Hand-operated Sewing Machine

Object Title: Household Machinery

Object Name: Hand-operated Sewing Machine

Description

Sewing machine hinged to wooden base, with handle on right-hand side

Size (in mm)

Wooden base 490 mm L x 235 mm W x 50 mm H

Metal base of machine 310 mm L x 170 mm W x 220 mm H (handle wheel on RH side)

Parts

Wooden base, hollow. Has a recess on RH side with wooden ‘lid’ missing.  Has metal underside.  Sewing machine with two hinges at back of machine, hinged to wooden base.  One spare spindle.  Machine is threaded upper and lower sections.  Piece of cloth under needle/foot.

Collection

No (item in personal custody of owner)

Colour

Timber dark, varnished.  Machine is black with gold pattern, worn in some places.  Metal hinges silver colour.

Materials

Wood, metal, cotton

Maker

Fabrik-Markt
Bielefelder
—aehmaschinen-Fabrik No 430345
Baer & Rempel
Bielefeld

Inscriptions

On metal on left side of machine, above needle/foot, – winged-eagle

Method of manufacture

Not Known

Contents

Nil

Use

Used by Rina’s mother and Rina to mend sheets and pillow-cases for the boarders in their home in Cringila

History

Bought the machine from Mrs Bartelli in the 1930’s and it has been with us ever since

Date

• Made:  Not Known
• Donated:  No
• Recorded (for register):  18 January 2004

Associated information

Mrs Bartelli was an Italian lady who lived in Lithgow and came to Wollongong when the Steelworks opened.  She lived in humpy at Shellharbour Road.  She went back to Italy and came back to Australia before the 2nd World War.  Her son joined the Australian Air Force and ended up in Europe, almost became a prisoner of war of the Italians.

Item number

N/A

Cataloguer

Eva Castle

Current location

Personal collection, Rina Montgomery (nee Filippi), Bulli NSW