# Antique White Rotary Treadle



## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

Hello,

I am very new to sewing but recently found an antique White Rotary Treadle Sewing Machine for free. The cabinet needs ALOT of work but the machine seems great (and oh so pretty too!)

The most recent patent date on the machine is June 1919. Does anyone know of a source for an instruction manual? I guess I probably need the serial number too. Thanks in advance!


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## Reb (Dec 29, 2006)

Good Morning Tirzah, I have an old Singer Treadle and have found this website to be a great help for parts and such -

Treadle & Vintage Parts 

You can also google your machine and actually find a copy of the old manual like I did. Good luck and happy sewing. My Grandma used to tell me I sew with "a burning needle and flaming thread".... LOL Take care, Reb


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## goatsareus (Jun 23, 2007)

I went through a phase of acquiring treadle machines. Right now I am down to two; my grandmothers Singer, and a White Rotary whose most recent date on the plate is 1905. I have some handwritten notes on threading the machine I made while attending an unrelated auction that had a relevant machine and manual. This White Rotary was the best running treadle machine I had and the only one I kept to use. My cabinet is butt ugly and I have no plans to make it look pretty. The "rotary" in the name refers to the bobbin, which is a far superior design to the "bullet" bobbins. I would search the Internet for a manual. Good luck with your treasure!


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## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

Thank you both so much! Red, I will check out that site .goatsareus (your name always makes me smile ), I had no idea that Rotary referred to the bobbin. Good to know especially for this beginner 

I did find a picture of it (in better condition!) on this website:

whites

If you scroll down all the way, it is second to last 

Oh and this came with the metal case filled with 'feet', bobbins and few needles 
Can you tell I am excited?


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## goatsareus (Jun 23, 2007)

Thanks for the link Tirzah, very interesting. Do you mean that someone gave you the Misson style cabinet sewing machine?! That would be worth restoring.

My cabinet doesn't look like any of the ones pictured. Besides being minus 2 drawers, someone crudely slathered beige paint all over the outside of my cabinet:grumble:


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## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

Yes goatsareus! I was checking out Craigslist under Antiques and saw a listing for an Antique White Sewing Machine. No picture but I decided to click on the link anyway. When it said free I contacted the owner.

We will definitely be restoring the cabinet. It is missing the front plate that says 'White" but hopefully I can find it.

Doesn't it get you upset when people 'paint' antiques? My mom was guilty of that, 2 coats of white lead paint on antique dressers that were my grandmothers. Luckily my husband grew up refinishing furniture (his dad had an antique shop) so he was able to restore them.

I hope you can restore the cabinet, it will be worth it  Oh and I have seen sewing machine drawers for sale on etsy and e-bay.


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Funny...I was just leafing thru the new NewarkDressmaker supply catalog and saw they had treadle machine belts and said to myself I should really go look at my antique White and see if this would work. With the hints posted here, perhaps, I can find an instruction book. Bought i from an elderly couple who were closing their upolstery shop and had used it for over 40 years daily! Sewed with it a bit but doubt I'd even know how to thread it now. Beautiful cabinet and worked fine....guess it would be the bullet kind of bobbin and remember how they always ran out of thread too soon!


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## Katskitten (Aug 5, 2010)

There are lots of sources for manuals but I've gotten more from Relics than any place else: Relics

Joe


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## Island of Blueb (Sep 20, 2005)

Tirzah said:


> . . . I did find a picture of it (in better condition!) on this website:
> 
> whites
> 
> If you scroll down all the way, it is second to last . . .


I have that machine and cabinet! It was my great-grandmother's. 

She sold it to my mom when she and Daddy were moving to Alaska in 1941. $5.00. 

One of my prized possessions, even though it no longer works now.

I do use the cabinet for storing sewing notions, lots of room.

There are hinged doors on the front of the legs too, the cubbies go all the way to the back. 

It did a lot of traveling, spent quite a few summers on the fish barge.


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## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

Mutti and Katskitten, thank you! I will check out those sources.

Island of Bluebells,

How cool is that? How neat that the machine was your great grandmothers. What a blessing!


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