Choosing Between a Singer 301 and a 401/advice please
07-25-2011, 05:23 PM
#51
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: WI
Posts: 706
Originally Posted by irishrose
My 301 was advertised as a heavy duty machine, which it is not, but it is capable of any household sewing. It doesn't need to be babied because it is light. The gears and inner working are all full size and good steel. Only the housing is aluminum. Mine came with four layers of leather under the presser foot with rows of stitching.. My daughter was fascinated and played with it. I had her stop. It is not an industrial machine. If I want to sew four layers of leather - and I have, I'll use the Elna or Necchi. The Elna loves that kind of sewing. I haven't tried with the Necchi.
07-25-2011, 06:31 PM
#52
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Illinois
Posts: 509
You will need an FMQ foot, but you can probably get one for 8.00 on ebay. That's what I paid for the one that fits my 401. By the way, I love my 401. My service man says the 301 and the 401 have the same motor, so they should both "purr" the same.
07-26-2011, 07:28 AM
#53
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Cadillac, MI
Posts: 6,487
writerwomen, ny Necchi is a pre 1950 model. I haven't used it for anything except piecing. If I had heavy duty sewing to do, I think I'd pull the Admiral out of it's hiding place. It has a Japanese motor that seems stronger than the Necchi's.
The 301 has a 1/4" seam guide screwed on, so it does piecing and the Necchi does HSTs and such. It's working out well. The guide will come off when it's time for FMQ. That is the 301's specialty in my house.
The 301 has a 1/4" seam guide screwed on, so it does piecing and the Necchi does HSTs and such. It's working out well. The guide will come off when it's time for FMQ. That is the 301's specialty in my house.
07-26-2011, 07:47 AM
#54
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: North Carolina - But otherwise, NOTW
Posts: 7,940
Originally Posted by hobbykat1955
Yes it is a metal holding case that comes out and bobbin is put in that...
I have a 1951 Black 301 which did not come w/bobbin case...picked it up at a tag sale for 30.00 so I didn't mind buying case for it...for 69.00. Runs beautiful after a ckup with Singer repair man who does vintage machines.
He told me the 301 is the best gear driven machine Singer made and he'd buy that even before a featherweight...He was right it purrs and what a great stitch.
A few mths after buying that I found a 2 Toned beige 1954 301A for 120.00 on Craigs List in cabinet.. I was hooked on my 301 but I find this 301A I like even better even though they are the same machine other then where they were made...That baby purrs even smoother and I discovered the cabinet came equipped with knee pedal which I use and love. So get your 301 versus the 401 you won't regret it.
I have a 1951 Black 301 which did not come w/bobbin case...picked it up at a tag sale for 30.00 so I didn't mind buying case for it...for 69.00. Runs beautiful after a ckup with Singer repair man who does vintage machines.
He told me the 301 is the best gear driven machine Singer made and he'd buy that even before a featherweight...He was right it purrs and what a great stitch.
A few mths after buying that I found a 2 Toned beige 1954 301A for 120.00 on Craigs List in cabinet.. I was hooked on my 301 but I find this 301A I like even better even though they are the same machine other then where they were made...That baby purrs even smoother and I discovered the cabinet came equipped with knee pedal which I use and love. So get your 301 versus the 401 you won't regret it.
07-26-2011, 09:29 AM
#55
Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Madison WI
Posts: 42
In surfing around in images on google I came across this .It tells you what you are quetioning and more about which vintage Singer is best in her opinion for FMQ. Put the follo9wing in google and it should come up for you. I just googled it myself and it comes up as eBay Guides Free Motion Quilting with vintage singer sewing machines click on that and it is what I have listed below. It's Excellent. Do read before you decide.
Free Motion Quilting with Vintage Singer Sewing Machine
by: karenquiltstexas
Free Motion Quilting with Vintage Singer Sewing Machine
by: karenquiltstexas
07-26-2011, 10:27 AM
#56
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Cadillac, MI
Posts: 6,487
Nice article, but it has an error. The 301 weighs 17 pounds, not 12 and does not dance around when FMQ. The feet kept it grounded. It's gear driven and strong enough for FMQ. Also has the vertical bobbin she prefers and the 401 doesn't. I do agree that a FW is not a FMQ machine.
07-27-2011, 04:38 AM
#57
Super Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 6,764
My mom purchased a 301 in the fifties (not really sure what year).I sewed on it before I graduated from high school in '58 and through college ('62). That machine is still working beautifully today. I bought a 404 in '62. It, too, is still alive and healthy. I don't know what the differences are between the 301 abd tge 401. But I do know that both of our machines are straight stitchers. I had purchased attachments for zigzagging and for buttonholes.
07-28-2011, 06:03 AM
#58
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Frederick, OK
Posts: 2,031
Here’s another vote for “one of each”. In our home sewing area, my wife has used her 401A for years, and pulled her Featherweight out from time to time for straight stitching, until she began using my 301A. Now, she has both the 401A and 301A set up full-time and the 221 stays in the case most of the time. She does straight stitching and FMQ on the 301A, and zigzag or other stitches on the 401A.
CD in Oklahoma
CD in Oklahoma
Bear's Home Sewing Area
[ATTACH=CONFIG]232758[/ATTACH]
12-10-2019, 10:05 PM
#60
Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 5
Looking for the Darning foot You Mentioned
This is the best darning foot for slant shank machines that I've ever tried:
http://shop.sew-classic.com/Singer-S...-SCF384037.htm
No problem at all using it on the 301. I have a vintage darning foot that was made specifically for the 301, but I like working with this one better.
Great visibility and very quiet. I have about ten different kinds of darning feet including some that are very old and some that are virtually all plastic and pretty expensive - but my favorite for the low shank costs $3 and this one for slants costs $6. I wish they made this model in a low shank style.
After you've been quilting for a while, this foot almost disappears and you don't even notice it being there!
http://shop.sew-classic.com/Singer-S...-SCF384037.htm
No problem at all using it on the 301. I have a vintage darning foot that was made specifically for the 301, but I like working with this one better.
Great visibility and very quiet. I have about ten different kinds of darning feet including some that are very old and some that are virtually all plastic and pretty expensive - but my favorite for the low shank costs $3 and this one for slants costs $6. I wish they made this model in a low shank style.
After you've been quilting for a while, this foot almost disappears and you don't even notice it being there!
I clicked on the link to the darning foot you recommended. I know this is an old thread so perhaps Sew Classic doesn't sell this one anymore? The link opens their site but doesn't show a darning foot. I checked out their slant feet. They sell two darning feet. One has a metal foot and the other a clear foot. Are either of them the one you like? Thank you.
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