Featherweight Curious?
 

I don't have one, but can you explain what all the hoopla is about a Featherweight machine!

I don't have one either, but from my friends who do have them they seem to like that they are 'featherweight' so easier to carry to Bee. Also they apparently stitch beautifully. Me, I'd love to have my mom's old treadle but alas, she tossed it when I was a child because she got a new, electric machine. P.S. I's love a featherweight too!!!

they weigh 12 lb

They have always been popular for anyone taking a lot of quilting classes. They also are able to be serviced at home so that is a savings of about $90 a year. I do have a treadle which I enjoy since I have always loved antiques. It actually works and came with the manual along with a lot of attachments. All I had to do was replace the belt. Pieced my first quilt using it, a simple Trip Around the World king size.

I love my Featherweight. Bought it from a friend who got it new as a gift in the 1950s. Sews so sweetly, travels so easily, and is sooooo reliable! And it's perfect to teach little kids how to sew. Since I'm a sentimental sort, it just makes me happy to look at it and know it has a history, too.

Part of the appeal is nostalgia, and the fact that they are super cute. But they are also lightweight, sew a beautiful seam, and are practically indestructible. If you needed to buy one machine for piecing that would last the rest of your lifetime, the featherweight would be the one. Nothing made today will last so long, and sew so beautifully.

What dunster said!

My favorite machine! Simple to care for, stitches beautifully, transports easily, what more could you want?

And that beautiful sound that they make is like music to my ears. I can't stand the grinding clunking sound my friend's machines make when we get together for a craft day. There's nothing like a FW, in my opinion. They are so reliable.... I've never had a breakdown with any of mine.... and I have 5. I don't need 5 but when I see one at a decent price, I can't resist.

I would love to have one! used my brother in-laws and offeredhim$100.00 for it. Had few accessories but he said no:(

I have 2, but I have 7, 301's. The 301 is a better machine IMHO and doesn't weigh much more and has feed dog drop and a more powerful motor for FMQing. I guess the cuteness factor is always going to be there, but I'm over that. LOL.

Well, it's really cute. And it does a wonderful straight stitch. It's lightweight so I can set it up on the kitchen island, sit on my bar stool and sew where there's more light.

Definitely agree. It is easy for class and self maintain.

When I first joined my guild seems everyone had a FW for workshops and classes. I had to get one too. I got the whitish one. Hearing a dozen or more FWs sewing at one time is something to hear. I love my little FW. I also have a Singer 301, FW's mother. It's fantastic for fmqing. I'm learning how to use it for free motion embroidery. The tension is perfect.

What dunster said!

I love anything vintage so that's one thing. I don't use my FW though. It just sits there and looks cute. For some reason, even though I had it serviced and greased and lubed it has become very loud so I just quit using it rather than trying to figure out why.

As a beginner to sewing and quilting, there is something about the Featherweight that makes it less intimidating than other machines. The tiny cuteness and the knowledge that I would have to work very hard to find a way to damage it, and then could probably fix it myself, make it easier to start sewing. Though I must say that as a beginner both in sewing and fixing up vintage machines, I'd never have bought one if I hadn't gotten very lucky in a big antiques mall and found one that had been poorly home-serviced (there was a screw put in backwards in the bobbin area that made it unusable, but was easily fixed) and marked down to a price I'd pay.

It does make lovely stitches.

You might be the reason I can't find one to buy at a reasonable price!:D

I have one, but prefer my 301A over it.

I don't have a FW and since I don't take any classes or go anywhere to sew, have no need for one. But I have several old Singers that I love. I have a 1931 Singer that has a 9 1/2" throat, almost as big as my HV Vikings. I love the straight stitching of the old Singers. Three of my old Singers have been given to me by being picked up at the side of the road or people just didn't want them any more. Free is wonderful!

Lightweight and easy to take to classes. They don't take up much space. They sew a great straight stitch AND they are pretty! ;-)

I don't have a Singer FW, but I bought the Kenmore "Featherweight" (Model 1040). It has a more powerful motor doesn't weigh a lot (20 lbs.), and does zigzag stitches, too. :)

I agree with Dunster. I have one that I use every day for all of my sewing on quilt tops and have for 5 years. It is soooo easy to mantain and I love the stitch it makes. Would't trade it for a brand new Bernina or Janome or whatever.

I do not have a featherweight but have 7 301s. They sew with any thread,stitch is beautiful, need only oiling for service, no belts, no timing issues and best of all, no motherboards!

The 301s can be found very reasonably. I have bought them from $30 to $100. I paid $200 for first one, a black long bed on ebay. Look on Craigslist or post that you aRe looking for one, you will get some responses.

I have a collection of singers, don't have any 301's I have two featherweights and I love both of them. One was a gift and the other one I bought for a man I worked with you told me he had a little black sewing machine that had a side piece that folded up, would not sew that he wanted a $150.00 for, I looked at it, almost fainted, I knew what it was, told him I give him $140 for it, he said yes. The reason it wouldn't sew was it didn't have a needle in it.

Now I am going to have to get my Featherweight out, oil it and sew on it today. It does make a beautiful stitch but my newer machines sew so much faster. lol

Well, QB, I was ready to share my wonderful insights into "why a feather weight" but you have all be shared my ideas already. I was a hold out for a long time figuring the featherweight was just a fad and all about nostalgia. I must say that after seeing them and hearing the hum of a featherweight I was mildly hooked or at least interested if a good deal came along. I eventually purchased one actually just about 6 weeks ago. It is not perfectly beautiful, but it sews well, sounds quiet and "solid" and is small enough to travel to retreats and work days. What I like the most is it is simple. It stitches forward and backward. That is all. I leave it out in my sewing area and EVERYONE who come in asks something about it. Most want to know why I use the antique. I then can talk about my joy of quilting. How selfish is that?

Don't be pressured to buy a featherweight until YOU want one. Your life will be complete with or without a featherweight machine and if the machine you have serves your purpose, then sew on!

I bought a Featherweight in 1952 at the local Singer store. Yes, Singer used to have their own stores even in smallish towns like ours. I then took it to college with me.
I wish I still had it, but I traded it in on a large Pfaff. I was married by then and had a dtr to sew for. Now she has the old Pfaff and I have 3 machines and a serger....but I still wish I had kept the Featherweight. I have learned it is OK to own more than one sewing machine!

Love my FW and use it for classes, travel, and every day. Have 2 - 301's and still prefer my FW. Can't beat the stitch and it is easy to service.

So why doesn't SINGER make a 2014 exact copy of the ol' reliable FW??? Weight of machine, materials used, and esp. the size of those feed dogs... No matter how many cams, feet, attachments, stitch designs, electronics, computer chips, embroidery stitches, etc..... IT JUST DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER than this classic!

I have fallen in love with Featherweights since joining the board. I would love to have one at some point.

Singer (or anyone for that matter) doesn't make machines that last 50 years or more because they wouldn't have anybody to sell to or not as many. I love my Featherweight.

They are not only wonderful machines, just like Dunster said, but they are great for people who don't have a lot of space. I gave mine to my daughter, so now she can enjoy sewing in her little apartment. The first thing she did was to sew me a little journal cover. :o As an aside - I have a Singer 301A, the big sister of the Featherweight and I adore that sewing machine!

Because they want you to buy another machine when your plastic wonder dies in a few years. If they built machines that lasted 50-100 years or more they wouldn't have repeat customers.

I love love love all 5 of my FWs, 2 are black, one is shimmering green, one is royal blue. and the one I got for B-dat this last April at the Paducah quilt show is Fushia pink. When I give a quilt class, the hum of little 221s is so sweet. and I can service them all my self, got the book and DVD, so very helpful to me as NOT what you would call the least bit mechinal. Heck I can't even spell it, LOL

you could try one of these replicas
http://www.sewsing.com/featherweight221.php

I FAR prefer my 404 singer, but the fun of life is how we each find our own sweet spot.

There are new treadles and hand cranks being made also, for sale in countries that still don't have readily available electricity, and groups like the Amish.

The women in my quilting group raved about theirs. I told my husband I would like one so he bought one. It is beautiful, perfect condition. That said, I like piecing on my BL quilters pro better. I quilt on the babylock crescendo. Gave my BL xcape to my daughter that I bought for class. Only use the FW when camping or to a class (which I rarely do). Will take the FW when I start going to Monday night open sew again this fall.

I have three young granddaughters that I would like to introduce to sewing. (None of their mothers sew.) I think a featherweight would be the perfect machine for this. I have a couple of large computerized sewing machines that can be kind of intimidating to a young girl just starting out. However, I have yet to find a featherweight for a decent price. I live in a larger metropolitan area and it seems anyone with a featherweight for sale wants a ridiculously high price for them. I have been reluctant to go the ebay route (those are usually pretty pricey too) due to a bad experience with ebay in the past. Suggestions?

I too like so many want a Featherweight but it isn't in my future yet. I did run across this little gem on CL this morning, I don't don't know if they are crazy or smart in what they are asking but it sure is beautiful. Never seen one like this though. I don't know anyone affiliated with this ad.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/atq/4573893069.html