The Sewing Machine Nobody Wanted
by Anne Novy
Illustrated by Janet Bedard
ISMACS News
Issue No. 52
October 2005
Not long ago, in a small town, in the land across the pond, lived a sad sewing machine. It was sad because its family no longer used or loved it. Its beautiful iron and wood treadle was sometimes polished, but the lady of the house didn’t know how to sew. If the lady wanted new clothes she jumped into her car and drove to the shopping centre where she bought fashionable threads at Gap or Next. A vase of flowers stood on the table and looked very pretty, but the treadle was sad because it knew that it hadn’t been made for this purpose. It knew that it wasn’t a table, but a sophisticated piece of technical engineering designed to turn beautiful fabrics into useful items such as quilts, dresses, and curtains.
The treadle could remember a pretty lady sitting by its side, lovingly oiling the machine and cleaning its bright parts and glossy black japanned coat. She would set the treadle into action and the machine whirred away, happily sewing silk, muslin and lace. The two drawers held everything that the lady needed from scissors to ruffling attachments and, best of all, a beautiful instruction booklet. The treadle felt proud and fulfilled, but that was a long time ago.
The family who lived in the house now decided to find a new home for the treadle. They didn’t want to ask the local council to take it away and dump it in their rubbish tip so they asked friends and neighbours if they had any ideas. Someone had seen a newspaper article about a couple that ran the Rest Home for Elderly and Retired Sewing Machines, so the family telephoned this place the very next day. But, the lady and gentleman who ran the Home said that they didn’t have any more room, not even for the tiniest little toy machine.
The family was very disappointed, but more resolved than ever to find a new home for the treadle especially since they had bought a “state of the art” Dolby digital surround sound system with subwoofer pre-out, at a knock down price in the January sales, and had nowhere to put it.
So, they took the treadle to a local charity/thrift shop and said their final goodbyes. They told the treadle not to be too downcast and that someone was bound to buy it and give it a new home. The treadle found itself in a nasty, damp, and smelly shed behind the shop, fall of other sad machines and old discarded telephones, radios and every possible electrical item you could think of. They were all waiting to be tested and fixed up, hoping to start new lives with people who really wanted them. Some of them had been in this dreadful place for years and were becoming dusty and rusty, sadder and lonelier by the day.
But this was not to be the fate of the treadle. Very soon, a lady with a kind face visited the shed looking for sewing machines to clean, test and display in the shop for sale. She was pleased to see the new treadle, and fixing the machine in place, she sat down to her work. Pulling open one of the drawers, she found a little piece of paper on which was written her name and telephone number. “Oh you dear machine”, she exclaimed, “You want to come home with me, don’t you? You are so beautiful that I will find room for you somewhere. You can come to live with me and all my other machines”. The lady with the kind face realized that this must have been the very treadle that she had been offered a few days ago on the telephone (she could have had it free of charge then but now she would have to pay the shop a King’s ransom before she could have it!).
The kind faced lady paid up and took the treadle home after work that day. Of course, dear readers, you know by now, if you have been listening carefully to my tale that she took the treadle to live in the Home for Elderly and Retired Sewing Machines. There it lives happily, polished and oiled. It stands proudly in the best room in the Home and has made friends with seventy other machines. Its new owner loves it dearly and, best of all, uses it to sew.
This is the true story of how I acquired my Nelson No.75 treadle (see left) a few months ago. As I hadn’t seen or heard of another like it, I did a bit of research and found that it was made by the New Home company around the start of the 20th century. It was badged for export and sold from the London firm known as Robert Nelson and Co. incorporated with John G. Murdoch and Co.Ltd, 57a Hatton Garden, London E.C.I - It is a handsome machine with Art Nouveau styled decals in peacock shades of blue and turquoise. The needle bar end of the machine is almost identical in every detail to the Wheeler and Wilson 9 with the thread tensioner at the side on the “face plate” not facing the operator as in many machines. The rotary hook bobbin assembly is also similar to the W&W9 but has the presser foot lever situated at the back of the head. It has a Jones type stitch length lever and gold letters on the base proudly proclaim that it was MADE IN ENGLAND. I do not think that that would cut the mustard with British trades description rules today.
My new “baby” came complete with a booklet and attachments. The treadle base has two drawers and the ironwork is in a flowing “organic” style that reflects the period. It is all in excellent condition and in full working order.
I would love to hear from anyone who has seen another of its kind or has any more information about the machine or company that sold it, via the Ismacs Digest or my email address mummybigdog @yahoo.co.uk.