lady in russia
when I was in St Petersburg Russia I stayed with a lady who had 2 sewing machines - a new electric and a handcrank. She didn't like the electric. Here she is hemming a sheet. She could sew as fast as an electric. Said it sewed straight stitches. Her mother had owned it as a treadle before WW2 and they managed to keep it safe all during the 3 year seige of Stallingrad. Shehad it modified into a handcrank because it was easier to use.