Going Green With a Treadle Sewing Machine

Any time anyone asks me what type of sewing machine they should buy in order to get started sewing, I can’t resist giving my speech about how you don’t need a machine to sew.

People made clothes long before the sewing machine was invented. Some stitches you can’t even do by machine, and in fact high-end couture pieces are still done by hand in order to achieve the highest quality workmanship.

Plus, when it comes to designing and making clothes, there’s more to it than just connecting pieces of fabric using a needle and thread—whether sewing by machine or hand, you still have to figure out what fabric to use, and how to lay, cut out and assemble the pieces before you get to stitching.

Having said all that, a sewing machine is very useful, because it makes the stitching itself go a heck of a lot faster.

I find it difficult, though, to give a straight answer to the question of what sewing machine you should buy because it really depends on your personal preference. Buying a sewing machine is like buying a computer, or a car, or a camera—each one has the same basic functions but different special features, and there can be a large price range depending on how fancy you want to get.

Personally, I like treadle machines the best—the kind that use a foot pedal to run rather than electricity--which is why I use them in my studio.

Read more of Sarah's Local Voice Blog post on Patch and other local voices in education, gardening, adopting pets and more.