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Alex I Askaroff
Alex has spent a lifetime in the sewing industry and is considered one of the foremost experts of pioneering machines and their inventors. He has written extensively for trade magazines, radio, television, books and publications worldwide.
Over the last two decades Alex has been painstakingly building this website to encourage enthusiasts around around the Globe. |
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The Singer 12 New Family Sewing Machine of 1865 The Singer 12 or Singer New Family Sewing Machine hit the market around the end of the American Civil War in 1865 and lasted over 30 years in production. In Europe it hit the markets the following year in 1866 and was later made at Kilbowie in Scotland as well as Elizabeth Port New Jersey, USA.
It was to be the finest sewing machine the world had ever seen and the pinnacle of inventive genius from Isaac Singer. The Singer 12k incorporated the best of every sewing machine idea and was the first sewing machine in history that sewed multiple thicknesses and fabrics with ease and anyone could use it without a degree course. In pre-production no less than eleven patents were used including Elias Howe's 1846 patent under licence. The Singer 12 sewing machine was also the first sewing machine that was easy to use or user friendly to the masses. By the time you had threaded a Wheeler and Wilson or a Grover & Baker sewing machine up you had finished the seam with the Singer 12 sewing machine and gone shopping. The Singer model 12 was the modern marvel of 1865 and would become the best selling machine of the age.
It was the formidable Singer 12 or 12k that added huge wealth to the coffers of Isaac singer in his old age. The K after the 12 denoted that it was made in Kilbowie in Scotland just over the border from the Elias Howe patents that held power in England.
From the Singer 12 machine almost every manufacturer copied the transverse shuttle, straight needle and countless other innovations. The Germans carried on with similar designs and high-arm models for over 40 years finding it difficult to improve on. Almost every manufacturer produced a similar machine once the Singer patents ran out and by 1880 a hundred clones of this machine existed but none beat Singer for shear quality and reliability. I can just imagine seeing all the competitors faces in 1865 when they saw this machine for the first time. It must have taken their breath away. Even today a Singer 12 sewing machine will stitch most fabrics with ease. Singer New Family model 12 sewing machine of 1865
Many collectors will have at least one Singer 12 sewing machine in their collection and good quality ones always fetch excellent prices. They represent a period in our evolution and are a part of living history. The hands that turned the machine just after the American Civil War were our distant relatives. The machine clothed a nation, wedding dresses, christening gowns, husbands work trousers all were made on the fabulous Singer 12 New Family Sewing Machine. Collectors today think that they are paying a lot for their Singers sewing machine but in 1865 a new Singer 12 sewing machine would cost a years wages and was often bought over a 10 year period on hire purchase. No wonder they were so good they cost more than a new car does today! Remember this, the only thing that truly lasts with what you buy is quality and no sewing machine ever made beat the Singer model 12 New Family. That is why today they are still with us. Name anything made in the1860's that is still in regular use today. Some useful dates for the Singer 12 and other pre 1900 Singers.
Singer 12k New Family Fiddlebase bobbins I have a handful of original perfect Singer 12 new Family Fiddlebase bobbins in stock. They are $6 each. Let me know if you need any. When the stock is gone they are gone for good.alexsussex@aol.com
Also I have a handful of needles left for the same model Singer 12, 12k New Family Fiddlebase 12x1 size 14/90
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 Well that's it, I do hope you enjoyed my work. I have spent a lifetime collecting, researching and writing these pages and I love to hear from people so drop me a line and let me know what you thought: alexsussex@aol.com. Also if you have any information to add I would love to put it on my site.
Alex's latest Book: Sussex Born and Bred, Tales from the Coast Fancy a funny read: Ena Wilf & The One-Armed Machinist A brilliant slice of 1940's life: Spies & Spitfires
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CONTACT: alexsussex@aol.com Copyright ©
As a
new collector I have found your site
has increased my knowledge in
a short time to a degree
that I couldn't have
imagined. |
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