1949 Singer Featherweight 221
 

I just had to tell someone but I was just given a 1949 Singer Featherweight 221 in great shape. The gal died last month and her hubby was told I sewed and quilted plus I'd met them both last May or June when they came to our Kingdom Hall one Sunday. I was giving out frozen strawberries and raspberries that Sunday to all at the Hall as I always do each year so I can clean out the freezer for the next season's berries. Then the gal got sick during the summer and died in August. Her hubby remembered my gift of berries to them and his granddaughter mentioned I quilted and sewed so he asked me last Sunday at a going away party for his grandkids family if I would like the machine and all the sewing stuff. He didn't tell me it was a featherweight but said it was small and in a case so I assumed it might be. The granddaughter brought it over on Wednesday and later in the day I pulled it out, cleaned it up of its dust bunnies as it hadn't been used since the grandmother got sick.

I checked online for the age of the machine and found out it was made around March 15, 1949 in Canada. My neighbor down the street I remembered had some Singer attachment feet so called her up to see if I could go thru them and see if any fit my machine. She gave them to me to take what I wanted and just give back what I couldn't use. Now all I need is Singer machine oil as there was none with the machine but the oil bottle came with it. I feel so fortunate to have a featherweight again. Also the gold leafing around the base is in perfect shape, no scars on it though the machine has a few scratches but not deep ones.

Congrats on your new FW! You don't need Singer oil for it. Any good sewing machine oil will work fine. I hope you enjoy your new acquisition. What a wonderful gift.

Congratulations! Such a wonderful story. I can recommend replacing the pad under the machine if there is lingering smell. You will be good to go.

Congrats on your new featherweight. And like cashs_mom said you don't need Singer brand oil, any good machine oil will work fine.

Thanks for the tip on the oil, I'll pick some up tomorrow as I'm going to a quilt show in another little town with my neighbor.

As I mentioned I acquired some extra feet and I tried them on the machine but didn't try sewing with them. Their shanks were different heights from the one that came with the machine so I'm wondering if I can still use them or just need to do a trial run with them to see. Any advice on the shanks?

The Featherweight is a low shank machine.
https://www.quiltingboard.com/attach...ent-225855.jpe

I don't think Singer made any high shank machines. I believe that the Singer machines were either slant shank or low shank. You can tell if the foot is a slant shank if you just stand it flat on a table. It's obvious.

bkay

Thanks all for the info on the feet. All I did was tried it on the shank using the screw and lowered the foot but never tried to sew with the foot. This is great info and I'll try the feet today. Seems the slant shank has no hole for the screw so it's definitely not a slant machine.

The drawing of the slant foot is not correct for most slant machine feet. It's true that most slant feet do not have a "hole". I looked at the slant feet I have and they all seem to have slots, so that you don't have to remove the attachment screw completely. I have a "hopping" foot that I bought as a slant foot (at an estate sale, where it was in the drawer of a slant needle 401), but now that I look at it, it may not be a foot for a slant machine.
But, I have a short shank 15-91, so I didn't waste my money.
bkay

Yes, my slant feet all have some type of hole or slot to attach them