I’ve been having fun with my new sewing machine that we brought home yesterday. It’s a Singer Model 15K80 from 1937.
When she’s put away, she looks like this:
I cleaned and oiled the machine itself and lubricated the treadle irons, and she is so quiet now! She has a lot of wear to her decals, and her wooden table could be refinished, but mechanically she is sound and works great. That’s most important to me for this machine. I wanted a good treadle that I can really use a lot.
We bought the machine from a lady in Leeds who inherited it from her great-aunt Whilhemina, who was a seamstress. It came with a drawer full of attachments, a shoebox full of thread spools, and a big plastic bag full of scrap fabric. I’ve named her “Mina” in honour of her previous owner. She also has her original instruction book and a receipt from January 31, 1959, when she was bought used from the Singer dealer for £30. That was a lot of money in 1959! The wear to the decals is where the lady’s hands would rest when she was sewing. It’s just so sweet. I love it. 
She is sitting on a plastic sheet because I oiled and cleaned the treadle irons and didn’t want to make a mess on the carpet.
Happy New Year! Happy Quilting!
She’s beautiful!
Thank you, Michelle! I just discovered that one of my little sewing machine keys fits the lock on the drawers. Not that I have anything of great value to lock up in the sewing machine! LOL — But it’s fun to have a key that fits.
Wow! You are so lucky to have her and she is so lucky to have you
I love old Singer machines. This one has obviously been cherished.
I have an old electric 1950′s Husqvarna and the motor has blown. You have inspired me to give it some TLC. Thanks for the lovely photos. Avis
Thank you for visiting and for your nice comment, Avis. Have you ever thought of converting your Husqvarna to a hand-crank machine? Several people on the Treadle On list have converted electric machines instead of having motors repaired or replaced, and I think they have advice on the website. Here’s the link if you would like to investigate that possibility: http://www.treadleon.net/
Best wishes!
Happy New Year!
I have never met a 15 class Singer I didn’t like. They are all sweet machines!
Hi Howdy, Happy New Year to you! I’ve just been sewing some practice stitches on Mina, and she really is lovely. Nice and steady!
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Eventually, I’ll get used to blogging. I only started mine a few days ago and I’ve got a lot to learn! I think I may have commented in the wrong place before. Sorry if I did. Thank you for the idea. I’ll certainly consider converting my machine
Best wishes,
Avis
Truly a hard working beauty. Are those RAF decals I see? Aren’t they so quiet they’re almost spooky!
Hi Lori, they are, they are! I’m really excited about that. They are different from the decals on my other machines, though — where the gold has worn off, I can still see and touch a faint embossed impression of the design. Does your machine have that, too?
What a pretty little lady. You’ll have sew much fun using her.
Thanks, Cheryl! I’ve been able to find out a lot more about her, thanks to you and your suggestion about our favourite email Sewing Machine list!