I might be crazy but . . .

[Linda Rogers]

I just bought and brought back to running condition this 1901-1905 vintage No. 27 Singer Treadle machine with the Sphinx decals in fair shape and look forward to using it in mixed media and fabric art creations.

[Linda Rogers]

Hey Robin!  It's going.  I joined a treadle machine group and the collective wisdom there thinks the machine actually dates to 1893 given the serial number which makes it one of the earlier years of this model.  I didn't think there were rectangular bases in the early years but I was wrong.  There were both.

I used it on a couple of mixed media pieces this week including this art journal page where I sewed on some cheese cloth, ribbon and generally re-inforced the edge of my pages. 

[Linda Rogers]

I don't see anywhere to edit comments.  I was wanting to clarify regarding Carolyn's comment/question that as far as I know "knee bar" refers to the knee control on electric machines.   My "main machine" is a 1970 vintage electric singer and it used to have a knee controller but that broke and so I now use a foot pedal on that one.

Treadles are simpler but sturdy animals and actually are surprisingly advanced and versatile when you consider that many of them... like mine... are more than 100 years old and going strong.

[Linda Rogers]

Thanks Ruth.  Your fabric art is part of my itch to use a machine more in my art work and these old machines are actually better for leather, paper, canvas, etc.

It's a treadle machine, Carolyn, no motor.  I have had to relearn the skills my grandmother taught me when I was about 7 and learned to treadle.  It's funny because I took to it like a duck to water but I had no concept of how the machine worked nor what I'd done wrong when it messed up.  Now I had to very methodically re-learn.  But, hey.... after a couple of days working on set-up and getting the treadling down, slipped a bit of scrap fabric under the needle and... first stitches have been made. 

[RUTH GILES]

Wow! That's gorgeous Linda. Well done.