Darn Treadle Machine
I want to do some mending with my MUTT (Multi-Use Traveling Treadle) that can house a variety of machine heads as needed. I’ve gotten spoiled using an electric Singer 834 Stylist freearm for my mending (I’ve only done denim jeans so far), mainly so I don’t have to “puddle” my mending area quite as much as would be needed on a flatbed. My wife mends on a Singer 401A (flatbed) and can get as far down into pants legs as I can on my freearm, so I know I should be able to learn how to mend or darn on a flatbed treadle.
On my 834, I use a multi-zigzag stitch, zigzag foot, feeddogs up, and set my presser bar tension light so I can overcome the feed of the machine when I want to go against it. It makes it so that I can darn or fill a spot with stitches and not have to turn the garment some of the time, or I can even back up when the feed is set to go forward. This particular machine has one of those push-in reverse mechanisms on it that requires one hand to operate, so I just avoid using it for mending and keep both hands on my garment.
Those of you who mend, darn, or appliqué with a vintage treadle machine (where you’re guiding the stitch placement by moving the work), what machine do you use? And what type of foot do you use on it? I suppose FMQ on a treadle would be similar, but there you’re trying to maintain evenly spaced stitches in a large area, where I’m trying to fill a small area with stitches.
Anyone mend jeans on a treadle machine?
CD in Oklahoma