I treadle with my feet together. After picking up the treadle with the "feet" as the treadle pedal, I learned to treadle with feet together. If the treadle treadles smoothly then there is very little work done to tire one out. I would always get a workout on the Singer 328k in treadle since it was poorly designed to be treadled.

After watching this video, I now have a better appreciation of the very old lace work since most were done on treadles.

Phyllis, your towels are very nicely done.

Nancy there was no tear away when I made these. I drew the pattern on tissue paper
Then stitched an outline. It is on velour rowels [well worn]. It is a build up of thread lot of alone. Some older artist would put cording down and cover it with thread.

I have never seen a Hilton before.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/clt/3130421805.html
[ATTACH=CONFIG]348068[/ATTACH]

I have had an exciting day of playing with sewing machines. I joined the old pfaff group at yahoo and got a copy of the stitch wheel, and finally did some embroidery stitches with my Pfaff 230. What an amazing machine. I had only fiddled with it enough to figure out how to straight stitch and zig zag with it, and do the fmq. It is hard to believe that a machine older than me can do all those stitches, and have so many options about spacing and width and such. I am going to make myself a top, and put several rows of stitching around the neck and hem lines in the matching thread to add some texture. In my mind it will be pretty. In real life, we will see.

I also downloaded the book to the Lady Kenmore 89 and learned how to use it better. I read that it is a Pfaff in disguise, and it is smooth as silk. The embroidery stitches built into it are pretty too. Not as many, but easier to do. Very nice machine.

I had seen a Kenmore 158.121280 in a yard sale, marked $5, and asked about it(thinking foot control $30, tension $13, spool pin $3) and said I would check back, and lo and behold yesterday the lady called and said I could just have it, because it "wouldn't sew." After I degunked it, and loosened the bobbin tension, it sews great. It only does straight stitch and zigzag, but I will use it as a loaner, should the occasion arise.

Over the weekend, I spotted a Kenmore that takes the cams that I already have, but the store was closed. The machine has been there for a couple of years, so I am going to check it out this weekend. It has some cute cams, the flower, tree, two different fish, a chicken and a swan. I hope they are willing to get right with the price.

I actually made three nap quilts this past week, the two red/white/blue, and a green and brown, with some pine cone fabric, for my dear husband, who tolerates a lot of sewing machines and sewing messes that get scattered.

Yall have found some neat machines on here and have made me sewing machine crazy again. That dang 201 is still available, too, so I may see if the price is better this week. LOL

[ATTACH=CONFIG]348074[/ATTACH]Moving this over from another thread...advice from there "Get an old but clean mascara brush and check first for clogged up stuff - lint, broken needles, dried up grease and oil, etc. Get some Triflow oil - put one drop on anything that remotely moves. Jiggle it as you oil. Muv has a great video on the sticky: HOW TO CLEAN UP and use a vintage sewing machine - videos by Muv and Fav Her tutorial should be enough to get that machine serviced. That machine's exterior looks to be in good shape, you do not need Glenn's tutorial. Your machine looks like it runs on a treadle. Some of those machine's also have a little wheel to drive the balance wheel. Sometimes those get a flat spot or die. It looks like it needs a bobbin winder tire. This can further be discussed here: Vintage Sewing Machine Shop.....Come on in and sit a spell which is also on the sticky. "


It does run on treadle. The treadle moves VERY smoothly. When I disengage the hand wheel, it moves very smoothly, but engaged, it won't budge. I've been looking for the reason and I'm thinking that one of the gears won't move. Needle is stuck in the down position and bobbin case won't move either. I've oiled everything, let it sit over night. Still stuck. Still looking.

A lot of patience, either triflow or sewing machine oil and a hair dryer. Hmm, that hair dryer suggestion does not sound patient.

Sounds like you can not turn the machine by hand at all. Try taking the needle out - take out the bobbin. What have you already done to the machine? Did you use sewing machine oil or Triflow to oil it? Did you open up the bottom of the machine and oil down there? Did you open up any access holes to the top and end? Pay special attention to the parts that look like wrenches or forks - if those gunk up there is no moving. How much dried up oil can you see inside the machine? I like the Triflow because it will loosen up the old dried oil. It is not the oil that you can see that will gunk it up. It is the oil dried in the cracks between moving parts - sticks like cement. Heat will help some, too. I like to oil a drop and then attempt to rock the machine just a little any movement that will get the Triflow into the cracks will help. You need to oil all of the potentially moving places - look at another machine as you go if necessary. I also turn machines upside down and on end to the get the oil to go into the cracks.

Yes, the combination of CLEANING that bobbin area (recently, I removed over a tablespoon of chunky gunk from a bulking New Home) oil, movement and heat can make a huge difference. Sometimes PBlaster (spray penetrating oil) has its place.

Instead of insisting something move, PBlaster and an hour of soaking in the sun can keep metal from being bent. Yes! After applying oil turn it all around! Gravity can be quite handy.

I have a neighbor who has a Minnesota A that belonged to his Grandma. It was given to her as a wedding present in 1908. Do any of you know a site were I can download a free manual for him. He wants to give this to his granddaughter. Thank guys. Skip

When I say rock it I don't ever force it - you can very gently attempt to jiggle it - it seems like the slightest jiggling can get a bit of oil down those cracks. I had an old Singer 185 I was attempting to dis-assemble for a part. There was a set screw in it with only half the head. This machine was stuck up like glue. I dropped just a drop of oil down in there and then jiggled the part. Then I left it in a position that the oil could maybe go down into the screw. The next day my son and my husband were talking about my broken screw and my son wanted to look at it. He picked up a pair of long nose pliers and turned it right out.