Welcome to Treadle On

A Guide to the Mores and Customs of Treadleonia

Hello,

Welcome to the Treadle On list. Please take a moment to review this message. It's probably the longest introduction to a list on the internet, but we are a very complex community.

The purpose of this list is to promote the actual use of, as opposed to the collecting of, treadle and hand crank sewing machines. The emphasis is on the "people powered" aspect, rather than just age, and some members are using treadles of current manufacture. There are two other lists, Featherweight Fanatics and International Sewing Machine Collectors Society, that specialize in the collecting of machines. We recommend both very highly. If your interest is in collecting, or in electric machines, give them a try.

This list is very active, with a wide variety of projects going on most of the time. It is a very casual list, not overly hung up about off topic subjects within reason, and encourages comradery among those sharing an interest in sewing with these machines as much as the actual exchange of information.

Treadle On's list owner/founder is Dick Wightman, better known as "Captain Dick" or "The Captain". The title comes from a lifetime involvement with boats and a career as an entertainer, using the stage name "Captain Dick". The
Captain is now semi-retired, but still doing a few shows as "Doc Wightman".

Treadle On was founded in the full response format, i.e. all messages going to all subscribers immediately. This is both it's blessing and it's burden... responses
are immediate for full response members and there is a quick, chatty feeling to the list. The original Treadleonians have come to treasure this feeling and we will continue to operate based on this format. However, we understand that there is a lot of traffic, too much for many people. You can subscribe to the digest mode, but be aware it will be providing you with very full slate of messages. Many of our members have found they actually prefer using the full response format, assisted by the use of mail filters. Properly used, this can be a faster and easier way to handle traffic than a digest, but we leave that up to you. We would also ask that you use the "Suspend Delivery" feature that Quiltropolis offers when you go on vacation. Treadle On can fill up a mailbox pretty fast.

Treadle On has a home page at www.treadleon.net. This used to be Captain Dick's personal home page, as well, but became too large and too active to serve two purposes. The Captain now has a personal web site at: www.docwightman.com.

Treadle On "exists" in an imaginary realm called "Treadleonia", in which the subscribers, known as Treadleonians (or Treadle Onions) reside.

A visit to the web site (it's huge) will provide a tremendous amount of Information about the list and it's projects as well as about finding, selecting and restoring treadle and hand crank machines in general. You will not get full benefit out of Treadle On unless you are familiar with the web site. You will find it helpful to visit The University of Treadleonia, especially, as there is a Lexicon, or dictionary, there covering the acronyms and special language that Treadle On (TO) has developed.

Treadle On has it's own unique sense of the absurd... For a while we even had our own continuing soap opera, "Romance in the Afternoon", or "Lust in the Rust", in which all of the characters were sewing machines. It cannot be explained, you had to be there. In any event, some interesting and unusual things can occur in Treadleonia.

Aside from the machines themselves, the list seems to feature quilting, but includes garment and teddy bear sewing, or any aspect of machine use with the older designs. It is for young and old, from ages 9 to 90, for beginner or expert. This group encourages anything involved in sewing, the sharing of inspirational stories/quotes, jokes, recipes, personal experiences, etc., prayer requests, block or fabric swaps, the posting of interesting web sites you've visited that others might enjoy. Post quilting tips, ask any questions you think of.

One of our Prime Directives is: "The only dumb question is the one unasked."

Introduce yourself, and let us know something about you. What's your all time favorite sewing machine, quilt block or fabric print? What makes you laugh or cry? What's your favorite recipe? Ask questions, and share your knowledge!

Cross-posting to other groups is fine. You can cc to the other lists. It's a great way to let others know there are other lists out there for them to join too!

USING OTHERS EMAIL ADDRESSES WITHOUT PERMISSION FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN THIS LIST, IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

NO FLAMING, No arguments. That is THE Prime Directive! The List Master, who is getting crotchety in his old age, will not hesitate to remove violators from the list. We have a very mixed community. Every range of political, religious and social opinion is represented. The commonality is our interest in old sewing machines, and we stick to that. THE ONLY APPROPRAITE RESPONSE TO A POST YOU OBJECT TO IS NO REPSONSE AT ALL. If you must comment, do so directly and off list, but think about it for awhile first a month would be good.

Keep your postings friendly and welcoming. Do NOT post a personal requirement for everyone else to follow. You may suggest ways to make this group more fun/friendly for all, but you may not order it. This is a community, and
we're neighbors. Treat others with respect, and DON'T POST ANYTHING THAT YOU YOURSELF WOULDN'T LIKE TO RECEIVE. Don't post anything that you wouldn't want to share with your child, your mother or, if you attend church, your pastor/priest. Here again, your List Master comes from a boating background, and will insist on running a tight ship!

If you dislike/are tired of a subject, either delete it, or ignore it & scroll on past. The list doesn't want to hear about it. If you "have" to complain, do so to me. As noted, we don't get too hung up about off topic stuff, but if it goes on too long, I will step in and just say, "Hey, we've beat this to death, let's get back on topic."

Do not post ANY virus warnings. 99.99% of them are bogus. If you really feel that its important, send the warning to me. If I agree, I'll post it.

Remember that everyone's human, everyone will make mistakes, and everyone has had need of forgiveness at one time or another. Apply when/where needed. Son't beat people up when they make a mistake. Ask yourself, "Will the world really end because of this?"

NO chain mail. NO "pyramid" schemes. Do not post these to the list. They are illegal.

NO commercial advertising. We do have a Flea Market, posted weekly, which will accept listings of sewing related items for sale, or wants/needs re parts or equipment.

Re auction sites The List Owner feels that it is not appropriate that Treadle On serve as an advertising base for auction sites. Please do not post notices that you have listed something on an auction site, or notices that you have spotted some desirable item on a current auction listing. If you have something for sale and want to bring it to the attention of the group, use the Flea Market, but it must have an established price. If you spot something interesting on an auction site, keep it to yourself until after the auction closes. Many Treadleonians expend great effort in carefully watching the auction sites. One or more of them may well have spotted the item as well and be hoping to win it. An open notice such as "Hey, everyone, look at this!" attracts additional attention to the item and raises the price, sometimes putting it out of the reach of someone who really wanted it.

Post all replies to treadleon@quiltropolis.net or treadleon@qtrop.net Let the subject line reflect the nature of your reply. And when you do post, please don't copy the entire previous messages. Those who are on digest version will bless you for remembering!

Please avoid "yes, me too" and "I agree" type messages unless a survey is being taken or you have something substantive to add.

Learn to "bunch" responses when there is a long list of posts... i.e. start a response message, begin each section with "Mary... re ______" and respond...
You can respond to a whole slew of posts with one.

Send your posts in Plain Text. Do not post jpegs, other graphics, or html code
to the list. Avoid color backgrounds, sound, etc in posts. With nearly 1000 members, even a few of these large files can choke the list.

We would ask that if possible you use a signature line that includes your email address and your location (city and state is adequate). Our list format sends all reply button messages back to the list, so having your address at the bottom makes it easy for others to respond to you direct. Having your location tells people where you are, which can be useful if you ask for help or post about finding a machine available somewhere... folks can tell if you are within driving distance of them.

Please welcome others to the list.

Please post your replies to any questions (unless personal) to the list, so we all may learn.

Please let your friends know about our group, and how/where to sign up. We'd love to have them, too!

To unsubscribe from this list, simply follow the instructions that are provided at the bottom of each post.

ADMINISTRATION OF TREADLE ON ­ Treadle On is a privately owned list. The List Master is personally responsible for it. It is a non-charge list. There is no subscription fee. It is supported, and the Owner is to a degree reimbursed for his efforts, by the sale of Treadle On publications on which he holds the copyright and by raffles held at Treadle On gatherings. As it has gotten so very much larger than ever anticipated, volunteers have taken over and helped in various capacities. We now have Coordinators for some activities. These may change from time to time. Being of mature years, the List Owner has recently also established a "Board" consisting of three subscribers who have agreed to serve. Responsibility for the list continues to rest with the List Owner. However, the Board is intended to serve as a conscience or quide for him, and may pick up some slack on helping new members or guiding the group. Their primary reason for being there is in case of the List Owner becomes incapacitated or croaks. They will have the passwords and ability to continue to administer the list and deal with the list server so that the list doesn't disappear along with the owner.

Thanks,
Captain Dick... List Master/Owner

To send a posting to the Treadle On list address it to:
treadleon@quiltropolis.com or treadleon@qtrop.net

Quiltropolis web interface address:

http://lyris.quiltropolis.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=treadleon

FYI - some common requests for the list server are listed below:

To stop receiving messages from the treadle On list you will need to send
a message to the list manager at:
treadleon-leave@lyris.quiltropolis.com

For example:

--------------------------------------------------------------
From: Beth Ober <betho@quiltropolis.com>
To: treadleon-leave@lyris.quiltropolis.com
Subject: <not needed>

--------------------------------------------------------------

Requesting digests
==================

Instead of getting each message from the list separately, you may ask
the list server to send you a compendium of all the messages that were
sent that day. To do this, send a message to the list server at:
lyris@lyris.quiltropolis.com with the command "set treadleon
DIGEST".

For example:

--------------------------------------------------------------
From: Beth Ober <betho@quiltropolis.com>
To: lyris@lyris.quiltropolis.com
Subject: <not needed>

set treadleon digest
--------------------------------------------------------------

Requesting Files and Archives
=============================
You can search the archives from the web interface at:
http://lyris.quiltropolis.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=treadleon

Where to report problems
========================
Should you still have any problems or questions, please email
support@quiltropolis.com who will be happy to help.