Singer Attachment Booklet No. 9

The gifted box of goodies that I wrote about in my last post had this tattered, brittle booklet in a brown paper envelope labeled "Old". Upon further investigation I found out, yup, it is indeed very old... more about that later.

It's a booklet advertising attachments for the Singer Model No. 27 Sewing Machine. The Singer Sewing Machine #27 was a treadle machine with a "bullet" shaped bobbin and case....I know because I learned to sew on an electrified 27. You can read more about the 27 here.


Here's a photo of "The Attachment Case" you could purchase. Notice the see-saw box edges: the wooden box folds up into a long rectangle and is known as "the Puzzle Box". Each attachment has it's place in this unusual storage box.

Here is what one in excellent shape looks like:

This great little booklet pictured the attachment and explained how to use it on your machine. The ruffler was probably used a lot since all sorts of ruffles were on clothing back in the day.

The booklet had instructions and hints how to use each attachment. You can see the ruffler in action.

Pin tucks were popular design elements so, of course, there was a pin tuck attachment you could buy.

And information on how to use it:

The booklet also lists a Binder, Foot Hemmer or Hemmer with instructions for hem-stitching and hemming and sewing lace in one pass, the Foot Hemmer for Felling, a Wide Hemmer, the Quilter, the Ruffler for Shirring, and finally the Under Braider. All of these hint at the age of this booklet by the techniques described with the attachments. But the back page really helps me date this one:

Check out the lady behind the Singer motif: she's wearing a long dress with leg-o-mutton sleeves and sitting at her treadle machine. I'm thinking the booklet dates to around 1880-1895. Even though the cover is half missing, I can research it online and find the title, which is "The Singer Sewing Machine Attachments, Style No. 9 [booklet] for No. 27 Sewing Machines. A very interesting, old gift indeed!