Finally Functional!
By Morley Hunt
@Morleyhunt (21737)
Canada
March 4, 2017 8:34pm CST
Last year I inherited my mothers treadle sewing machine.
This is the machine I learned to sew on. My mother insisted that I make ten pillowcases from flour sacks. I hated making those pillow cases.
Next lesson (I eventually finished those pillow cases) was making pyjamas for my little brothers. At that point, I lost interest.
When I opened the treadle the first disappointment hit. The finish of the machine bed had deteriorated and it was rough as sandpaper.
My husband came to the rescue and refinished the base. Smooth as glass. Thank you to my loving husband.
I'm ready to sew...no, I'm not....the leather belt for the treadle has deteriorated. We had a spare....hubby lubricated it and installed it.
Again, I'm ready to begin. I oiled all the moving parts and it ran a bit stiffly. Time should fix this. I slowly worked it. It seized up. Time for the repairman.
This week I finally got it back. The repairman called it a sweet machine.
It's been running smooth as silk and so quiet.
It took a year, but it was worth the wait.
29 people like this
30 responses
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
5 Mar 17
Is this one with the foot petal? I want one of those and it to work, so when I get off the grid and onto solar I can still sew. or learn to sew on a machine, I have always sewn by hand.
4 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
Yes, it has the foot pedal...no electricity needed.
4 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
@pureme I love working with a treadle sewing machine. The control is so great.
@allknowing (130066)
• India
5 Mar 17
If something is repairable it is worth taking the trouble.
3 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
@allknowing the repairman I use, has a great appreciation of vintage sewing machines. He is not eager to push a new machine at me.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
I was beginning to wonder if it was worth my time and bother, but now that it's working as it should....I'm very pleased.
2 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
It's actually very easy to use. I'm fortunate...this one came with the manual.....unfortunately it is very small print and written in Dutch.
1 person likes this
@prinzcy (32322)
• Malaysia
5 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt I hope you can make something soon
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
I had moments that I wondered if the time, effort and money were well spent....now that I'm using the machine I can say....yes...absolutely, well spent.
@nottoooldtowrite (2715)
• Philippines
5 Mar 17
My late grandma used to have one and she would sew dresses and pillowcases. Sweet memories of a sweet machine same as yours 
2 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
My mother made her wedding dress on this machine. She sewed a lot of clothes and household supplies on this machine. By the time my mother began to quilt she used mostly the new electric machine my father bought her in the early '70's.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
@nottoooldtowrite one of my daughters sews a little. When something needs a sewing machine...they often bring it to me.
1 person likes this
@nottoooldtowrite (2715)
• Philippines
5 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt and yes I remember thevelectric type too. No one in the family sews now.
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
5 Mar 17
I would love a treadle machine. I can't recall who had one when I was growing up. But, I am certain it was my grandmother. My mother had an older model and I remember her using it quite a bit.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
6 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt usually you can find them at tag/yard sales in the summer months. Sometimes they are at flea markets too. Unfortunately there is usually a hefty price tag on them.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
6 Mar 17
@ElusiveButterfly I saw one last summer at a local thrift shop for $15.00. I don't have room for two or I would have purchased it.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
If you watch thrift shops and estate sales you can often find them for very little expense. If the machine itself is broken...finding a replacement is simple. You can often find a good machine (just take the motor off) fior $10 or $15.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
My mother was given this machine by her parents for her 25th birthday. She brought it to Canada as a newlywed. For many years it was her only sewing machine.
1 person likes this
@Nawsheen (28644)
• Mauritius
6 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt awesome. My mum loves sewing too.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
This is the machine I learned to sew on many, many yeArs ago.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
5 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt I know that this is what happened to the old sewing machine of my Mother. My more modern Pfaff is electric and it does not turn on.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
I finally took this one to the repairman. He explained that because it hadn't been used in many years (never professionally cleaned) that when I oiled it and began to move the moving parts....I loosened sixty years worth of accumulated gunk that stopped everything from moving.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (325727)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Mar 17
These treadlies trundle along so nicely don't they? I had to practise stitching holes in paper without thread so that I wouldn't break the needle if I accidently pedalled it backwards. None that I knew of would sew backwards. Does yours?
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
I push the lever down and it reverses. It's pedalling backwards that is very hard on the mechanism.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
@JudyEv even better...I can drop the feed dogs...this means machine free motion quilting and even embroidery are possible. I'm looking forward to playing,
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66857)
• Philippines
5 Mar 17
nice machine. i think your sewing machine is much older than ours here.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
6 Mar 17
@ridingbet this machine only has a straight stitch. I have at least four other machines if I need a zigzag stitch.
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66857)
• Philippines
6 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt but it still functions without any hitches,right? is there a zigzag pattern in your machine? my mother taught us how to zigzag a hemline by lifting that mechanical switch behind where the needle is placed
@theBlock (2657)
• United States
5 Mar 17
@Morelyhunt
It-still-looks-like-its-in-pretty-good-shape---cool!....I-used-to-hate-lifting-and-moving-my-mom's-old-Singer-sewing-machine----soooo-heavy!....It-was-made-in-the-late---1890's,,,and-it-was-still-working-until-my-mom-passed-away-in-2001....My-sister-has-it---somewhere-in-storage.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
Mine is not in storage. It will be seeing a lot of use now that the repairman has returned it.
1 person likes this
@theBlock (2657)
• United States
6 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt That's-good....My-sister-just-doesn't-know-how-to-sew
1 person likes this
@josie_ (9763)
• Philippines
5 Mar 17
We use to have a "Singer" foot pedal sewing machine when I was a child. I have also seen an older type hand-crank which my mother in law owned. But this is the first time I have seen this brand "PFAFF". Do you know what the letters stand for?
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
Pfaff is the last name of the original maker of the sewing machine. Pfaffs were considered the Mercedes of sewing machines.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
I'm very happy that it is working as it should. If the machine was beyond repair I was going to haunt the thrift stores until I found another machine that could be transferred onto the treadle cabinet.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
The bag I just completed....was partially made on the treadle machine...
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
I'm looking forward to trying some free motion quilting and maybe embroidery as well.
@Tampa_girl7 (48929)
• United States
6 Mar 17
I know that it was your moms makes it precious to you.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
7 Mar 17
It has a history...it's is something tangible that she used...I learned to sew on this mChine and I still like how it sews.
@hostessman (11871)
• Tucson, Arizona
5 Mar 17
my wife sews and she has a very old sewing machine also that she loves
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Mar 17
The old sewing machines are such a pleasure to work with. I don't need to learn a new language just to program it.
