After more than 46 years, my vintage 1903 Singer Treadle sewing machine Treadles once more!

I'm not gonna lie, I got more than a little choked up sewing on this machine for the first time in many, many years.
This video will show you how to clean, repair and restore a vintage Treadle sewing machine. These vintage machines are built like tanks! It's a testament to sustainability, which I always strive for!
It is my sincere wish to one day pass this machine down to my children, and to teach my grandchildren how to sew on this lovely old machine!
Love to you all!
Thanks for watching!

[@emmah6045]

Bravo to you for only doing what was needed to restore your machine to working order. The youtube "experts" that tear the machine to bits are giving owners the wrong idea. Singer engineering was so good that a clean-up of old oil is all most of the machines need, and a few drops of fresh oil.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Yes I agree! These machines were designed to last!

[@luigi-1545]

wow, great work! to be more than a century old and still work as if new is quite impressive! congratulations on having such a great machine.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Thank you! I feel so lucky to have my grandma's Treadle sewing machine, and that it was well taken care of over the years ❤

[@kogabear1]

I was lucky enough to find this exact sewing machine from the original family who bought it in new in 1917. They took care of it through the years and only required dusting and oiled. They are truly amazing machines.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

That's wonderful!

[@dawnstroud7879]

Wonderful video! I bought a 1921 127 at a rummage sale for $50. Very similar to yours, only the bobbin winder is up high. It sat folded up in a corner for years before I finally decided it was time to give her some love. I took it all apart like you did and cleaned each piece. It was so fulfilling to me to restore her to her former glory, she sews beautifully and she is one of my most prized possessions. She is a grand old lady that everyone admires when they see her. New technology is nice, but you just can’t beat an old black & gold. ♥️

[@CampingwithEmmy]

I couldn't have said it any better! I hope you enjoy many, many years sewing on your beautiful "black and gold!" 🥰

[@deborahnolan9360]

So happy that you have it working again! My great desire is to get my grandmother’s treadle machine working again as well. She taught me when I was 8 years old, 60 years ago 😳!

[@CampingwithEmmy]

I sincerely hope you can get your grandmother's machine working again! It has been a joy for me to sew on our vintage family sewing machine!

[@sandrarkelso]

I’ve been trying to find a video on cleaning an old singer treadle sewing machine, thank you

[@CampingwithEmmy]

You are welcome! I hope your vintage machine cleans up beautifully!

[@user-ic5xu4jh6z]

Glad you wake the old Lady up! These mashines are so lovely and doing a good job! I got 4 hand crank mashines- also a Singer from 1895 and other treadle mashines with the new shuttle- all between 1900- 1959. One Zig- zag mashine is enough for me but for quilting (FMQ) i will use an semi industrial, which i want to complete my collection for active using. Your table is wonderful, Jugendstil- it's amazing! The leather is a story, i had to find out how i can make a hole in it without ruin the leather🙏😅. I hammer the leather flat and make a hole, not so much on the edge, so its working best for me. And yes, these mashines are working fine, why not? Its only mechanic, which can rust if humidity is too high so ikeep them warm and dry and protect them from dust. Have fun with your Lady❤ Thanks for your video, it's funny to see other people are finally happy if all parts are moving and the needle start to stitch and makes wonderful stitches, which no new mashine can do- i mean the very short stitches, which are perfect for sewing corsages and historic Fashin! It looks so authentic. Glas you shared this with us!❤

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Thank you for your lovely comment! Have fun with your vintage sewing machines 🥰

[@user-ic5xu4jh6z]

@@CampingwithEmmy Thank you, i love them all! Now we have to take them all into my new home- not easy😅🙏.Best regards from Austria to you💐

[@CampingwithEmmy]

@@user-ic5xu4jh6z Happy Moving!

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

My pop had to replace the belt on his 1902 back in the 80s, it was still on, but was on the verge of disintigrating. He just went to a sewing machine shop and bought two. One is still in the drawers as a back-up. My two treadles came with intact belts, and my dad bought back-ups so they are in the drawers also. I use my two treadles as night stands next to my bed. I keep them inside the cabinets, and not display them. No one would see them but me, and I can do that any time. Unconventional yes, but I will likely never have a craft room to show them off in.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

OOPS! I realized after publishing this video that I needed to put the tension disks on first, then the spring for the Tensioner! It has been corrected!

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

I was wondering if you had noticed that. 😅

[@CampingwithEmmy]

@@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059 yes thankfully!

[@lauraroberts2250]

I'm so glad you realised! It was worrying me until I saw this.

[@lauraroberts2250]

Well done on the restoration. It looks great. I'm glad you have such lovely memories of learning with your dad. I learned on a treadle too and loved it. I bought one from a sweet old lady early on in my marriage and sewed all kinds of things over the years. My treadle is a virtual twin to yours except it's a year older and considerably more battered. I use it almost every day now I'm retired. These machines are valiant workhorses. Nothing fazes them. I sew leather with mine. No problem. Enjoy your beautiful treadle! May you make many more happy memories!

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Thank you so much for your heartfelt reply! Yes these machines will stand the test of time! I'm so happy you sew on yours on a regular basis. I hope to do more sewing projects on mine in the future

[@LitoGeorge]

Laura, what thickness leather do you sew with your machine? Mine's a 1903, has the plain face plate, plain access cover at the back and 2 drawers on each side of the table. I bought it primarily to sew leather on, as I figured these old girls will be much stronger than the newer ones. I do have a Singer HD4452 (new), that sews leather, but all that plastic has me unhappy. I'm in the process of stripping all the components off the machine at about a 50% rate - clean and restore and then use. I made my own belt, by sewing leather strips on the HD4452 and pre stretching them by hanging a small bucket of water from the strap.

[@D9P323]

We JUST bought this machine....its beautifully made. I can't wait to get it sewing again

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Congratulations! You will love sewing on it! In some of my recent videos I am doing some small sewing projects on mine ❤

[@donnadenert2996]

I just bought a pheasant 1902! All the drawers are being worked on. The treadle belt was very difficult to fit. Once I got it going, it runs like a charm. What a sweet machine - it’s a keeper!

[@CampingwithEmmy]

How wonderful! Congratulations and happy sewing!

[@donnawolfe7213]

Denise you did a beautiful job restoring this old sewing machine. Showing all the highlights at the end was great. So many interesting details.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

And thank you mom for passing this beauty on to me! Love you!

[@robinr6399]

Your cabinet is Lovely. Thanks for all the details you put into this video.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Thank you! I appreciate your kind words!

[@wisepati123]

What a lovely machine. You don’t need to put oil down the holes on the machine bed near the slide plates as they are screw holes. What is important is to put a little oil on the shuttle race because that shuttle wears out.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Thank you for the tip, I appreciate it!

[@ryndl]

Congratulations and well done! Its beautiful and ready to make more memories!

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Thank you so much! I've already sewed several things with it since posting this video!

[@starthrifter815]

How cool! That was a big job cleaning, repairing. Beautiful decals. How wonderful for you!

[@CampingwithEmmy]

It was truly a labor of love! I'm so happy to sew on this old beauty again!

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

I know, I love the Egyotian decals. I wish my dads 1902 had them, but it doesn't.

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

We have three treadles, one, a 1902 Singer belonged to my dads great-aunt, and she gave it to him. It sews fine, but now that he is retired he plans to restore the case. It is kind of beat up and has never been restored. That branch of his family (my 4th great grandfolks) has been in the Mojave since before AZ, CA, and NV were even states. (1840s) I learned to sew on that one, and a small hand-crank "Sew Simple" table top machine for kids. My dad got me that one for 5$ at a yard sale because getting the treadle out was a pain sometimes because we lived in a tiny apartment. Another, a 1921 belonged to my paternal granny and I inherited it nearly two decades ago. She had not passed away, she just gave it to me as a gift because she had not used it in decades. Granny is indeed gone now though, Alzheimers in 2018 at age 89. Someone (before granny inherited it) had painted the case white 😒 so a few years ago my dad and I spent several weekends scraping paint and restoring that one. The white paint had yellowed and was peeling off when i was a kid. We have no idea who painted it, because my granny always remembered it being white. So it was likely painted white during/just after WW2. It sews fine as well. The third is an 1874 Domestic (brand) coffin top. It belonged to my 3rd great grandmother. It was given to me by my grandfathers cousin who was terminally ill. Her kids didn't want it, nobody else did either, but her dad had refinished it already, decades ago (the 1950s probably) so it is still in great shape. Except the decals, but I have no idea if it ever had any, it literally has no indications that it did. It sews fine too.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

How wonderful that you have three Treadles! Thank you for sharing the history on your machines. Mine has been moved to many different homes over the years. From apartments to a Mobile Home, very small 700 sq. ft. home, and our last couple of average sized homes. We have moved a lot!

[@gergemall]

Love it .

[@agweatherwax1]

What a beautiful machine I would love it. Enjoy that wonderful thing and sew with it.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Thank you for your lovely comment! I have been sewing quite a few things on my Treadle lately! If you check out some of my recent videos, you will see me sewing on it :)

[@antoniocarlos5955]

Máquina de costura muito bonita parabéns pelo canal ótimo conteúdo

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

My father taught me to sew also! He is still alive though. He had to teach my mom too. Most people talk about being taught to sew by some female family member, not me. It was my pop, people are usually shocked when I say that as if men were incapabable of learning how to use a sewing machine, just cars and trucks, planes, trains and industrial equipment.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

My dad taught my mom to sew too!

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

@@CampingwithEmmy Interesting how men back then (before 1970s) weren't big sissies about things like that. Nowadays they balk at the thought of doing anything so feminine. My moms mother couldn't sew either which is why my mom never learned.

[@walteraddie7925]

Reshape or align you upper thread takeup spring to face straight forward without tension on it. This will improve how it sews. I have about 20 of these model 27's and they are a great machine.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Thanks so much for the tip, I appreciate it!

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

The tool he used to poke the hole in the belt is called an AWL. (Pronounced all)

[@abittwisted]

Can you back stitch with one of these old machines? My old Singer Patcher doesn’t do a normal sewing machine backstitch. I have to turn the direction to do a back stitch and it doesn’t always line up with the original stitch.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Unfortunately, I cannot do a back stitch with my vintage Treadle machine 😌

[@user-zx9cf6xb4q]

Better to gluing the belt because it is more durable after glueing it never be broken. Glued belt can able to hold 15 kg of weight.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Thank you for the tip!

[@user-zx9cf6xb4q]

@@CampingwithEmmy I forgot something. The ends of belt should be cut in form looks like a syrange needle and glued over each other.

[@ceciledesjardins3333]

Which needle did you use for that machine ? I am new at this. Trying to find the right needle . Machine VS 1 .

[@CampingwithEmmy]

I just used a standard size Singer sewing machine needle. You don't need a special needle 🙂

[@ceciledesjardins3333]

@@CampingwithEmmy thank you !!

[@CampingwithEmmy]

@@ceciledesjardins3333 🙂

[@frankjanvari8650]

hello very beautiful sewing machine please kindly film how to thread and wind the bobbin on your electric sewing machine please kindly let me know OK?thank you very much and have a beautiful day 😊

[@CampingwithEmmy]

I will make a short video on how to thread the bobbin soon! You have a wonderful day too!

[@eyejs]

No need to put oil in screw holes on the base near the throat plates! They are for screwing in the seam guide attachment. Pretty sure you assembled the tension unit wrong too, so hope that got corrected.

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Yes, I realized right away the Tension disk was not right and corrected it, but I had already uploaded the video to youtube!

[@frankjanvari737]

hello very nice lady I whish you would film how to operate the sewing machine electric foot pedal for your singer electric sewing machine it looks like it's a 1980s model please kindly let me know OK?thank you very much and have a beautiful night 😀

[@CampingwithEmmy]

Yes the Singer sewing machine you are commenting on is from the 1980's! It has a simple plastic pedal that you push with your foot. It hooks to the machine with a small round hose.

[@sallyannuresti8874]

Can you please tell me where I can order a new belt

[@CampingwithEmmy]

They are available on Ebay and Amazon!

[@agweatherwax1]

Please post where you found parts

[@CampingwithEmmy]

ebay! There are quite a few people who sell parts for old sewing machines!

[@kokigephart111]

The math doesn't work for me. No use for 46 yrs but you used as a child , were you two?

[@CampingwithEmmy]

I'm 60 years old now!

[@zutubez99]

These videos where the maker won't even tell us what they are doing drive me crazy. What is so hard about talking your way through the process so people know what you are doing, and why?

[@user-ic5xu4jh6z]

She's cleanig alö parts of the mashine! Why? Because lots of dust, fabric particles are on and in these mashines. Also they need oil but you would at first clean the mechanic, use petrleum or WD40 for cleaning and absolutely important is to oil again after using petroleum or WD40, otherwise it will rost and the mechanic will not moving one day. If all is done you have to adjust all parts- means needle shuttle ad once again a drop of oil in every hole on the mashine. Cleaning outside is also important- who wants dirty favric or dust and rust spots on it? Mostely a scrw driver is needed to get near the inner parts, because they all have to work smooth. Some mashines need the old needles, which are not available anymore, others will need normal flat head 705 or round hed needles, if it is an industrial mashine mostely. This is a normal domestic mashine. Cleaning the the maschine outside with sewing mashine oil, other oils are not good and will stick after short time in the mashine and nothing will move well...strange, why you did'nt understand the meaning of this video! Also its totally rude to command someone who is sharing something private and nice with us, to criticise! You should simple ask if you do not understand but in a friendly way! Its not other persons fault if you have no idea about these mashines, it's only your fault because you did'nt learn! Do not make this to other peoples problem!