Old Singer machine advice

There are lots of good ones, but look out for things that were built before about 1964.

Oh no - I have some, and I teach kids to sew on them. They will take a little getting used to as the foot controls can be a little less easy to control than modern ones. The Singer 'button on a square tortoise' type can be particularly picky, but they are easy if you use just a single toe on the button.

You need something with a larger harp area - that is, a bigger hole through the middle. I suggest a 66 or a 15 of some sort. Both come in 'portable' and cabinet versions.

Yes. I have one, and they send to be more expensive and something of a collector's piece. They are VERY tiddly! Very tough, some of the best machines ever built (for straight stitch only), but very small.

The 221 'Featherweight' is light because it is cast of aluminium rather than cast iron. The 66 and the 15 will both be very heavy as they are larger machines. Portable is relative: they won't be as portable as a featherweight, as they will weigh almost 3 times as much!

For the type of work you want to do, I'd suggest either a type 15-90 with an electric motor (mine's a 15-88 treadle built in about 1936 in Canada), or a 66. My 66K is hand cranked, but there were motorized versions too. Both will be heavy. A good compromise would be a 99, which is a 3/4 sized machine: smaller than the 66 and 15's, but quite a bit bigger than the Featherweight.

There are other models about: look for ones that take either the Type 66 bobbin (the old traditional Singer drop-in bobbins) or the Type 15 bobbins (also sometimes called 'universal' bobbins) that go into a separate bobbin case in the side or front of the machine. Both a re readily available. Remember to use the metal ones, not plastic ones in these older machines. Look for something built in the 40's or 50's. Parts are still available for these machines. Go much later and you start finding some of the early zigzag machines, and complexities such as cams for different stitch patterns. Some of those machines are very good, but probably more complex than you want right now.

You can see examples of the Featherweight, the 66, and the 15-88 on my web site in the Sewing Machine Gallery. I don't yet have pix of my 99K up. It was the first machine I ever made a garment on, when I was about

7! :) It was last used by a bunch of 10 and 11 YO's to make Christmas stockings just before Christmas.

Here are some ebay examples:

Type 15 hand crank:

66 hand crank: 99 with reverse - which mine no longer has (old story about accident with a ship!) a 'by the way'...While many older 'boat shaped shuttle' or bullet shuttle machines are still about and still working perfectly, if you want to use it a lot, go for something that takes the standard Singer type 66 or 15 bobbins: spares, replacements, needles and bobbins are all readily available, but some older models take odd sized needles (my old Jones machine uses one now only found in industrial machines used for bar tacks for example!). The Featherweight takes a different bobbin, but standard needles. Bobbins are available without too much problem, though in some areas you may have to order them. Happy hunting, and happy sewing!

It depends entirely on what you want to do. Electric is better for the projects you described but a hand crank is a lot of fun and you can sew any where at any time. I take mine camping all the time.

See if your local fabric shop or sewing machine store can help you with lessons. Often they will supply them with the purchase of a machine.

No they are a collectors thing and more of a cult than a real sewing machine. If this is going to be your first machine then you need something more substantial and one that will handle everything you want to do. No point being frustrated by a too small or too light machine. They are also way over priced for what you get.

Probably a good first choice. For ease of use any of the 15 series of Singers is great, there is a heavy duty one that will sew a door if you can get it under the needle and that is a 115. Great all purpose machines but limited to straight stitch only so you forfeit the use of the new modern fabrics that have lots of stretch. You may want to consider something more 'modern'. For example there are plenty of 'old' machines of all brands, that are from the 60's, and 70's, are great machines to learn on, have built in decorative stitches, do Zig Zag for seam finishing and stretch fabrics and have semi automatic buttonholes. All things you will need for dressmaking. So don't limit yourself to the old back machines just yet. Seek out a reputable shop and ask to try the older trade in machines. Also ask around as you have done here. There are several Yahoo groups that feature Vintage machines and they are a real help in deciding what you need as opposed to what you want. I highly recommend this one

good all purpose machines that will handle your home dec projectsand learning to make your own clothes. What I tell my customers to do is to make a list of what they want todo. Then match the machine to that list. By staying with a straightstitch only machine like the old black ones you limit yourself tostraight stitch only or the use of bulky attachments and may becomerapidly bored with sewing. Explore what is out there and enjoy theprocess. I recently worked on a New Home from l966. It was the most amazing machine and I had a ball doing all the 'cam' stitches it had plus it did a fantastic straight stitch. The lady who owns it bought it for her marred son as they had no sewing machine. She paid $10 Canadian for it. Truly a treasure and is now lamenting the fact that it is spoken for even though she owns several other machines including an embroidery machine. So get one you will use and start the collection of others when your confident in your sewing skills. .

The vintage Singers are WONDERFUL. =20

Yes the 221 is great for small projects and will sew through thick stuff but it is a lightweight machine and so will slide around on the table when doing projects such as a king size quilt :)

If you are looking for a straight stitch only machine, consider these gear-driven models:

201-2 15-91 or=20 404 301 (smaller than all of these, so lighter weight).

If you want zig zag capability as well as other designs (built in or via the use of cams) then look for these models, also gear driven:

401 (my favorite!!!) 403 (like 401 but needs cams)

All of these (except for the 301) are standard sewing machine size, and can be used on a table or in a cabinet. They can be picked up and put in a closet when not in use.

If you'd like to see what some of these look like, I suggest starting here. Scroll down until you see these model numbers.

back if you have any questions, several of us here (myselfincluded) collect vintage Singers!

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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Hey, what makes you think the 221 is a cult thing?...just because the best known site is named Featherweight Fanatics? :)

Much of what you say, I agree with. The FW is small, and light, and maybe overpriced for what it can do. But I've used mine for more than

50 years. The money I earned with it is largely responsible for putting me through college, making everything from bridesmaids' dresses to tailored garments to slipcovers to draw draperies for triple windows to...well, you name it. And I can still take it out of its case, plug it in, and it chugs right along, as dependable as ever.

I love my Bernina, its capabilities, its stitches...but will it still perform as well in 2042 as it does today? Bet my Featherweight will.

Not being disagreeable, just taking up for an old, reliable friend.

Doreen in Alabama

I'm with you, Doreen. I love Featherweights....such a beautifully made, simple machine with a perfect straight stitch -- and such a handy machine so easy to take with you. I've even used it on the kitchen counter.

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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I believe your Bernina will be there in 2042. Mine is over 50 years old and still 'chugging' along. I have had FW's and sold them on many occasions. Just not enough machine for me. I much prefer the 301 as a light weight portable straight stitch only machine and they are now also reaching cult status with prices doubling in the past year. FW's are cute, granted but not much machine for the money.

As you stated better to put that kinda of cash into a machine like the Singer 400 or 500 series or some of the 60's clones that will do more than a cute dance.

I know your not being disagreeable but I like to see new sewists learn on a versatile machine that will keep their interest and not waste money on a fad type machine. I did custom sewing for many years on a Godzilla finished Dressmaker. It fed the kids and kept a roof over our heads too. My Bernina was a gift to myself after years of living close to the bone and is still my best friend out of all my machines. Paid $400.00 for her in l972, she was almost 20 years old then and had to hide it from the X for many months. That machine put the boys through University and is now one of the leather machines that I use alot.

I feel the same about the Singer 301. For a straight stitch machine it does the most perfect stitch I have ever seen, consistently. It is easier to use and seems to have more needle piercing power than the FW. Also beautifully made, and much cleaner lines and very elegant. No cute factor there, it is definitely a stylish grown ups machine. I have used it on my coffee table while watching TV to do quilt piecing.

Extremely potable with the built in handle and only about 4 lbs more than a FW, but still a full sized machine. By the time you factor in the case with the FW your up to about 23 or 4 pounds. I like being able to grab the machine by the handle and go. All its parts fit in my sewing case which I have to take anyway and no machine case to find storage for at classes or quilt meetings. Mechanically the bottle motor is much better too in design and execution. No messy external belts and motors to deal with or catch fabric. The black 301 is the most beautiful machine I have ever seen in all my 30 years of collecting.

Me too. Mine is a delight to use, but I'd never try to quilt a big thing with it. Baby quilt, yes, anything bigger, no.

I also work as a professional sewing loony (Anne, you'll see why I say this if you look at my site!), and I have on several occasions taken the FW with me when I have had to go away and customer deadlines are getting close. I've set up that dinky little machine on hotel dressing tables to work on things. The most memorable was the beaded burgundy outfit detailed in the Dressing Janneane project. THAT got complements from hotel staff.

There are some VERY good machines about in makes other than Singer. Some of the old Berninas are just fantastic, and for the price of a good Featherweight you can get a brand new Bernina 1008, which has several household or 'utility' stitches (like blind hemming and buttonholes), is full sized, and would sew through a door if you let it! It's also one that is very popular here in schools because of the toughness.

Older Elnas of Pfaffs are good too, as are Necchi and Frister & Rossman. BUT if you want an older all metal machine that really only does straight stitch, has the electric motor for speed, then here in the UK Singer is about as good and as cheap as you can get. For bigger machines for larger projects, look for the 66 and the 15-90. For smaller ones, the 99 is good, and as Hanna's Mom says, the 301 is another dream machine.

Just as an aside: I really DO love my Featherweight, but having ONLY straight stitch can be limiting. For the suitcase sewing room on the move I also have an Elna Lotus ZZ, and am keeping an eye out for one with more stitches. Take a look at it on my web site. As small as the FW, almost as cute to look at, and no carrying case to add to the weight! BUT if I ever have room, I shall have a Rocketeer - one of these:

....and I wasn't disagreeing :) just focusing on the 221. =20

That's why I have a few of both (221s and 301s!) They are both much too nice to deny myself of either :)

I never take the FW case with me. The FW is small enough for me to grab by the head, so the handle of the 301 doesn't that much of a difference IMHO. Lets be fair....when discussing weight, add the 301s case along with it when comparing to the 221 and it's case. The 301 setup will be heavier. =20

Still the case is really for storage and only for when you want to bring 'everything...' with you and sometime you do, for either machine. =20

The other great thing about the 301 was Singer's ingenuity with making it such a flexible machine; with it's cradle it can go into a cabinet, or if you have the card table it can be set up quickly in that. =20

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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The plain ones like my 15-88 and the 99K work just as well, but the ones with the pretty patterns do look so good!

If you do get an older, rather grubby one with fancy decals, give it a very GENTLE rub over with a cotton wool ball or a soft cloth and some sewing machine oil. Then buff any excess oil off once the machine is clean. Anything else may well take the decals off or silver any gold colouring.

My lotus decal 66K was bought from a junk shop in 1976. It cost me about £10 at the time, and everyone kept telling me that as a poor student I was mad to buy it. In the first term I had it, I rarely bought my own drinks in the bar, my own chips on the way home in the wee small hours, and was even treated to dinner several times for a bit of mending, some alterations, or for making the odd shirt or waistcoat... That machine has sewn some famous dresses from my past - like the gold panne velvet one: got back to college at 6pm with the fabric and was at the party in the finished dress at 9pm, having had a meal, bath, done full make-up, AND made the dress! It also made several stage costumes, fancy-dress party outfits, all the specialist stuff for a circumnavigation of Ireland by kayak (waterproof bags and spray-decks), put a window in a tarp cover for a Land Rover... I still dig it out and use it now and again.

I made the black silk sari jacket on the treadle (in the posh frocks section), plus a whole pile of Christmas stockings a year or two back. The Elna Lotus and the Featherweight are my personal Peripatetic Sewing Room stalwarts, but the sewing classroom on the move usually contains both of them plus the 99K, the Viscount 2000, and another machine. Even the Lily and the serger get an outing if *I* am the one on the course, rather than teaching it!

The only non-working machine I have is my Cub 8, and I'm still working on getting a replacement stitch selector for that.

Thanks to everyone for their comments. At least I now have some idea what all the model numbers mean when I'm searching ebay.

Unfortunately, having looked at Kate's site I now want a machine with pretty decals!

Thanks again,

Anne

I have a couple of 221s, several 301s (and a number of other machines that I am carefully not counting) but one of the stars is my black short-bed 301 in a maple cabinet with matching stool. This is a beauty, and as you say, it's so easy and quick to release the machine from the cradle in the cabinet and grab it by the built-in handle.

Like my Lily: computerized to the hilt, and expected to do 10 years. It's done six so far, with no problems. I shall keep it until it dies, then bury it quietly with full honours and go out and replace it with the nearest thing available at the time. The old hand cranks and the treadle will still be going strong, just as they are today, in another

100 years.

If it's a computerized machine, I bet it won'tt.

It is, and I agree.

If it were to conk out beyond redemption tomorrow, I'd still feel it had been worth every penny. And then I'd look at that FW that's been treated like a redheaded stepchild, loaned to friends, stowed away in countless car trunks and Greyhound bus baggage compartments, pressed into service for hours on end and undoubtedly neglected as far as professional servicing is concerned, and think what a marvelous little machine it is. :)

Doreen in Alabama

Don't put too much money on that. I have 2 that work daily for up to

8 hours or more and both are over 15 years old and going strong. Have a Snoopy machine that must be reaching 20 too. Not sure how old the Logica is but its up there too.

Sounds good to me. But for those who don't have the money to retire machines at regular intervals, a computerized machine is not a good choice.

But when and if the motherboard goes, the machine is toast, isn't it, because they don't keep making the motherboards?

....or the software for it.

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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