Take a look at this auction on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/SINGER-FEATHERWE...item2a0fb77c4d

Has this featherweight been altered for use as an open arm machine or is this the way all featherweights are built.

That's a 222K and that's the way they were built. They are rare so that's why the price is so high.

Figures it is from the year of my birth and way out of my price range :)

Wow! I'm glad I'm not coveting one of those!! I have many machines, FW's included but I don't need that one! lol :D:D

I found a centenial 221 (my birthyear) and it was $400 + shipping. Ouch......
The FW I bought a few years ago was $200 on E-bay. She's a 1948 and is a beauty. Good luck on finding what you're looking for. It's getting harder and harder to find nice machines.

Me too, on both counts.

Speaking of featherweights (aahhhh), after talking with people at a couple of thrift stores here, they hardly ever get in FWs. So, my question is this...what would be the max you would pay for one from an auction? Assuming, of course, that it was in "like new" or "excellent condition". I always want the best on a sad budget!!

wow! That's a beauty!

Nana, I was in the same position you were in and I just kept looking at every available for sale site that is on the net. If you are not fussy about the machine you can pick them up for a reasonable price. I got mine off of Craigslist, but it was JUST the machine and it had a bobbin case. I then went shopping for the bobbins, electrical cord and a case. I have been collecting feet for years and already had the extra feet and somewhere I had picked up a manual. I got the machine for 100, electrical cord was 20, and I can't remember what the bobbins cost, but I think around 5-10 with shipping, wheeled case for 25. So all told I have a 1941 Singer Featherweight that sews like a dream for about 150 dollars, which is cheap. So keep an open mind if you really want one and start stalking the net. There is one out there somewhere that has your name on it!

this is how the 222 is it is a free arm isnt it great

They only made 222 Featherweights for a couple of years, 1954 and 1955 I believe. The machines were expensive to produce and expensive to buy. Even regular Featherweights were not cheap. My MIL paid $150 for her machine and got her table for $30 ($20) off because it was scratched. That was an awful lot of egg money in those days. 222's were made in St John's Canada and Kilbowie Scotland so even fewer were sold in the States. The cheapest that I've ever seen one listed for is $700.

That is a nice one. Mine is 110 only and i gave a tad bit more for it but I love it.

I got mine on ebay last summer and it was just over £300 - probably cheaper because it was a Kilbowie one, with a higher voltage motor, so I wasn't bidding against US bidders.

I was thrilled to bits, as it sews much nicer than my white 221 which seems sluggish compared to my 222K - also the feed dogs drop on the 222's, so you can FMQ on them too.