Jones Sewing Machines
Screenshot from Season 4, Episode 1 All Creatures Great and Small
As a cultural historian of sewing machine history, I can’t help myself whenever I see an old sewing machine in the most unexpected of places, especially if it’s in my favorite television show!
While rewatching (yes, you read that right, rewatching) All Creatures Great and Small on PBS Passport I happened to notice a treadle style sewing machine in the background behind Mrs. Hall. Immediately, I paused the show and took a screenshot so I could get a closer look.
The machine in the picture above is none other than the Jones Sewing Machine Company, a British manufacturer of sewing machines in the UK. The above model is the Jones CB Model, which is a semi-rotary bobbin. But wait: what is a semi-rotary bobbin? (I preface the answer with the statement that I had no idea when I would study the cultural history of the sewing machine that I would study its mechanics…but here we are).
Different types of bobbins: Oscillating, Rotary, Top-loading & (my personal favorite) Vibrating Shuttle
Oscillating: One of the oldest types of bobbin cases that you see in many early domestic sewing machines. This type of case sits vertically in the machine in which the bobbin is rocked back and forth as the needle pulls the thread up to interlock with the top thread.
Rotary: This is a front-loading bobbin case that is seen in a lot of industrial machines as well. In this system, the bobbin sits vertically and makes a full rotation before interlocking.
Top-loading: This is super common in modern domestic machines. Often the parts are made out of plastic and this is a super easy machine to thread. The bobbin sits horizontally.
Vibrating Shuttle: This is such an elegant and simple system - there is a reason those of us who love to treadle really enjoy using a vibrating shuttle. I own a Singer 27 from 1911 and it is such a dream! A vibrating shuttle is a bullet or lipstick shaped bobbin case with funky looking bobbins that are long and stick-like. The shuttle moves back and forth underneath feed dogs.
Ok, so back to the Jones Sewing Machines. The machine you see above is the Jones CB model which is a semi-rotary bobbin. Looking at the picture, there is a stitch regulator on the left above the letters “C B.” Pretty simple decal decoration too. Before I get into the surprise part of this story and machine, let’s do a little Jones Sewing Machine Company history first (I mean, how can I NOT?)
Jones Sewing Machine Company
This is a pretty quick summary based on what I read via the International Sewing Machine Collector’s Society and a brief Wikipedia on the company.
William Jones was the British manufacturer of the Jones Sewing Machine Company and first started his manufacturing career as a machinist and the owner of a small engineering firm that specialized in making domestic steam engines. He partnered with Thomas Chadwick in 1860 and started manufacturing sewing machines under the name Chadwick & Jones. Chadwick and Jones produced sewing machines under the license of Wheeler & Wilson and Elias Howe (Howe, an American, patented the sewing machine style which created the basis for many designs later produced by companies such as Singer). Eventually Chadwick left the partnership and Jones continued the company with his brother under the new name Jones Sewing Machine Co Ltd. This name continued until Brother purchased the company in the 1960’s.
Jones and his brother manufactured machines in a factory he built at Guide Bridge near Manchester and produced mostly industrial machines for factory use. That being said, the company did produce domestic machines, although small in number. One of these machines being the Jones CB model.
The Jones CB Model
Looking at the placement of the “CB” letters on the machine in the screenshot, the minimalist decal decoration, and the size of the stitch regulator, this machine is dated to post-WWII and pre-1958…that’s right - the sewing machine in the image seems to be in the wrong decade and is actually from the future! This is based on the information I found at Fiddlebase, which gives a good overview and examples of Jones domestic machines.
Now, I still love All Creatures Great & Small because honestly, it’s only a few years difference (or decade) and truly how many people are as geeky as me and zooming in on a screenshot to make the the tiny gold letterings and then spending an entire rabbit hole of a morning while sipping coffee to see if I can actually figure out what model it is. Not many, I assure you. It’s really a small detail, but I suppose my hawk-eye love of sewing machines can’t help but recognize this out-of-time aspect. That being said, the other things I noticed are the lack of a treadle belt. At first I thought, “maybe it’s an electric or motorized machine we have here?” Even still, a motorized treadle requires a belt to move the hand-wheel. Then I wondered, “well maybe it’s an electric machine with no belt, set in a small table-top base, and has an attached pedal below?” But again, this machine looks to be set into an open cabinet, telling me there is probably an iron treadle base below.
Although I’m not really familiar with these machines, it’s totally possible it has a treadle style cabinet but is in fact electric and we can’t see the cord. Although looking at my 1957 Singer 99K, there is a small rubber belt attached to the motor in the back. Now, obviously this machine isn’t actually being used, it’s a prop, and I think overall it’s situated quite nicely in the show. It speaks to how treadle machines, even though they debuted in the 1850’s and were very much in use through the 1930’s and after, would have been a machine still utilized, particularly during war time. I also love how it’s placed in the kitchen - a place of work and chores. It highlights how the sewing machine in a cabinet was once considered beautiful in the late 19th century, something one might show off in the parlor, but as it became more common and less associated as a beautiful and expensive item, the cabinet was either closed or the machine put elsewhere. Having it in the kitchen absolutely recognizes how these beautiful machines were now being viewed as something you didn’t need guests to see in your sitting room or dining area. With the cabinet open, a stool tucked under it, Mrs. Hall’s basket of mending and sewing notions positioned to the left, this is a machine that is “in-use” for the character, and I think the detail is overall quite charming.