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 world wide.

The Singer toy sewing machine model 20 1910-1975

The most successful toy sewing machine ever produced was the Singer 20. Now that is a pretty impressive statement-but true. The machine ran from around 1910 until the 1970’s with virtually no change.

Singer toy sewing machine model 20 Turkish advert

Now before you start saying that the Singer 20 faded away in the 1950’s Singers resurrected the model in the late 1970’s for a short period. These models were manufactured in Turkey by Singer and are original machines to a high specification. These models are now highly collectible because of the limited numbers  and were simply called k20 rather than 20k.

Singer 20 toy sewing machine made in Turkey

The Singer model 20’s were made at the Elizabeth factory in New Jersey, USA, and was originally sold as a toy. First appearing around 1910 some 60 years after Isaac Merritt Singer founded the great Singer Manufacturing Company.

Early models were clearly aimed at the child market however later models were sold as adult light portable machines as well as toys. This was probably to gain a foothold into the larger market of full-sized machines.

 The Singer 20 produces a simple chain stitch. Over the years as patents ran out the Singer 20 was one of the most widely copied of all small machines. The well-made cast iron machine was durable, long lasting and has become prized among collectors world-wide, especially the different coloured models.

The most desirable of the machines were once the brightly coloured ones especially blue and red. The next seems to be the early 1910 model which had a four-spoked hand-wheel. By the outbreak of The Great War in 1914 Singer 20’s had eight-spoked hand-wheels.

Advertising Singer 20 toy sewing machines not just for kids.

From 1920 to 1950 there were minor modifications such as the adding of threading numbers stamped on the machine in 1926. In the 1950’s the fourth major change took place enclosing many of the moving parts and looking real chunky.

The boxes & cases varied over the years and there were as many as 20 different styles.

The  chunky 1950's model was known as the singer 20-10 and is at the moment the best priced toy to collect so don’t miss one they are as cheap as chips today but tomorrow they may go ballistic.

 
A Singer Toy Sewing Machine model 20 and an Essex copy circa 1950

Fancy a funny read: Ena Wilf  & The One-Armed Machinist

A brilliant slice of 1940's life: Spies & Spitfires

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