Bungalow, quilts made on vintage machines look just like any other quilt made by machine :)
And quilters started quilting by machine as soon as they got them. I've seen many quilts from the 1800's machine quilted.

What I'd like to see is a open sew where members would bring their vintage machines for the day. If that was where someone who was well versed in the finding cleaning care of the machines gave the talk members could come for that and then go on about their business while the rest had a sew in. If you take the head out of a treadle body they aren't that hard to bring in.
I would guess that those drawn in by the talk, then seeing machines in action, would tear home via thrift stores and pull up craigslist. It is addictive.

Ask next meeting how many use vintage machines
Ask how many have one of these machines in the back of closets, or working as a side table.
Then you'll know whether there is interest. The specialist could identify and give an eyeball idea of age (like the 15's made in Japan after WWII) and so on.
Where are you at? I want to come :)

or at least have a vintage machine sew in during the next quilt show. Too fun!

Yes...and have!
sandy

I would enjoy it especially if they included hints on care and maintainance of the machines. How many members of your guild use vintage machines for their quilting?

I personally would love a speaker on vintage machines. Not everyone is going to be into every topic. For instance, I could care less about machine embroidery although it seems to be all the rage right now. I would pass on a machine embroidery talk. I don't think you are going to find one topic that will appeal to everyone, so why not mix it up? If, say, half of your members were interested, I'd go for it.

I agree... they look the same. In fact, there is a thread on quilts made on vintage machines here on the board. Take a look. They look like any other quilts:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...s-t134918.html

Sometime last year I brought a Singer single thread embroidery attachment to a guild meeting and passed it around with some small pieces of paper and a piggy bank type can. I challenged them to a "gizmo guess" of the attachment. Most people took a shot at it and tried for the small prize.

The result of that was that the program leader asked me a week ago to do a program on "vintage attachments" sometime during 2017. I told her that I didn't know enough about them and that the interest might be quite limited. I did, however, say that I would do a program on Featherweights, since there are some members who have them.

I don't know how well it will go over, but I plan to have FW machines set up from the various eras, and at least one where people can try it out during the break and after the program. I think there are many people who have heard people talk about FW's, have seen them, and might like the experience of actually sewing on one.

Our guild has a variety of programs, and people not interested in the topic leave after the business meeting, show and tell, and the social break. I would say that 75% stay for the program, but it is not the same 75% each time.

I would definitely go. I love anything vintage, so vintage sewing machines have always been interesting to me. I don't own any (yet!) but my DH has promised me a treadle when we get a bigger house. :)

I'm in education so I might look at it a little differently, but I think it's valuable to have an understanding of others' related interests within a group one chooses to be a part of that connects to the common interest of the group, which is quilting. I don't collect or use vintage machines, but I would want to have a basic understanding to be able to ask intelligent questions of my fellow guild members who do.

I think it would be a good thing to offer. As noted by others, not every speaker is going to be interesting to every member every time.
I find that I try to go to the speaker portion with an open mind. I've had ones I thought would be interesting that weren't and others that I went only "because" and I found them fascinating.
You never know what will appeal, and if the speaker is good at presenting to a varied audience, they will find a path that has some appeal, at least part of the time, to everyone.

That's some great ideas, KalamaQuilts!! And you're right, the vintage machines ARE addictive!! I KNOW that if my guild had a "sew in" with a knowledgeable speaker teaching about the care, maintenance and perhaps even restoration of the vintage machines, I would be impatiently waiting at the door before the meeting even started!!

For the OP, perhaps even a discussion about the vintage TOY machines? Now THAT'S an IMMEDIATE addiction (ask me how I know!!)