The most comfortable and effective position for treadling is with the ball of the left foot upon the upper left corner of the treadle and the heel of the right foot on the lower right corner. Treadling in this position takes very much less effort than when the feet are placed in any other position.
Having your feet side-by-side as in this picture is easier at first, but quickly very tiring.
Start your practice session by removing the thread from the machine, removing the bobbin, and disconnecting the belt from the wheel. Move the presser bar to the up position.
Practice treadling smoothly with your feet, back and forth, until you can do it without looking at your feet.
Now, re-connect the belt. Undo the clutch on the handwheel. Pull the handwheel towards yourself and start to treadle with your feet. Your goal is smoothness and rhythm to your movements.
If you loose your rhythm, stop the handwheel with your hand and then pull the handwheel towards you and start to treadle again with your feet. Practice treadling for a few minutes. Practice starting and stopping.
Now tighten the clutch so that the needle moves up and down and practice treadling as before. Next try feeding fabric under the lowered presser foot and treadling. Practice starting and stopping and sewing in a straight line.
After you are comfortable with treadling, now you can thread the machine and put in the bobbin. Feed fabric under the presser foot and practice, practice, practice treadling. The faster you pump, the faster the machine runs. Use your hand to brake or slow down or stop the machine. Stop pedaling to stop sewing.
Be sure to thread your machine following the guide in your manual. Many problems with a machine can be resolved by simply threading it correctly. Make sure that the bobbin is wound and loaded correctly too.
Adjust the tension until the stitches look even. The top tension needs to be adjusted depending on the fabric you’re using. The bobbin or bottom tension needs to be adjusted by hanging the bobbin or shuttle by its thread and jerking it upward. The bobbin should drop slightly. If it drops too far, tighten it. If it doesn’t drop, loosen it. After the bobbin is correctly adjusted, you shouldn’t need to ever change it.
It’s time to start sewing! Do you have your first project ready to go?
Next, click on the tab above for “4. Maintain Your Machine”
Singer Treadle Sewing Machines 