My Dad just gave me a singer sewing machine and old butter churn & creamer. They're sitting in my kitchen right now waiting to be cleaned up. I'm totally in love with them, but also have no idea what I'll do with them. I noticed Gerogiagal's photo also.

My sewing machine has some sort of box lid on it though, sitting over the actual machine so I can't set awhole lot on top of it. From the serial number and my searching online, I think it was built around 1876.

Mine was my grandmother's, circa 1900. It was a "wedding gift" from her grandmother. I gutted it.

I cleaned the very ornate drawers, lined the interiors with velvet fabric and restained the exterior. I use these to hold serving pieces (forks, knives, spoons) for special occasions. I do buffet style for big meals. My table barely accommodates table settings and butter dish, condiment dishes, etc. They are always a conversation piece for any event. Sewing machine base is quite heavy black iron.

I found a marble remnant to serve as a top for the sewing machine's base and use it as a fern stand.

Thanks, rilie and patricia. When you said that you "gutted it," did you mean that you "did away" with the machine and just left the drawers? How clever to line the drawers and use them in the manner you mentioned.

Yes, I took the whole thing apart and only had the iron frame which is very ornate in design but extremely heavy. The machine was removed and placed in our shop in case someone ever decides they want it. The machine part was very heavy. I still have the treadle and belt wheel attached to the frame which we painted with a shiny black enamel spray paint. The drawers are probably walnut and had very ornate carvings on them which were to pretty to discard so I thought of a way to use them. I bought some sale fabric (velvet in olive/avocado green), made a template for the drawers after I had cleaned and stained them. I used a spray kind of glue that attaches fabrics, so the outside is walnut with avocado/olive velvet interiors and looks very pretty with shiny silver flatware.

Funny you bring this up as I noticed Georgiagal's pic as well in the antiques thread. I had one for years in my house--also belonged to my Grandma. I put it in my bedroom and it was quite a dust collector and the finish badly needed to be restained. Then it was relegated to my garage and finally I send it back to my mom's house (and it's in her garage now I believe). None of us can quite bare to part with it, but none of us seem to quite know what to do with it either. Hers is still operational and in fact I have the original instruction guide for it. Ah, if only my house were bigger.... The one piece of my Grandma's I'm thinking of using (down the road) is her antique secretary which my mom has. It has a lot of emotional attachment to me as she and my mom both used it all the time to write letters, work on their finances and so it has this connection to the strong women in my family.

I'll try and take a picture of mine later today. A friend of mine had one and I fell in love with it. The next time I was at my grandparent's house, I noticed they had one in their bedroom that belonged to either my grandfather's monther or grandmother. The next time my mom went there, she told them that I would like to one day have it, so they sent it home with her. I was so excited.

Laurie

I'll take a photo later as well. I have 2 old Singer sewing machine bases...the tops were rotted when I got them. I have one in my living room with an old marble piece on top (taken from an old butler's pantry in my lawyers 1800's home). I use it as an end table caddy corner with a lamp and photos. I haven't found a piece of marble to use on the other one. Presently it has the old butcher block top my parent's used on it in the kitchen as sort of an island.

I also have a double antique school desk that I use as a side table.

Again, I'll send photo's later.

Can't wait to see the pictures!!! Thanks so much!

I have my great grandmothers sewing maching that is from the 1800s. It's a RAYMOND, not a Singer, but same idea. I love it, love antiques, and have a lot of her and my grandmothers things. We are in an old house and undergoing extensive renovations, but the sewing machine is on display. The drawers still have all her old sewing supplies in them.

And in a previous house...

I wish!

My late MIL sold her's for $2 without asking anyone in the family if they would like to have it. We'd have given her a lot more than $2!! Boo Hoo

Just beautiful, lacey!

I have an old Singer Sewing machine in my guestroom. I use it for a nightstand. Like Patricia and Lacie's mine was also my G-ma's. It still has an electrical cord she put on it in liu of the peddle belt that broke probably 50 years ago. The guitar was my brother's.

I have my mother's old Singer treadle sewing machine in our living room. More than 50 years ago, when my dad worked for Sears, someone traded in this old treadle machine when they purchsed a new electric sewing machine. My dad "bought" the treadle machine for, I think, $1 because they couldn't just give traded in merchandise to the employees. My mom says she was so excited the day he brought the treadle machine home. I later learned to sew on that treadle machine.

I had a piece of glass cut for the top so I could display some old family photos and my mom and dad's wedding invitation. In the photo I'm including you can also see my grandma's old iron cat which I remember so vividly from her house. This is the only picture I have right now of the machine and it doesn't even show the iron base which makes the piece unique. I would take another picture, but the camera batteries are dead right now.

I have just the black iron base with the tredle. Hubby made an oak table top, very nice with edging, and I have the *table* in our sunroom.

tina

I have my great-grandmothers (probably from the 1930s). Someone converted it to electricity so the treadle is long gone. It currently doesn't work but my mom wants me to get it repaired and use it for mending.

I keep it behind the sofa as an end table, currently with a plant on it. The finish is ruined (not from my plant) and maybe I'll re-do it one day. The lines are simple, it has some sentimental value, and I like the possible dual purpose being able to open the table and do mending or keep it closed as a side table; our house is short on storage and that's a great way to hide a sewing machine. Plus I think the machine is pretty, black w/gold designs, very sleek and simple.

I have gone from hating my sewing machine, to loving it, all in a day's time. Thanks for showing me what you have done with your sewing machines. I'm thinking that I'd like to use mine as an end table beside the couch, but I'd have to turn it "side ways" or up-and-down, I think, because of space limitations. Am I making sense? In other words, you wouldn't be able to see the front of it. Does it really matter?

I understand what you mean and I don't see any problems at all with that.

I really like what bac717 did - place glass over it. So many of these wonderful old machines had beautiful wood that got ruined from years of being used as a plant stand.

I've enjoyed reading all of the posts that show so many ways to decorate with them. (I collect antique sewing machines)

I just took a quick photo of mine while I was sitting here reading this. It's night here and the blinds are closed and I don't have quite the lighting that I do in the day so it's a bit dark but you get the gist.

My machine is a New Royal. I bought it last year in about February at an antique mall for $75, which is cheap here. It has the machine in it, a belt and an extra one and a box full of presser feet. I haven't really messed with it but I want to use it at some point. Mine is missing the front panel that hangs down to hide the sewing machine so you can actually see it in the photo lying on it's side all tucked away. I use it for an endtable in the living room but it also holds my sewing stuff...I know, imagine that! LOL

15 years ago I saw a just the legs of an old sewing machine that had been put out for the trash. I grabbed it, and brought it to a friend, who sandblasted, and primed it. That's as far as the project ever got. It is currently in my garage, as it was in the two houses before this one.

Did you happen to see the really lovely use of an antique sewing machine that Georgiagal posted to my thread called "How many of you like antiques or traditional?" It was very well done. Maybe she'll see this thread and post it here, but if not I didn't want you to miss it.

Here is a link that might be useful: How many of you like antiques or traditional?

I too am lucky to have my grandmothers old treadle machine, complete with the attachments and everything she stored in the drawers.
It is front and center of the picture window in the living room, with a lamp on it. Seeing it brings back such warm memories of my grandmother. It's so special I want it where it is seen by anyone who comes to visit, and not hidden away in a bedroom.

My 'style' is very eclectic.

Sue

What absolutely cool pictures, guys! Love what you've all done with your recycled machines.

One of these days, when maybe the bed is made and the moon is full and the dogs are not barking at all the neighbor's cats sleeping out on my patio chairs, I will take a nice new shot of this old sewing machine base used as a table. I have wood floor now and different stuff on it, but here's the general idea....We had a piece of beveled glass on it for several years, but it wasn't quite the right size. I had this neat garage sale framed print hanging in the LR and when I re-did all the pictures, it seemed to fit the top of the base. So, for $20, ($10 for the old base and $10 for the train print), I got a table.

Red

I learned to sew on a Singer sewing Machine and remember quite vividly how my feet used to go like gangbusters on that thing. Here is what I have done with mine. We took off the top completely including the belt. Gave the iron base a fresh coat of black paint( looks great), and had a piece of lightly tinted tempered glass with slightly rounded corners( no sharpe edges) put on the top.The glass cutter gave us some small fancy flat fasteners to attach it to the base where the original screws held the top originally. I have it in our front foyer and use it as a table to put whatever seasonal decor I want. At Christmas time one of my larger Dept 56 Dickens Village pieces and accessories make a very nice entrance to the house.I hve also thought that a nice piece of marble on the top, would work well with the iron base perhaps in a kitchen.

I also have my grandmother's sewing machine. When I was a child I remember visiting the farm where she lived and she would repair the zippers on rubber boots with her Singer! Nothing was wasted at Grandma's. She had a huge loom in the basement and she used strips of old dresses, curtains or whatever she could find and wove the loveliest rugs. I still have a couple that must be at least 50 years old. However, that is not what you asked!! (Going down memory lane here). Mine is in my dining room with a lamp on top-nothing fancy but I think of my wonderful grandmother every time I look at it.

For our kitchen table, we used the wrought iron bottom of an old Singer machine, and attached an old butcher block top to it. My husband had to do some extra reinforcements because of the size of the table top, but it looks great. My house is not traditional/country at all so I was hesitant at first, but it works well. Plus, the whole thing cost us less than $100.

I just arrived at the forum and, boy, was I surprised to see all the wonderful sewing machines. Thanks for the inspiration! I hope we'll see more today. I was really hating my sewing machine but now I love it, thanks to you all.

Not the greatest shot, but here's my sewing table. The top is a marble piece taken out of an old butler's pantry in an 1800s colonial that my lawyer owns.

I just put my grandmother's old Singer treadle machine in the living room. It has a 24" square quilt piece diagonally across the top. I have a large wood sculpture on it. My style is also eclectic with modern furniture mixed with quilts, hand carvings.

Now, if I could just figure where to put the old brass cash register...

My machine is a "White" My Grandmother taught my mom to sew on it. It still works and I have all the attachments for it. I use it in the dining room as a server and for display.
I also have an old oak sewing machine cabinet that we use as a liquor cabinet and bar.

I use an old radio/record player in my laundry room for storing bottles/vases for garden club and rose club. I used it in a former house as a make-shift bar.

These are super old posts but here we are in 2020 and I have the same issue where to put my grandmother’s singer machine/console in my new townhome??? I don’t really have a specific style - the walls are a taupe-grey, there’s black granite on the kitchen counters and around the fireplace, white cabinets built in several of the rooms, maybe it’s modern farmhouse? Wood floors mostly and I feel like the thing can live here, but not sure as what or where. I have it in an extra bedroom and put my grandson’s changing table pad on it for when he visits. Maybe that’s what it’s supposed to be for now. But letting everyone know it’s still a problem all these years later!

I put mine in my entryway for a drop Zone. Had a guy put the wood with cubbies on back wall with baskets. Hung some hooks. Fit perfect