Simplicity and Strength

I'm addicted.  I purchased my first antique sewing machine on September 5th of this year, and now I look for them all the time.  For some reason, they fascinate me.  The simplicity and the strength of these little machines is amazing.  I can basically sew through anything with them, including layers of denim and leather.  I repaired one of my my husbands leather work gloves a few weeks ago and the machine didn't even struggle in the least.  Below is a picture of a machine I recently purchased and it arrived at my home yesterday.  Although not as ornate as my first purchase, it is just as strong and sews like a dream.  Both machines come from old treadle machines and the handles have been added for ease of sewing.  You can, however, purchase original machines with the hand cranks but I didn't come across any within my price range.  Granted, they don't have all the bells and whistles of newer machines, but there's something to be said about the quality of older products, built to last.