Thread: How do you treadlers do it?

Originally Posted by pinkCastleDH

Joe, I finally have the tubing belt working on Colette. At first I was having terrible slippage problems but once I cleaned the track on the flywheel most of it went away. Then I shortened the belt a couple of times until it seems it finished its stretch in period.

While I was fighting with this thing last night, that is what I did. Cleaned the big wheel grove and the belt. Then shortened it.
Didn't seem to help any. I might just try cleaning it some more. That can't hurt. And I think I could shorten the belt a bit more too.

Joe

If I have a tricky part, I just use the hand wheel instead of treadling.

Originally Posted by J Miller

While I was fighting with this thing last night, that is what I did. Cleaned the big wheel grove and the belt. Then shortened it.

Joe, what did you clean it with? I think I ended up using alcohol and that stopped the slippage - I probably had some oil on there somewhere.

The leather belt will probably help you a lot. When you first get it, take an end in each hand and stretch it across your shoulders. If you stretch it enough, you probably won't have to adjust the belt for a good long while afterward.

Then, practice. A lot. Sew without thread or chain-piece blocks or whatever you want to do. After a couple of days, you'll be able to sew one stitch at a time using only the treadle.

The 66-1 has no reverse, so to strengthen the ends of seams, either turn them 180° and sew back for half an inch or (as my grandmother taught me) just pull on the fabric to slow the feed for the last half inch - this puts the stitches very close together.

Honest, you'll get the hang of treadling very soon with a little practice. I love using the treadle when I need to pay attention to where every stitch will go.

Or when the power goes out. Last time we lost power for a few hours, the other humanoids in the house were whiny and bored but I couldn't hear them - I sat and sewed with my iPod in, listening to old radio shows from the 30's & 40's.

Have fun with it and don't be discouraged - you feel like you have a couple of extra feet at first, but that goes away pretty fast.

Originally Posted by pinkCastleDH

Joe, what did you clean it with? I think I ended up using alcohol and that stopped the slippage - I probably had some oil on there somewhere.

Denatured alcohol. I used the last of my bottle on it.

Joe

thepolyparrot,

I'm not quite that much of a novice. I've been using treadles for a bit over a year now. So I've got the basics down. This one and the start, stop just got to me last night.

Joe

Linda, one of the things I usually do is watch carefully and as I come to the end of the seam, I'll reach over and grab the hand wheel and stop it before it goes too far.

Also when you start again, turn the hand wheel to get the machine going then take over with the treadle. Some of my machines I can start them by the pedal and they'll go the right direction. The one I was working with last night was being a cranky so and so and wanted to stall and turn backwards. So I ended up using the hand wheel a lot more than normal.

pinkcastleDH,
I haven't paid any attention to where the foot pedal is when I stop either. I'll pay more attention to it when next I use a treadle.

Joe

Linda,

I'm glad you didn't hear what I was saying last night. I'm glad my wife isn't timid cos I think I embarrassed myself.

Joe