Thread: Win!!! Featherweight found at Antique Mall

Originally Posted by Caroline S

An interesting note for you Tammi. One of the accessories for the 222K is an embroidery hoop, the Singer part number is 171074. Also there were only about 1800 free arm machines were sold in the U.S. out of about 10,000 a total estimated production. My source for the information is "Featherweight 221 - The Perfect Portable" by Nancy Johnson-Srebo. If you have a Featherweight you have to get this book. The 222K is the Holy Grail of the Featherweight world.

I'm looking around and keeping my ear to the ground. I've put the word out about those two attachments. I saw that they were the only ones missing out of the box (that I didn't have here in other boxes) The prices on them are nuts though.

I had that book in my hands at one point. The only reason I didn't buy it is that most of the information I saw in it, I'd seen on the Internet somewhere, and being a computer geek, I'm pretty used to asking Google before I pull out a book.

Nancy's book said 10,000? I read 120,000 in a FW book I had here back in January. There are 15000 in the EM series of serial numbers alone... http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_mach...l-numbers.html
Holy Grail is exactly what I called the 222 before we found one. When we found it, that's what I said to him, after the shock wore off.

Originally Posted by chichimamma

Oh! It's a great feeling to find one, mine was at a Antique flea market that they put on about four times a year at Ky. fairgrounds. We haven't ever found one but my husband ask a dealer if he knew anyone who had one. Well the man said he had a couple, he could bring in the next day-could I come back? Wasn't that about the silliest question you ever heard? I now own a pristine, case and all pieces FW, even the original tube of oil(dried up) for $200!

That's so funny that he wouldn't think you'd come back for it. I'd love to see a pic! I haven't had a chance to clean this one up, other than getting her sewing. I had a couple of busy days trying to earn back the money I paid out to adopt her.

Originally Posted by ewecansew

I do leave her out in the travel trailer. She has weathered just fine--our weather is more like Calgary. We live in north Central BC---south of PG. I would be way more concerned with Vancouver weather--way too wet for me--I don't like webbed feet.
The birthdate for mine is Mar. 14, 1955---EK327124 and my MIL's-now owned by SIL is Mar.2, 1956--EL179751.

Yeah, I used to summer in Vancouver with my mom, that sort of moisture is tough on a prairie girl. I had bad hair days the entire summer. So you don't tend to get the really hard freezes then that we do. That's what hurts them. I once saw a shed full of the old black machines, and tons of them had the alligator finish from freezing and thawing. Poor things, I wanted to rescue them all, but he wanted real money for them.

How lucky for you to have 2 of them in the family. I think I've decided to call her Billy. Billy's serial number is EM235013 or EM236013, I'm not 100% sure,.. but I think I thought it was a 5 the night I got her. DH swears it's a 6.

So enjoyed reading about your find and sharing with us. We can all hope

Wow! This is the first time I heard of a 222 magically turning up! Great deal, great find - she will be an awesome lady to work with. What will you name her??

Congrats on your awesome find!

Ok,.. so here are her photos (with a big finger print on her arm, sorry) . I polished her up with Carnuba wax like Dave McCallum suggests, but I'm just not happy with the shine. I know she can do better, but I'm not sure why the shine isn't coming up. Every time I've polished this way, the shine seems poorer than with the oil. (I know oil will shine, but it also tends to get everywhere) Any tips would be appreciated. I've polished bikes and cars and gotten good results, so I'm not sure what I'm doing differently, besides the high speed buffer....







Her temporary name, Billy, doesn't seem to be sticking. I will have to think on it more. I'll try to sew on her tomorrow or the next day and see if she whispers it to me.

She's clean and working really well. I'm a little paranoid though that her timing may be 100% wrong (per this blog post on DM's site: http://www.featherweight221.com/fwrx...90945681635231 ) but she sews, and I guess other than comparing her to a 221, I have to assume it's OK. We didn't change her timing much, only "squared it up" and tightened the set screws that were loose when she came home.

I've been chatting with Glenn Williams about the case. I ordered keys for her, as well as a couple other things I need for the FW herd, and we determined that the case is a bit of a mystery. It should have British locks, but it has the American version of the FW locks. I'm not sure if they were changed, or what, but it's definitely a 222 case.

He also had the Embroidery hoop and darning foot that she's missing, so I ordered it all at the same time. Boy I'm not looking forward to my CC statement this month. The important part though is she's home, healthy, happy and being used.