Singer 401 accessories
 

I have a box of singer 401 accessories. Can I use the different feet on my Singer 301?

Well no. The 301 is a slant shank and the 401 is a short shank.

I started to reply to this and lost everything I typed in, so over again. Since the 401 is also a slant shank machine, billed as the Singer 401 Slant-O-Matic, I would guess that a few of the feet such as the hinged zipper and cording foot and the New Special Purpose Foot would fit, but wait until Cari or Macibaby weigh in for an expert opinion. Any of the 401 attachments that use a zig zag will not help you on the 301, which is straight stitch only.

well duh! How stupid do I feel! Of course I was wrong!!!

I've read many of your posts and stupid is not a word I would associate with you. Just chalk it up to a brain fart.

I don't have a 401 but the feet from my 301a and my 503 interchange nicely.

The only thing is that the 401 is a zig zag and the 301 is not. So, the feed dogs are more narrow on the 301 than the 401. So all the feet will work on the 301, but not all will be as efficient on it as the feet might not line up with the more narrow feed dogs.

bkay

Since when did the 401 become a short shank machine?

The 201 is a short shank machine, but the 301,400 series and 500 series are all slant shank. As bkay says, the 301 is straight stitch machine and the 401 is a zigzag (swing needle) machine. So the feed dogs and feet won't line up correctly. However if they are feet that are for straight stitching only, they will probably work just fine on a 301 as they are set up for the needle in center position. It would not work the other way, if you put a narrow foot for a 301 on a 401, you will likely have feeding problems.

Thanks, Cathy, I didn't know that.

bkay

I got a box of 401 accessories in with another purchase and since I already have a 401 this is an item that I don't need. Thanks Cathy for your valuable knowledge.