Treadle sewing machine

[freemotion]

I wore out my nice Kenmore after 20-something years of hard use, and got a cheaper $150 machine, a Brother, and I hate it. It is impossible to get the tension right. I am supposed to be making some sheer curtains for my mom and I haven't even started because I just KNOW it will ruin them! I will likely sew miles of hem by hand. Ick.

So how does the treadle machine do with modern fabrics? Silkies, sheers, heavy denims, etc? Or is is basically for shirt-weight cottons? I see these machines on CL all the time and drool over them.

I don't sew as much as I used to, since getting quality fabric is fairly impossible and by the time you pay for everything, you could buy the item for a fraction of the cost. But I still make lots of household stuff like draperies, napkins, quilts, and of course, dog and baby goat coats! I will be making a bunch of grocery bags this fall, too, since the store ones fall apart so quickly. How green is that?

How would a treadle machine do with homemade feminine supplies?

 

[Old Sew'n'Sew]

I don't know about silks and such but my DD uses an old Franklin (Sears & Roebuck) treadle machine to make mohair teddy bears. Very heavy material!

 

[ORChick]

I finally found a few minutes today to clean up the machine, and oil it. I wanted something easy and unimportant for my first go, so pulled some flannel from my material stash, and cut it into appropriate sized squares for "family cloths", something I have been wanting to do for awhile now. It took a few minutes to get the hang of the treadle mechanism, but once I did I found that I couldn't do it the wrong way even when I tried; my feet did the correct thing automatically! The first seam was rather ragged, but a change in tension (easier done than on my "modern" machine) fixed that. Most of my sewing these days is household stuff, cushion covers, curtains, aprons, and the like; this machine seems ideal for such things. An added bonus is that, as I am a nightowl and my DH is not, I may be able to do some sewing in the middle of the night (when I am awake) as the machine is relatively quiet. All in all, I am quite pleased with my new/old machine.

 

[Old Sew'n'Sew]

 

[freemotion]

ORChick, how's it going with the treadle machine? I just answered a craigslist ad (for the bazillionth time!) and this one sounds promising....I may get my old machine after all! I won't have time to go take a look for a couple of weeks as it is an hour's drive one way, and that amount of time needs to be planned well in advance....but she has 60 old machines! She gets them free and re-conditions them as a hobby, and her family won't let her get any more until she sells a few, so she is motivated!

We spoke on the phone yesterday and I am so anxious to go look!

Anyone else use an old machine? I may look at one that can be used as an electric machine or a treadle, with a treadle base.

I still haven't made those curtains... :/

 

[ORChick]

Free, thanks for asking . I've done a few little projects with it - still mostly straight seams. Given the state of my sewing table right now (where the electric machine lives) - cleaning and organizing my sewing room is on the calendar for January - any little sewing project is getting done with the treadle. I enjoy sewing with it; there is a nice Zen like feeling as you rock back and forth on the treadle
What fun that you will have a choice out of many! I have a couple of sites bookmarked having to do with old machines, mostly Singer as that is what I have. Let me know and I'll post them. I found a facsimile of the owner's manual for my machine, which was great, especially the first time I tried to thread it, or for oiling it. I was also able to find out what model machine I have (not straightforward with Singer machines.) There are even places where I could buy replacement parts for my 1906 machine; don't know how easy that would be for a non-Singer machine though. That was actually my main thought as I was choosing between the Singer, a White, and a couple of others - could I find replacement pieces if necessary. I thought, correctly, that for a Singer there wouldn't be much problem.

 

[Farmfresh]

I have been wanting to fire up my old treadle. I found a new belt for it a while back, but just haven't taken the time to work on it. This machine has a bobbin case that looks like a bullet or something. Any idea on where to find more bobbins for it?

 

[ORChick]

I have been wanting to fire up my old treadle. I found a new belt for it a while back, but just haven't taken the time to work on it. This machine has a bobbin case that looks like a bullet or something. Any idea on where to find more bobbins for it?

My "new" old machine has the same bobbin case. I found this site while researching my machine, it should have what you need - http://www.a1sewingmachine.com/parts.html

 

[freemotion]

One of my first requirements (since it looks like I'll have a choice ) is that it be a model that has easily found bobbins and needles.

We are about to have our first blizzard of the season and I'm happy for our new wood stove and I wish I had my treadle right now! I'd be arranging my projects, hoping for a power outage!

Of course, I still have piles of handwashing, hand mending, and all that fleece to deal with, so I have no reason to already be wishing for the treadle! It's not like I'll have nothing to do!

 

[Denim Deb]

I have an old treadle machine. But, I don't know what kind of condition it's in. I got it when my grandmother died. I'd love to be able to have it set up, but don't have the room right now.