Free Motion Quilters....

The 6600 has the even feed (Accu-Feed) system- similar to a built in walking foot. It's great to use! But my machine does need different feet from the

6500. Hope you can find the parts you need.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

The 15-91 is a lovely old Singer that stitches beautifully. I have a 1950 model Singer 15-91.... the year I was born.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

DH has just seen me looking for suppliers and told me that he has already found one and DD is getting me a Bobbin Holder for Christmas. Fortunately he didn't tell her about the foot - apparently the 6600 is a long shank and the 6500 a short one - but he had me worried for a minute.

Now I'll have to practice the surprised look!

Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

Leslie& The Furbabies > I bought the free motion bobbin holder and that foot with the small

Instructions for Using Singer Electric Sewing Machine (P. G. Built-on Motor) 15-91 Reversible Feed Oscillating Shuttle for Family Use

I think that they also made the 15-91 as a treadle machine, but don't quote me on that, because sometimes I misremember stuff!

I want to give the working parts of this machine a good cleaning and oiling before I sit down to really sew. It is a black beauty! Her original owner will be 90 y.o. next week.

Bonnie, in Middletown, VA

I just looked it up:

It is a Model 66, 15-91, serial number AG922924 and was made sometime after July 23, 1941.

"AG- 071551, 096550, 66, 25000 were issued on July 23, 1941. The serial number is AG922924 and falls in the Model 66 range."

I have to say that I am older than this machine, but I do have a featherweight and two 99Ks that are older than me!

There were 25,000 of this model made and many have been scraped. S/Ns were assigned in groups as above.

Mom bought it in the mid to late '40s, she got married in 1944, has a daughter born in 1945, son in 1951. She sewed clothing for all but her husband, they were married for 60 years.

Bonnie, in Middletown, VA

Howdy!

I bet it would; this Janome has some instructions in the manual about quilting by machine - *gasp* - but I just haven't felt the pull to do that, yet. ;-P Love this Janome 6500; her Memory is better than mine.

R/Sandy - Felicitous Mistress Quandary

I think quilting a pattern that has corners with a walking foot is something you do once, or never. I came up with an allover pattern for a quilt that respected the block design and would enhance the overall design etc. but having not turned any corners with a walking foot, didn't include that in my planning and found that it really is a nightmare and that quilt is folded up, unfinished in the cupboard!

Anne

Hi Bonnie,

The 15-91 has the potted, or 'built-on' motor, and inside is what's called a 'worm gear.' It's a is direct-drive (no belts) which makes it a very strong stitcher, but as such also required electicity, so it was never available as a treadle.

However, there were a number of other Singer 15 models without the potted motor that were available in other 'forms, ' such as treadle, handcrank, or with the belted motors that were located on the back side of the machine, with an exposed belt from the motor to the handwheel....such as the 15-30, 15-88 and 15-89. I have a lovely

15-88 that was a native treadle, it was given to me a couple of years ago (I know - lucky me! The machine and treadle base are beautiful.

I also have a beautiful 15-91 with the Centennial badge - it's drop dead gorgeous and what a stitcher.

Singer 15s' are probably the most prolific models out there and were cloned by many other companies.

-Irene

Well, before I knew better, I made three quilted vests that I quilted the pattern in the fabric. Ribbons, bells, trees, I quilted around them all, with my walking foot!

Then I learned that it couldn't be done with a walking foot!

Really?

Bonnie, in Middletown, VA

Irene,

What great info, in my former life I was a Mechanical Eng., I was in station maintenance, with an electric Co. I loved it.

But, I have loved machines all my life, spent my childhood following my Great-grandfather and Dad around getting into and under mechanical things, old cars/trucks, tractors, etc. Mom never could get the dirt off of my hands.

So now I'm into sewing machines, I haven't taken many apart yet, and yes I can put them back together, but only if "I" took it apart!

I just went to the living room and took a close look at that machine, and I see the motor housing, you are right, it's not a motor hung on the back with a drive belt like all the rest. Very interesting, I used the machine at Mom's but I was sitting in front of it, didn't pay any attention to the motor. Now I'm going to have to clean and oil it and do my next quilt on it! The cabinet top is curly maple! Damn, what you see when you pay attention! I'd start on it right now but Ruffles has to go get her lime disease booster shot!

Did you notice that the singer manual is a sewing instruction manual? Tells you how to use all of those odd looking feet/attachments that used to come with the machines as standard equipment. Now you have to buy them for the new machines, and they have ridiculous prices!

Thanks again for the info Irene, Bonnie, in Middletown, VA

Thanks Leslie! :-)

Michelle > The 15-91 is a lovely old Singer that stitches beautifully. I have a

That is just so very cool, Bonnie! :-)

Michelle > Michelle C.,

Yes, Anne, it IS--especially with a standard size harp. Still, I'm determined to finish it as the quilt is a gift for a friend. Even though I pretty much despise doing the quilting, I am mostly satisfied with the effect, so it keeps me going. The quilting design is nothing fancy--especially compared to what FM quilters can do--but it's okay.

Michelle in Nevada

Needle down facilities helps heaps with this.

Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

Michelle C. wrote:

Yes, I can see that Sally. I've started looking at sewing machines online. I can see why everyone raves about her Janome 6600, and if money was no object..... I'm seriously considering the Juki TL98Q, but have more research to do.

Michelle > Needle down facilities helps heaps with this.

I have one of those too, Anne. It is simply small floral squares - quite pretty. I decided I would hand quilt each square about ¼" inside each seam line. Hard to do. Boring. I get it out once a year and make a little progress. Thank God for cupboards. Polly

"Anne Rogers" found that it really is a nightmare and that quilt is folded up, unfinished in the cupboard!

Oh but hand-quilting is SO pretty Polly! Maybe we need to work a trade--I'll handquilt for you and you can FMQ for me. ;-) Only problem with that is no matter how enthusiastic I am about hand-quilting, it still takes longer to do than FMQ. You wouldn't be getting the fair end of the deal.

Michelle in Nevada

Howdy!

Yes, she would. Handquilting vs machine quilting- it's not about speed. ;-)

R/Sandy

Well true, Sandy, hand-quilting is definitely not about speed. Both are quilting, but may be it's apples and oranges.

I've got a 92" square quilt I'm hand-quilting at the moment. I doubt I'll get it done this winter before the weather becomes too warm to hold it in my lap.

Michelle in Nevada

Sandy E wrote: