Figuring out what model I want
I have been researching and reading up on treadles and machine heads for the last couple months. Of note, Treadle On has been a very helpful and informative page. Their page on selecting treadles (https://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachineshop/treadles/selectingtreadle.html) were extremely helpful. Unfortunately, it seems to be a nonactive website. They advise for those who wish to sew on a treadle, like me, to select the cabinet I want and the machine head I want to buy potentially separately. I toyed around with the idea of a cabinet that would completely hide the treadle, but decided that I like the character the cast iron legs give (Maybe I'm really a grandma in a young person's body!). I decided on the plain cabinet with the most streamline look and no embossed designs. I think that fits in best with our clean/modern aesthetics... sort of. The partner is doubtful of it, but I think it's fine since it'll reside in my sewing room anyway.
Next, to decide on the machine head. There are a handful of machines that are meant for treadle and can be converted into electric as well (See above Treadle On webpage). For me, I like the flexibility of going treadle and potentially convert into electric, should I no longer wish to treadle in the future. After some research, I decided on a Singer 66. A major reason I picked this one is that my current 401A already uses class 66 bobbins. My beginner, computerized Brother uses completely different bobbins and it drives me nuts that I can't just interchange the bobbins between the machines.
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| Singer 66 Red Eye. Isn't it gorgeous? |
A few other reasons for settling on the 66 are:
- Many millions of these were manufactured over the years, it should not be difficult to acquire and part should be relatively easy to locate (I hope)
- It uses modern needles and presser feets.*
- I was only interested in a straight stitch machine because I already have a 401A that does some other fancy stitches
- I also fell in love with the Red Eye decals on it; it was soooooo beautiful. But the decals was definitely NOT the deciding factor.
*Note: There are many iterations of 66 over the years, the earlier models were equipped with a back clamp while the later models had a side clamp, which is what some modern machines use today. The side clamp is the one I would prefer over the back clamp. Regardless, if you can find the part, it is an easy swap.
That fateful day
Equipped with that models I want, I went hunting on Facebook Marketplace. I wasn't going to entertain shipping. The weight and the fragility of poor packaging just sounds like a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, I had to limit my search to within an hour or two of driving distance as the partner is still working on the BIG residing house project. But I did see some really good condition ones in NJ, PA, or even Raleigh, NC. Those were unfortunately too far for me. There was a Red Eye that seemed to be in really good condition that unfortunately slipped through my fingers due to a miscommunication with the seller. And another was posted for free, which was snatched up within 30 mins of the seller's post. Sigh.
Finally, I saw one that seemed to be in okay condition. It was no Red Eye, but there are 66s out there without that decal. The price was right, about half the price I normally see. And I noticed the presser feet is side clamp instead of back clamp. I begged my partner to take me as the table will only fit in his car, not mine.
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| Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? |
When we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see how dainty this piece of furniture is. It's beautiful! The seller is a quilter herself and mentioned this table was from a friend's grandmother, which really means it was likely from my great-grandmother's generation. The cabinet also came with some treasures! There are some random sewing machine accessories, two VERY old and dry treadle belts (Can I even use them?!), vintage Singer sewing machine needles, a box of very old, probably no-longer-sterile gauze, a box of threads, a vintage ruler, and other random stuff.
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The serial number indicates it was born in 1925
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A couple things I checked before I decided to buy was to turn the handwheel (ALWAYS TOWARDS YOU) to see if the machine will move, and test if the treadle components are in motion. Sadly, the machine was so frozen... I didn't want to crank it hard, which would result in any damage. But lucky for me, this frozen machine allowed me to negotiate the price just a tad lower. All in all, I paid $65 (plus gas and travel time).
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| Sewing needles and other random bits |
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| Very old and dry treadle belt |
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| Box of accessories |
Welcome home!
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| My treadle |
For now, I've set up the treadle in the entry way. It's an available room that I could use as a temporary workshop in the next few months. The plan is to restore the sewing machine first, then the treadle components, and then cabinet. I'm sure it will take a little while to get to the actual sewing part, but I'm really excited about this restoration. I even showed a picture of the treadle to my grandmother and she said she had the same treadle model. That just makes me love this treadle even more.
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| Singer 66 with Filigree decals |
This will be a rather lengthy restoration project as I’ll be occupied with the garden over the summer, and various other passion projects, so check back periodically for updates. I’m so excited for it to sew again - wish me luck!
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