I'm looking on Craigslist all the time for stuff...
I see the price of Featherweights have doubled, Treadles are about the same...there are some good Kenmores/Singers and such...
But looking at these machines, the harp or throat size is so large. What a wonderful area to quilt.
When did the harp/throat size get smaller? When things went "portable"?
And the detail and painting on these machines? They can be compared to the fine details on a restored pin stripe car!!!
I never knew the Feather Weights had different end plates...one was more solid and the other a fancy scrolled deal.
How fun I have been having looking at the older machines...
Any one have any info on any of them and where to look?
Kirsten

Kirsten, I love looking through Craig's List too, at all the old machines!!

Here's a couple of sites I was given:

http://blog.sew-classic.com/2008/11/...ne-review.aspx

http://needlebar.org/bb2/index.php
:D

Go to the NeedleBar and have a look. Lots of really good information on the site and if you want to learn more about vintage and antique machines (treadle or electric) this is the place to go!!

Here is the link:

http://needlebar.org/main/index.html


Billy

Diana beat me to it :lol:

Billy

There is a great book called "Featherweight 221, the perfect portable" by Nancy Johnson-Srebro. It will explain all about the slight changes ove the years, how to care for them and how to figure out how old your machine is. I have 3 featherweights, a black one from 1948, a white one from 1962 and a tan one from around 1963. There were not to many white and tan machines made. The book also tells you where they were manufactured, some in the US, Cananda and Scotland. There were even a few free arm machines made, would love to have one, to rare and expensive for my budget. It really interesting to see the machnes and the difference between them. Good luck if you buy one, you will not be sorry.

The mint green ones were really rare also.

Billy

The last allotted 221K's were Aug 6, 1968. A total of 360,000 of them made from 1947-1968. The 221's the last year was 1957 and there were a total of 1,750,041 made between 1933 till 1957.

Billy

The featherweight was made from the 1930's (can't remember the exact year) until the late 1960's. The green machine which was mentioned is also known as the white featherweight. The machine is not real white and not really green, I have also heard it called celery color. If some one is trying to sell you a red or blue, have even seen purple on e-bay, these have been repainted. So be very careful!

It was actually the same green as the 185J and the white one was almost an appliance white. Look at Bebe's avatar hers is the appliance white color.

The first US built 221 was allotted Oct 3, 1933

Billy

I own 3 featherweights. My 1st one is a 1934, and she is with me right now here in Texas. She sews like a dream! I bought 2 more at a yard sale (they are sisters) I have not sewn with them yet. My 1934 (abby) has the beautiful scrolled plate. She has beautiful decals but the main part (flat) is dinged up like aomeone took a hammer to it. Crazy! They are lovely machines and I truely feel so blessed to own 1 much less 3. One evening I was sewing away and all of a sudden it wasn't budging and I was like holy crap what is happening to abby. Then a lady said when was the last time you oiled your machine? I giggled and several others said when was it? Are you serious I relpied? Hard way to find out I needed to oil it often. Now when she goes with me alomg comes her oil too.

I agree if you do get one you will fall in love with them. I only know one lady that doesn't like hers. But she won't sell her either.

Have a blessed Christmas!