Thread: free motion on antique singers?

Though I bought quilting foot my is Geist they compatible. Have tO figure out feed dogs tho!

Mine is 15-91 not sure is same

I am going to ask about the low shank on ebay however i CANNOT find a high shank for the 95-1. Anyone have a clue? I have tried fmq without a foot and it is a nightmare for me.

couple thoughts. The darning foot (used for free motion) ha been around for a long time. It was used to darn socks and holes in clothing. I took a clas years ago and was shown a beautiful heiroom childs dress with cutwork that had been done on an old machine.
Having said that.
Your machine is most likely a low shank machine.
Check for a "Big Foot" available from Lynn Graves. I believe she developed this foot to do free motion on a Singer featherweight. Also. Search for a group intereted in vintage machines. They will most likely have good information. You might email Lynn Graves and ask her the quetion.

If you go to Little Foot web site there is a chart listing all the machines and models the Big Foot will fit.

This looks promising. They do in fact show a high shank so I am going to order it. I will let you all know if it works on my old singer. THANK YOU ,THANK YOU!!!!!

Good luck with your new machine. I FMQ on my model 15 treadle using a quilting foot. I cannot lower the feed dogs so just zero out the stitch length and this stops the feed dogs from trying to grab the material. Lots of fun sewing on the vintage machines.

Originally Posted by onthemove

Does anyone know if you can free motion on a home industrial singer 95-1? It has a high shank and I have not been able to find any information. It is from the early 1900's. How about a singer class 15 from the 1920's? I'm tired of straight stitching!

I set up a 1936 Singer 96-40 industrial machine for my wife to FMQ on, but I had the problem of finding a high shank hopping foot for it. I eventually lowered the presser bar and fitted a low shank hopping foot to it, but we didn’t like the results. The needlebar travel is just more than the little plastic feet want to handle for very long. She was able to persevere through a couple of large quilts and get them finished, but it was a struggle and we went through 3 feet. Now, at least on the smaller quilts, she’s happy using my Singer 301A for FMQ.

I’m working on adapting a Viking high shank foot for use on the 96-40, but I haven’t gotten it “tweaked” yet to give it a go.

The model 95 is a smaller harp than the series 31 or 96 machines, so I’m wondering if you will gain that much over a domestic model (class 15, etc) for larger quilts? Feet, parts, and needles are easier to come by for the household machines too. I have a 1936 Singer 95-40 at the shop that I’m setting up for hemming jeans, but I haven’t ever measured the throat on it to compare it to the larger industrials or the class 15s.

CD in Oklahoma

Singer 96-40 FMQ

Singer 96-40

Singer 95-40

just bought a 15-91 singer last week. It is in a small cabinet and has all the attachments, etc and is in very good condition. I found it in a thrift store for $40.00. Haven't had time to try it yet. Too many ball games!!!!!

I got a 1935 Singer 15-91 that belonged to my grandparents. I just ordered a darning foot last week from sew-classic.com and WOW! That thing rocks! That 76yr old machine FMQ better than my 3 1/2yr old $2000 Pfaff Quilt Expression 2048. My mom has an old Singer treadle cabinet that I will collect tomorrow and I will be in FMQ business!