I learned on my Gran's treadle Singer - all gold paint! Then when I was a student I lived in a house where there was an even more elaborately painted treadle Singer - I seem to remember a gold sphinx. So that machine was well used by me too.
I had 257 or 367, bought about 1970 and I donated it to Tools for Africa about 10 years ago. I remember threading it up was really fiddly and it so heavy.