The Tailor Bird Sewing Machine Company Ltd, was formed by March 1949 when it was advertising for staff at its premises at Richborough Hall, Ramsgate Road, Sandwich, Kent. It ceased production by May 1952 with some 40,000 machines having been produced.
The machine used a walking foot combined with the presser bar under the patent of Hedley Roy Paine and the patent no's for Great Britain 425315, Canada 411787 and the USA 2033294 are stamped on the face plate of the machine.
The body was pressed steel rather than cast iron and it weighed just 13 lbs. The Tailor Bird appears to have been designed as a truly compact, light weight, portable machine, ingeniously folding in/out of its case. However it received much bad publicity and was not particularly successful despite being guaranteed for 5 years.
The company redesigned the case in 1952 so the machine folded into one half of of it and minor modifications were also made to the machine including a revised bobbin winder, shuttle and bobbin. The arm of the hand crank was also changed and a flip down maginfying glass was added presumably to assist threading. This model was designated the PH2.
See also Universal Sewing Machines Ltd
Tailor Bird: Serial No. 8115.
This machine was made around 1951 and has the company's Trade Mark on the pillar - a Tailor Bird stitching its nest.
Rather than heavy metal gears the detachable cast aluminium hand crank turns a rubber belt.
A small shuttle and the bobbin is used which is unique with a hollow centre so it slides over the bobbin winder and a screw thread which is driven against the lower pully when winding thread.
This series of photographs shows the ingenious way it folds out of its case which also acts as a work table
Tailor Bird: Serial No. 26255.
Also available in cream !
