In with the old – the joy of old singer sewing machines

Ok if you are not into really old sewing machines then perhaps you should look away now.  Or perhaps you should stick around and you might find that you are quite interested in seeing something that is pretty old and in pretty good nick for a seventy five year old!.

Yesterday I picked up the vintage sewing machine I mentioned a few weeks ago.  It was made in 1937 by the Singer Sewing Machine Company – that makes it 75 years old this year.  It was manufactured in Scotland, the factory used to be in Clydebank and it’s a non-motorised version.  The machine comes in a solid wooden case, the machine itself is solid iron, and the whole thing weighs a ton (well not really a ton but it’s very heavy).  Did I mention that everything about this machine is solid?  It was clearly built to last and not only is it designed to be a useful, functional household item but they have also taken care to make it pretty.  Look at all the gold design on the machine itself and also the intricate design of the front plate (photo below).  It was clearly meant to be something that was a joy to use and look at and they put a lot of thought into the design.

I love how it says “makes sewing a pleasure” and “cuts out all fatigue” and “better work done in half the time”

Just look at the front plate on this machine, how intricate the design and that it is made of solid metal.

And it comes in a solid wooden box/case with its own set of keys!

It is also in full working order and has a bunch of weird looking feet

I was curious as to what was going on in 1937, especially since my cousin commented yesterday that that was when my Aunt was born, so here’s a few highlights from 1937:

Shirley Bassey, Dyan Cannon, Vanessa Redgrave, Jack Nicholson, George Takei, Saddam Hussein, Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, Roger Zelazny, Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby, David Hockney, Barbara Windsor, Dustin Hoffman, Bobby Charlton, Jane Fonda and Anthony Hopkins were all born that year (along with a lot of other people).

Howard Hughes establishes a record by flying from LA to New York, the Hindenberg disaster, Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister of UK, Wallis Simpson and Duke of Windsor get married,  the Soviet Union execute people accused of Trotskyism, the Spanish Civil War continues, Amelia Earhart disappears, the IRA attempts to assassinate George VI, Japanese invade Nanking, Great Hong Kong Typhoon kills 11,000 people, Ernest Hemingway publishes To Have and To Have Not, The Dandy comic is first published in Scotland, the last Bali tiger dies, Walt Disney’s Snow White premieres, the Irish Free State becomes Ireland, John Steinbeck publishes Of Mice and Men.

Reading through these there is very little good news.  It is odd to see some of the things that happen in different parts of the world apparently unconcerned with what is happening in other places – Walt Disney cartoons and new comics and (almost) royal weddings, meanwhile in other parts of the world people are dying due to war and natural disasters.  Nothing much has changed really when you think about it.