I sew with various vintage sewing machines and they all thread differently, needle goes in differently. They get very cranky when I forget.
My White FR treadle's hand wheel turns away from me, rather than toward me like the Singers. The bobbin case and everything threads differently, from the Singers. I swear she looks at me and says, "I am not a common Singer treadle! Please pay attention!". :D
Sharon in Texas

I have to keep the manuals for all of my machines handy because I'm always forgetting the basics.

Great idea, I think I will do that also - since the FW is so different than any of my other machines, and I don't use it much.

One way to remember on the featherweight specifically is if you hold the needle straight up and down as though it's inserted for sewing - it should look like the throat plate. See the "D" the throat plate makes? The flat of the needle orients in the same direction. That's not true on all of the vintage Singers but it sure is for this one. :)

OH MY, my age is telling, I knew I had a special foot to make buttonholes, 5yr old great grandson needed to take the clasp off his uniform pants for school and put button and buttonhole...I couldn't find the special buttonhole thingy, so just did the buttonhole as best I could...this was the first of school.. they came down this weekend and there was one pair I didn't fix that way, so granddaughter brought it for me to do...I had to put in another color bobbin, and I took off the piece of machine to get to the bobbin, and inside that piece of machine, there is a little place to keep seam ripper, screwdriver and etc that came with my machine...Well lo and behold, lets look what's in here, there is the buttonhole foot...never even thought to look in there... Now if I can remember where it's at the next time I need it...LOL So, I've noticed that I have to open drawers and look in cabinets in my sewing room to refresh my mind what's in them. I do this quite often...and spelling a word while typing, I was a champion speller in spelling bees in school, but I have to stop and think a few minutes for the spelling of a word to come to me...especially a word that I don't use a lot...that is a frightening feeling...at the age of 73....other than that I feel about 55...

Great idea - why didn't we all think of that for less frequently used machines. My FW (1950 inherited from my mother) is saved to use at workshops and retreats.

Glad you found the problem and corrected it. Sew on!

I was having a problem with my FW - the 6" strips I sewed together were curling up. Changed needle, rethreaded, adjusted tension more times than I can count. Can't rememeber exactly how I found out but the foot was loose. Tightened it up and everything was fine. Don't know how it got loose either. I have since bought a new foot.

That sounds familiar!
Some days, everything goes well and the next time I can't remember how I did that simple task. I chalk it up to old age and open heart surgery and being on the heart/lung machine for 5.5 hours! I feel lucky to have a brain left at all.

I discovered the same problem this weekend with my antique Necchi. Even though the older machines don't have computer technology they are still particular in their own way. Just thankful it was that easy of a fix!