I have attempted this, and the only reason my quilt is not 'quite right' is because when I did it I had no idea how to quilt! I bought a pattern and some fabric and away I went.

I bet there are a few treadle quilters out there - how about giving us a few tips on techniques please?

Anyway, here is my treadle attempt. I completed most of the blocks on 2 treadles, but because of tension problems, I did a few on a featherweight. All vintage machines at least.

The design is callee Pleated Log Cabin. Here are the blocks, all rather wonky. I've not sewn them together because, at the time, I didn't know how to approach it :oops: Now I have a clue, I just haven't gotten around to it.

Goodness!!!
You did that on a treadle??? you will be getting a lot of responses, I am betting ...
that is one impressive quilt! <wave>

WOW!!! That is awesome :D:D:D
I love the focus fabrics that you have used!!!
That is some fancy treadle work :D:D:D

The blocks were made on these machines

WOW!... That is beautiful ... even if you think it's wonky... I hope you continue using the treadles for piecing... that's awesome work.. Congratulations

They are so beautiful!
I saw the other day where Janome is making a treadle machine ... I may have to research it - - it sounds practical and fun!
as far as quilting ... you have the piecing downpat ... are you considering doing free motion quilting? (difficult if you can't keep the feed dogs from interfering) or are you considering just straightline quilting?
Without knowing your level of experience, it is pretty hard to know where to start helping ... or are you actually just wanting input about the treadle part?

love your quilt! I have a treadle that belonged to my mom. That's what I learned to sew on when I was about 9 years old.

Your Quilt is "AWESOME"!! :thumbup: I love the black & white fabric, it is so unique. I am also tickeled that you sewed it on your treadle. I received a treadle for my Christmas this year & can't wait to sew a project on it. Thank you for the inspiration!!
I am so glad that you shared your quilt with all of us!!
:D :D :D :D

I really like your machines and I would think that these old machines would be great to quilt on since they have such a large harp area, unlike newer machines of today...get busy and put those blocks together into a usable quilt. They look fantastic and a great job!
Kirsten

Ditto that. Thats awesome.

Oh very nice! :)

Very nice. Now I feel quilty that I don't use my treadle so as soon as I can unbury it I must try using it. Thanks for the inspiration.

WOW!! That is beautiful!! I love your center square.
Several on here have treadle machines, and Lost51 and Genghis Kahn , both men, quilt on theirs. I have one also, but haven't goten up the nerve to use it yet! I am so impressed with what you have done, and your layout looks great!

oh my heavens. that is one gorgeous quilt :thumbup:

Wow!!! Great job!!

I have a treadle machine I bought sereral years ago..I bought it cause it reminded me of my grandmothers..I have not sewn on it but might give it a try?

Beautiful quilt - cant wait to get a treadle and use it.
Keep up the good work!

That is beautiful. I'm really impressed. Great job.

I Love It!!!!!!!!!!!

Love your blocks...quite a bit of WOW factor! I'm really anxious to hear which machine you most prefer and why? I've got a 27 and a 15 and a 66...I'm wondering which one I ought to work on first...they all need some TLC, but none are "frozen" so I'm sure there's hope for all...my handcrank taught me the value of deep cleaning, oiling, and patience! I love the old Singers...my FW is the only one I actually sew on now. Thanks for posting..great quilt and great topic!

Goodness ladies, thank you so much for your comments. Honestly, using a treadle, once you get the hang of the action, is not a lot different from an electric machine.

Also it's incredibly relaxing! If you have a treadle, give it a try. For piecing you don't need a lot of fancy do-dads, just a good straight stitch. The stitching these machines do is just beautiful.

omak - I would love to do FMQ on a treadle, but am not sure about the technique. I believe that you need to have a certain speed to FMQ successfully.

The feed dogs on some treadles drop, but not on mine. There is a way to cover them, but I'm not sure how. (hence the need for some help). The major problem I can foresee, is that the bobbins don't hold a lot of thread, and for the 27, I only have one tiny bobbin.

Hi bobbinwinder. I love, love, love the stitches from my 27, it is just gorgeous! It treadles with a cute clickity-click. It has a tiny shuttle bobbin, which is annoying, although bobbin winding on a treadle is fun. I don't think this old dear had been used for quilte a while before I got hold of it and I managed to stretch the belt to the point where I was hand cranking! It's awaiting a new belt.

I think, for practical reasons, I prefer the 15. It takes a regular 15x needle and uses a round bobbin which are pretty easy to find. The stitching is very nice but I did have a lot of tension problems with it. I could get it stitching well for a while, then the tension would come loose, creating birds nests.

I don't have a 66 (yet), so can't give an opinion. I did do one of the blocks on a hand crank, but went back to the treadles as I haven't quite got the knack of one-handed sewing yet.

FMQ with a treadle could be a challenge, but, if you can darn with it, then FMQ is an option.
However, I have tried covering feed dogs one time with a hint I had read somewhere -- tape a recipe card over the feed dogs, remove the foot ...
well, the card and tape interferes with the movement and dodging the needle without some sort of foot is a bit more dicey than my little heart cares to handle! <g>

Just had to tell you, I bought a Singer Treadle today - off Craig's List. It is a Singer 115 (about 1924 - 1930 I think).
It is a little stiff but everything works and it comes with it's original manual.

WAY TO GO! This is all so exciting!

Your quilt is lovely!!! Your machines are beautiful too. Great job!!

Excellent! Enjoy your machine.

I believe there is a specific feed dog cover you can buy. Also a darning or applique foot would be needed. Sadly, these are highly sort after by Featherweight owners (not sure why cause it would be difficult to FMQ on a FW) and the prices are sky high, if you can find one.

A treadle is definitely on my wish list...so is producing a stunning black and white quilt like yours. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous quilt (and machine) pics

Your quilt is beautiful and so is the machine.

:cry: Crying, pouting, and stomping feet because I really want a treadle :cry:

Oh my gosh.....I'm in love with your machines! They are just beautiful girls....they look to be in wonderful condition too! I don't have any older machines...no room for them, but I sure would love to someday!

Your quilt is fantastic! Is that embroidery in the center squares?? I love it!

Here I am LOL!!!

I love the quilt blocks and the black and white just stand out wonderfully.

Quilting on a treadle is a blast. To me it gives the quilt a certain personality and all the machines I ever use are treadled. I have a 24, a few 27's, a 66, and a Japanese 15. And you are dead on about the 27 and the soothing sounds it makes when it sews. I love a VS machine!!

Have you looked under your 15 and made sure you cant drop the fees dogs on it. It might have a knob under the bed that you loosen and the feed dogs drop, but depending on the year it was manufactured it might not have it.

Instead of spending the money on the darning plate just take a card and tape it over the feed dogs and you are FMQing!! FMQ on a treadle to me is easier than on an electric. It seems like you have more control over the stitches than with the electric type of machine.

Congratulations on using your machines for what they were intended for and doing such a wonderful job. You can even see the love in the quilt just from the photos of the blocks and you cant get that from an electric machine! :thumbup:

Billy

Looks Stunning to me!

Oh and here is my set up in case you have not seen it. I can change the plates out of the table and I can use different machines on the central treadle.

And here are a few of the machines in my arsenal......

Billy

I love your machines. Were they operational when you bought them or did you restore them?

Sorry....The question was for Blockhead and Billie

The Universal was just cleaned and oiled but the other two were completely gone through. Here is a link to some of my machines and things I have restored.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-28727-1.htm

I have several machines that I haven't started on and I bought out a lady whose GG Grandad owned a sewing machine dealership/repair shop from the late 1800's to the beginning of WW2. I just hope I can fit it all in my 40' enclosed trailer. Its a 11 hour drive one way so I really do not want to make a lot of trips LOL.

Oh and I would love to have Blockheads' Singer 15, I have always loved the Tiffany Gingerbread decals. I looked at one the other day but the decals were to far gone for what I wanted.

Billy

Cheers for a dramatic beautiful quilt. It is even more special that it was done on a Treadle. Terrific, great, wonderful.