Information, Please!
06-10-2013, 10:16 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Jonesboro, AR
Posts: 19
Information, Please!
Hello, All! I'm a very new beginner in the quilting scene, and since coming to this site, I see that you all are very enthusiastic about old sewing machines, specifically the featherweight ones. My question is, what sets these old machines apart, and why do y'all love them? Are they more heavy-duty? The reason I'm asking is that I saw an old, old black Singer sitting in a box in the corner of a resale shop, and almost bought it. However, I've had old machines, and almost had one shock me (as in electrocute), so I've kinda been burned, lol. But if it's a good (read dirt cheap) price I might drag it home and work with it if there's a chance that it will be a good investment.
06-10-2013, 10:33 AM
#2
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Utah
Posts: 8,845
They're real workhorses and sew fantastic straight stitches. Most can be restored or maintained without going to the shop. If you got shocked on a vintage machine it was probably because the wiring needed to be replaced. When they get to be 60-80 years old that's one thing that needs to be checked.
06-10-2013, 11:29 AM
#4
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Knot Merrill, Southern Indiana
Posts: 5,781
Most - but not all - of the vintage machines are easy to operate, easy to maintain, and sew an almost perfect straight stitch with no operator guidance. You can feed the fabric in and it will never sway from left to right .. just straight ahead (I'm talking about straight stitch only machines - NOT zig zag vintage machines).
Easy to maintain ... no computer boards to worry about, they can be stripped down and cleaned inside and out easily. I love the fact that *I* can fix my sewing machine.
Easy to use ... as I said just feed the fabric in and little guidance is needed. Many of the vintage machines have a stitch length regulator, and some have a mechanism to drop the feed dogs.
Strong ... these machines were engineered for the "modern" housewife to be able to tackle ALL of her sewing needs from making dresses out of silk, repairing a tent for the boy-scout in the house, and repairing a leather strap on hubby's breif case. While I would not sew heavy leather on it all day every day (get a REAL industrial machine for that), a lot of the vintage machines could easily handle all of the above tasks.
Versitile ... choose your method of locomotion ... motor, hand crank or treadle.
And sometimes ... cool colors!!
With the exception of the Featherweight and the Singer 301 though ... most vintage machines are HEAVY. They are solid lumps of cast iron and they feel that way. Even my little 3/4 size Singer Spartan weighs a whole lot more than what I could consider a "portable".
When I started "gathering" vintage machines I concentrated on treadle machines. I love the pure mechanics of a machine. Then a few motorized machines caught my eye for very reasonable prices (or free) and I couldn't pass them up. I still love my treadles .. but my favorites are definitely the Janome 15 Clone, the Singer 15-91, and the Singer Spartan. Those machines just hum and sew like a dream, and my great grand-kids will probably say the same thing about them some day!
These machines are 50+ years old and they've lasted this long already. As much as I love my Janome 6600 I'm not sure I can say the same thing about it.
Easy to maintain ... no computer boards to worry about, they can be stripped down and cleaned inside and out easily. I love the fact that *I* can fix my sewing machine.
Easy to use ... as I said just feed the fabric in and little guidance is needed. Many of the vintage machines have a stitch length regulator, and some have a mechanism to drop the feed dogs.
Strong ... these machines were engineered for the "modern" housewife to be able to tackle ALL of her sewing needs from making dresses out of silk, repairing a tent for the boy-scout in the house, and repairing a leather strap on hubby's breif case. While I would not sew heavy leather on it all day every day (get a REAL industrial machine for that), a lot of the vintage machines could easily handle all of the above tasks.
Versitile ... choose your method of locomotion ... motor, hand crank or treadle.
And sometimes ... cool colors!!
With the exception of the Featherweight and the Singer 301 though ... most vintage machines are HEAVY. They are solid lumps of cast iron and they feel that way. Even my little 3/4 size Singer Spartan weighs a whole lot more than what I could consider a "portable".
When I started "gathering" vintage machines I concentrated on treadle machines. I love the pure mechanics of a machine. Then a few motorized machines caught my eye for very reasonable prices (or free) and I couldn't pass them up. I still love my treadles .. but my favorites are definitely the Janome 15 Clone, the Singer 15-91, and the Singer Spartan. Those machines just hum and sew like a dream, and my great grand-kids will probably say the same thing about them some day!
These machines are 50+ years old and they've lasted this long already. As much as I love my Janome 6600 I'm not sure I can say the same thing about it.
06-10-2013, 12:24 PM
#5
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,457
The featherweight sew a really nice straight stitch. They are light for taking to a class. You can get them re-wired if the cords are shorting. They can be quite pricey as they are in demand.
A lot of the old machines were made really well but sometimes the electricity can be suspect. A lot if us collect old machines because we like them. Others like to work on old machines to get them sewing again. It is kind of like restoring antique cars to car collectors.
A lot of the old machines were made really well but sometimes the electricity can be suspect. A lot if us collect old machines because we like them. Others like to work on old machines to get them sewing again. It is kind of like restoring antique cars to car collectors.
06-10-2013, 01:17 PM
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 8,091
"OLD" or older machines need maintenance. Oil, grease, check the wires and connections. That is part of their design. These machines were made to last. They were made long before the throw away mind set was borne. Modern plastic - aluminum - stamped metal computerized machines are really JUNK compared to the old machines.
The Featherweights have become a cult favorite for some reason. I guess I'm too dense to grasp why. I bought my wife one cos she had wanted one all her life ( she's been sewing since she was 7 ) and she's never used it once. They are too small for many sewing tasks and don't do anything a 15, 99 or 66 can do other than be lightweight.
Singers were the standard by which every other machine was judged. And as good as they were and are, they were not the only good machines out there.
If you want a nice lightweight machine that's a bit larger than the little FW look at the SEWMOR 303 and 505s. They are 3/4 sized machines made out of aluminum. The 505 I'm using right now is a wonderful machine. To be honest I like it a bit better than my 99s. The 303 is a 99 clone, but lighter.
Joe
The Featherweights have become a cult favorite for some reason. I guess I'm too dense to grasp why. I bought my wife one cos she had wanted one all her life ( she's been sewing since she was 7 ) and she's never used it once. They are too small for many sewing tasks and don't do anything a 15, 99 or 66 can do other than be lightweight.
Singers were the standard by which every other machine was judged. And as good as they were and are, they were not the only good machines out there.
If you want a nice lightweight machine that's a bit larger than the little FW look at the SEWMOR 303 and 505s. They are 3/4 sized machines made out of aluminum. The 505 I'm using right now is a wonderful machine. To be honest I like it a bit better than my 99s. The 303 is a 99 clone, but lighter.
Joe
06-10-2013, 03:36 PM
#7
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 6,442
Yay! I'm part of a cult! At least it's only a FW cult, that's a good thing! 
The charm of a FW is that it can go anywhere...Sew at your kitchen table, on a TV tray in the living room, on a desk in your office, and they're GREAT for camping (where electrical hookups are available) They sew an nice straight stitch, take standard attachments, easy to maintain, and lightweight. The case is what? 12x9x12?
Joe is right...if you want a vintage machine, there are plenty of choices out there that are as good or dare I say it? "Better" than a FW...but truth be told, in my opinion, you can't beat it for the "cute factor"!!
The charm of a FW is that it can go anywhere...Sew at your kitchen table, on a TV tray in the living room, on a desk in your office, and they're GREAT for camping (where electrical hookups are available) They sew an nice straight stitch, take standard attachments, easy to maintain, and lightweight. The case is what? 12x9x12?
Joe is right...if you want a vintage machine, there are plenty of choices out there that are as good or dare I say it? "Better" than a FW...but truth be told, in my opinion, you can't beat it for the "cute factor"!!
06-10-2013, 09:31 PM
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 2,633
Originally Posted by ellenalso
Hello, All! I'm a very new beginner in the quilting scene, and since coming to this site, I see that you all are very enthusiastic about old sewing machines, specifically the featherweight ones. My question is, what sets these old machines apart, and why do y'all love them? Are they more heavy-duty? The reason I'm asking is that I saw an old, old black Singer sitting in a box in the corner of a resale shop, and almost bought it. However, I've had old machines, and almost had one shock me (as in electrocute), so I've kinda been burned, lol. But if it's a good (read dirt cheap) price I might drag it home and work with it if there's a chance that it will be a good investment.
06-11-2013, 07:31 AM
#10
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: PA, NC, or as-paid
Posts: 287
I'm kind of in the same camp as Joe, regarding Featherweights. I have one, it was the first machine I got, and I got it free b/c my aunt and uncle gave it to me. But as soon as I bought the Kenmore freearm machine in 1980, it became my primary machine and I never used the FW much after that. Portability is its best feature, I think. But if you really want to go to town stitching something together fast, the larger and heavier machines are better suited to that. I mostly sew garments and some home dec, so I beat on a machine harder than the average quilter does, I reckon.
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