I threaded up my new Vintage Singer (with the help of this tutorial on You Tube) just to see if she would actually sew.   She’s still dirty, a bit smelly, and still has the same needle in as when she was last used.  Unfortunately I’ve no idea when this was. I did remove the fluff from around the feed dogs, but apart from that she’s as she was when I brought her home. I used a bobbin that was already wound and also brushed the dust off an old spool of thread.  I was stunned to find she sewed beatifully! I wish I’d have chosen some plain fabric so I could show off the stitches, but I didn’t expect this on my first go! Here’s a close up: I had googled ‘how to treadle’ and found this which was really funny (well, I thought it was, and if you’ve tried to treadle you might too!): Treadling is a very advanced and intricate procedure, when done properly…. here is a good, basic set of treadling instructions: 1. …

I’m so excited, I feel like all my Christmas’s have come at once! At the beginning of the week I saw an old Singer on Ebay with a start price of £15.  There wasn’t much information, but the photo showed it in a cabinet and it looked promising and was only in Leeds so I bid £20 then forgot all about it.   Last night I received a message to say I’d ‘won’ it for only £18.   So tonight, armed with some muscle, aka The Husband, I headed off on the 8 mile journey to meet the new love of my life  collect my new sewing machine.   It was love at first sight!   She was very heavy, but we managed and my hubby even drove steadily home (this is unusual, I usually have a stiff neck and feel sick even after a short journey! Only kidding darling if you read this!!). We carried her into the front room.  My newly decorated front room.  Very dirty! But who cares! Here she is:  Here’s the original oil …