Originally Posted by
Mimmis57
I've been hearing so much about featherweights lately. What exactly are they? Are they antique or new? Where can I find them and are they really as good as I've heard? Thanks to all.
Singer Model 221 Featherweights were manufactured beginning in the 1930s and into the 1960s. The original models were black, and there are also tan and "white" machines (I put quotes around white because some of them have a light blue or green color if you put them against a white background). I'm including a picture of my tan machine. Thousands of these machines were manufactured through the years, the main factories were in Elizabethtown, NJ, St. John, Canada, and Kilbowie, Scotland. Most FWs just have the plain Singer logo medallion on them, but there are machines with different World's Fair medallions. The best knows of those is the Centennial model.
The FWs do a straight stitch, forward and back. Period. However, there is a bottonhole attachment and a zigzag attachment that you can purchase. Most FWs come with a standard set of 5 or 6 feet, including a rolled hem foot and a ruffler foot. I found all of my machines on eBay, but you must read the descriptions carefully and decide whether to trust that the seller knows what he/she is talking about. All of mine were purchased from individuals, not dealers, and I got burned on a couple because I had to replace the foot pedal/cord set, which ran me an additional $25; however, I didn't pay more than $225, including S/H, for any of my machines. There are several people who specialize in FWs and if you purchase one from them, they will guarantee the machine is in good working order.
Three of my machines are named, three aren't. It just depends on if they "speak" to me.
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