Thanks for all of the great tips everyone! I grew up sewing on a Singer 15 model and I do love my Slant-O-Matic so dearly. Perhaps, for nostalgia sake, I'll look into a Singer 15. The 301 has always caught my eye too. There there's the treadle...hummm...
I do have Leah Day's CD. It's good and she does claim that you don't even have to drop the feed dogs (and I don't, obviously.) I'm still have a lot of trouble though. Maybe it's not in the machine, but in practice makes perfect.
~ Cindy