Toy Sewing Machines

Toy and miniature sewing machines provide an engaging, compact way to explore sewing history. They illustrate how different makers, in different countries and eras, introduced children and beginners to the basics of stitching, sometimes as simple playthings and sometimes as surprisingly capable little machines.

This page offers an overview of that landscape, summarising information from the detailed articles linked below. From British Singer 20-style toys to early German classics, Japanese-made clones and compact American electrics, the summary serves as a starting point before examining each machine in more depth.

When ready to explore a particular make or model, follow the links to dedicated pages on Essex, Grain, Vulcan, Tabitha, the very rare Astor, the Japanese-made Lead, the Australian Peter Pan, the classic Singer miniature machines, early German toy sewing machines, the compact American Dexter Hemmer & Stitcher, and the portable electric Bell Micro MB/102.

A Worldwide Hobby in Miniature

One striking aspect of toy sewing machines is how international their production was. Makers in England, Germany, Japan, Australia and the United States all produced miniature machines, often inspired by the same full-sized designs but interpreted in different ways.

In Britain, companies produced a particularly rich variety of toys. Makers such as Vulcan, Essex, Grain, Tabitha and the very scarce Astor produced sturdy miniature chain-stitch machines, many closely based on the layout of the Singer 20. These British toys were typically hand-cranked and metal, with designs ranging from practical and plain to bright and eye-catching.

Germany was an early and important centre of production. As outlined on the German toy sewing machines page, German manufacturers were making toy machines as early as the mid 1880s. They combined robust construction with attractive decoration, and later turned to tinplate as production expanded. German toys were exported widely and helped establish the concept of the toy sewing machine.

Japan also contributed significantly, especially in the post-war period. The Lead toy sewing machine is a representative example: a Japanese-made Singer 20-style chain stitcher that came in a neat small bentwood case, finished in black gloss. It shows how Japanese makers produced compact, reliable clones that followed Western designs closely while maintaining their own identity.

In Australia, the Peter Pan toy sewing machines were made by Colton, Palmer & Preston in Adelaide. They produced at least two models, the Model 0 and the Model 1. In 1948, the Peter Pan Model 0 sold for £2-3s-6d, providing a useful snapshot of how these machines were positioned in the local market.

The United States produced everything from simple hand-operated miniatures to compact electrics. The Dexter Hemmer & Stitcher was a small hand-operated chain stitch machine made by the Dexter Company in Chicago, while the Bell Micro MB/102 was a portable electric sewing machine sold in the USA, advertised at $79.95 by 1954. These American machines demonstrate that “miniature” did not always mean merely a toy; some were promoted as useful tools for actual sewing tasks.

The Singer 20 and the Spread of Chain Stitch Toys

Many of the machines described on this site are linked, directly or indirectly, to the Singer miniature toy sewing machines. When the Singer 20 was introduced, it set a pattern that many others followed. It used a single thread to form a continuous chain stitch, did not require a bobbin and was designed to be straightforward for a child or beginner to operate.

All of the toy machines covered on these pages are simple, single-thread chain stitch machines. Singer originally marketed their miniature machines as children’s machines, but later they were also promoted as adult light portable machines as well as toys for children. That dual role helps explain why the basic Singer layout was so widely copied: it worked both as a teaching tool and as a genuinely useful little chain-stitcher.

Because the Singer 20 was so successful, it was widely copied. After the Second World War, several UK companies entered the miniature market with close copies. The Essex and Grain machines were both Singer 20-style chain-stitch toys, each with its own Mk1 model and a much scarcer Mk2. The very rare Astor toy sewing machine, made by the Cinemaker Company in Nottingham, was another close copy and is now one of the rarest British miniature Singer 20 clones.

On the continent and beyond, the pattern repeated. Later German machines evolved their own styles but many models also used single-thread chain stitch mechanisms. Japanese toys such as Lead followed the Singer 20 layout very closely, right down to the bentwood-style case echoing the look of full-size domestic machines. In Australia, the Peter Pan was described as a very close clone of the original Singer 20.

The result is that chain stitch, in one form or another, became the common mechanical thread running through much of the toy sewing machine world. Whether examining British makers such as Vulcan, Essex and Grain, Japanese machines like Lead or American tools such as the Dexter Hemmer & Stitcher, the same basic principle appears in many slightly different implementations.

Post-war Boom and Competition from Japan

In the immediate post-WW2 years there were many makers of toy sewing machines. In the UK, apart from Singer itself, the main manufacturers were Essex, Grain and Vulcan. All produced simple single-thread chain stitch machines that provided a good introduction to sewing at a time when full-sized domestic machines were still in short supply.

By the late 1950s these British makers found it difficult to compete with low-cost imports from Japan, such as the Lead machines. As a result, they withdrew from making toy sewing machines and concentrated on other products. That shift marked the end of the classic British Singer 20-clone era, even though many of the machines they built still survive in excellent condition today.

From Simple Toys to Practical Miniatures

Although most of these machines were designed with children in mind, not all were “toys” in the modern sense. Some were clearly intended as simple but practical miniatures. The Dexter Hemmer & Stitcher, for example, was sold as a small hand-operated chain stitch machine for hemming and stitching, and the Bell Micro MB/102 was described as a proper sewing machine for occasional household use, even though it is small enough to be considered alongside toy and miniature machines.

Other machines are more distinctly in the toy category. The Tabitha miniature sewing machine is a direct-drive hand-crank chain stitcher, made by Daniel Judson & Son Ltd of Southwark Street, London. Machines like this were intended as introductory tools, small, robust and simple to operate, yet capable of producing a real chain stitch on fabric.

British makers did not stop at a single design. Vulcan, for instance, produced a series of models, including the Minor, Junior, Senior and Countess, and a compact model often nicknamed the “Dumpy”. Unlike its two main UK competitors, Essex and Grain, Bird’s quickly developed the Vulcan range with a succession of new designs.

Decoration, Materials and Design

Even with the shared use of chain stitch, each manufacturer expressed itself through materials and styling. Early German toy sewing machines often used cast metal and later tinplate, blending solid construction with colourful decoration and lithographed detail. Their appearance reflects the strengths of German toy-making in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

British machines such as Vulcan, Essex and Grain were typically metal and hand-cranked, sometimes with distinctive paintwork or transfers. The Lead machine’s black gloss finish and small bentwood-style case give it the look of a scaled-down full-sized machine. The Peter Pan machines came in clearly identified models, and the Singer miniatures were produced over several decades with subtle changes in details such as the handwheel, base and finish.

On the electric side, the Bell Micro MB/102 stands out with its compact motor-driven design. Despite its small size (about 9" long by 7" high), it used standard 15x1 needles and small plastic bobbins and was sold as a serious, if lightweight, household machine.

Why Collectors Find These Machines So Appealing

Toy and miniature sewing machines attract collectors for a combination of reasons, all of which are illustrated by the machines covered on this site:

• History in small scale: Early German machines from the 1880s sit alongside mid-twentieth-century British Singer 20 clones like Essex and Grain, and post-war Japanese toys such as Lead.
• Mechanical interest: Chain stitch mechanisms, direct-drive hand cranks and compact electrics like the Bell Micro MB/102 show different ways of solving the same basic problem: how to sew in miniature.
• Design and decoration: From the bright finishes and varied models of Vulcan to the classic lines of the Singer miniatures and the distinctive cases of Peter Pan and Lead, each machine has its own visual appeal.
• Rarity: Some machines, such as the Astor Singer 20 clone, are among the rarest British miniature machines and are highly prized in specialist collections.

Needles

For a more comprehensive list of Toy Sewing Machines (TSM’s) and their needles, please visit the TSM Needle page.