Sewing straighter on a FW, tips please!
 

I have recently acquired a singer 221 featherweight. They are so pretty and I really enjoyed getting her cleaned and running again. So here's my issue, I'm totally spoiled by how straight a machine with box feed sews. When sewing on the FW, I feel like I have to watch it like a hawk so that it doesn't pull my piecing to one side. Piecing is my favorite :o Just wondering if anyone has some tips, and I thank you in advance.

Hold on to the fabric

Have you tried a 1/4 inch foot?

Thanks for the replies, I do hold on to the fabric and my 1/4" foot works great.
It's kind of like when your car's alignment is off, when you go straight and let go of the wheel the car veers to one side.

Do your dogs pull straight on your FW?

Is your fabric supported or hanging of the edge of a table? I have noticed that anything I sew on any of my machines is going to pull "out" when I don't have support on the fabric. I suppose you could also look at your presser foot pressure if you feel like things are sliding too much, just don't ratchet it down so things don't feed. I've never had any other weirdness with regards to feed on my FW.

Feed dogs can get out of alignment. You might want to join one of the vintage Singer Yahoo groups and/or Google to find specific instructions on how to align feed dogs on a featherweight. Or, take your machine to a good technician. I have never done it myself, but I know that there are screws associated with feed dogs so that a technician can work on their alignment. It's exactly like your example of letting go of the wheel of a car!

Put your left hand index finger against the left edge of the foot when sewing. Just a light touch. It really works to keep a straight seam and no more veering off at the end of a seam. Paid a lot of money for a class that gave this tip. :)

Thank you so much! Merry Christmas!

I just tried the finger on the edge of the foot. It works great! My seams are straighter and no veer at the end at all. Thanks so much for posting this. I mean really thank you!!!!

I hope you get your Featherweight sewing straight. I do all of my piecing on my featherweight with a 1/4" foot. That little machine has spoiled me. I love piecing using it! I use my Bernina for appliqué, FMQ, etc.; but not for piecing. BellaBoo, thanks for your tip.

What a great tip! I can't wait to try this on all the machines, thank you!

So that's what was wrong with my mother's Featherweight. I hated that machine. It would NOT sew a straight line.
So bad that I refused to sew until the 1st electronic machines came out. Programming stitches in made it interesting.
Even today, you couldn't give me one. I'll take my Brother 1500 S anytime.

I have had better luck with my straight stitching on my FW when I bought a 1/4 foot that fit. The foot that came with the machine was loose. I also put down a stack of strips of blue tape on the 1/4 line when I am teaching (sometimes just for me...), so I have someplace to butt the fabric up to. Makes piecing fun again! I can post a picture of the 1/4 foot if someone wants to see it.

Thank you BellaBoo for this tip!!!

Sewing straight
 

Wow, I have always done this...and I did not take the class :). Especially at the very end of the stitching.

Judy in Phx, AZ

I always use the finger on the side tip too but here is one more. Check to see if the pressure on your presser foot is strong enough. If the foot is set to high it's hard for the fabric to stay in line.

There are some great suggestions. Thanks for posting this.

My 'go-to' person for my FW products, parts and tips is novamontgomery.com
She has a Sew Straight product designed just for FWs. It is absolutely wonderful.

Both my FW's sew straight. You shouldn't have to struggle with your seam. May be a problem with your feed dogs. Why not ask the people in our Vintage Sewing Machine thread? Lots of very knowledgeable guys and gals there.

The problem may not be with your machine. Fabric has a tendency to "drift" when you stitch it and curl in one direction. When you are sewing a strata for fabrics together which you will sub-cut into sections for squares it is always recommended that you sew one seam top to bottom and the next seam from the bottom to the top to keep your strata straight. It is necessary to guide your fabric through the machine to keep it feeding straight- a finger placed along the presser foot is a good way to do it. I like to extend the guide for making an accurate 1/4 inch seam to the back of the machine and guide the fabric all the way along the guide. If you don't keep the fabric straight it will veer off. It can be hard to detect in short distances but is very obvious in longer seams. Many people feel that the stitch on a FW is among the most perfect straight stitch because it only straight stitches. When you add the ability to zig-zag it is no longer possible to be absolutely straight and the tiny bit of zig-zag will pull fabric just a bit.

I got a little appliance that screws onto the fw.. t o guide for a better seam. Can't remember where I got it, but go to;
Glen Williams, 221-222-301 Parts. He seems to have everything for fw's.
Good luck!
Mariah

The only thing I can say is my own experience. I have found that on any machine, If I try to sew fast, I get very uneven seams. if I slow me and the machine down some, my seams are always much straighter. I guess I just have to slow down for my head, hands and machine to do a good job together. Being done faster only makes me more frustrated with the results. I hope this helps you too!

Grannie's expression for the above posting used to be "haste makes waste" and that is true for me. I never could get "production" when I was working in a sewing factory--I just told my boss I wasn't fast, I was good.....

All these tips help:) I love my singers 401A and FW..especially FW! a guide that works for you is essential.. the sites give such good advice.. until I got on them and adjusted, cleaned, oiled according to how I needed it to work I had some challenges with straight seems. I now use very light finger on material, guiding against a fewt thicknesses of tape and watching my foot placement, as I sew as fast as the machine will run..love it!
Wanted to try some of the new machines...the ones I have tried did not last and didn't make as nice a seam..but would be nice to have for labels etc.:) Hope you find what works for you!!

I would check the feed dogs. Remove them and clean underneath and reinstall. The screws could also be loose on them. I had this problem with one of my fw's.

Absolutely, I love her and her monthly newsletter. Have also bought things from her.

I wish I knew the proper name for you, but I purchased a small plastic plate and it screws onto the base. I get a perfect 1/4" seam.

Another option is to buy "mole skin", you find it in the foot care section of stores. Find the perfect 1/4" point, and place a piece of the mole skin across the bed. Your fabic would lay right beside it as you stitch. It is raised, so the fabric doesn't jump over the top.

Enjoy that 221, you'll never regret its purchase ;)

novamontgomery.com is where you can purchase the Seam Guide that screws onto the FW. She has other items for the FW plus a Monthly Tip on FWs........with index for past tips. Very helpful.

AlaskaAlice, the adhesive on tape can damage the finish on vintage machines. (Tape is fine on newer, plastic cover machines.) You might want to switch to a mechanical guide that screws into the base.

If you adjust the presser foot pressure, a good place to start is 1/4 inch of space from the underside of the knob you turn, to the top of the machines arm.