NICE! I love the way you re-used the old desks. Painting them all one color really unified the look. I collect sewing machines and do all my sewing on treadle or handcrank machines so naturally, my eye homed right in on the treadle in the top picture! If you ever need to know anything about it, feel free to ask me. For what it's worth, I am considered an expert on people-powered sewing machines in the admittedly small world of sewing machine collecting.

Annie

TY...the old cabinet is missing the machine. My cousin had it for a few years,and was going to toss it after my aunt passed. I saved it. So its just a cabinet,only of value to myself as I would never part with it.I can remember my great gran using it and i was small enough I would get under it and sit on the treadle with my baby doll.

I'm about 90% certain that it is a National cabinet. National made machines for Montgomery Wards as well as for many other retailers and my collection is largely Nationals because my first treadle was one. I have the largest private collection of National machines that I know of and my primary machine for piecing is a National Two Spool, which uses a second spool of thread instead of a bobbin. I'm glad that you've kept the cabinet in memory of your grandmother. Too often, they are thrown away.

Annie

The sewing machine says YOUNG on the wrought base,,,this sewing machine is very old,my grandmother got it foe her 16th birthday,she lived to be 108 years old,and she has been gone for 42 years now. It says the date somewhere on the machine,as well as documentation in the drawer but I have it blocked right now so would have to move stuff to look. All I know is its really old.

I looked up "Young" in a reference and came up with three different manufacturer's that made machines with Young in the name, and National was one of them. Most likely a local retailer ordered the machine for their store and had their own name put on it. I did the math and that would put the machine at 1874, which seems a bit unlikely given the style of cabinet, but we learn new stuff every day, so I'd hesitate to make a dating judgement based on that! Don't dig out the paperwork on my account, I was just curious because of my personal interest in old machines.

Annie

Yeah for you Caroline. Enjoy your remodeled space. It looks bright and cheerful.

I am glad that you will re use the machine cabinet. Six years ago, we moved, and with winter and not having my sewing room set up, I left my grandmother's treadle in the pole barn. We had a fire, which only left the frame. My husband, sand blasted and painted it black. I had a piece of glass cut for the top, and it is now a table in my sewing room. I think of her often when I sit there.

So neat!