Home Decor Vlog: Sewing Treadle

I'm a huge fan of historic sewing and fashion, all the way from the Victorian era to the 1970s. As a result I follow a lot of historic costumers on YouTube like Bernadette Banner, Zac Pinsent, Sewstine, and many others. One day I was watching one of their videos while visiting my mama and she fell in love with them as well, saying they reminded her of watching her mama sewing growing up as she too did mostly hand sewing, crocheting, and occasionally using one of those old fashioned sewing machines to make clothes and blankets. Well, being the mama's boy that I am that kinda set me on this journey. Granted not a definite journey, more of a "if it happens, it happens" journey. If I managed to find an antique sewing machine and treadle, I'd refurbish and customize them and carry on the tradition of sewing that has all but died in my family. 

Well, to my and everyone's surprise it fucking happened!! I happened upon a sewing machine at a flea market in Alabama last fall and then set out to buy a sewing treadle which I did in December on eBay. I'm only mentioning the sewing machine here because it's featured in the before pic and kinda explains why I even got a treadle, but it is only half done so that will be for a future blog. Today is all about my treadle. It came to me covered in a paint that looked like spicy mayo, but otherwise was in perfect condition. It smells historical, like the old wood of an abandoned house or movie theatre. 

Due to taking on too many projects at once as I am prone to do, this took me longer than it should have. I started by taking it apart and then stripping off all the old paint and sanding off all the old stain that was on it. To make it match everything else in my room I stained it black. The old drawer knobs were wood and actually either carved or glued on to the drawers I couldn't really tell, so I had to saw them off and then I replaced them with four blue jeweled knobs like on my vanity and bedside tables. And last but not least (even though it's barely visible in the pic) my brother and I always called my mama Mammajamma since we were kids and since she's the reason I pursued this I named it after her. On the front of the desk where there's a little storage bit that folds down I painted Mammajamma on it in blue. 

Now I know that in the eyes of most people doing this to an antique is taboo and damn near worthy of a hanging. However, here's how I feel about it. Both the machine and treadle (made in 1929) were being left to collect dust and die with no hope of being anything but decoration in someone else's house where they'd again just collect dust. They were being completely ignored and then I came along and said "I'll give you a good home, spruce you up, and get you both working again." Yes I'm changing them up to suit my decor but that doesn't mean they won't be put to use. I fully intend on using them to sew, but that doesn't mean I can't make them pretty as well. And long after I'm gone if someone else comes along and decides to strip off all my work and make it their own, that's what I would've wanted. I'd rather someone take an antique and make it there own and actually use it than for it to be left on a shelf or get tossed to the dump. 

Also, pardon the mess in the after pic. That's my craft area and as I said I'm in the middle of several other projects that are kinda just tossed there.