I love my 2 singer Fw's and use them alot. My question is I am thinking about a 301 what can a 301 do better than a fw? Your expert advise would be greatly appreciated and thans in advance.

On a 301 the feed dogs can be dropped and you can free motion.

Ok I am a idiot! What r the feed dog and does free motion mean you oh tell me please ( a dumb newbie) sorry

Thank you I googles.

The feed dogs are the little toothy bars under the needle plate that pop up and pull the fabric away from you.

Free-motion is when you are guiding the fabric instead of letting the feed dogs guide it.

You can make straight or curvy lines in any direction you choose, creating designs of your own.

If you can drop or cover the feed dogs, there is one less thing to interfere with your movement of the quilt or embroidery under the needle.

The 301 is a much stronger machine than the Featherweight and it has a much bigger open area under the arm of the machine, allowing you to work in the middle of even very large quilts. The vertical bobbin arrangement is optimal for free-motion quilting - it is very forgiving of the sudden and frequent changes in directions that you might make in free-motion quilting. It's not as cute, but it's much more versatile. :)

Thank you I understood your info better. Thanks so much I was bidding on one on eBay what would be a good price for one.?

It would depend upon how thoroughly it's been refurbished and maintained and what kind of accessories come with it.

You can fix just about anything on this machine pretty cheaply and easily except the paint.

I have only bought one machine on eBay and unless I knew the seller, I would probably never do it again. The seller can hide so much with clever photography and omission of points in the description.

In my part of the country (DFW area) 301's come up on craigslist at reasonable prices pretty frequently. I think I paid around $125 or $150 for mine and it came in a blonde cabinet with matching storage bench. It had only one foot and it needed a lot of cleaning, but once cleaned, the machine is practically brand new inside, so I still consider it a good buy.

I spent another hundred or so replacing the cord and control and buying a complete set of vintage accessories and feet. (blind hemmer, zig-zaggers, darning feet, walking foot, etc) I like every machine to have as close to a "complete" kit of the options that were available when it was new as I can get.

It's a good machine and I like it fine, but I never went crazy over mine the way that some people do. I need to make room for a long arm, so I'll probably be selling this one soon and I'll only be keeping the 5 or 6 machines that I'm really attached to. :)

I'm sort of an anomaly though - vintage machine lovers really love this one, so if you come across one at a price that looks good to you, go ahead and get it and at least try it. (Make sure that it has its bobbin case and cords and foot control with it.)

I ask some questions to the seller 3 x and no reply

I wouldn't buy from someone who does not respond to questions.

Aside from that, when buying a machine off eBay it's very important for the seller to understand how to package the machine so it is not damaged in shipment. People who do not regularly ship sewing machines often do not pack them correctly.

Hi Monica,

First of all, let me point you to the Vintage Sewing Machine Shop site on this board.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-43881-1.htm

Hop right in on the last page and ask away about 301 machines or any other vintage machine you are interested in. Eveyone is welcome and there aren't any dumb questions.

Concerning 301 machines. In the last 2 months I have purchased 2 - Singer 301A machines. Both came in their own cabinets and with attachments. All of my sewing machines are purchased from craigslist.

One cost me $150 with a photocopied manual and the other machine was asking $100 and I offered $70. It had an original manual. Both machines only needed cleaning.

You would not believe how fast that machine can sew. It is simple to understand and work. Additional attachments are available through many resources for reasonable prices. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. Hope to see you in the VSMS, pull up a chair and have a cup of coffee with us. :-D