What do you do when your cousin calls to say a friend has a treadle for sale and but if you want it, it’s free?  Well don’t be crazy, you get it your car and go get it. Which is exactly what I did.

When I went to research the serial number on this machine I didn’t get a lot of info which was strange as Singer has a national database of serial numbers dating back to some of the first sewing machines.   It turns out this sewing machine was not in the database as it was never meant to be sold outside Germany.  Apparently the info on the machines was kept at the German factory but Russia bombed the factory in 1945 and the records were all destroyed.  It was likely made somewhere between 1902 and 1922 but that’s as close as I can get.  So far I’ve found, it was likely owned by a dressmaker or tailor and was likely used to make German uniforms unless it was taken out of Germany prior to the war as I’m told most tailors and seamstresses were forced into making uniforms.  I can’t wait to talk more to the prior owner and see if she has the actual years it left Germany and more on it’s travels to the US.   It looks like it was likely moved to Austria when many Jewish people left Germany, and then brought to the US.   Imagine the things this has seen if it could talk.   I have found one woman in Australia that has a C serial number also so hope to talk more with her as well.

While there she also gifted me a beautiful old leather seat rocker.  These used to be called sewing or nursery rockers because they had no arms on them.  Looking into how long ago most of these were made, I would be curious to know if it made the same travels as that treadle.

The last thing brought home was a Victorian tapestry chair which is in amazing shape and stunning.  I have no idea where it will fit in the house but like I said, you can’t say no and see it shipped off to a thrift store.   I was thinking, if I get rid of my furniture, I would have more room for sewing machines.  I need to give that some thought.