Hello,
Welcome to the Treadle On list. The following message is long and a bit rambling.
Parts of it are repetitive, but please take a moment to review it. Review
it again periodically. It bears repeating.
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, and some members are using treadles
of current manufacture. There are other lists that specialize in electric
machines, the collecting of machines and/or in sewing machine repair. We recommend
that you look into them if you are interested in these specific areas.
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 comaradery 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". The title comes from a lifetime involvement with boats and a long career as an entertainer, using the stage name "Captain Dick". The Captain is now retired and spends most of his time herding cats. He is, in general, a mild mannered and mellow fellow, but... he is also known as "The Benevolent Despot". Treadleonia is not a democracy... if the cats get out of hand, The Captain may take away the sandbox...
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 learn to access the archives, how
to unsubscribe and re-subscribe and/or how to 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 home page
was originally based on a computer game in which all subscribers were inhabinatnts
of the imaginary reaml of Treadleonia. (The early subscribers were kind of
a zany group...). Anyway, you should visit the web site (allow an afternoon
or many visits...it's huge.) Learn the resources it offers in its many areas.
To learn about the history of Treadlonia, pay especial attention to Olde Treadleonia.
Your visit to the web site 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 find it helpful to review the project pages especially,
as Treadle On (TO) has developed something of a language of it's own in terms
of acronyms.
Treadle On has it's own unique sense of the absurd... For awhile we even had
our own continuing soap opera "Romance in the Afternoon",
in which all of the characters were sewing machines. It cannot be explained,
you had to be there. (The entire 18 months of scripts is available from Treadle
On Publications.) 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 quilty or involved in sewing, the
sharing of inspirational stories/quotes, jokes, recipes, personal experiences,
etc., prayer requests, block or fabric swaps, the postingof 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
list.(It's a great way to let others know there are other lists out there
for them to join too!)
Using others email addresses for anything other than this list,
is not acceptable.
NO FLAMING, No arguments. All posts should be positive in nature.
That is THE Prime Directive! The List Master, who is getting crotchety in
his old age,
will not hesitate to remove violaters from the list.
Treadle On Customs and Mores:
1. All messages must be in plain text. If your message is not in plain text,
Quiltropolis' filters will likely strip out the message and send a blank email.
(Note: this is good web manners anyway... non-plain text messages, i.e. those
with fancy fonts, graphics, backgrounds, etc, take up tremendously greater
band width and are, quite frankly, a pain in the patoot.)
2. Do not mention open auctions, or items available on online "buy/sell and trading sites", or announce that you are going to put something up for auction, etc.This is a rule that has caused us much trouble, Imagine a trout fisherman who has carefully and silently worked his way through the underbrush and is about to cast to a large trout laying under a log out in the stream... all of a sudden, a tourist charges through the brush yelling, "Oh, look at that big one out there!!! Are you going to try to catch him?!!" There are many trout fisherpersons on this list... don't be the tourist.
3. Any objections to anything personal should be handled personally, i.e. not on the list. This includes any disagreements between list members, between list members and sellers on other venues, etc. We want only positive and helpful vibes on list messages. Also, remember, as a rule, most email squabbles tend to be based on misunderstanding due to the medium... no tonal inflections, rapid communications (hitting "send" before thinking"), etc. Ignoring most things is usually the best answer. What you thought you read or inferred was probably not what the sender meant, or how they meant it.
4. Avoid repeating whole messages with your response. Most mail programs have an option that automatically strips the previous message. If you need to include a reference, copy and paste only as much as you need. Roughly half of TO members are on digest and, with our volume of traffic, these repeats can be a real problem. A 45 page digest printing out is no joke!
5. Try to stay on topic. We aren't fanatics about this, and often have off comment threads, but be aware and when they seem to be going on at some length, be willing to let them die without adding that one more comment. Sometimes email threads are like barking dogs... one dog says something and every other dog on the block has to add something... pretty soon, no one on the block is getting any sleep. Should you post something that is clearly off topic, begin its title with "TOOT", acronym for "Treadle On Off Topic". If too much off topic traffic is occurring, or if some particular thread seems to be going on too long, The Captain rears up and says, "Knock it off!", but that doesn't happen too often.
6. 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, andwe're neighbors. Treat others with respect, and don't post anything that you yourself wouldn't like to recieve. 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!
7. 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 The Captain.
8.. Do not post ANY virus warnings. 99.99% of them are bogus. If you really feel that it's important, send the warning to me. If I agree, I'll post it. If viruses really bug you, get a real computer, i.e. a Mac.
9. 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.
10. NO Chainmail. NO "pyramid" schemes. Do not post these to the list. They are illegal.
11.NO commercial advertising. We do have a Flea Market for personal listings, and a page where folks who operate small home businesses of interest to our activity can list themselves. These areas are on the web site.
12. Post all replies to treadleon@lyris.quiltropolis.com Let the subject line reflect the nature of your reply.
13. When you do post, please don't copy the entire previous messages. Those who are on digest version will bless you for remembering!
14. Please avoid "yes, me too" and "I agree" type messages unless a survey is being taken or you have something substantive to add.
15. 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 to Mary's post. Then, "Sue... re_______" and respond to that one, etc. You can respond to a whole slew of posts with one. Treadle On keeps growing and is approaching 1500 members. Excess posts and long posts can, in effect, choke the list.
16. Do not post jpegs, other graphics, or html code to the list. Avoid color backgrounds,sound, etc in posts. Actually, the list server will refuse these, but I mention it because it is just good manners in regard to all email'ing.
17. 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 helpor post about finding a machine available somewhere... folks can tell if you are within driving distance of them.
18.Please post your replies to any questions (unless personal) to the list, so we all may learn.
19. Please let your friends know about our group, and how/where to sign up.. we'd love to have them, too!
20. To unsubscribe from this list, simply follow the instructions that are provided at the bottom of each post.
Thanks,
Captain Dick... List Master/Owner