I notice many of you are purchasing various "vintage" Singer Sewing Machines. Some are electric and some are treadle. Do you use them? Are they better/worse than newer models. What can they do but straight stitch, button hole, etc? LOL-I just gave away my grandmother's treadle machine because I thought it had no value.

Just got back from a vacation in Boston, and in the Back Bay Area saw a storefront that must have had 2-300 old sewing machines on a window display. Must say I was impressed with the looks of them.

I have three and I love them for their purposes. Yes, only straight stitch but i can do piecing and stitch in the ditch or grids. If you use the search function or check out the Vintage machine topic you will find lots of good info in addition to other comments you will get here.

I have about 17 sewing machines, most are vintage. The ones that are mechanical and all metal parts are often wonderful. Many have only straight stich but are great for piecing or sometiems quilting. The value often varies from $35 to in the hundreds for Feather Weights. Pitty you gave away the treadle. And Yes, I definitely use them and often prefer to use them over my newer wonderful Janome 6500. Only some can do more fancy stitches. some will have stitches build in or you have to use cams. As for button holes, I think many need several steps if they even do button holes. Some only do straight stich and there is no reverse, and some only do straight stitch, zig zag and reverse.

love your antique machines and the cabinets are beautiful.

my 1956 vintage singer is my (travel machine) the one i take with me for classes ect- it has a very good even straight stitch- they are very reliable machines that sew very nicely-and are very easy to maintain (unlike the new computerized machines that need to go to a shop for maintenance/repairs)
i wish i had been around when you were getting rid of your treadle! that is my dream machine---one i can still use when the lights go out!
i do own a $5000+ viking- which is nice-
but i love my little singer- yes it works- yes i use it-almost daily
yes they have VALUE! no plastic parts to break- easy to clean, easy to oil- easy to thread- easy to sew with...great basic machines!

Waaaaa - am I sorry I gave the treadle away - looked just like the picture, case and all.

If someone is looking for singer accessories - send me a pm - I was in the local thrift store a couple days ago, and they had loads of accessory kits. Guess I'd just need to know the model number.

Yup! I sew with all of my vintage machines. I mostly use treadle machines now. I'm in the process of making a baby quilt. If you look at my blog, you can see my machines and projects. After this baby quilt, my next major endeavor will be making lots of donation quilts.

Oh, yes, I'm a real devotee of those older machines. They are utterly reliable and last forever due to their metal construction. When plastic gears were introduced in the 80s, everything went downhill.

The Viking 6440 was my first vintage machine which I use for piecing blocks. It also has cams which create some lovely decorative stitches that I use on the bindings of my quilts. I will admit that I fell in love with its red color only to discover that these things can last a lifetime -- and then be repaired to last another one!

Then I started making Quilts of Valor with a group of friends. The Viking was too heavy to take each week, so I thought I'd get a Featherweight. I found them too expensive, so I invested in a 301 which is only a tad heavier but still quite manageable. She is always ready to sew a straight as an arrow 1/4" seam which is all I need when we meet. She's full sized too, so I'm looking forward to doing some FMQ on her sooner or later. She's not collector quality, but I love her nicks and scratches because I know she's been lovingly used.

For all the fancy pants stuff I have a newer Bernina which is reliable too but not at all portable.

Dorothy in PA

I love using my vintage sewing machines. In fact, I only use my sewing/embroidery machine is when I need embroidery.

i collect them because i love the art work. i have about 12 machines now including 2 featherweights. i just got another one this weekend.

i do go to the trouble of cleaning them up and restoring them but i never use them (they all work)

i have 3 modern sewing machines with all the bells and prefer to do my sewing, piecing, and quilting on them - for me technology is king.