For no particular reason whatsoever, I've been maintaining a list of movies and television shows where sewing machines can be spotted. Some are shown long enough to be identified, some are just brief glimpses. Feel free to e-mail me with any you come across, and let me know if you can positively identify the make and model. If not, send it along anyway with your best guess.
Updated 04 November 2023
Movies
| Amerika: treadle |
| Angela's Ashes (1999): Singer coffin top treadle |
| Angels in the Outfield (1994): White, in a parlor cabinet |
| Annie (1982): Assorted Singers |
| Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (1997): Brief glimpse of 30's era wardrobe department at RKO Studios |
| Batman Returns (1992): shown as a "Belvedere" |
| Blood Alley (1955): 5-drawer treadle, no machine shot; Florence treadle |
| Captain Ron (1992): Singer 401A |
| Carrie (1976): White, possibly a model 77 |
| Clara's Heart (1988) Far shot of a portable, black Singer, on its wooden base. |
| Dick (1999): possibly Singer 185j |
| Dr. Zhivago (1965): Handcrank in Lara's Siberian flat. |
| Evita (1996) |
| Fiddler on the Roof (1971): Coffin top, transverse shuttle, treadle, possibly a Frister & Rossman |
| Finding Neverland (2004): treadle something-or-other...and Johnny Depp! |
| Five Easy Pieces (1970): black, striated faceplate, beige case bottom w/latches, possibly a Singer 15-91 |
| Full Of Life (1956): Singer 301 Godfather II (1974): Possibly a Singer 306 - very dim lighting |
| Gods Must Be Crazy, The (1980) |
| Good Old Summertime, The (1949): Singer 66 treadle |
| Ghost (1990): Industrial machine |
| Gosford Park (2001): treadle, plus various irons, boards and a pleater |
| Green Mile, The (1999) |
| Happy Gilmore (1996): The residents of a nursing home are forced to sew in a sweatshop |
| Heartwood (1998): Two treadles |
| Hester Street (1975): Male, immigrant factory workers sewing on individual treadles |
| Home Alone (1990): Singer, possibly a 401, but w/ a 285 handwheel |
| Hope and Glory (1987): Singer handcranks being used in the thrift shop |
| Houdini (1953): 7-drawer treadle, possibly a Davis Minnesota |
| House of Mirth, The (2000): Millinery shop with what looks to be a Wilcox & Gibbs straw hat machine |
| How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000): Black and gold treadle |
| How to Make an American Quilt (1995): Bernina |
| It's a Wonderful Life (1946): Featherweight cardtable and extension, no machine Kramer vs Kramer (1979): Featherweight in a closet |
| Lady in White, The (1988): brief glimpse of a tailor using a treadle, possibly a White |
| Last Orders (2001): 2 tone, tan and brown, back-mounted light, possibly a Singer 191 Late Show (1977): Lily Tomlin has one in the corner under the window |
| Little Women (1949) Marmee sews on a chain stitch |
| Longest Day, The (1962): Treadle in the French family's house that comes under bombardment during the Normandy Invasion |
| Made in America (1993): Whoopie Goldberg sews on a newer, white, plastic machine |
| Magnificent Ambersons, The (1942) |
| Maid in Manhattan (2002): in the housekeeping department of the hotel |
| Majestic, The (2001): Featherweight in the pawn shop |
| Man Who Knew Too Much, The (Hitchcock,1934): Line of handcranks in Moroccan open-air market |
| Mimic (1997) |
| Mississippi Burning (1989): Singer boot patcher handcrank |
| Mother Wore Tights (1947): Betty Grable sews up her fabulous 1890's designer showgirl wardrobe on a NF type treadle. |
| Mrs. Soffel (1984): Singer 28 handcrank with Victorian decals |
| My Dog Skip (2000): 5-drawer Singer 66 treadle |
| Nacho Libre (2006): |
| October Sky (1999): Featherweight |
| On Moonlight Bay (1951): Singer 5 drawer treadle |
| One Good Cop (1991) Other, The (1972): In the boy's farmhouse, under a window, is a New Home treadle, with a top leaf tension assembly |
| Others, The (2001): Looks like a handcrank/treadle combo; the room was very dimly lit, so it was very hard to see details. |
| Our Daily Bread (1934): handcranks and treadles |
| Perils of Pauline (1947): Betty Hutton in a sweatshop scene, singing a song about hating sewing. The lyrics are HERE and and there's a video clip HERE |
| Peter Pan (1924, silent): Smee is mending sails on Cap'n Hook's pirate ship |
| Picture of Dorian Gray (1945): Florence treadle |
| Rabbit-Proof Fence, The (2002): Numerous treadles |
| Really Big Family, The (Documentary - 1967): 185J |
| Radio (2003): circa 1970's Singer Touch N Sew in cabinet |
| Real Women Have Curves (2002): Industrial Singers; unidentified domestic machine circa 60's |
| Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954) |
| Reds (1981): Dianne Keaton's character sews on a handcrank |
| Remember the Titans (2000): Toy sewing machine: possibly Mattel's Barbie Sew Magic or Sears France |
| Rhapsody in Blue (1945): Singer 66 being repaired by George Gershwin's dad |
| Rich and Strange (Hitchcock, 1932): Singer handcrank, possibly a128 |
| Rose Tattoo, The (1955): Assymetrical swirl across arm, no name, in curved-front cabinet |
| Ruby Gentry (1952) |
| Silence of the Lambs (1991): Industrial; wins the 'Most Revolting Use of a Sewing Machine' award |
| Sleepless in Seattle (1993) : Black, e-machine in the attic |
| Sling Blade (1996) : Singer in a cabinet |
| Stepmom (1998) : Viking Subject Was Roses, The (1968) : Singer in the parents' apartment |
| Sweet Dreams, The Patsy Cline Story (1985): possibly a 127 treadle, and a Godzilla _____? |
| This Sporting Life (1963): Rachel Roberts does the family mending on a Singer 15 handcrank |
| Three Amigos, The (1986): Treadles and handcranks |
| Trip to Bountiful, The (1985): 3 drawer, coffin top treadle |
| Trouble with Angels, The (1966): assorted treadles and portables |
| Visit, The (1964): Coffin-top treadle, just a quick glimpse in Anthony Quinn's bedroom above his shop |
| Valley of Decision (1945): Willcox & Gibbs chain stitch in 5 drawer, curved front treadle |
| War Bride, The (2001): A Raymond Treadle that's integral to a story about new life, perseverance and redemption on the post-WWII Canadian prairie |
| West Side Story (1961): Asstd. Singers in the workroom behind the dress shop |
| We're No Angels (1955): 5-Drawer treadle, possibly a Singer Model 15 or 27 |
| What Matters Most (2001): Featherweight Wiz, The (1978): In the "Everybody Rejoice" scene, there's a "melting" Singer industrial |
| Young Man with Ideas (1952): Featherweight |
TV
| 1900 House PBS (2000): Singer treadle |
| American Family, PBS (2002):"The Sewing Machine" Singer Treadle |
| Blue Valley Songbird (1999) |
| Dogs and More Dogs, Nova, PBS (2003): Singer, 5-drawer treadle |
| Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (1966) He and his dog sew the Grinch's santa suit on a black treadle with gold decals |
| Extreme Home Makeover (ABC 2004): Several Featherweights |
| Geico Commercial (2006): Peter graves is sitting in the homeowner's sewing room. In the background is what looks to be a mid-arm machine. See a video clip HERE |
| Gilligan's Island (believe it or not!): "The Matchmaker" episode; combination bamboo exercise bike/sewing machine |
| Gilmore Girls: Singer Model 12 treadle |
| Hometime (PBS): Closed Singer Treadle cabinet |
| I Dream of Jeannie: Singer treadle, on the beach |
| Jeff's Collie (Original Lassie series): 5 drawer coffin top treadle |
| Jericho: Treadle table against the wall between the kitchen & living room at the Richmond ranch. |
| Laverne & Shirley: Treadle stand in the bedroom |
| Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe, The (BBC 1988): Mrs. Beaver is sewing on what looks to be a Frister & Rossman handcrank |
| Mad About You: Flashback to his dad's tailor shop, with an industrial machine in the background |
| Manor House, PBS (2003): Jones handcrank and a treadle |
| Martha Inc: The Story of Martha Stewart (2003): Black Singer in an old, treadle-type base Matlock, syndication (2003): Necchi BU in the background of the mobster's house |
| Monk: Mr. Monk Goes to the Ballgame (2003): Treadle base only (!) used as a foyer table. |
| Papa's Angels (2000): 7-drawer treadle |
| Pimp My Ride (MTV 2004): Industrial used to sew custom, green suede/black leather auto upholstery Project Runway (Bravo, Lifetime 2004-ongoing in various incarnations): Assorted Brother machines |
| Reba (2002): Reba McIntyre sews a bridesmaid's dress on a Featherweight |
| Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1978): |
| Seinfeld: Episode #149 "The Pothole" (2/20/97) Kramer 'adopts' a mile of the freeway. A Singer 99 sewing machine falls off a dump truck and is shown bursting into flames caused by igniting paint thinner. |
| Six Feet Under (HBO 2001) The daughter found her grandmother's sewing machine in the attic. While high on drugs with a girlfriend she makes her mother very colorful slacks. The machine was dark green, full size, Singer 500. |
| Texas Ranch House (PBS 2006): Wilcox & Gibbs handcrank |
| Tommyknockers, The (1993): The boy who makes his brother disappear powers his machine with a treadle |
| The Brady Bunch (Peter the Magician/Cindy's fear of the dark): |
| The Real McCoys: Treadle |
| Walton's: Treadle |
| Who's the Boss?: Possibly a Stylist, sitting backwards on a shelf in the garage (of course!) |
| Willing to Kill: Texas Cheerleader Story (1992): Featherweight |
| Nancy Drew: Frister and Rossman handcrank! |
| Animal Crossing:Wild World (2005): A sheep is sewing on a treadle, complete with treadle sound effects |
| Silent Hill: Homecoming (2008): Xbox game showing a generic sewing machine in Alex Shepherd's home |
| Lilo and Stitch (2004): A little monster with a compulsion to clean house sucked up a whole treadle in his snout while the owner of the machine screamed for him to stop. He then blew his nose in the trash can and out popped the machine. The owner scooped it up and sniffeled that the machine had the original 1930's bobbin! Too funny! |
| Nightmare Before Christmas, The (1993): Sally sews on a machine with a spider sitting on it instead of a spool of thread, and she sews with the 'thread' that the spider emits |
| Texas Prison Museum, Huntsville Texas: During a video about the prison, a convict is shown using an industrial Singer to sew prison uniforms. Hey - we homeschool - it was a field trip! |
A coffin?! That was the time we were passed on the freeway by a beat-up blue pickup truck hauling a$$ with something really big in the bed, covered by a tarp. The window behind the cab had white shoe polish words written all over it: R.I.P. Gina. OMG - it was a coffin! A real damn pine box coffin! I nearly hit the guardrail trying to catch up to get a better look. The kids were screaming, and I was going 80 trying to dig my camera outta the bottomless basket I carry all my stuff in. There were paper and plastic flowers sticking out of the cab windows, and the guest of honor must have been late. They were definitely heading for the border. A quick call to 911 and we found out it's perfectly legal for any old Joe - or Jose - to drive around Texas with an occupied coffin!
Posts
11 comments:
Don't forget Project Runway, now in it's 11th season. We see sewing machines all of the time on it.
In a Matlock episode, when Matlock goes to see a crime boss; he's sitting in front of a Necchi BU Nova. Never see him sew on it, but it's fun to see it there.
Matlock episode; He goes to see a crime boss and the boss is sitting in front of a Necchi BU. He never actually sews on it, but it's fun to see it
Juno. Her step mom sews her pants she can fit in as she gets further along with her pregnancy
You should youtube the great british sewing bee....
The Dressmaker is a new movie based on a book....should watch this too.
Gossip Girl!! Jenny always use it
I thought I was the only one that looks beyond the movie/TV/series -- looking and relating to decor I usually want to copy! The film "Labor Day" has a sewing machine in the living room atop a sewing cabinet.
This is a wonderful blog, that I enjoyed reading. I'm a fan of the vintage Kenmore machines; not many of them [if at all] are featured. Singer wins overwhelmingly!
This is just a delightful read; thank you kindly.
I was looking at some of your posts on this website and I conceive this web site is really instructive! Keep putting up. best sewing machine 2018
I just watched The Dressmaker. She uses a Singer (possibly a 201) to make all the town's ladies dresses. Also, The Cobbler (Adam Sandler) uses an industrial leather stitching machine, then switches to a hand crank leather stitching machine. Great list!
Thanks to Anatolia for the many contributions to this list!
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