How many of you own one of the old Singer Featherweights? And do you use them?
I recently bought one, but I would like to have it cleaned and checked before using it.
Linda/Mi

I have a Singer Featherweight my DH drove 300 miles to buy for me as a surprise. I had it checked out but it was in perfect condition, and it's what I use all the time. They are magnificent! I've never had any issues with it. It just ruuuuuns!!!!

I actually have a couple, and they are so adorable. I have used mine and they are really fun, but when it came time to actually quilting, well the Featherweights had to take a backseat to my other sewing machine, the much loved Bernina.

There is no straighter stitch than on a Featherweight, as they are not capable of any side to side movement. They are very simple to work on. David McCallum wrote a book, The Featherweight 221 and I, which includes very clear and easy instructions on how to do the tune ups and repairs. He is from this part of the country so took a class from him. It was lots of fun. I would never let anyone else repair or tune up mine now that I know just how easy it is! :)

I love my featherweights for piecing! I use a 1/4" modern foot and find it accurate. I have 4 featherweights, 1 white, 1 tan, a black with scrole face and a black with straight line face. I use them all but only for piecing. I use my 301 or 306 for binding. There is just something more satisfying about using these vintage machines.

I too have one and love it! It was a long awaited gift to myself. I found one on Craig's list and living in Oregon and buying it from WA the person I bought it from worked for a trucking company and had it shipped to me the next day! She was awesome! Drove into Portland and picked it up! It was like waiting for the newborn to arrive! I can honestly see why some people have more than one! They are so cute and a very good machine. Hope all of you enjoy your machine as much as I do!

not yet one day i,ll buy one i would like to buy a white one

I was at a quilt show Friday last and saw a display of Featherweights and they were so cute. Each one was $400.00 and I thought gee that's kind of high. But today I got on line and found some others for sale and they were even higher. Does anyone know how much they did cost originally?

I just bought one last month. I have not used it yet as I am currently working on an applique wall hanging. But I will have it out soon.

I have one. I bet I bid on at least 100 on Ebay before I got one for the price I wanted to pay. I love it.

I have one...I pet her every once and a while....I don't use her too much. Use the industrial machine for most of my straight stitching...but I won't part with her............

$300 plus gas.

I love mine for piecing. I actually have two, a "regular" one and a Centennial edition one. There's just nothing like the sound these make as they hum along. And, they really are easy to maintain yourself as AtHomeSewing said. You just need a good manual with pictures and off you go.

Go girl!!!!!

I have one and I take it to classes because it is so lite! It stitches beautifully! Wonderful for piecing! Have had mine for several years(maybe 15?) and paid $100 for it then! :?

I have one, take it to our quilt retreat mostly. Or anywhere I need to take a machine. They are wonderful little work horses!Mine is a 1951, do you know how to date yours?

Yes, I have one. It is a 1951 Centennial which was my mother's. I did use it for piecing, but now I use a Janome.

My dear grandmother had one as well, but it was stolen out of her garage years ago :(

I had several, but sold all the black ones. Kept a white one in a green case that was the only really good buy (in terms of price). I may eventually sell that one too. Most of the ones I purchased were about $300 ten years ago. Prices on them went up for awhile, but I think they've come down again with the current economy. I would shop around before spending $400 on a featherweight, especially if it doesn't come with a case and accessories.

I found that for sewing I much prefer my Bernina 1230 (needle up/down, for one thing). I don't do classes very often anymore and I always worry about damaging the featherweight if I take it to class. There are other newer used portable machines that sew just fine, so I will probably just take one of those with me if I ever take another class. (I've picked up a few machines here and there at thrift shops and fixed them up.)

My featherweight is stored in a good space next to a 301 in a case that I bought at a yard sale for $15. (!) Just haven't got up the gumption to part with those old machines yet.

I would love to have one, keep wishing and looking. It is perfect for my sewing guilds sit and sew every wed. Been looking for a small machine just for that. Wishing it turns out to be a featherWeight.
BillsBonBon

I have a white one. The white ones (greenish) are smaller then the black ones. I didn't set out to get a white one it was the one I happened to luck up on. I love it for classes. It never messes up or causes me any problems. I have a Singer 15 90 in cabinet and it has the perfect stitch the featherweight does. I would really like a Singer 301. Those are one of the best if not the best machines ever made.

I have one and love it.
Judy

We rescued one from the landfill . It needs some replacement parts and electrical and foot control . I can't wait to sew on it :lol: Annie

I have my grandmother's. :D Talked my mother out of it since the only sewing she does is mending. Traded her a cheap little machine that has zig zag. Perfect for her and I got the perfect machine for me to take to classes and groups. Love it! And I love the sound-such a sweet hum. I use my Bernina for everyday because it stitches faster and I use my Juki on my Grace frame because it is a super fast stitcher. :lol:

Was in the sewing center where I bought my new machine for lessons this morning. While there, I noticed a featherweight in his collection of machines and asked the price...$700.00. It was in mint condition, with case & extras...and it was electrified.

All featherweights were electrical, weren't they? I don't think I've ever seen a hand-crank featherweight.

I have a white one made in 1963. Sorry to say I haven't been using it as much as I should. Think I'll take it out and set it on my sewing desk and begin using it more. It's does a really straight stitch but is a little slow for me as I love to zip through my sewing. Maybe using the Featherweight will slow me down so I don't have to go over seams that are too small or not straight like I do when I use my other 'modern' machines.

May in Jersey

I learned to sew on a featherweight my mother purchased new in 1936 for $125. I let my neices have it after my mother died as she had taught them to sew on it. It was about wornout as it had been used on a very regular basis since 1936. I was lucky enough to find one in mint condition at a local yard sale. It still had that new smell so I don't think the lady ever used it. I take it on retreat if I am just doing piecing. I also own three Berninas as well as a serger and embroidery machine.

I still have and use the Featherweight 221 my mother bought me back in 1952. It makes a perfect 1/4" seam, using one of the modern feet. She sews like a dream and I would never part with her. I have the table she fits in also. It looks like a card table but was made specifically for the Featherweight. Perfect when you are chain piecing.

I do the actual quilting on either my Bernina 1630 or my trusty old Singer 401. I really prefer the 401 now for quilting as it is a workhorse.

Hope you get as much enjoyment from yours and I have mine.

Jacke

Enjoy your 'new' toy. It is the neatest machine to sew with. I have my mother's and was lucky to find the card table for it. It always has a perfect stitch. I retired two years ago and became interested in the old ones. I picked up a white/green one recently. For some reason, the 'feel' of the white one is not the same as the black. Would like your opinions of the white compared to the black. I, also have a 15-91 in a cabinet that is wonderful. It has a perfect straight stitch and can sew anything. (It, also, could be used for an anchor). There's a couple of Yahoo sites for the old Singers that were very helpful when I took apart the 15-91.
Mary Ellen

I have two - my mother's white/greenish one and my grandmother's black Centennial edition one - and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them for piecing. Nothing better in my opinion for that when using my 1/4" foot. Straight stitches, never temperamental. You can easily (and I mean easily) tune it up yourself. They were made so that the average person could keep them humming. I went to this website and bought the repair/maintenance manual and DVD set and did it myself. Didn't even have to ask my Mr. Fix-it husband to help me.

http://featherweight221.com/

You can look around and get a reproduction of the table they sit in, too. I can't remember which magazine it was in, but I saw it in the ad section of a recent quilt magazine.


You'll never regret getting one if you decide to do so.

Thanks for this site. I just missed this book on ebay. Great to see I can still buy it new and a dvd too.
Linda/MI

I too have a featherweight and was lucky enough to get it for free:)I cleaned and seviced mine on my own....was full of wool! Here are some sites for those that might want to know...
go to: http://www.singer-featherweight.com/

go to: http://quilting.about.com/od/essenti...eight-Gallery/

go to: http://www.planetpatchwork.com/fweight.htm all good sites:)Some of the others I had marked are now gone for some reason. Yes, I do use mine to take to a quilt group get-together since it is so light and I put it easily in my kid's scrapbook bag on wheels to take:)Great machine to piece on and last week I bought myself a treadle machine...just in case the electricity goes out:)Which it does in the winter here! But, won't be taking that to any classes:)Skeat

I have one named Amelia! :) I LOVE her....sews beautifully, and I don't have a 1/4" foot for her....he throat plate has the 1/4" line on it, and I've always used that. She sews like a dream.....I also have a 'spare' one that I haven't yet bonded with, but I would get ride of them for anything! I gave one to my daughter this past Christmas...she now LOVES it as well...she cried when she opened it! Too precious!

I have one and use it all the time!!! I love my baby!

I have one with the original case. Love it

I have my mother's featherweight, made in 1938,which she bought used in 1944 as a war bride. I use it consistently for piecing. There's no better straight stitch machine. Keep it oiled, brush out the lint, and follow the basic care instructions. If you live near Kalamazoo, MI, you can take a class on the care and maintenance of your machine from owner Steve. They also carry spare parts at the shop.

Hi KathyK. I am near Kalamazoo,Mi. What is the name of the shop? Do they have a website?
Linda/Mi

Quilts Plus....it's in the strip mall at West Main and Drake. If you're going east on WestMain (going into town) turn left at the light onto Drake and then into the driveway on right. Near Wild Birds Unlimited store. Steve can fix anything on a Featherweight, and he's honest and reasonable prices.
it's also just a great shop !!

My birthday present to myself last October was a Featherweight 221. I stalked craigslist and landed one for $200. Her name is Emma Rose and she was born in 1938. I love her so! My mother says that Singer made the Featherwieght specifically so that the common housewife could easily maintain them.

:oops:
I'm the very proud mother of 9 Featherweights. They're addictive. I got my first one about 8 years ago. My husband got interested in learning how they worked and subsequently became the local expert. We buy them whenever we travel. 'Usually in the most unsuspecting places. However, we buy only the ones that are in pristine condition. I use my original one all the time. It sits on my sewing table right alongside my Bernina. The stitch is perfect, straight and strong. I love to use it for piecing. When I teach, I take it along because of its light weight. You can't go wrong with a featherweight.
(note) We never buy from the internet, since we like to inspect and try out each one in advance.
K

I have a guy in southern Missouri who will clean and service my FW for $25.00 while I shop the store. He has a little museum there with one of each model FW made except one, he says. He has a toy crank model also! What a fun place to stop in Mountain View, MO.