Seamstress Rotary Treadle Sewing Machine in Working Condition

About a year before selling our first house, I found this wonderful treadle sewing machine in need of restoration that would be perfect for my then country decorating style.  I am no stranger to sewing having learned on an old portable Singer machine from an aunt who was a seamstress with Hudson's.  By thirteen I was an accomplished enough seamstress to make a lot of my own clothes so my Mom gifted me with my much beloved Brother Festival 461.  This beautiful shocking pink sewing machine is still in regular use.  I reasoned that I knew enough about the care and maintenance of a sewing machine that I could get the treadle machine to work.  The treadle machine is a Seamstress Rotary sewing machine manufactured by the National Sewing Machine Co. in Belvidere, Illinois.  It was distribute by the T. Eaton Co in Canada according to the information I found.

The Seamstress Rotary machine sits in a beautiful oak cabinet.  It was a bit on the rough side but cleaned up nicely.  The six drawers have ornate trim.  The two top drawers on each side lock and I have the original key.  There was matching trim on the bottom edge of the swing door covering the machine when not in use.  Unfortunately all but about an inch of this trim was missing when I got the machine.  I have always hoped to get lucky and find the decorative trim in an antique store.  Also missing is the side cabinet trim that would cover the gears when closed.  I'm on the look-out for that as well. 

The iron legs, gears and treadle are in excellent condition.  I cleaned them good and painted them.  The only downside is the treadle and fancy legs tend to be a bit of dust collectors.  One problem with restoring a treadle sewing machine is finding the parts especially for the cabinets.  The legs tended to outlast the cabinet so frugal folks have been using the legs as a base for end tables, desks and even dismantling them to make shelving and garden decorations.  Small pieces like decorative trim tends to get tossed out if they break

The Seamstress Rotary sewing machine was in rather good condition.  The machine is attached to a wood base that automatically rises when the lid is opened.  That's even a bit more advanced than the cabinet I have my Brother in as I have to lift the machine up manually.  The seamstress had obviously been well used as the decals are worn away in spots.  I found a leather belt for the gears, oiled the machine then threaded it for a test run.  The machine sews quite nicely!

Of interest, when I bought the machine for $25 I did not realize how nicely it would clean up.  There was an instruction book for the Expert B T electric sewing machine so that's likely what the owner replaced this one with.  One of these days when I get a bit of time, I will go through some of the T. Eaton & Company catalogues at Archives Ontario. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Cleaning Antique and Vintage Glassware

Vintage and antique glassware is fun to collect and with the exception of rarer, more valuable pieces is still very much functional.  As a collector of vintage and antique glassware I've learned a few things over the years when it comes to keeping my collection sparkling.  Vintage and antique glassware is no more fragile than modern pieces UNLESS there is a special finish or painting on the glass then it is quite fragile.  Improper cleaning will leave you with a nice shiny piece minus the special finish or painting.  This is a case where you really have to know what you have.  Here are a few of my tips:

• know what you have, if in doubt do not wash!
• dust off the piece before washing
• wash and rise in warm water to avoid any thermal shock
• use the mildest form of cleanser possible and do not scrub - I suggest vinegar or mild soap and water. 
• once washed set the piece upside down on a towel to air dry
• tough grim can be removed from old canning jars, milk bottles and other plain glass using rubbing alcohol sprayed onto the surface then wiping dry
• never put antique or vintage glassware in the dishwasher or microwave oven as this may damage the finish especially painted pieces, those with metallic trim or those with special finishes like lustreware and carnival glass

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Thrift and Antique Store Finds

Thrift and Antique Store Finds

January 10, 2011

My husband and I are both collectors of various items.  There are a lot of places to find pieces to add to our collections.  Two of my favourite ones are thrift stores and antique shops.  During our recent vacation I wanted to stop at both types of shops because I was specifically looking for vintage glass inserts for canning jars.  It always seems when I'm looking for something specific I can never find it but other pieces present themselves.  I found three nice mugs to add to my mugs with food advertisements collection.  They are the Morton's Salt, Maxwell House Coffee and Campbell's mugs.  The Maxwell House Coffee appears to be the oldest of the three.  It was bought at an antique shop.  The other two mugs were bought at a thrift store and while newer are still quite collectible.

I collect pre-Depression (Fairfax by Fostoria) and Depression (mainly Amerian Sweetheart by MacBeth-Evens Glass Company) both mainly in pink although I have a couple of monax pieces.  I have a few odd pieces of Depression era glass, several amber iridescent and lustreware pieces as well as vintage bakeware (peach lustre).  The little hen sitting on a nest reminded me of my Mom.  She had a larger, green irridescent one when I was growing up.  I found this hen at a thrift shop for $3.99.  It was made by the Hazel Atlas Glass Company in the 1940's.  I saw three more just like this one in antique shops we stopped at with an adverage price of $9 and that appears to be the going online price.  It appears I made a little money on this item if I decided to sell but I won't because I really like the piece.

The Fire King Sapphire Philbe custard cup is Depression era glass made by Anchor Hocking in the 1940's.  I bought it at an antique shop for $1.50.  Now in most cases antique dealers know what they have so price accordingly.  In this case the seller missed that the 'Fire-King' mark on the bottom had been double stamped.  The going price for this custard cup without the double stamp is about $6 but this type of manufacturing error makes the piece more valuable so it was well under priced.   This is something to look for when shopping in antique stores.

My husband bought two shot glasses.  One was from Caesar's Palace Casino and the other Excalibur both in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Although they were bought at an antique shop, neither are antiques although they are collectible and will make a lovely addition to his collection.  The large beer stein is not antique either but it really is quite a nice piece to add to his collection as well.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011