I will always love my Bernina but I got bitten by the vintage machine bug and they are wonderful. So easy, not fussy, and so much fun! I use mine all the time. (I already have too many lol)

Those old machines are solid and reliable. Yes, most are heavy, too, and I think that's one of the reasons they work so well. Now a FW is both reliable and easily portable; that's why they are so popular. And you can free motion on nearly all of the old machines. You just have to find the foot that she likes.

I use my 15-91 get a strighter stitch line then I do with my expensive BabyLock

To my knowledge, there has been a lot of talk on the Singer boards about the Walking foot issue, and I have not heard anybody come up with a really good option as now. There are some people who jury rig something but the slant needle is the killer.
John

Here is a link where you can get a walking foot for the 301
http://www.shop.sew-classic.com/Sing...?categoryId=-1
I got one for my 301 and I really like it a lot.

Love the antique machines.

I use a walking foot on my 301's, 401, 404, and 500 Rocketeers (all slant needle) and don't have any problem with them. I also do free motion quilting on the 400's and 500's w/o any problems. I tried it on the 301 and had a hard time with it...I now have a second 301, but haven't tried FMQ on it as of yet.

I learned how to sew on my Busha's old knee control Singer. By the time I was 12, I was making all my school clothes. Wore out an old Kenmore my Mom picked up at the scratch and dent store. A couple of years ago , I picked up my first Singer 15, then a Handcrank. Since finding this website, I have added a 15-90,FW,301,403,a 66-Redeye treadle,2-127'S,a Franklin in a parlor cabinet and just last week a 201, in a beautiful cabinet w/stool. My Bernina is in the closet in case I need a buttonhole or 2. But I love the old Singers. I can clean them myself and they sew thru anything and the stitch size never deviates no matter the fabric. For tailoring, you can't beat a Singer Treadle. I learned that from a 73 yr old lady I met in 1991. She always had the most beautiful garments in the class.

My mom had an antique Singer that we called "The Antichrist". It was grouchy, but I so wish I had it now. I bet serviced properly it would be a dandy machine. That thing survived 4 kids abusing it.. no wonder it had issues...lol

I have a 33 yr old Kenmore (bought it new) and that thing has logged more miles then the Starship Enterprise. It's sewn everything from nursery curtains to horse blankets. I used to joke and say you could sew through beer cans with it. It survived my house fire 8 years ago too - so we are old friends from wayyyy back. I have a fancy Bernina now, but my Kenmore is always in reach.


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I had a 6440 too. It was a good machine, but didn't like to change out the stacks or cams as they were called back then. The mechanism that the stacks went into broke 3 different times so that is when I got rid of it. That part of the machine is plastic, so go figure.
suzy