Vintage Singer
 

I have a 221 Singer machine, about 1949 , I think. I recently bought a walking foot and a free motion foot on Amazon, very reasonable. I am finding not all walking feet are made equal...lol... Or this machine is just too old to recognize it. The bottom fabric when quilting still likes to bunch up someone. I tried sewing on binding and by the end or corner.... the bottom fabric was 1-2 inches smaller... not good.... suggestions. (I did try pinning, which is a pain, but it still bunches)

Has anyone used a walking foot on this type of machine? I used my free motion for the first time today. I covered the feed dogs with an index card and it seems to work "ok". My question is how to I make the stitches bigger. There is one speed with these machines and my stitches are quite small. I have tried moving fabric faster and stitching slower... is that right?

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.

I have used walking feet on a 99 and a 201, both cast iron straight stitch models. The feed dogs and presser feet are very similar to the 221 and I guess they are much the same. I like the Swiss zigzagger, I can adjust the stitch length on it to the same as the feed dogs with a bit of test sewing and comparison. I can't remember it mattered much with the newer one I had, it was not the new especially made for straight stitch machines available on the web (ebay, sew-classic,...) Some have had problems with the feed dogs not aligning up correctly with the newer walking feet. Zigzag machines have wider set feed dogs.

There should be gradual speed or something is wrong with the controller. The motor runs easier after cleaning and lubrication; the same for the rest of the machine. It's easier to get a nice, even stitch length on high speed, even movements, experience, developing a feel for it and all that...

The favorite for freemotion and quilting is a singer 15, and there are feed dog covers available for your 221; a smooth cardboard, plastic or something like that will work just as well. There are example of people doing wonderful work on 27s, 66s, and 201s as well, and I guess the tiny 221 is up to it.

I think the walking foot is the problem... it has a plastic attachment to the machine and I don't think it is very stable. Any suggestions where to find one that will fit for sure. I ordered a 1/4 inch foot and it won't fit ... the snap bar is too small and won't work. Thx for all the help... appreciate it.

This retailer sells a lot of accessories for the 221 that also fit other low shank Singer vintage machines.

https://singer-featherweight.com/col...ns/attachments

Sounds like you have two questions, since you would not use a walking foot while doing FMQ.

I ahve heard a lot of complaints about aftermarket walking feet not always working as well as people hoped - most were made much later than your machine and were not made for straight stitch machines so the foot does not line up with the feed dogs.

As to the FMQ question, your stitch lenght is 100% determined by how fast YOU are moving the fabric, since you have disabled the feed dogs completely. So if you want larger stitches - move your hands faster in relation to the speed of the machine.

If however you are somehow trying to use the walking foot with your feed dogs covered - they don't work that way. they work with the feed dogs, not instead of the feed dogs.

When I FMQ, I prefer to use a hopping foot, but I know a lot of folks do fine using regular foot and raising the pressure so the foot just barely glides over the fabric.

If you are having a lot of feeding problems, you may have your presser foot PRESSURE too high, loose it up some and see if that helps. Check the walking foot off the machine and see how high up the needle bar needs to go to fully work the foot. It could be that the distance the needle is traveling is not enough to fully lift the foot during it's cycle.

thanks Macy.... yes two questions... I do have a Hopping foot... just need to practice, I think to get my stitches longer.

I am going to look for a better walking foot to control straight line quilting and sewing on binding. Thanks for input.

they only have walking foot with plastic attachment

I'm more than confident to say the Featherweight shop would not sell a walking foot that's not suitable for Featherweights.

Have you fitted yours correctly?

https://singer-featherweight.com/col...nt=19210152771

If you want an all metal attachment made for the old machines the closest thing is the Swiss zigzagger, it turns up now and then, but it takes time to find one at a reasonable price. In the straight stitch setting it is the same as a walking foot.

There are walking feet with metal clap-on grip, most general low shank foot should fit on the 221. Here's another. You need the small basic straight stitch foot to fit the old machines, not any foot will behave well. You can by a used one, or a new one. There are slight variations to the vintage feet and different part number, make sure they are from a straight stitch Singer model and it should work fine. Bying from sellers like Sew Classic and The Featherweight Store have an advantage, they know what type of machine you have and what they are selling.

By the way, I'm not sure what your problem is with the 'plastic attachment'. Here's a similar walking foot with plastic attachment on one of my 201s. I just finished a queen size quilt on it. I also use it on my 222K. The walking foot cost me $15 on eBay.

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