Used2Sew

TR has a bone to pick with the concept of a sewing machine “workhorse.” Wind Sand and Stars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind,_Sand_and_Stars   Wawak online catalog - learn about thread and needles! https://online.fliphtml5.com/kjzal/wtrspn/#p=1      ISMACS page on the 66, includes, cabinets, manuals. https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/singer-class-66-sewing-machine.html     The 66...

We talk about a massive modern memorial quilt, some fanmail, and sewing machines in warfare. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/used2sew/   YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Used2Sew...

TR explains how sewing at home for fun requires a different kind of sewing machine than sewing at scale for profit.   Industrial or Domestic?  https://sewingers.com/industrial-vs-domestic-sewing-machines/ Singer 31 Class https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-31-tailors-sewing-machine.html   Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers: ...

Ready to wear clothing used to be a rare commodity, but now it is the norm. How did that come to happen, and is it a good thing? https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/may/28/patagonia-sues-drag-queen-pattie-gonia-trademark-infringement-ntwnfb   https://workingwomanreport.com/home-sewn-clothes-are-making-a-comeback-but-is-it-too-late-for-dying-fabric-stores/ https://discover.hubpages.com/style/R...

Did Betsy Ross actually sew the revolutionary flag? Did you know how quilts have been used for social change? How did sewing machines arrive in Indian reservations? These questions and more are answered in today’s episode of Used2Sew. https://www.notesfromthefrontier.com/post/frontier-quilts   Pa’s Fiddle Song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8LA1AyyRB4   Southern Cloth Dance (women) - 2018 Gath...

We’re back with a new season of the show, and we’re starting off with simply using our sewing machines to get grounded after traveling. We also talk about thrifting and salvaging machines, and when not to do so. Skagit Sewing Machine Salvage and Service https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582156160088&sk=photos   Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew...

Originally published on March 15th 2026 We return to reading sections of the book Fabricating Consumers by Andrew Gordon, specifically the parts about the growth of Singer sales once the ice had been broken and before WWII. https://www.ucpress.edu/books/fabricating-consumers/hardcover https://www.siuslawpioneermuseum.com/ https://letsgetsewingspokane.com/ Kirin music https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Originally published January 11th 2026 Thanks to our Patreons we have a hefty new book to talk about over this entire season of Used2Sew! We also have fanmail, exciting supply hoards, and a new Patreon to thank. Fabricating Consumers by Andrew Gordon: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/fabricating-consumers/hardcover Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stick...

From Brazil in the 1980s to Seattle in the 1880s to Japan in the 1950s, sewing machines are always relevant, though not always in the ways you might expect.    Quest details Movie:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_MIihflZLA   Mystery Singer at 40:00, mystery machine at 102:00. https://www.argonelectronics.com/blog/goiania-incident-radiological-safety-lessons   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_...

Though it wasn’t as expensive as a Slant-O-Matic, the Style-O-Matic and other mid-tier mid-century Singer sewing machines were just as well constructed and run just as well. We shine some light on those machines and also talk about how to clean them up after decades in the dark.  https://prometheansewingmachines.blogspot.com/   https://youtu.be/azqZ4a261HY?si=HBxn6aU74FuYYkdl   https://www.lrcraft...

Inspired by our trip to the museum, this week we are wandering down the rabbit hole of the Wheeler and Wilson sewing machine company. https://www.fiddlebase.com/reading-room/room-11/   https://www.fiddlebase.com/american-machines/wheeler-wilson/the-no-3-4-machines/   https://umpquavalleymuseums.org/visit/umpqua-lighthouse-museum/ http://www.sewmuse.co.uk/ https://ismacs.net/wheelerandwilson/wheele...

An update on Artemis II! We also talk about our inciting sewing incidents as kids. Book: https://www.shambhala.com/this-long-thread.html?srsltid=AfmBOooYwU68DAP8jZ49K29o5MaIeeNk2tXcU7XiTCS2UKNxkIrR55XM   News: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasa-investigates-artemis-ii-spacecraft-heat-shield-rcna331593   Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy sticke...

TR was invited to a local museum to demonstrate a treadle sewing machine, and we made a whole podcast episode about it. https://www.siuslawpioneermuseum.com/   https://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/florence/activities/exploding-whale-memorial-park/ Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Faceboo...

US patent laws come from sewing machines, and Husqvarna sewing machines come from an ancient musket company.   Reading references: https://www.gsnsp.com/sewing-machine-war-elias-howe-vs-isaac-singer/   https://ismacs.net/husqvarna-viking/index.html   https://silverbobbin.com/vintage-viking-sewing-machine/   Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers: ...

We’re finally ready to tackle the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Last week set the stage mechanically to understand how the factory worked and where it fit into the landscape of United States manufacturing. This week we will look at the immediate and long term impacts of the disaster. Reading references: https://www.kurtgippert.com/pages/books/001446/chris-llewellyn/fragments-from-the-...

We’re finally ready to tackle the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This week sets the stage mechanically to understand how the factory worked and where it fit into the landscape of United States manufacturing. Next week we will look at the immediate and long term impacts of the disaster. Reading references: https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/singer_machines/industrial/industrialmodels/ h...

We return to reading sections of the book Fabricating Consumers by Andrew Gordon, specifically the parts about the growth of Singer sales once the ice had been broken and before WWII. https://www.ucpress.edu/books/fabricating-consumers/hardcover   https://www.siuslawpioneermuseum.com/   https://letsgetsewingspokane.com/   Kirin music  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lHnv3RYwhg&list=PL6SV1HfRa...

We’ve got a collection of small topics today, from sewing leather to recollections of snow storms. https://www.youtube.com/@MentourPilot   https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-cool-people-who-did-cool-96003360/episode/czm-rewind-part-one-all-hail-king-ludd-how-the-luddites-almost-saved-us-310110626   https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-fabric-of-civilization-how-textiles-made-the-world-virginia-postre...

The story of Singer in Scotland is vital to understanding how Singer changed the world, and fortunately we have the work of Alex Askaroff to guide us through understanding how that factory rose and fell.   Sewalot.com https://www. youtube.com/@alexaskaroff   Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474...

From Ida Holdgreve last week we continue to follow the story of sewing in flight, onwards and upwards towards space with the help of Jean Wright and the Sew Sisters. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagram:  https://w...

Early flight wouldn’t have started the way it did if not for bicycles and typos, and fabric.  Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/used2sew/   YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Used2Sew...

By listener request we take a highly specific deep dive into shank systems and fastener attachments. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/used2sew/   YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@U...

TR explains the four precursor machines to the sewing machine, Aradia explains the geology of the region where it all happened. HistoryCrunch.com   Fairbult Mill HowStuffWorks.com   The Golden Thread book   Garrett Ryan Youtube channel   Library of Congress Storymap   Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY...

The White sewing machine company started out very scrappy, then rose to the heights of being “Singer, but backwards.” https://ismacs.net/white/white-sewing-machine-company-history.html   https://www.treadleon.net/WhiteSM/whites.html   Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www...

How many sewing machines can claim to be born of scandal? Nobody knows, because there isn’t good documentation of exactly how big this scandal was! The Morse sewing machine has an unusually interesting backstory that leaves many questions unanswered. silverbobbin.com   quiltingroomwithmel.com   https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagesewing/comments/1bi7fm5/any_info_on_a_morse/   https://www.victorianswea...