what did this milliner do on Sunday? Bought a 1927 Singer sewing machine, thats what. Got my priorities straight!
We were enjoying a relaxing morning driving around the Derbyshire countryside when we came across a giant car boot sale - very British. They were half an hour away from packing up so we'd hit the tail end, but I spied a beautiful black Singer sewing machine off in the distance (I can sniff out sewing items faster than dogs find drugs at the airport!) and the man didn't want to take it home, so for the wonderful sum of £18 the little machine was mine.
He assured me it works (no test drive yet) and I had great fun examining what I got for my £18 when I brought it home. What struck me first was how uncomplicated the machinery is. It only sews a straight lockstitch, no reverse or zig zag, and all the mechanisms are easily accessible via beautiful embossed silver plates.
What did flummox me at first was the bobbin mechanism, as I'd never seen a vibrating shuttle before, nor its bobbins. I spent Sunday evening researching Singer sewing machines however, and its amazing what you can learn on the internet.
For instance, this little beauty was made in 1927 in the Singer Sewing Machine Factory in Kilbowie, Clydebank, Scotland. Its a 128k model, the 'K' denoting Kilbowie, and the 128 was a 3/4 version of the popular 28 model. It came in a beautiful bentwood case, the the machine is mounted into a wooden base. They were quite forward thinking, and knew that people might want to motorise their machines in the future, so they were sold with pre-drilled holes in order that one could mount the electric motor, and/or a light. My machine has indeed been fitted with a motor, and is now missing the hand crank, but millions of these machines were made around the world, so I don't think it will be too hard to find spare parts.
When I come to possess old things I love to delve into the history behind it, and the best bit is when the social history comes to life. When you see the faces and hands of people who put the machines together, and the buildings they worked in, the little machine gets even more of a personality.
I'm sharing some of my research below, as I found it all fascinating, and has made me want to research other old machines, particularly Willcox and Gibbs, who made specialist hat sewing machines.
I welcome your comments and stories too - has anyone sewed with a hand crank machine before? And how do you thread the bobbin?!
Database of Singer Sewing Machine serial numbers
YouTube Video from Museums and Galleries Scotland
Sewing machine collection and Singer archive at Clydebank Museum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXNTM7fCVcE
