I was lucky enough to watch my mom use her treadle machine, and then years later, saw my daddy buy her the exquisite machine she still has. Se made all our clothes, took us to the local JCPenneys store to pick out materials and patterns.
The one tip I totally remember we when I took some great caramel colored corduroy material to make a pair of hip huggers....yes back in the day! she explained about the nap of the fabric and to make sure I told my teacher it wa corduroy. I told my teacher but she guided me to cut the pattern incorrectly......lesson learned!
Momma has dementia now and has not used her machine, but I love her so much. I take care of her during the weekends nd make sure she always has a smile on her face.