Tuesday, December 17, 2013

A New Sewing Machine



I got a brand new sewing machine, all the way from England! My friend just got back from a "trip across the pond" and she brought me this souvenir.
I love it!
I am having a hard time sewing with it... since it's a candle, and made of wax!



And to give you a perspective on how small it is, here's a picture of me holding it. 
Isn't it adorable?!?! 
What a fun gift for a quilter!


And speaking of sewing related fun, while I was sick last week I enjoyed watching the video called "The Birth of a Sewing Machine in 1934" (just click on the title to view). It's a long video (about 70 minutes) but I was sick, so what else did I have to do but lay around and watch videos?! It is vintage footage of the Singer factory in 1934. There is no sound at all with this video but it was fascinating to me. I loved seeing the 1934 workforce arriving to work at the factory all dressed up!
There were so many times while watching the footage when I said to myself "that does not look safe"!  There were work stations and set ups where workers could easily be burned, or maimed, or get a needle in their eye. And so many possibilities for repetitive stress injury! They worked so hard at this factory to make these classic sewing machines. And to make the needles for the sewing machines (at a rate of 18,000 needles made per hour!)
The complex machinery used to make sewing machines, even back then, just blows my mind. Watching this video made me appreciate my 1901 Singer treadle even more! 

14 comments:

PeggyinNO said...

LOL! You had me going there for a minute! My first thought when I saw your blog title was---did she get a handcrank or another treadle, or...... but when I saw your giftie, I had to laugh!! It is a cutie! Enjoy your day!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

What a cute little gift. I love the sleak design of the old machines - look how open that throat is. And all the decal and metal work - they were a thing of beauty, too.

Teresa in Music City said...

Now that is just TOO DARN CUTE!!!! Your friend picked out the perfect souvenir for you to be sure!

Dolores said...

Cute candle. I wonder if you could make it into an ornament and hang it? I have my mom's old treadle and it's the one I learned to sew on. It's only had the belt replaced once. Otherwise it always worked like a charm. I have not used it in ages and I should at least oil it.

Janet O. said...

What a sweet candle! I thought it was a toy machine, from the thumbnail photo on my blog roll. Then I saw it in your hand. Wow! Tiny--I LOVE tiny!! : )
Sounds like a fascinating video--unless I get sick (please, no) I probably will have to watch it after the holidays!

beaquilter said...

that is SEW adorable, can't believe it's a candle!! sorry you were sick, what a bummer! at least it wasn't at Christmas!! I'll look into this movie, sounds interesting..... maybe on netflix?

AnnieO said...

Cute candle! I've never seen anything like that.

Workplace conditions were a lot different from today in those times! But maybe they also assumed people were more sensible,since even into the 30's some people still had wood stoves, lanterns, and no modern conveniences, right? Glad you got some enjoyment from your down on the couch time and hope you're feeling much better.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

What a cute little candle! I've seen lots of 'sewing machine' items, but, never a candle. Cool.

Ivani said...

Cute candle, just the perfect gift!
I'll watch the movie you suggest.
Hope you are feeling better.
Hugs

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

This little candle gift is adorable!

I can't watch the video at the moment but will come back to it at another time ...sounds fascinating ! ( well I might not hang for 70 minutes but I do want to see some of it! :)

Jill said...

You have a thoughtful dear friend who knows you very well. Adorable!

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

Yes, times have changed. I think I will watch it with my husband he loves those kind of videos. Cute little machine, I have one about that size opens and has a little mouse in it. It has this saying on the bottom: Friends never come apart at the seams!

margaret said...

a lovely candle, needless to say I do not think you will light it.
When I did my C & G in embroidery I did a project on sewing machink about it cannot recall where it is now, have a feeling it might have been binned.

Raewyn said...

What a cute candle, I did look at the first phto for a bit, working it out! The video sounds interesting - I look forward to watching it :-)