Janis

I went to a thrift store and found some Kenmore attachments and thought they'd work on my low shank machines. I bought them and then discovered that they all attach on the bottom of the presserfoot bar, rather than being the low shank ones.
I have a Kenmore decorative stitch attachment with 6 templates for different designs. The presser foot shaft sits on a little post and then there's a screw on the side that is to tighten the zigzag attachment onto the post. There are no holes for the screw to go in, it just goes on tight on the post. Has anyone tried this on a Featherweight? Will it work? Or is there a chance it would mess up my machine?
I also got a Kenmore instruction book for the KENMORE "58" machine and all of the attachments listed in the book. There is also burgandy Kenmore button holer that attaches the same way as the zig zag attachment. Will the button home cams also work with the Singer button holers?
I also got a black metal box of attachments that has a certificate in it from the National Sewing Machine Company and has a serial number of a machine on it and is dated FEb. 16, 1922. The attachmentsgo on the same way the Kenmore do, so I'm thinking that they might havemade he Kenmore, or at least the same company made them. There were no machines with these attachments, and they were all together. Any ideas about them? I'd appreciate any information anyone wants to give me on these. I'd like to keep the dec. stitch attachment if it woud work on my machines, but would be willing to trade or sell the other things. sorry, I can't post pictures.
Thanks, Janis

ckcowl

is your featherweight a singer? it is never recommended to use attachments that are not made for your machine- using attachments from other brands of machines certainly can cause harm- kenmore parts should be used on a kenmore machine- not a singer- or a brother- or a pfaff---they are made for a kenmore- sorry- but i would not chance it--other people may say it's fine---

Janis

Yes, it is a Singer 221. I have used low shank attachments on other machines wilth out any trouble as they have all been similar between my Brother and Sears/ Janome machines. This zig zag attachment is just so neat. Maybe I need to get a Kenmore "58" to use it on. Nothing like buying the attachment and them looking for a machine. I think the machine was made by White for Sears in 1956. Ismac had something about it.

Charlee

Unless it's a standard low shank attachment, then no. I wouldn't use it on my Singers. Singer did market a "zig-zagger" that has different stitch cams that will fit on the FW.

Around our house, we call having parts/manuals for machines I don't have "bait"!!

Janis

Charlee, I do have one of those Singer zigzag attachments that has the red cams. I haven't tried it yet. Will the other color cams also work with the red zigzag?
Maybe I should keep these different attachments just in case a Kenmore or White machine come my way. The Kenmore zigzag attachment is just so cute, and with the 5 different patterns it will make, it's something I haven't seen before. And I looked on e-bay to see if I could find anything that looks like it, and didn't find any. What is it that you call that type of attachments that hook on from the front? I know there has to be a name for them. I got some of the type of attachments a while back with some others that I can use with my Singers.
One thing I did luck out was also at that store they had a Singer in a cabinet that they wanted $150.00 for. I of course looked at the book with it, and it was a Singer 99K instruction book. I told them that I thought the machine was a 66 and not a 99 because it looked larger than the 99 and also it had the reverse on it. I came back to my daughter's home and looked up the serial number and confirmed that it was a 1939 Singer 66. I called them back, as I promised, and asked if they would sell me the book. I also told them where I looked and where they could download an instruction book for it. I also told them that they should tell the buyer of the machine that the bobbins from Sew-Classic would work and not to get ones from Walmart and Joann's for it. The woman I talked to said that I could have the book for $2.00. My husband went and got it and also took a lost of the websites that I told the woman about. I was thrilled to get the book for that cheap. My 99K is from 1928, and the book is newer, 1939, but a real book anyway! I felt very lucky!

KyKaren1949

If I'm understanding you correctly, I believe there's an adaptor that you can get to attach the foot to your shank. I take my Featherweights to my dealer to have them help me with feet. They've been working on Featherweights for 70 years and do fit my Featherweight with Janome 1/4 inch feet for quilting. I've never had a problem with this at all. But, as I said, I do go to my dealer for assistance with this, rather than doing it on my own.

Janis

This foot just has a little screw that you tighten to have it stay on the shank of the presserfoot. The screw is short enough that it just needs to help make it tight, and isn't intended to go in any holes. I'm thinking that I could attach it, and just use the hand wheel to see if it would work rather than the foot petal and the motor. That way if things didn't line up, I'd know right away. The button holer does the same thing, there is nothing that attaches it to the shank except the little screw, and where it would fasten on is rounded like the shank of the FW. I'm not needing to try the buttonloler as I already have a Singer one.

Charlee

Sorry..just now saw this...yes! The other colored cams (blue, yellow) will work!

missbelle

FW singers are straight stitch low shank small needle hole machines from all I find out. If an attachment has its own zig-zag capabilities and does not require a machine that needs cams etc to perform the function of the attachment and you have a foot shank that you can attach the attachment to I would think it will work. If I am correct Singer started making slant need machines about the 2 or 3 hundred series and attachments for slant needle Singers (the needles fits in the needle shank at a slight angle) do not work on straight stitch machines. There are generic foot shanks that screw on the shank (be sure low shank generic) after removing the shank that attaches the stationery foot that can be attached with screw and the feet that slip in a slot at the bottom of the generic shank used. I do not believe you can make a long shank machine use short shank accessories nor a short shank machine use long shank accessories. The zig-zag attachments that are not made with the zz capability on their own will not work on a straight stitch machine. Hope this is helpful. Missbelle

Janis

Well, I answered my own question. The cute little Kenmore zig zag attachment won't fit on the low shank FW machines as the shank is too long. Would it fit on a high shank machine? I don't know, but it is for the Kenmore and White machines where the feet fit on the bottom of the shank. Now to be on the look ouit for one of those possibly when yard saling this next summer..... Nothing like getting the attachments and THEN the machine to go with it, is there ?!? I didn't pay a lot for the attachments, so I'm not out that much in getting things I can't use. But the little Kenmore zigzag attachment is just sooooo cute!!!
I did try my Singer zigzag attachment that has the red cams on the FW and it works great. It doesn't come with a plate that covers the feed dogs and doesn't need one, but the buttonlole attachment does. I also have an earlier Singer zigzag attachment, smaller in size than the one with the cams that doesn't need the plate to cover the feed dogs.
Now to look for the blue and yellow cams for my Singer zigzag that has the red cams....