my earliest memories are quite scattered. i remember a plastic donald duck doll, and i can still smell it and taste it. i believe that was 60 yrs ago, i was 2. then i remember a dark vial of beads my babysitter gave me. i dropped it and beads went everywhere. i recall picking them out of a dark braided rug that we had for years and years. we moved alot and that rug moved with us. i recall literally sitting at my mother's feet while she sewed on the featherweight and i cut and draped 'clothes' on my dolls. i would sew them by hand. i was about 5 when mom let me use the machine. can't tell you how many garments were sewn on that machine. i had 2 sisters and all 4 of us made most of our own clothes on the featherweight. i inherited my dgm's treadle machine and made one simple dress on it, and my hat's off to those of you who sew quilts on a treadle! my co-ordination just isn't that good!