One could argue that it was a pretty severe oversight in the original design that you had to use your arms instead of your legs to turn that one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v1rSA4FqlM

Not quite. Back in those days it was considered unladylike to use your legs to operate a machine. First sewing machines used hand operated wheel to run, which were very hard to use. It was only later people started to use the foot operated ones. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jonescs.jpg

Legs in themselves were considered risqué. These sewing machines would also have been covered with large skirts, much like the Victorian dinner table.

Well said, I agree completely!