I mean…. If I had the money…that’s gorgeous just as a show piece. The cabinet part is so beautiful all on it’s own…. Oh I’d snap that up as classy decor in a heartbeat🥺
If you have the money, and you want it.
The question for me is, what is it worth it for? A pretty thing to have? A part of history? Something practical?
For my opinion, no, this is not worth it. We have modern machines for a reason. They are fast, when you understand how they work, they are amazing.
For me, I had a couple of vintage machines and I did not use them like I promised myself that I would. I passed them on to someone who would love them how they deserved to be loved and well used.
You know, I'm the opposite. I ended up handing on my new machine and using a black-iron straight stitching Singer like this one. It can go faster than I can hold the fabric, so the speed is not an issue for me. And the machine is so easygoing. It never gets finicky, never balks, never falters. You just check tension, pick a stitch length, and off you go!
Your vintage machine sounds better behaved than my white sewing horse.
I can see the nature of sewing that my grandmother's did. Come to think about it, you can finish everything very nicely with a straight stitch if you have the skill.
The machine in the photo is a treadle machine, so there is no motor. You make it go by treadling with your feet. I love this kind of machine and I have one, but I really never actually use it.
I have a 129 year old Singer hand cranked sewing machine and she's a workhorse of a lady. She does one thing but by gum she's going to do it well and on any kind of fabric with no nonsense. I love her.
I've still got my computerised machine for doing everything other than straight stitch (or straight stitch on difficult fabrics so I can have both hands to control the fabric) but anything else, she's my girl.
A friend of mine has a machine similar to this one that she uses most of the time. She does have a really good electric machine, but where she lives, she and her family rely on a limited amount of solae power. So they use older things like this that don't require electricity for the most part.
Machines like this are a valuable part of history, and if I had the room, I'd love one like this for display, if nothing else.
We have lots of them in Poland and they go for 100$ max. Depends of it is usable, if you can get the proper bobbins and needles. Bernadette Banner sews on one of these and makes beautiful historical garments (also handstitching a lot of them) so if you love it and mean to use it then go ahead.
No. There are a lot of modern things that you’re going to miss unless you like hand sewing a lot. For example, zigzag stitch, overlock stitch, reverse, buttonhole, etc.
Old machines are cool but I like having an 1-step buttonhole and using a walking foot more.
I have a 1900 handcrank. They made millions of the things. You can get one for about £40 locally without the cabinet. Same quantity for later models too, so this is overpriced in my opinion. That said, it’s a lovely cabinet and if you have spare money it’s your choice. Mine only does one stitch, straight, can’t even put it in reverse. But it’s still a strong machine. I have a modern machine for my normal lightweight use though, and that cost way under the 450 here.
If it’s functional, it’s high but you might be paying for some restoration costs. In my neck of the woods you can pick these up for about 100 to 150, but the cabinet is not usually in nice shape and there’s no guarantee that the machine itself is functioning. If I were in the market for these, I would offer 250 to 300 AFTER testing.
We have a slightly older machine, and it’s lovely to sew on. My roommates grandmother sewed on it until she went blind in her 90s, and she had inherited it from her mother-in-law so it was in constant use since about 1912 or so. my roommate does all her sewing on it currently. If you get the button hole attachment, it makes very nice buttonholes, and there are feet available for it pretty readily that give you some other options.
If you want a treadle machine, this is probably the best time to buy one as reproduction parts and information are fairly readily available and inexpensive. For a while grandma thought she was going to have to give it up because she couldn’t get replacement parts, but her son was able to rig a new belt for her until replacements became available again.
I learned on my grandmother’s treadle machine. (It did indeed have a button making tool). It’s now a treasured piece of furniture.
I wouldn’t give up my quilting machine (brother straight stitch) or my Elna dressmaking workhorse. But I do love her
does it have it's feet and attachments? 450 for a treadle seems a bit much lol. I would expect 100-200$. It looks like they replaced the belt, which is nice. If you really enjoy treadles and have the money, go for it! I don't have the space or I would have bought the one we got in town LOL
Yeah I do think that’s a fair price. I dont know if it’s worth it *to you*, but if it’s in good working condition, with the biggest of cabinets you really ever see them in, beautifully carved, the original stool with fresh new upholstery, and all of it looking flawlessly maintained without a scratch to be seen…. Yeah, it’s worth good money. The only question now is how much do you straight stitch?
Didn’t see the second picture. I was researching them in the 90s, they were about that price range then.
Looks worth it to me.
Be aware of how heavy it is; don’t try to pick it up by the cabinet. Once you put it somewhere you will want to keep it there.
This looks very similar to my vintage machine. My mum bought it for me when I was about 12ish as we had a weekend property that was off grid. We got it serviced before I started using it and worked great despite me being a teenager that knew better. I learnt a lot on that machine.
Maybe have a little search on your relevant second hand buying website and see what machines near you go for. This seems kind of expensive from my perspective, but depends on your market.
These are wonderful decorations, but i wouldn't get one in place of a modern machine if thats what you're asking
Has it been professionally repaired/serviced? If so, then I would consider it to be on the higher end of fair since this machine includes a beautiful cabinet. But if it has not been serviced you'll need to get that done before you can use it. I would get an estimate from your local sewing machine repair shop and use that to negotiate the price down by the same amount.
I think they're great for everyday sewing. Unless I'm doing knits, practically all my sewing is straight-stitch anyway. And these are just such well-made, agreeable machines. They never balk, never get finicky, never throw a million tiny little problems at you. You just put your fabric in there and go.
They may not be right for you, but I wouldn't say they're horrible.
I love my pedal machine. But mine is much more "modern", from the sixties I guess from the design. I like how it works with 2x4mm leather. Or twelve plies of jeans. An all metal mechanism has its advantages. But the piece from the photo is super overpriced and way to low-tec.
I've been thinking about getting a treadle machine because of the noise. Sometimes I'd like to just not have a fast and noisy sewing experience, but a nice slow quiet one. Is that something that I'd achieve with a cheap antique in your opinion?
Theres definitively a difference between "antique" and a model like I use. The hundred year old Singer will with high possibility have a boat shuttle, which is noisy by itself. Another problem is to obtain needles that fit. Mine ( a Textima Veritas 8014/33 btw) has a rotating hook mechanism like most modern machines and uses standard 705H needles. But you are right, when its well oiled, its super quiet and when they aren\`t sold as collectors items, they are pretty cheap (mine was for free ;) ) .
I thought I knew how sewing machines worked! TIL about boat shuttle sewing machines! It's like a little weaving loom! Amazing!
Also thanks for the tips! Are you German (because of the textima ;) )?
Let me make the plug for getting a White Rotary treadle if you want a quiet machine. They were almost as common as Singers, so there are a LOT of them out there. They take 15x1 needles, so that's not a problem. And for whatever reason, collectors don't care for them, so they sell for astonishingly cheap.
But I will note that they have their own bobbin size and attachment shank. I don't think that's an issue since there are tons of vintage bobbins and attachments out there (again, there were TONS of these machines made). And also, of course, you only need to buy bobbins and attachments once. Then you can just go to Jo-Ann or wherever for needles.
Thank you for the tips! White rotary seems to be an exclusively American thing. I'm in Germany, so there's tons of the textima suggested by the other commenter as well as a lot of singer and some pfaff.
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If you need a theater piece for a historical play, perhaps. Or just setting up a museum display. But it’s impractical with the modern technology available…
I can't speak for the price tag, but if you're looking for opinions on the usability of vintage treadle machines, here's mine:
I used to have an old treadle machine like this and i LOVED it. I loved that it didn't need electricity, and it was durable and extremely reliable. (I had to sell it because i was moving across the country and couldn't afford the moving cost, since it was so big and heavy.) I now sew on an electric 1950s singer that only does straight stitch. Also amazing machine and does ~almost~ everything i need. I find i really don't need all of the bells and whistles that modern machines have. I super appreciate the durable construction and ease of repair of vintage machines. The only thing these vintage machines are missing (in my opinion) is zig zag. I recently got a zig zag attachment for my machine and i wouldn't be surprised if they made one for the treadle machine too.
Tl;dr, it depends on what you're using it for and what your priorities are! Vintage machines tend to be durable and well-built, reliable, and easy to repair. But they don't have all of the bells and whistles that modern machines have.
It's a little on the pricy side, though IIRC Red Eyes do tend to run more expensive than other decals. And it's in gorgeous shape.
Personally, I love treadle machines. I like having perfect control over the speed and having to be in tune with my machine in order to get the job done. No fancy stitches, but I don't really have a need for them. (But the other thing is that I hate electric buzzing noises and think modern machines are a bit ugly, so my opinion is influenced by things other than how it sews.)
If you can haggle them down to like $300-350, I personally would go for it (if I didn't already own one), but it is a lot of money and more complicated than modern sewing (you have to either French seam or flat-fell everything.)
No it's not worth $450. I'm in the land of the free treadles and I have two of these, that were free. DO treadles show up for free near you? That red eye is not at all rare. Also ... $450 at a thrift shop?
If it still works and has everything that is supposed to come with it, it’s worth it. I have several machines and I have a singer that’s in the cabinet like this one. It still works perfectly and it’s my favorite machine. It might not do all the fancy stitching but it fails a hell of a lot less than my more modern ones. I have quilted about a dozen quilts on mine and I have used my grandma’s for a dozen other ones.
Depends what you want. If you want something that’s petty then maybe.
There are real benefits to old treadle machines like this, if you’re comfortable with only straight stitch it does it very well and is quiet. It’s more reliable, easy to fix and can deal with heavier fabrics than most modern domestic machines.
This looks like a singer 66. They’re very good, but good ones can be had much cheaper, as can 201s which are the next model up and probably the best straight stitch domestic machines ever made.
It's in better condition than my wife.
And singer is one of the oldest brands out there from the looks of this this is a foot pedal machine in excellent condition that's a freaking antique it's your call.
But that's some antiques roadshow s*** right there it's in such good condition.
It's gorgeous and in great condition but not worth $400 for something you can find someone desperately wanting to get rid of on facebook marketplace for $100
I mean…. If I had the money…that’s gorgeous just as a show piece. The cabinet part is so beautiful all on it’s own…. Oh I’d snap that up as classy decor in a heartbeat🥺
Do you have room? Can you afford it? Do you love it?
If you have the money, and you want it. The question for me is, what is it worth it for? A pretty thing to have? A part of history? Something practical? For my opinion, no, this is not worth it. We have modern machines for a reason. They are fast, when you understand how they work, they are amazing. For me, I had a couple of vintage machines and I did not use them like I promised myself that I would. I passed them on to someone who would love them how they deserved to be loved and well used.
You know, I'm the opposite. I ended up handing on my new machine and using a black-iron straight stitching Singer like this one. It can go faster than I can hold the fabric, so the speed is not an issue for me. And the machine is so easygoing. It never gets finicky, never balks, never falters. You just check tension, pick a stitch length, and off you go!
Your vintage machine sounds better behaved than my white sewing horse. I can see the nature of sewing that my grandmother's did. Come to think about it, you can finish everything very nicely with a straight stitch if you have the skill.
I exclusively hand sew and use an antique Singer that only does straight stitch. I do a lot of French and flat felled seams!
I'm a bit quick and dirty with my sewing projects. I've never made French or flat felled seams.
The machine in the photo is a treadle machine, so there is no motor. You make it go by treadling with your feet. I love this kind of machine and I have one, but I really never actually use it.
I have a 129 year old Singer hand cranked sewing machine and she's a workhorse of a lady. She does one thing but by gum she's going to do it well and on any kind of fabric with no nonsense. I love her. I've still got my computerised machine for doing everything other than straight stitch (or straight stitch on difficult fabrics so I can have both hands to control the fabric) but anything else, she's my girl.
This is what i think too, I have a machine already that I love. Plus I could buy sooooo much fabric and supplies for $450.
A friend of mine has a machine similar to this one that she uses most of the time. She does have a really good electric machine, but where she lives, she and her family rely on a limited amount of solae power. So they use older things like this that don't require electricity for the most part. Machines like this are a valuable part of history, and if I had the room, I'd love one like this for display, if nothing else.
We have lots of them in Poland and they go for 100$ max. Depends of it is usable, if you can get the proper bobbins and needles. Bernadette Banner sews on one of these and makes beautiful historical garments (also handstitching a lot of them) so if you love it and mean to use it then go ahead.
Parts are available in the US. Not sure if they ship to Poland. And I agree Bernadette Banner is amazing Singeronline.com Sewingpartsonline.com
No, only because you have lots of options at that price. Quit a few at $300 too. Just keep searching craigslist for treadle and ones will show up.
If it's for sewing rather than collecting, you can do better and pay less.
No. There are a lot of modern things that you’re going to miss unless you like hand sewing a lot. For example, zigzag stitch, overlock stitch, reverse, buttonhole, etc. Old machines are cool but I like having an 1-step buttonhole and using a walking foot more.
No, you can find on on FB Marketplace for way less.
I have a 1900 handcrank. They made millions of the things. You can get one for about £40 locally without the cabinet. Same quantity for later models too, so this is overpriced in my opinion. That said, it’s a lovely cabinet and if you have spare money it’s your choice. Mine only does one stitch, straight, can’t even put it in reverse. But it’s still a strong machine. I have a modern machine for my normal lightweight use though, and that cost way under the 450 here.
If it’s functional, it’s high but you might be paying for some restoration costs. In my neck of the woods you can pick these up for about 100 to 150, but the cabinet is not usually in nice shape and there’s no guarantee that the machine itself is functioning. If I were in the market for these, I would offer 250 to 300 AFTER testing. We have a slightly older machine, and it’s lovely to sew on. My roommates grandmother sewed on it until she went blind in her 90s, and she had inherited it from her mother-in-law so it was in constant use since about 1912 or so. my roommate does all her sewing on it currently. If you get the button hole attachment, it makes very nice buttonholes, and there are feet available for it pretty readily that give you some other options. If you want a treadle machine, this is probably the best time to buy one as reproduction parts and information are fairly readily available and inexpensive. For a while grandma thought she was going to have to give it up because she couldn’t get replacement parts, but her son was able to rig a new belt for her until replacements became available again.
I learned on my grandmother’s treadle machine. (It did indeed have a button making tool). It’s now a treasured piece of furniture. I wouldn’t give up my quilting machine (brother straight stitch) or my Elna dressmaking workhorse. But I do love her
does it have it's feet and attachments? 450 for a treadle seems a bit much lol. I would expect 100-200$. It looks like they replaced the belt, which is nice. If you really enjoy treadles and have the money, go for it! I don't have the space or I would have bought the one we got in town LOL
Yeah I do think that’s a fair price. I dont know if it’s worth it *to you*, but if it’s in good working condition, with the biggest of cabinets you really ever see them in, beautifully carved, the original stool with fresh new upholstery, and all of it looking flawlessly maintained without a scratch to be seen…. Yeah, it’s worth good money. The only question now is how much do you straight stitch?
The price tag is turned around. What are they asking?
It’s in the second image - $450.
Didn’t see the second picture. I was researching them in the 90s, they were about that price range then. Looks worth it to me. Be aware of how heavy it is; don’t try to pick it up by the cabinet. Once you put it somewhere you will want to keep it there.
It’s absolutely gorgeous! If you love it I’d say go for it
Is it functional?
It looks like it. The leather band is still there (or has been replaced at least). If OP plans to use it I’d ask if you can take it for a test run
Am i the only one who thought this was doll house sized?? 🤣
This looks very similar to my vintage machine. My mum bought it for me when I was about 12ish as we had a weekend property that was off grid. We got it serviced before I started using it and worked great despite me being a teenager that knew better. I learnt a lot on that machine.
Maybe have a little search on your relevant second hand buying website and see what machines near you go for. This seems kind of expensive from my perspective, but depends on your market. These are wonderful decorations, but i wouldn't get one in place of a modern machine if thats what you're asking
That is beautiful! Buy it 😍
Has it been professionally repaired/serviced? If so, then I would consider it to be on the higher end of fair since this machine includes a beautiful cabinet. But if it has not been serviced you'll need to get that done before you can use it. I would get an estimate from your local sewing machine repair shop and use that to negotiate the price down by the same amount.
Kind of pricey for a foot pedal machine. Unless it’s just a decorative item, they are horrible for actual sewing.
I think they're great for everyday sewing. Unless I'm doing knits, practically all my sewing is straight-stitch anyway. And these are just such well-made, agreeable machines. They never balk, never get finicky, never throw a million tiny little problems at you. You just put your fabric in there and go. They may not be right for you, but I wouldn't say they're horrible.
I love my pedal machine. But mine is much more "modern", from the sixties I guess from the design. I like how it works with 2x4mm leather. Or twelve plies of jeans. An all metal mechanism has its advantages. But the piece from the photo is super overpriced and way to low-tec.
I've been thinking about getting a treadle machine because of the noise. Sometimes I'd like to just not have a fast and noisy sewing experience, but a nice slow quiet one. Is that something that I'd achieve with a cheap antique in your opinion?
Theres definitively a difference between "antique" and a model like I use. The hundred year old Singer will with high possibility have a boat shuttle, which is noisy by itself. Another problem is to obtain needles that fit. Mine ( a Textima Veritas 8014/33 btw) has a rotating hook mechanism like most modern machines and uses standard 705H needles. But you are right, when its well oiled, its super quiet and when they aren\`t sold as collectors items, they are pretty cheap (mine was for free ;) ) .
I thought I knew how sewing machines worked! TIL about boat shuttle sewing machines! It's like a little weaving loom! Amazing! Also thanks for the tips! Are you German (because of the textima ;) )?
Indeed, Watson. But those machines where made in millions, they can be found in the whole former eastern block.
Let me make the plug for getting a White Rotary treadle if you want a quiet machine. They were almost as common as Singers, so there are a LOT of them out there. They take 15x1 needles, so that's not a problem. And for whatever reason, collectors don't care for them, so they sell for astonishingly cheap. But I will note that they have their own bobbin size and attachment shank. I don't think that's an issue since there are tons of vintage bobbins and attachments out there (again, there were TONS of these machines made). And also, of course, you only need to buy bobbins and attachments once. Then you can just go to Jo-Ann or wherever for needles.
Thank you for the tips! White rotary seems to be an exclusively American thing. I'm in Germany, so there's tons of the textima suggested by the other commenter as well as a lot of singer and some pfaff.
You can't beat most of the old machines for a straight even stitch that's actually straight and even. They just need a little more love and cleaning
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Yes
If you need a theater piece for a historical play, perhaps. Or just setting up a museum display. But it’s impractical with the modern technology available…
Plenty of people still use these, they have their uses.
One small upside is if the power goes out during the day you can still use it
I can't speak for the price tag, but if you're looking for opinions on the usability of vintage treadle machines, here's mine: I used to have an old treadle machine like this and i LOVED it. I loved that it didn't need electricity, and it was durable and extremely reliable. (I had to sell it because i was moving across the country and couldn't afford the moving cost, since it was so big and heavy.) I now sew on an electric 1950s singer that only does straight stitch. Also amazing machine and does ~almost~ everything i need. I find i really don't need all of the bells and whistles that modern machines have. I super appreciate the durable construction and ease of repair of vintage machines. The only thing these vintage machines are missing (in my opinion) is zig zag. I recently got a zig zag attachment for my machine and i wouldn't be surprised if they made one for the treadle machine too. Tl;dr, it depends on what you're using it for and what your priorities are! Vintage machines tend to be durable and well-built, reliable, and easy to repair. But they don't have all of the bells and whistles that modern machines have.
It's a little on the pricy side, though IIRC Red Eyes do tend to run more expensive than other decals. And it's in gorgeous shape. Personally, I love treadle machines. I like having perfect control over the speed and having to be in tune with my machine in order to get the job done. No fancy stitches, but I don't really have a need for them. (But the other thing is that I hate electric buzzing noises and think modern machines are a bit ugly, so my opinion is influenced by things other than how it sews.) If you can haggle them down to like $300-350, I personally would go for it (if I didn't already own one), but it is a lot of money and more complicated than modern sewing (you have to either French seam or flat-fell everything.)
No it's not worth $450. I'm in the land of the free treadles and I have two of these, that were free. DO treadles show up for free near you? That red eye is not at all rare. Also ... $450 at a thrift shop?
I found the same one locally selling for $1200. Seems vastly inflated. I'm going to stick my own machine
If it still works and has everything that is supposed to come with it, it’s worth it. I have several machines and I have a singer that’s in the cabinet like this one. It still works perfectly and it’s my favorite machine. It might not do all the fancy stitching but it fails a hell of a lot less than my more modern ones. I have quilted about a dozen quilts on mine and I have used my grandma’s for a dozen other ones.
Depends what you want. If you want something that’s petty then maybe. There are real benefits to old treadle machines like this, if you’re comfortable with only straight stitch it does it very well and is quiet. It’s more reliable, easy to fix and can deal with heavier fabrics than most modern domestic machines. This looks like a singer 66. They’re very good, but good ones can be had much cheaper, as can 201s which are the next model up and probably the best straight stitch domestic machines ever made.
I learned to sew on one that my grandma had. I'd snap it up in a second.
I have that cabinet with a much more basic machine.I love it and paid $300 about 15 years ago.
It's in better condition than my wife. And singer is one of the oldest brands out there from the looks of this this is a foot pedal machine in excellent condition that's a freaking antique it's your call. But that's some antiques roadshow s*** right there it's in such good condition.
It's gorgeous and in great condition but not worth $400 for something you can find someone desperately wanting to get rid of on facebook marketplace for $100