1880s Singer Breadbox ( Coffin Top ) Foot-Powered Treadle Sewing Machine Cover

Description

My husband and I have owned and restored over 1000 antique and vintage Singer sewing machines, and along the way we have accumulated a stock of old Singer parts. These things aren’t doing anyone any good sitting in our workshop, so we have decided to send them on to where they’re needed.
This “breadbox” originally covered a Singer Improved Family treadle (foot-powered) sewing machine manufactured in 1884. In those days sewing machines just sat out in the open because the mechanism that allowed them to swing down into their cabinets hadn’t been invented yet. But it wouldn’t be proper to leave a sewing machine uncovered in one’s parlor when company came to call, so ornate wooden covers like this one were used.
The breadbox shows wear and dings and little flecks of paint can be found here and there. Some of the boards cracked as they aged and dried (photo five), and there’s a small piece of wood missing from the trim along the top edge (top right corner of photo one), but it’s still in very good condition for its 137 years. We have included photos from every side so you can see what you’re getting.
Originally, the two hooks on the back of the breadbox (photos six and seven) slid into two dome-shaped “catches” set into holes in the cabinet top, and the lock on the front side (photo eight) secured it to the top. We don’t have a key for the lock so I will let you in on one of our secrets
:
you can easily make a key to fit it. Here’s how. Take a look at photo nine.
See the square with light shining through it, right in the middle of the lock? You need to make a key with a square tip to match that square. We use inexpensive antique keys that we find at yard sales and flea markets because they were made of soft iron and are easy to cut and file, and because they look “right” for an antique sewing machine. Use a hacksaw to cut off the “L-shaped” part at one end, and then file that end of the shaft into a square so it will fit into the square inside your lock. It’s simple to do and if you rub a little dirt into the iron where you filed it nobody will ever know it isn’t original.
Although this breadbox was made by Singer it will work equally well on cabinets made by other manufacturers. I have seen quite a few of these where felt pads were glued in the corners underneath to create a “one-size-fits-all” cover. You just need to measure your machine to see if it will fit underneath. These are the approximate dimensions of the opening inside the cover
:
Length
:
sixteen-and-three-quarters inches
Width
:
nine-and-three-quarters inches
Depth
:
ten-and-one-quarter inches
Outside, it measures about nineteen-and-one-quarter inches long by twelve-and-one-eighth inches wide by ten-and-three-quarters inches tall. We hope this breadbox is just what you need to cover a treasured antique sewing machine.
Important note:
Properly padded and packaged, this thing weighs only ten pounds but the package is bulky, and bulky is expensive to ship. You are welcome to pick it up in person or have a friend or family stop by to get it if they live in West Central Florida.
Please feel free to ask questions! We are happy to help you.
We invite you to take a look at our other eBay listings. We are selling many interesting and useful things.
All of our goods are unconditionally guaranteed. If you are not completely satisfied with this item when it arrives at your home, send it back and your money will be cheerfully refunded.
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