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A Visual Feast Page 1 Visual

Text By Ellen Gardner • Photography by Robert Marrott, RPM Images

Most women born before the mid-1960s learned at least the basics of sewing while they were growing up. Either they were taught by their mothers and grandmothers, or they learned in once-required home economics classes while the boys took woodshop.

Before that, though, some lucky little girls first acquired sewing skills by using toy sewing machines, which started to appear on the market in the late 1880s.

Sue Hausmann, PBS’s sewing expert, is one of those women who started sewing as soon as they could reach the pedal on their mother’s machine. Sue, whose toy machines are pictured in this story, didn’t have a child-size model until she was an adult. She bought her first one around 1965—about the same time many women stopped sewing because they were working outside the home or because, with a department store on just about every other corner, they simply didn’t need to sew any more.

Today, she’s on the education staff of SVP Worldwide, which manufactures Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff, and Singer sewing machines. “I love, love, love what I do!” she says of spreading the gospel of needle and thread. “I feel like I’m filling a void for people of all ages who still want to learn the art of sewing.”

(a) Most toy machines, like this Lindstrom from the 1930s or ‘40s, sew a straight chain stitch when the side wheel is cranked. (b) Other miniature machines, such as the 1963 Vulcan Minor made in England, were marketed to adults, too, as handy portables. It’s just 5 1/4 inches high, 6 1/4 inches long, and 3 inches deep.
(c) Sue thinks this cast-iron model was a Singer made from 1914-1920. (d) The bright red Kay&EE was made in Germany right after World War II. (e) A beautifully decorated 1930s machine by Muller, a famous German toy maker.

The author and host of the popular TV shows America Sews and America Quilts Creatively is thrilled that so many young people are beginning to express an interest in sewing. “It’s coming back in vogue,” Sue says. “I think maybe the reality shows with fashion designers and interior designers have something to do with that.”

Those who collect toy sewing machines, however, seem to be mostly an older crowd. Baby Boomers, whether they sew or not, enjoy the miniatures because they bring back happy childhood memories. Dedicated seamstresses like Sue find them charming symbols of their favorite pastime.

“I bought my first toy sewing machine just because it was cute,” she admits. But, as her collection grew to more than 200 (many of them gifts from family, friends, and fans), she realized that the miniatures represented more than that. “These little machines are an inspiration to me because they were made as tools of enjoyment and a way to make special things for special people, which is what sewing should be.”

(f) A cheery pink machine from Kay&EE is unusual because of its free arm. (g) This electric “Betsy Ross” machine was made in Chicago about 1950.

(h) Sue’s prized Reliable was offered from 1905 to 1908 in Montgomery Ward’s catalog. The original price of $3.50 was quite a sum for its time. Today, vintage machines, which can be as small as 4 by 5 inches up to about 9 by 10 inches, range in price from less than $100 to more that $2,000.

The fancy ornamentation on machines such as the Muller (i) and Casige (j) models were aimed at well-to-do buyers, either children of privilege or ladies of leisure who wanted a small machine to take on vacation.

(k) The Bakelite top and tin base of the Sew-O-Matic Senior indicates that it was made for the post-war mass market. (l) The gold medallion on this Singer sewing machine celebrates the company’s “century of sewing service” in 1951.

Seams like yesterday
Sue Hausmann’s favorite book on vintage machines is Toy and Miniature Sewing Machines—An Identification and Value Guide, by Glenda Thomas (1995, updated in 1997; Collector Books). It’s out of print, but a limited number of copies are available through amazon.com in prices ranging from about $48 to $119. You might also be able to pick up a copy at antiques shows, flea markets, etc.
Good information is also available online at collectors Larry and Carole Meeker’s website, patented-antiques.com, and at the Toy Stitchers International website, toystitchers.org.
Read more about Sue Hausmann at ksonline.tv.