Sunday 14 August 2011

What shall I call her?

Apologies in advance for the amount of exclamation marks that you will come across in today's post. This weekend has mainly not involved any sewing but there has been lots of scrubbing! On a rare trip to our local junk shop, sorry, purveyor of second hand goods, I spotted something that got me excited beyond belief! Could it be....oh yes it could...an antique treadle sewing machine!!! Woohoo!! As far as I can tell she's a 'New Sterling' (whatever one of those is) but whatever the brand she's lovely albeit very dirty!
I set to her with a toothbrush and some soapy water and after a good scrub she is looking much happier! There is still a considerable amount of cleaning to do but for now she is much more presentable and far less spidery!!
Here's how she looks when she emerges from her hiding place :) The wood that's leaning against wall on the left hand side does actually flatten out to provide a massive working space perfect for quilting but I couldn't be bothered to pull her out to photograph it after all that scrubbing. Maybe another day ;)
I was so excited to find her Greist accessories still in their box in one of the drawers. I'll add pics of those tomorrow! For now here's an arty shot of one of the brass handles taken by Jess.
And a not so arty close-up of the lady herself taken by me :)
If you have any advice on cleaning this old girl to get her functional again that would be much appreciated as would any information about the 'New Sterling' brand. So far Mr Internet has drawn a blank. So now the dilemma I have is what shall I call her? Don't be shy I could do with some help :)

8 comments:

  1. Oooooo she's beautiful! I have a treadle that I bought a couple of years ago and I can totally understand your excitement!
    I don't know if you are supposed to, but I use baby wipes on mine for cleaning, and I've also used a tiny bit of baby oil on cotton wool to make her all pretty and shiny.
    I think you should call her 'Lady' for now, until you decide on a name for her - it'll make her feel special! :)

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  2. Wow, what a find! The name that immediately came to mind was Rosie...after a quick search I found this http://forums.quiltropolis.net/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=1315 I wonder if you could find a way to contact her to see if she has found any information. Have fun!

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  3. Oh I like a nice mystery! She's definitely an oldie! Maybe 'Mystery Lady' as Fiona said xx

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  4. My grandma names her machines after the first two letters on the month she bought it so she knows when to get it cleaned.... But I'm thinking this girl isn't gonna be used too frequently.

    Sterling can mean little star or excellent. So maybe Stella? Sterling Stella.

    I wish naming kids was that easy.

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  5. Wow I want one of these so badly, it looks amazing. Am too consumed with jealousy to suggest a name (sulks in corner) but if I must Beatrice sounds ladylike enough and can be shortened to Bea for daily use!

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  6. Oh I'm excited for you! They're so cool :-)

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  7. Wow, what a great find! She's a beauty.

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  8. what a fantastic find, how lucky are you!

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Lovely comments read with glee everyday.