During the hand crank demonstration we chatted with many folks. Some had never sewn. Some had never seen hand cranks. The most interesting remark was from the lady who said her high school home economics class only had one electric sewing machine in the 1960s. It was reserved for senior students. Beginners learned on treadle machines!
My first thought was, "Wow, was that a poor school district?" Second thought was, "What a savvy teacher. She knew beginners were intimidated by the speed of electric machines so she eliminated the problem."
I have my own intimidation from treadle machines (I always get my feet out of sync and break the thread by going backwards). Hm... HAND CRANKS would be even better beginner machines.
