I finally found a good treadle sewing machine this week. Treadles, in addition to not using electricity, are a good choice for any heavy sewing because you cannot burn out the motor!

I have had good luck finding treadles in the kind of appliance fix-it stores that also do lamps and vacuum cleaners. If you find a treadle machine at an antique store or sale, most of these appliance repair folks still know how to service and repair them, and have spare parts on hand! It is also possible to find a treadle base, and an old machine that can be converted back to treadle and recombine them.

One limiting factor in selecting the machine is the kind of bobbin it uses. Older machines use shuttle type bobbins which are hard to find if your machine does not have one. I opted for a newer machine which uses the standard round metal bobbin which is much more replaceable. I wanted the convenience of having several bobbins with different color thread. The older shuttle bobbins work fine, they are just hard to get.

If you want to buy a treadle, take the time to go an appliance store and talk to the technician there. There are very small machines that cannot do any heavy work, and very big ones that are suitable for manufactoring. Talk with the guy to determine if the 12", 14" or whatever model is good for you, and then only buy that one. Even if the store does not have a connected treadle machine, they will usually have any number of old electric machines, and can show you which size will do what you want.

We have made the decision to go more and more off the grid y2k or no y2k, so this is a good tool for me. If you do any heavy sewing such as tents, canvas, sails, wool coats and such, a treadle may be just the ticket. Attachment for zipper,. zig-zag, buttonholes etc. often come with or are easily available new.

-- seraphima (seraphima@aol.com), October 21, 1999