I do most of my sewing with a Pfaff Varimatic (not vintage, though discontinued) and occasionally a Juki serger (also not vintage and now discontinued). But I own a lovely, lovely Featherweight and a Singer 27K/28K treadle. The Featherweight works fine for piecing, but lacks the oomph to sew heavier apparel fabric. The treadle is also a beautiful machine in a gorgeous quarter sawn oak cabinet and I keep meaning to get it brought up to working condition. I know a shop that could do it, but it's just so heavy to lift that I keep putting it off. However, after reading this thread, I moved my treadle out of the south facing window where it has been for the past couple of years! My final machine is a Singer 401 from the early 1960's. I bought it for one of my daughters but she never took it out of her car. After driving around with it for a year, the tension mechanism broke (surprise). I have it at the shop while a new part is located -- possibly made new. I told her that if she ever decides she wants it back, and I still have it, it's hers. Until then, it will be mine. She really doesn't have any interest in sewing. This was me pushing her, so I'm just as well pleased to get it back. It's a good machine. If I got a chance to find a Bernina 1008 at a good price, I would jump on it, too. My taste is decidedly for fine quality mechanical machines, preferably metal not plastic. If I ever decided to get an embroidery machine, I would get a dedicated machine, not a general purpose one that also did embroidery. Rosefolly

I made a knit outfit on an old White rotary with no reverse so I know it's possible with a treadle. Don't stretch the fabric..period. The key is a ball point needle, lighten the presser foot pressure a bit, use about a 3 length or bit shorter for stitch length and pin as needed...treadles sew over dressmaker pins like troupers.

You might want to join the vintage singer forum on yahoo I would give you the link but the garden web won't let me. They know all there is to know about old machines. I don't think that it is supposed to go in reverse after it sews a few forward stitches. Colleen

Aloha Lamguy, What a sweetie you are to buy a treadle for your wife even if you don't see exactly what she would want it for! Consider it sort of the same as using hand tools to do woodworking. As a craft, woodworking or sewing with handtools has a nicer "feel" to it. I use a treadle for many of my sewing projects because it is a much more controlled machine than the electric ones. It also makes a better stitch and I find the treadle action to be soothing. I also use hand planes to finish wood and my husband doesn't understand that either. He did buy me a nice double action air sander - with an air compressor, too - which I'll use for the rough sanding, but will probably use the planes for the final finish for the flat areas. ( I'll do that when he isn't looking.) My newest treadle showed up last week, a White rotary probably made in the late 1800's. It is in real good condition with a fancy cabinet, but does have a few issues here and there. I've been doing a bit of restoration to the cabinet and it looks like the original finish is shellac. If the finish on your wife's "new" sewing machine is also shellac, it is an easy finish to renew. I've been using very fine steel wool moistened with a teeny bit of soapy water to clear off the accumulation of old wax and polishes. (Probably more elbow grease than water.) After getting the old stuff off, I'll just put another light top coat of new shellac on it using the "French polishing" method. One of the darker shellacs, probably either seedlac or garnet shellac. Very easy and will hopefully be the same as the original finish. The other way this is an easy finish is that it is renewing the existing finish and not entirely refinishing it. Much less work and then I'll be able to start sewing sooner. A hui hou, Cathy