Sewing Machine Historical Research Sources

Singer 99 with knee bar 

As more people begin collecting, fixing, and using vintage sewing machines, more information will become available, thanks to the internet, & smart phones & computers. We can learn more, faster, today, than at any other time in history, so we are able to fix machines which were once considered "junk", putting them back to work, saving natural resources, and enjoying being creative, & constructive.

There are a huge number of online groups, including the Vintage Sewing Center & Museum, Inc., which has a physical sewing center & museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, of friendly sewing machine buffs, who generously share their time & knowledge, with others, which I highly recommend!

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=vintage%20sewing%20center%20%26%20museum%2C%20inc.%20(%20personal%20page)&epa=SEARCH_BOX

When researching vintage sewing machines, there are  many resources available online, which are more authoritative than most, with excellent information, sometimes even photos of sewing machines, accessories, factories where they were made, & in depth historical information, as well as details about specific manufacturers, and in some cases, the models by many of the bigger manufacturers.

I can't guarantee any site will have information about every brand & model of sewing machine out there, especially since many machines were made by contract, and then "badged" with a store name, or brand name, and the same machine & model, may be branded differently from one country, to another, like the "class 15 clones", Singer's basic class 15 sewing machine, which Singer did not patent, in order to allow the design to be used to help kick start Japan's manufacturing industry, after the bombings of World War II destroyed their economy, which have been manufactured all over the world, notably Japan, later Taiwan, China, India, and various other countries around the world.

If you are unable to find any information online about your sewing machines, it most likely is a "badged" machine, and while you may not be able to find the exact factory, and date of manufacture, since many companies no longer exist, try researching "badged sewing machines".


The International Sewing Machine Collector's Society has been an excellent source of information, you can find their link here-
ISMACS.net


Another excellent source of sewing machine information 'from collectors, for collectors, is the NeedleBar site-
http://needlebar.org/main/

Some sewing sites are more authoritative than others, with basic historical information, like many museums & research sites-
http://www.millmuseum.org/history/captains-of-industry/sewing-revolution/


https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-many-many-designs-of-the-sewing-machine-2142740/

http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/trade-literature/sewing-machines/cf/company-nameonpiece-drilldown.cfm

Singer sewing machine information & photos are available here-
http://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/gallery_machines/

https://fiddlebase.jimdo.com/american-machines/davis-sewing-machine-co/

http://blog.ninapaley.com/2013/10/31/davis-vertical-feed-restoration/comment-page-1/

For treadle information & hand crank sewing machines, there is a special group which gets together, & has events, where everyone shares some of their antique machine-
http://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachineshop/index.html

Singer 127 & 128, as well as many other models can use these accessories, in the Oak Puzzlebox, the long bobbins will only fit the early Vibrating Shuttle Singer machines, or clones of them, but the presser feet attachments will fit most low shank straight stitch sewing machine, especially Singer's 66, 99, 101, 201, 221, 222, etc...

https://study.com/academy/lesson/history-of-the-sewing-machine.html

Industrial sewing machines are totally different, as far as researching & buying parts go, changing dramatically, in the United States, after the Free Trade Agreements eviscerated our textile industry. Many machines are available for sale, or even free, sometimes, but need parts & repair, or at least, major cleaning, & lubrication, and expertise.
http://industrialsewingmachineman.com/parts/list.asp?subcat=All&c

An example of a more fun, relaxed approach to Sewing machines, history, repair, use, etc., are through the blogs of sewing machine technicians & fans, including Alex Askeroff's site-
https://sewalot.com/sewing_machine_history.htm

http://www.sandman-collectibles.com/id-singer-machines.htm

When all else fails, just do an online search for "sewing machine history", or "Singer Redeye 66 sewing machine", or your favorite model, whatever you want to research, and you will finds hundreds, even thousands of links to explore. Some sites are more authoritative than others, some are geared to repairing machines, others are geared to sharing history. Some of the commercial sites are both great for parts & accessories, as well as information, depending on which company or site you explore.

Remember that advertisements are a rich source of information on many sewing machines, and that magazines & newspapers often have original advertisements in them, sometimes even articles about sewing machines, and the factories which made them, and many universities have textile programs, fashion design courses, and sewing history is at least touched upon, and can be researched.