Hi Sister,
I have a 201-2, my Mother bought it for me when I was about 13. I am 69, still love the machine as my 'go to' for pieceing. I have the plate that goes over the feed dogs. I tried that method, however I want to try dropping the feed dogs from the underside of the machine. With a 222 and a 403 that do it with the flick of a lever, I just have not done the feed drop method and my 201-2. Reading your email sparked my interest, so I will try it once Thanksgiving and house guests have departed.
My 201-2 has a 'birthdate of April 1946. It came with a art-deco style cabinet, still in it and I decided not to restore the cabinet, just enjoy the patina and the fact that it looks like a desk when the lid is closed.
I encouraged you to learn all of the little nuances of the 201. When I was in jr.hi I started making my own clothes, I just loved to sew. I had an outstanding Home Ec teacher in HS, ( she is 99 and I go to Bainbridge Island, WA) to visit her, I am so thankful for all that I learned from her. The summer before I went off to college I sewed my own clothes because I wanted to, not because I could not afford store-bought ones. I used to come home from sewing baby clothes at a factory in Oregon, then head down to the laundry room area and sew all evening with the 201.
I have always said that machine sews ( stitch straight and true) better than my other two. I would not part with it for anything. I am hoping that my younger niece will want it someday, as I do not want to see it leave the family.
If you learn to drop the feed dogs from underneath before I do, please let me know how it went. The directions are in the original owners manual, which I have. Peacefully, Libby McDonald