Originally Posted by chergram
hello I am looking for a singer feather weigh machine a old one not the new has to work as I will be using not collecting do you have any suggest where to look for a good machine at a price that will not break the bank as I am on limited income and retired thanks Evelyn from ga.
Hi Evelyn,
The featherweights are so extremely popular now. Most of the people who frequent this thread are vintage and antique sewing machine collectors, but featherweights are also being bought up by quilters who don't collect any other of the older machines. The hysteria has become so great that it's driven the price of these little machines right through the roof. Most people who know what they are selling for would have no reason to sell theirs for less... and they are selling for upwards of $300, oftentimes much more.
Your best bet to find one at a lower-than-market price would be to watch your local Craig's list, and frequent your local thrift stores and yard sales. That's what most of us do.
If you want the Featherweight because you want an older, reliable Singer that is light enough to travel with you, you might explore some other, less expensive, possibilities. The Singer 301 is another nice little portable and only weighs a few pounds more than the featherweights. These are now growing in popularity and their prices are going up, too, but still way below the featherweights. Another 3/4 size portable you may want to check out is the Singer 185J. It's a small, cute green little portable that straight stitches. Those can still be found for $100 or less. I just watched one go on Ebay for $41!
Good luck in your quest for a vintage Singer!