Investigating One of the Oldest Victorian Sewing Machines! 1876 Wilcox & Gibbs Chainstitch
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- čas přidán 21. 01. 2022
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Extra special thanks to Michael, Harriet, and Harriet's mother (not, as mis-stated in the video, Michael's!) for allowing me to give this new friend a home. 😌
Notes:
[1] Bill Grewe and Graham Forsdyke, “Willcox & Gibbs Improved Serial Number Dating Guide,” International Sewing Machine Collectors Society (ISMACS International), accessed January 19, 2022, bit.ly/3qJdOma.
[2] Isaac Singer, Isaac Singer’s Sewing Machine Patent Model, 1851, Iron and Metal, Washington, D.C., National Museum of American History, s.si.edu/3Iq7GFi.
[3] Dress, 1860-61, New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, bit.ly/3rvER3m.
[4] Dress, 1868, Silk, New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, bit.ly/3InKbNk.
[5] Mme. Grapanche, Dinner Dress, 1884-6, Silk, New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, bit.ly/3qNldkp.
[6] Dress, 1870-74, Wool and Cotton, New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, bit.ly/3AjVZxc.
[7] Stern Brothers, Evening Dress, 1894, Silk Velvet, Glass Beads, Sequins, Tulle, London, The Victoria and Albert Museum, bit.ly/32jrr25.
[8] Dress, Woman’s, 1900, Silk Satin, Wellington, Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa, bit.ly/3IrpwHU.
[9] Jacques Doucet, Evening Dress, 1897-1900, Silk and Beads, New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, bit.ly/3tPVo54.
Editing by @Dani Banner
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What Happens in the Park - Claude Signet
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Bernadette said she is happy for me to share some family history about this sewing machine:
1. My mother bought it in the 1960s when she was living in London.
2. It was in a shop in the Portobello Road, marked at £5, and she asked if that was the right price (thinking it could not be that cheap). The man said she could have it for £2!
3. After she came back to Australia, she used it to make all my baby clothes.
4. It had been sitting in her storage room for many years, not likely to be used again, and she was wondering how to find someone who would like it.
5. So Michael asked Bernadette if she knew of anyone.
6. And now we have this wonderful video!
This is extraordinary! Thank you for sharing (the information and the machine). I promise I will give her a very loving home. 😌x
I love hearing the history of antiques. It gives them personality and soul.
Thank you so much for the backstory!
And for releasing the machine to Bernadette.
The machine looks lovely!
@@bernadettebanner - Just FYI - Your treddle machine - there is a knob in the middle of the hand wheel - if you turn it [towards you I think], it will rotate and unlock the wheel from the mechanism when you are winding bobbins...!!!
This is important as you are currently DOUBLING the wear and tear on the rest of the mechanism and you can no longer buy new parts...
I cringe every time you wind a bobbin 😀
thank you so much for sharing some more of the backstory! what a wonderful piece of story!
When my grandmother passed away at 100 years of age, we found a dozen different sewing machines in her house. Admittedly, she was the daughter of a seamstress and the granddaughter of a tailor so many of them were what she considered family heirlooms. Amongst them is a Wilcox & Gibbs chainstitch very similar to yours with a serial number of 788, which places it as being made in 1858.
So what happened to it? Is it still in the family?
What an amazing piece of history!
I work in an old old house with a portable 1858 Wheeler and Wilson as a bridal gift for the lady of the house. She took it to visit her husband during the Civil War and helped the other women repair the men of his regiments clothing
@@taylorbechstein1681 Thanks for sharing that little bit of history!
Wow 100. She lived a long life. Not that many older people that I know live up to 100 years old.
Imagine making a machine in the Mid 1890's and getting positive reviews 130 years later.
The envy that immediately manifested in me when she started up the machine was overwhelming. Never in my life have I heard such a quiet machine.
it reminded me of those “rain ambience” soundtracks you fall asleep to!
*jealousy, envy is the bad one
If anyone had told fifteen-year-old me that I would one day be this interested in a 150 year old sewing machine, I'd have thought they were mad. And yet, here we are.
lol same here
I know, right?
saammeee...
They are very addictive.....
I literally bought for myself a handsewing machine when we went in the second lockdown because i felt mentally drained. Non stop busy with homeschooling. To educate myself about how handsewing machines work,how to clean and maintain. I really kept me sane. So no madness at all
Never mind it's functionality, from a purely aesthetic point of view that little machine is just *beautiful*! Also, the lack of noise speaks for a well thought out design and quality manufacturing.
Yeah, they actually cared about how their products were made back then, and they were labor intensive compared to how things are made today, esp with robots making things and doing much of the heavy work.
It's that *just beautiful* part that leads to so many old sewing machines becoming flowerpots these days.
It looks like a little microscope!!!
Bernadette's reaction to "unboxing" the machine and its function are the most wholesome and precious things I've seen in months.
When I saw those stitches, my jaw dropped. Almost makes me wonder why we switched to the bobbin machines. I’d be curious to know why technology moved in that direction as opposed to the chain-stitch machines. There must be some interesting reasons/stories behind that.
With lock stitching you have two threads keepin gthe stitch in place, as opposed to only one thread in the lock stitch machine. If one thread breaks on a lockstitched seam, it doesn't unravel all that fast, but if the thread from a chain stitch it will unravel like hell.
@10:45, Is that the type of chain stitch that if you know how and which end to pull it will undo itself in 1 second?
@@kwcnasa Yes
Some possible reasons
1 Lock stitch is more protected. The most fragile part of the stich is burried inside the fabric while chain stitch has a whole mess of stuff going on on the top, a loop of chain stitch breaks it quickley unravels. The same basic pattern of loops were used on sailing ships to gather the sails in a way that was easy to realese just by tugging on the right end. Nowdays the main use of chain stich is as quick realese opening on bags of rice, potatoes and such. At the time they were used to handstitching witch is even less likley to unravel than lockstich
2 With a lock stich you can use diferent threads on each side if the lining has another colour. Not massivley important
3 lockstich looks more like handstiching and also looks neater. Never underestimate the power of tradition or the victorians contempt of un-neatness
@@borjesvensson8661 thanks for sharing. This question is very interesting indeed
What entices me the most is the sheer BEAUTY of this machine, as compared to its bulkier, utilitarian younger sisters. It's small size, elegant style, and simple functionality bridge the gap between TOOL and ART. You can keep it in your living space as an ornament when you're not actually sewing with it.
Bernadette, I have never seen a chain stitch machine before you brought this beautiful lady out of her box. I lover her! ♥ My 8 year old granddaughter could easily learn to sew and maintain such a graceful tool.
Perfect example of industrial art which disappeared in the modern era.
Yeah, the machine is beautiful
Saying it feels like a "tool" rather than a "machine" really hit me, because one of the biggest roadblocks I've always had with machine sewing is that I dislike the feeling of the machine between myself and what I'm working on. It kind of feels like the machine is doing something, rather than that I'm doing something. Meanwhile, with knitting, crochet, braiding, etc (including hand sewing) I'm the one doing the thing, I'm just using some tool to accomplish it. I would definitely be interested to try one of these out one day should I ever find one!
The book Cræft by Alexander Langlands speaks to this differentiation between a “tool” and a “machine” and our connection to work, craft, etc. and how it is changed or influenced as we move from hand-work to using tools to using machines. It’s a wonderful book!
I have motor control issues and while I see your contingency issues as a creator. My machine has allowed me to have structurally sound garments that I couldn't achieve because my hand stitches were just abysmal, even after 10 years of practice.
I am able to do my craft more and therefore this time allows me to feel closer to it
Here's the thing though: the sewing machine is nothing without the sewist, and even the best machine can destroy a garment if the person using it doesn't know what they are doing. (And in fact, people that think that clothes these days are made exclusively using machines, are doing injustice to the historically underpaid garment workers who make clothes worldwide, and this thinking is used as a tool to further exploit these people. It takes skill to make clothing, period.) Using a machine as a means to an end does not invalidate your skills as a creative person. A tattoo gun is a machine, it is also a tool. An airbrush is a machine, it is also a tool. That doesn't make the makeup artist any less of an artist.
It took me a long time to find my groove with the sewing machine, it's only now returning to sewing after a long absence that I get these periods of flow and the sense of being one with my machine. Knowing just how to manipulate the fabric to get it to do the thing that I want has taken time to learn. I would suggest that the artistry in machine sewing is in fabric manipulation and not the stitches.
When I was a young girl in the 1950’s I was given for Christmas a toy sewing machine. It actually sewed and I was interested to note that the stitch it made was a chain stitch like the antique machine. Just one stitch length was available. It was pretty neat and I used it for dolls clothes. I always felt it wasn’t a legitimate machine though because of a lack of bobbin. Now I know different. How interesting this was!
How about now days: "lack of computer!" :)
My niece got a toy sewing machine recently that produced the same stitch; in my ignorance, I decided that she was better off learning to sew on a “real” sewing machine because my dumb butt couldn’t wrap my head around the little machine. Now I know better thanks to Bernadette
@@bkelly1185 Wean her off of the toy to the real machine soon as possible. Professionals don't use chain stitches for a reason! The toy is OK to get her interested in sewing but the sooner she learns a real machine the better for her future!
I had a toy sewing machine just like that, when I was a kid in the early 1960s, functional chainstitching and all.
I wish there was something like this contemporary, as it is so small, quiet, and physical. It's so beautiful and it looks like a delight to work with
Jessie B, TOTALLY agree! I would LOVE to have something just like this.
Same, I want one, a simple stitch gets the job done.
Hmmmm
I'm sure all these patents are now public domain. And all that cast iron could be reproduced in carbon fiber. Some complicated machining on that hook, but nothing CNC or a talented machinist couldn't handle.
Hmmmmm.
“We know one another’s temperaments,” and nods to the off-camera lock stitch machine. Priceless!
I side eyed my machine too hahahaha
That was priceless. Even my husband caught it and laughed.
As if the camera had made a little snarky comment.
I swear I'm obsessed with how "simple" and tiny this machine is. And for some reason it looks like a must have item of a household like plates or shears. I want one. I need one.
Very many were made.
@@rogerpeggywheat1630 yep, but the few that we have available today are costly and way out of my budget
This machine is literally the Holy grail of sewing history. To see one still exists and in working condition is amazing.
That´s not only a sewing machine, it´s also a piece of high mechanical art and brilliant engeneering. It´s so peaceful and wholesome to work with such a great piece. Thanks so much that you shared this with us!
It's incredible to see something so old but so efficient, precise, and quiet. I know before watching this my thought was "Technology made things better and more efficient" but honestly, I think this is one of the best machines I've ever seen. And it's non electric. From 1876. Imo, sometimes newer really isn't better at all. I would love to pick one of these up for straight stitching.
Right! Something that puts me off starting to sew (other than the odd mend and make do) is the bulk and noise of a modern machine! But look at this old beauty just doing its job AND minding its own business 😂
More complicated is not always better. :)
I'm actually just amazed as little has changed from the original designs- tensioner, channel for the thread, thread mount, wheel, belt... it's fascinating. What a great bequest, and I can't think of a more fitting steward.
It was such a simple design that there was little to improve - they were still making them well into the 20th C. and aside from adding an electric motor there were only the slightest of changes.
Considered it is a great mechanical device, this means that they had the technology in the 1800s to invent an AK-47 machine gun (invented in 1947)!!!
What boggles my mind is that my new sewing needles fit on my antiques! They haven’t changed the design of the needle whatsoever whereas they absolutely could, if not only from a capitalist point of view.
@@ChibiSugar I think that is due to standardisation
@@ChibiSugar Shhhhhhhh. Don't give them ideas.
Bernadette's little happy/curious expression every time she discovers or explores a new facet of history makes me so happy! I love seeing how excited she is about her craft
My mum got a little "toy" sewing machine for Christmas one year in the 1950s. It looks different- it's made of red enameled aluminum- but otherwise it functions identically to your machine! The only problem with mum's is it's so light it's a bit tricky to keep it steady while you sew. Dad fixed this by attaching it to a C-clamp that can then be affixed to the edge of the table.
i have slightly good news about dust! it is USUALLY only like 20-50% human skin and the rest is usually dirt from wind, clothing fibers, and animal fibers. so technically dust is not MOSTLY dead skin, just a significant amount of dead skin!
We are stardust?
It depends on where you live, whether you have pets, time of year, etc.
Household dust tends to contain more “outside dust” in seasons when windows can be kept open, for example.
And in the case of sewing machines; munched thread and fabric.
@@roxiepoe9586 We are golden ?
And then there's the air in the Tube/subway. I may well continue wearing masks in these places once this pandemic is declared safe!
Geez, Bernadette-five minutes in and you’ve already shamed me into doing a thorough dead-skin removal on Grandma’s Singer Featherweight (which has been in constant use since the day it came into the family).
I have my suspicions that a lot more of the dust found on a sewing machine is going to be broken fabric fibres (lint) rather than skin :)
When Bernadette took the throat plate of I was surprised how clean it was.
@Bribe ya'll related or something or just the same person?
The absolute joy on her face when she lifts off the bubble wrap. This excitement and passion is what I'm here for.
When the chalk liner tin was there I was thrilled, and with shells to stop it clumping! I was magically transported back to my great grandmothers kitchen in the early 1970s. Thank you!
It's so weird to see how fanciful old guidebooks were. 'Ladies in delicate health' sounds borderline poetic for an instruction manual
Speaking as a chronically ill crafter, I liked that bit too! It made me smile- I'm going to describe myself as "In Delicate Health" now when I am feeling a bit 19th century.
I assumed that was a euphemism for pregnant!
Nothing weird about being educated in speech.
i don't need an antique sewing machine. I do Not need an antique sewing machine. I Do Not Need An Antique Sewing Machine.
Ok, maybe just a little one...
Thanks to this lovely woman and her channel, I now have several. Be warned!
Or more than one but less than a dozen!
I would actually be so excited if a modern company started producing sewing machines like this.
I would 100% buy one!
As a relative newcomer to sewing (2 years) I am finding that I am attracted to the vintage machines as opposed to the newest designs with fancy computerized options. Just yesterday I purchased a 70 year old machine from another sewing nerd...I drove 90 minutes each way just to check it out and then I handed over my $50 and subsequently brought it home & polished my new(old) friend. I'm looking forward to making beautiful things...with a deep connection to the history that has brought me on this journey. Thank you Bernadette for demonstrating this awesome machine :)
She is so cute and so tiny and so ADORABLE !
There is just something magical with old sewing machines, those ladies are 150 years old, but give them a bit of oil, a new belt and they run like if they were just brand new !
The shells are opercula from snails (little 'trapdoor' to close their shell). They were commonly used in buttons and jewellery. I could be completely wrong but I don't think they're related to the machine at all. My guess is they fell off something and got stashed for 'safekeeping' to mend it later and got forgotten about. I have any number of buttons this has happened to lol.
9:13 I love this sequence because it implies ones of the following:
1. Bernadette had two running cameras at the same time before moving her machine, or
2. She picked it up for show, put it down, moved her camera, picked it up again, and then put it down for show
That's considerably nicer than my ultra-cheap modern chain stitcher, which looks like a stapler.
A big issue with chain stitching is durability: if the thread ever breaks in one place, it can unravel way more easily then lock stitching.
@10:45, Is that the type of chain stitch that if you know how and which end to pull it will undo itself in 1 second?
@@kwcnasa Yes, and the stitching across the tops of potato sacks is similar: it's another type of 1-thread chain stitch, with the same quick unravelling property.
This machine is just a delightful find 146 years in the making! I will state the comment about the human skin was kind of creepy but something I would think of as well because morbid curiosity and all, thinking of all the hands that touched and used the machine over the years.
Check out Caitlin Doughty's new video about books bound in human skin! It's not as gruesome as it sounds, but fascinating and rather moving at the end.
When I was living with a host family in France, one of my young host sisters gave me a smooth shell, that looked exactly like the ones you found at 3:06, and she told me they bring good luck. Maybe someone superstitious hid those away for safe keeping?
I had the same thought! Here in Italy they are called "occhi di Santa Lucia" (Saint Lucy's eyes) and they are supposed to be a protection against evil. I remember carrying one in my pocket as a child, a friend gave it to me as a lucky charm
This reminded me to check for if we still have my grandma's old machine, and we do! It's a treadle machine her mum bought for her to learn to sew on. I'm going to check if I can find a serial number on it after lunch to work out how old it is :D
did you find anything out? O.o
I have one of these machines, however its on a treadle stand. My parents gave it to me in 2013 to celebrate getting into the college I had hoped for and they knew I loved antique sewing machines. This makes me want to pull it out from the corner its sat in for a while and put it to use. Its so amazingly quiet, simple to use, and some of the innovations are so thoughtful and user friendly, for example, the treadle has a small depression in the guard that protects ones clothes from being caught by the flywheel, and in this depression there sits a small rubber ball (I used a ball from an old computer mouse) . This ball is nestled inside its allotted alcove when operated in the proper direction, however should the machine, either by user error or the result of misplaced momentum, attempt to rotate in the opposite direction, the rubber ball moves down and acts as a brake, stopping the motion and preventing snarls and broken needles, and making restarting in the right direction all but guaranteed.
The story of this machines invention is rather interesting as well, being that the original creator stumbled upon that chain stitch mechanism by accident, after seeing a sewing machine demonstrated in a store, he desired one to give to his wife but couldnt afford it, so he went home and made one himself. However, being ignorant of the exact mechanism under the table, seeing only the upper thread portion of the machine in the store, he through trial and error came up with the chain stitching hook. An investor found out about this creation, and they went into business together.
As someone who's big into heritage railway locomotives, the engineering and mechanics of this little machine scratch a very familiar itch.
These little machines just chug along too eh lol.
This is a machine that is still used today to do embellishments on clothing in Mexico. I looked up different embroidery techniques and saw one person using one of these. I love that one has found it’s way to you. Thank you for this!
Ooooh you are rights the underside of this would make very nice embroidery
Chain Stitch machines are also used to seam up piece knitted knitwear. (check the seams of wool sweaters in the thrift store, the ones with a chain stitch can be completely unraveled for yarn)
The chain stitch was fine if you tied a knot in the end. The chain stitch came out too easily when a tread got broken that was why the lock stitch was invented. Love that machine so happy you have it.
"I love the process of cleaning and oiling machines..."
This sounds sooo strange coming from the mouth of a carefully made up and clad woman in victorian-ish clothes sitting in an appropriately designed room. However - truer words are rarely spoken.
You made my day!
Edwardian.
Didn't know sewing machines existed so far back in the 19th century, so thank you for showing us this wonderful piece of history! Also, knitted jumper + braces is such a cool look omg
The Thimmonier sewing machine was used to sew French soldiers clothing in 1830's. The first production electric platform by Singer was 1886 which used many different companies motors including Deihl and Edison.
I wish she made a video making the Braces
One of my favorite things about your old sewing machines is that they aren’t just useful, but also ~aesthetic~
As someone who does a lot of hand embroidery with chain stitch, this machine amazed me!! It's incredible just how even the stitches are. I love how quiet it is too. An extraordinary piece of machinery!
I am the lucky owner of two of these beautiful machines. I have restored one from a completely frozen state and gave her a home in a treadle. These machines are a true joy to use. Enjoy her!
When you're obsessed with political/social/military history, then find yourself enjoying a video about a sewing machine. You know you truly love history when you branch out so much. I enjoyed the smiles, the stitch counter was glorious, I even smiled.
Well, sewing machines are a important part of the military life. Just look at the production of uniforms. ;)
I only hope one day to have someone look at me the way Bernadette looks at a new old sewing machine ❤️❤️
I didn't even knowing what a chain stitch machine is until very recently, when I picked up a Singer 431G from the early 60s. It's a very unusual machine, in that it has chain stitching as an extra feature...as well as an astonishing array of decorative stitches.
A beauty she is not, just a big lump of pea green metal, but I love her nonetheless 😉
sounds like a dream
This machine is not just a stitching machine but a work of art and functionality. So perfect in almost any way you look at it. I think there are two things that really changed our ways in modern times. One is the wall clock and the other a sewing machine and both are gorgeous to behold.
Bernadette looking like a kid getting something they wanted to their little collection and having that look of wonder and amazement on their face and the passion of talking about the history of something they are passionate about and i find it adorable
When I was looking for my own antique sewing machine, I always thought that Wilcox and Gibbs made the prettiest machines with that graceful crescent shape!
Same! So pretty.
I'm not at all sure this is true, but in my research I came across a mention that the machine is shaped the way it is so that it looks like a G; you can kind of see it in this video, the sewing platform is the flat line on the G and the swoop of the machine arms is the curve!
@@kellyrose3905 Yes. "G" for Gibbs.
i don't care what the subject is watching a history nerd or a crafting nerd with a new tool is one of the most enjoyable things to watch, a history/crafting nerd with a new/old historical tool! best of both worlds.
Those dresses were beautiful! I think the old sewing machines made it all the way to the old West!
Do you think the manufacturer in 1876 thought to himself, "I wonder if some woman, 150 years in the future, is going to be giddy over this and sharing her joy with fellow sewers around the world using some kind of communication technology I can't even fathom yet?" lol
Nah
I read science fiction and I can tell you, important writers like Asimov never envisioned such communication technology (he wrote Sci-Fi in the 50s and 60s). So I would guess no. Isn't it amazing?
Wow - that is amazing - the chain stitch is very interestingI wonder why it was abandoned - certainly no bobbins is a big sell. Makes my 1980 Kenmore seem like a newbie. The Kenmore always works and just needs cleaning. The only drawback is that it is totally metal and weighs 19 pounds!!
Abandoned? Not as abandoned as you'd think. A lot of the work on a random pair of jeans is chainstitch, for example. But some reasons I'd offer off the top of my head: the sides don't look the same (top vs underside). It's ok for all sorts of topstitching, but for structural seams that you'd want to press open, you might care that both sides look the same and have the same amount of material. And on a chain stitch, one end doesn't run - but the other very much so - as in, pull the thread in the right place and it just undoes itself completely. (Bags of cat litter or barbecue coal sometimes have that as a closure - not the same kind of chain stitch, but a very similar one) And you can see which direction something was sewn in, start to finish. The amount of raw material (thread) used is also different - the chain stitch uses around 3 times the length of your seam, vs around 2 for lockstitch.
@@mirjam3553 In the late 1950's I had a toy sewing machine that was chainstitch. Never saw a real one in action until now. I used that little toy machine a lot and always hated tying off the end so it wouldn't unravel.
Hoisting my modern all metal Juki is like weightlifting. I bought it a new carrying case with wheels because it got to be too much to carry. A good investment, but at some point you have lift it out of the case. Ugh!
I'd strongly second the "undoes itself" factor. I unravel thrifted sweaters for yarn, and full-fashioned sweaters often have their long seams done in chain stitch. It's extremely satisfying to pull the end and watch the pieces separate, but if you wanted them *not* to do that...
Sometimes sheets and pillowcases have chain stitched seams and hems; I often use thrifted sheets for quilt backs, and it's very satisfying to pull the chain stitches out.
What a nice video! I have a treadle Wilcox and Gibbs. The W and G are beautifully entwined in the iron scrollwork on both sides of the table that supports it. The youngest patent date is 1883, and it says Made in USA. And it still works. It belonged to my husband's grandmother and she made clothes on it during the Great Depression. My hat is off to the ladies who used these machines. It either takes a lot of strength to run it, or it desperately needs to be cleaned and oiled.
I am speechless, that is the most beautiful sewing machine I have ever seen!☺
The fact that antique machines are still functional/useful to this day really illustrates the incredible craftsmanship that went into such simple mechanics. Sure modern sewing machines can make all kinds of fancy stitches but the often break or just simply die. While the antique machines will run forever if you take care of them ❤❤❤
The list of desired machinery gets ever longer - that machine is gorgeous!
On another note, is that a little wooden sword holding your hairstyle in place? 😍
Bernadette remains the queen of stylishly subtle quirky details
Yes, I kept staring at it ! I NEED ONE !
I wonder if the 30-stitch setting would "smooth out" with a finer thread (silk?) or higher thread count material?
I was thinking along the same lines. The 30 count looked like it wasn’t being used with the best materials. The thread was too think for it to look as nice and smooth like the others.
Yes, fine silk thread would have been used. Unfortunately it's not made anymore.
@@brasstack6441 Burnley & Trowbridge Co. has some that may do but only in white.
Thx
I have some Japanese silk thread that I bought online (the A to Z company named after a river). A lot of hand applique is done with silk thread. As far as I know it is still made.
I love how in-love you look when you unpack the machine!
Also Prym has made an oil-pen that makes oiling all those little pieces so much easier!
Love seeing these old girl sewing machines working even after one hundred years. These oldies but goodies run circles around the newer computerized sewing machines.
Thank you for sharing this video. I love re-dressing old dolls. I can’t wait to get an old Singer up and running. It needs a key.
So basically, it is a machine that stitches the same way tambour beading/embroidery is done. Very cool!
I was actually thinking it would be great for decorative work if you used it the wrong way around.
That's what I was thinking
I wonder if you 'unhook' the last link in the chain can you undo the chain so you get nearly invisible stitches? I can do it with an embroidered chain stitch
Wow, it is ridiculously cute! It looks more like a miniature machine that is also functional than a "full" machine. It reminds me of miniature metalworking tools, like little 40cm metal lathes, which are popular in theory for making models but really just because they are so darned cute. There is just something special about fully working, tiny versions of large machines.
Your enthusiasm for these things is contagous. And I can't even sew! But I absolutely love watching your videos. They are interesting, informative, and always put a smile on my face!
I feel that we've been gifted as well as you were gifted with this beautiful machine. The way you explained it and the way you illustrated the the sewing stitch length and how simple the machine was and then compared it with your other two was so gratifying thank you love your videos
what a delightful little machine. things were definitely built different back then, weren't they? the fact that it still works perfectly is astounding. and it's so quiet!
They were. Then the Science of obsolescence took over. I suggest researching that. They literally decided to reverse engineer items to break starting with light bulbs. Started occurring the 1920s on. The companies met in Geneva to discuss and agree to make items have a shorter life span.
Why we have so many subpar products and piles of trash now as well as a dying planet.
The Science of Obsolescence. Interesting topic.
I like that machine and the stitch. More parts breaking means more $$ more sales. That was the point the machines grew bigger not because it was better they wanted more parts to the items to sell.
All through the video I kept thinking of the clothes my teen friends and I bought in the 70s and how the hem would unravel and come out if you happened to catch it on something because it wasn't secured.
I believe these shells are cat eye opercula. there's a lot of jewellery made with these from this period of time. how wonderful to find them in such an exciting package.
The shells seem like they were thimbles. The indentations were to balance the ends of the needles. It’s true, the machine didn’t need them but you might to finish the work. Even so you would store the thimbles with your other machine sewing supplies.
You are right, they are operculum! Jewelry from the time is pretty expensive nowadays but there are still pieces to be found out in the wild!
The way you look at sewing machines is exactly the same way I look at old, fully mechanical analog cameras. Such a big mood.
Another seamless production perfectly stitched together. When I wrote my book on Willcox & Gibbs it proved to be a fascinating insight into one of the finest machines ever made. Simply wonderful.
The Wilcox & Gibbs chain-stitch sewing machine is truly a "Treasure", and so are you, Alex!
All your machines are beautiful, but the shapes and forms of this one are just so darling! Can't wait to see what you produce with it!
I don't know what it is about seeing an old machine being brought back to life, it makes me so happy to see it used and loved
I love history and seeing this precious little sewing antique makes my heart so happy. I want one! No fuss. I like that. Thank you for showing us this gem.
Это погружение в века, сколько женщин работали на этом миниатюрном аппарате, сколько красивых и нужных вещей сшили, сколько эмоций происходили рядом с этом аппарате, мечты, желания, горе, радость, надежда!
I love this little machine. However, what I love more is seeing your delight in it and your care of it. What a fabulous thing to be sent to you. I look forward to your future projects using it.
Such a cutie. Even I, in my miniscule flat, could find room for that.
I thought the same too!
Bernadette! You made me collect even more old stuff 😄 I found an old singer treadle machine at my in laws house and out of curiosity if I could bring it to life again brought it home with me. It had been through a lot. Very dirty, clogged up and rusty. But now, I'm a week in to cleaning and oiling, there is a lot of movement and I learned a lot! I hope it will work again. It's from 1888.
As I interesting as the subjects you talk about are, I'll admit 30% of the reason I watch you is because I love listening to you talk. It's like hearing a chapter from a book before bed. Very soothing.
Anyone else curious if Bernadette has names for the “ladies” in her workroom? 🥰
I always imagine their names beginning with a tiltle like, "Her Ladyship." I have already dubbed the lady featured as, "the Grand Dame or (Ma)dame."
As a "lady in delicate health" a light sewing machine would be amazing! The sewing machine I use is so heavy I have to have someone else lift it from the floor to the table.
OMG! Now you’ve done it! I was just looking at the same manufacturer: Wilcox and Gibbs chain stitch machine, also a hand-crank not two days ago! I own 4 working Iron Ladies(one a 28K…which is a 3/4 size.), and want a child’s Singer like I had as a child and stumbled across the chain stitch machine. I see your video, I love it, guess I’m going shopping. Someone has to do it. Thanks a billion Bernadette. Great video and gorgeous machine.
What a beautiful machine! It is so practical with how much space is under the arm for the right hand. It's also shaped so whimsically - the roundness definitely makes me think a hobbit would have this in their home.
I just bought my very first sewing machine, it is very small and not, I imagine, of very high quality, but it *is* intimidating the heck out of me. This lovely old machine seems so much more inviting!
Modern sewing machines intimidate me too! 😅
I love it! I've always wonderd about those ones. The living history museum I volunteer at has two Wilcox & Gibbs that look like the second one in that booklet you have. I got to use one. They said the main issue they have with using them is finding needles that can be used, so that box of them you got is gold!
The exemplary of eloquence using an equipment designed for mastery, doubt that all outcome are flawless. Antiquely designed to bring out the best of the Victorian clothing, styles and most clothing types and designs brought back to life. The handturn machine is good, for most handkerchief, scarf, small baby bibs and clothes, pillows. Very good, style, standards of clothing for the women these days. Keep going lady.
It made me so happy when she was looking at the little stitches, she looks so happy😢😊
Me, who never sewed anything in my life: yes, quite right, I understand, absolutely fascinating.
(Though jokes aside, all of your videos ARE absolutely fascinating even though I might not sew at all)
Watching someone lovingly and painstakingly restore old things to working order is so beautiful. We’re taught to covet the new and shiny complete with planned obsolescence, when these little marvels still work perfectly well after 150 years with just a little TLC.
Do you ever daydream about their previous owners, and what they made, or the historical events they witnessed?
Gonna be honest I don't give a care about sewing machines, but seeing ur excitement and enthusiasm is why I stayed watching your experience of the device. and now I want one.
Old things have always compelled me toward them. They are still very useful and make my hands happy. It's the same for you. My heart is glad for other enthusiasts of the old.
This is one of the machines that I really, really want to add to my collection. So lovely to see her in use and already loved!
Massive props to the victorians for making their sewing machine so beautiful! Like they are literal prices of art
If you had ever read Gene Stratton Porter's "Freckles", there is a reference to tiniest stitching were the orphaned protagonist asks how small the stitches were in his baby clothes with the implication that a mother made the smallest most labor intensive stitches as a loving gesture toward the unborn child.
Bernadette, the more I see you experience antique machines; I must have one from the 1870s, and then more+++. Thank you very much for opening this new door for possibly enjoying sewing more and more!
I'd never expected to find sewing machines so interesting...and charming! Great video! It looks like it'll be a wonderful and useful addition to your "sewing fleet". :)
I love the use of the word "fleet". It feels very appropriate here. 😊 Part of Bernadette's sewing army.
Engineering Knits has a Wilcox and Gibbs as well, and hers comes with some wonderful attachments.
I LOVE the sound of the machine, it's so soothing. I wish all machines sounded like that.
Bernadette is so adorable! I love to see her enthusiasm
i love old sewing machines. they had a function, and they were also art. i remember seeing an antique sewing machine from the Edwardian era at a thrift store once for only 20 bucks. i'm so angry at myself for not getting it!
Thank you for sharing this and for the way you turn 'unboxing' into a beautiful exploration of a whole miniature world and a window into history. The way you peek into all the nooks and crannies, and talk about the machine's personality takes me back to the childhood magic of stories about rickety haunted mansions or ancient gnarled trees with winding roots and sweeping branches.....
Bernadette, I find that the Victorians produced so much that was functionally beautiful in comparison to the brutalist aesthetic that dominates design today. I appreciate it more with each passing day that somewhere along the way we let the needs of mass production take the soul out of the beauty of design. There is so little grace in our modern appliances and no durability to speak off.
Thank you for reminding me that some people still appreciate what is good and proper about our world.
Hello Bernadette, what a great treasure to receive this cute little sewing machine. The stitchy is remarkable, this so made sewing so much faster in its time. Enjoy the use of it and adding it to your collection. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos.