Many of us have a vintage or even antique sewing machine in their home that is dusty and neglected. Maybe it’s just taking up space, and no one in your family wants to learn to sew. Here are 60 ideas To Recycle Vintage Sewing Machines into various types of home decor accessories. We hope that some of these ideas will inspire you to give it a try! This post was inspired by the post “60 idées pour recycler vos vieilles machines à coudre” from Home & Garden blog!
However, before you start dismantling and throwing away parts, be aware of the heritage and the artistry of these machines. There are several groups on the ‘net dedicated to the preservation and restoration of vintage and antique machines. You could donate the “head unit” (the sewing machine itself) to these groups for salvage parts to keep other machines going. Many of these groups have machines that exceed 100 years old and are still in use! They can be restored and are a beautiful thing to teach your children to use!
Vintage Sewing Machines recycled into dining tables:
- McCaffery, Connie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 120 Pages - 01/11/2015 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
Or maybe a kitchen table?
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Head, Carol (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
What about an elegant coffee table? Vintage Sewing Machines have gorgeous leg irons and are sturdy, as well as quite elegant.
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Hardcover Book
- Bays, Carter (Author)
You could also transform your old sewing machine into an original bedside table.
No products found.
Another superb idea is to reuse a sewing machine into a kitchen island!
You could also transform your vintage sewing machine into a one-of-a-kind Desk!
- Hardcover Book
- Landgraf, Otto (Author)
- 192 Pages - 03/03/1989 (Publication Date) - Weppert GmbH & Co, KG (Publisher)
Or, reused into shabby chic consoles, an old sewing machine is perfect for that purpose!
Other great ideas are to use your unused vintage sewing machine as vanity units!
You can also build a beautiful dressing table out of a reclaimed sewing machine.
And for your receptions, sewing machines can be upcycled as buffets!
Garden tables are also an excellent way to recycle your sewing machine!
What about making an original garden table out of your sewing machine?
And to finish, here are some ideas of planters and plant stands made from repurposed sewing machines.
Now it’s your turn to transform the old sewing machine sitting in your attic into beautiful furniture for your home or your garden! Send us some pictures of your finished project, and we will publish them here! ;)
Reciclar, reciclar, reciclar esa palabra en verdad es muy apropiada. Esta pagina tiene ideas supe buenas.
Wuauuuu!!!! Almita Alma Garcia Sotelo, cosas hermosas, me fascinan, las máquinas!!!!! Gracias, quiero ver todo!!!!
mira ma pon la foto de tu mesa Alicia Pons
LUV them…and i keep buying them!
I have another one https://life.kuchers.com/2012/10/stol-iz-shvejnoj-mashinki/
Gina Garner Williams find me some old sewing machines!
I use my great-grandmother’s treadle machine as a bedside table. The machine is still in it and still workable. I have the table folded out for additional space. A piece of foam core covers the opening over the machine and I used a scrapped piece of an old quilt my mother in law made over it. As you can see, it holds many books! Along with a basket holding more books, framed photo, lamp, cell phone. On the treadle there is a ceramic bowl holding magazines. And there are 5 drawers to store other things. I love this old thing!
Mine looks like that Maria! It was my Mother’s & she made our clothes on it as we grew up!! Will never forget!!
I see some wonderful ideas! Now to find an old base!
la fusion de la créativité , j aime!
My new bathroom…
I like to recycle old sewing machines and sell them on line. They are getting harder to find. I find them mostly at auctions and yard sales. I leave the bass all intact so when you sit at it you can rest your feet and treadle while you work. I do take the small center piece off and replace it with a new top that I faux marble. Some times I paint them white and other times I just put a little patina on the black iron.
where do you sell them online? is there a website? i would love to see some. i need a small table for breakfast coffee for two…..thank you
Minha mãe tinha uma, da primeira SINGER vendida no Brasil e a usou décadas…
I was looking to for ideas to recycle my sewing MACHINE not the cabinet and legs, which 90 % of the photos were. I saw 2 maybe 3 that had a sewing machine as part of the recycle.
Perhaps change the title as it is misleading.
Agreed, this list is really about reusing sewing machine treadles, not the machines themselves.
I want Singer base to restore machine back to pedal use. Mine was “upgraded” before 20s. Where can I find base?
I found many on Craigslist. Or at garage or yard sales. These is also a group of people (see treadleon.net) that actually use these machines and someones one of them will have a working base to sell. There are many who treasure these machines and use them to sew on.
These ideas are incredible. You just inspired me.
I have a an old treadle sewing machine and I use it as the television table. The woman that used it has passed. She had to make clothes for her family through the war. If that machine could talk………
Hello, those pictures are wonderful
I have been inspired by one of Them for one of my watercolo rs about sewing, it is here:
Best regards
Hey Very nice Topalian, I found which picture :)
Some of these ideas are nifty, but so sad to see the bases of wonderful old sewing machines like Pfaff that people would love to have. And a sewing machine in a bathroom? That will rust soon and that machine (a Pfaff) is highly sought after by people who use these to sew. Wonder if these pieces will be just a fad and end up in the recycle bin anyway. And what happened to all the wonderful sewing machines? I did have a base that was left because the cabinet was destroyed and the machine was converted to a hand… Read more »
I have my grandmothers singer, three drawers ea side it is about 115 yrs old and in very good shape and it works good. Some of these are great ideas and look very nice, I love and do paint furniture but could never paint my grandmothers sewing machine, it is beautiful just the way it is.
Great idea. We’ll save a lot of money.
Although Singer is not the first sewing machine being developed, it became a very popular brand to many sewers, and even for collectors. Some collectors said that it was such a fun experience for them to collect most of the Singer vintage sewing machines because they are plenty and they are still available and usable.
Hi wendy, unfortunately this is the wrong forum to be posting “for sale” listings. However, if you’d like, send in a “contact us” and ask for ME. I restore vintage and antique machines and may be able to help you a bit. :D Thanks!Heather Stiletto
Gorgeous ideas! I couldn’t ask for a better idea! There are two old sewing machines at my basement and both not working. I’ve been thinking to turn them into something more useful and your post gave me the answer right on time. I’m definitely recycling the sewing machines into two beautiful tables. Thank you for the inspiration!
thank you for the great article. I do not think you have the talent to be the same. will regularly visit your site
I agree that there are some machines that should not be taken apart. I would never dismantle my Grandmothers/Great Grandmothers Singer. It was converted to electricity long before my time and treadle was removed so I found a nice base with a treadle to put back on my orig. base but, I collect old machines because the cabinets and machines themselves are amazing. sometimes I find them and the Cabinets have been ruined and I love to use them for tables. I think its a great way to preserve the past.
Thank you – I am happy to say that I do follow several of the pages you suggest – I look forward to checking out the others.
I put a 2’X4′ butcher block on mine in 1976 and used as a kitchen table. Still have it and still use on my back porch. Love it!
There’s only 1 idea with 60 variations of it…… Put a table-top on the legs.
Some of them look nice.
You’re right
Great idea! Nice pics. I have a blog on pillow. You can visit my blog here:
I am highly disappointed in this post! I scrolled through all three pages and not one idea actually recycled the MACHINE. All these ideas are for reusing the cabinet or stand.
Hi Lavonne – you won’t see a LOT of things to reuse the machine, unless you gut the machine and turn it into a yard toy (such as a decorative tractor), or a lamp…. or ….cutting it in half for bookends. The machines from these tables are usually still restorable and functional. I have sewing machines back to the late 1800s that are fully functional and sew on two that are almost 100 years old routinely. If they’re not so rusted that they look like brown lace, then they can be used. If you want to find ways to use… Read more »
Hi Heather I have been reading the responses from this site as I have 2 old Singer sewing machines. The cabinets and bases are only wood. I am inquiring if anyone would like the machines for parts etc. I have no use for them and don’t want to just discard them. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you
I used mine in a similar way. I put a round glass top on the base to make a round table, but what makes mine different is I had the initials of the family member who owned the sewing machine etched in the glass. It is lovely and it gets lots of compliments and it is a great source of conversation.
Excellent site for tables but I want to utilize the treadle to power ‘something’ which would be secured on a wooden top. My mind is blank at present so I hope someone will steer me in the right direction.
That would really just be a matter of the right length belt and then setting up the correct pulley system on whatever you’re powering to turn the speed you need. Before you upcycle a treadle, be sure it’s not a rare one. There are some models out there where less than a few hundred were EVER made, and separating the base from the head unit means the likelihood of reuniting either part with a corresponding piece is very unlikely, and then a piece of history is GONE. There are many treadles that were made by the millions, or the sewing… Read more »
That’s it?? Only tables. Come on, get creative a trellis, pot hanger, air plant nest.
60 table ………wow!
You had me at Sewing Machines but all I see is how to turn the sewing machine treadle into a table. This article is so misleading.
I have five different brands of sewing machine s and they are both inside and out. I removed the sewing machines and the wooden cabinets and put glass tops on all of them…the better to see the beautiful ironwork
Yes good ideas but now I don’t regret to conserve the sewing machine functional for making masks to fignt CoVID 19. It’s very decorative and useful. Thank you
I’m somewhat disappointed, these are all recycled cabinets or legs to cabinets, not the machine itself. Good ideas, just not what I was looking for.
I am looking for a way to reuse the machine, not the table.
I thought there were going to be ideas on upcycling a sewing machine… not the table! :(