mckwilter

I notice that no one had addressed your question about vintage machines, so I'll jump in. I have 6 Singer 221 Featherweights (ranging from 1939 to 1964), a Singer treadle (1936), and my Model 237 (1971). All work well. The vintage machines are mechanical, so no worry about electronic parts. They are all straight stitch, go forward and backward, and have no bells and whistles. My 1971 Singer has a zig zag stitch, and I thought I was big time when I bought it! A good working vintage machine is great for piecing, and many of them can be used for FMQ. The FWs don't have a large harp (or throat) space, so are better for smaller projects. Once nice thing about my FWs is that I can put one in the trunk of the car and leave it. I had one travel with me for over 9 months, through the heat of summer and the cold of winter, and each time I took it out to sew, it never missed a stitch. You can't do that with the newer machines. The FWs also only weigh 11 lbs. (about 14 lbs. in the case), so are great to take to classes, workshops and retreats if all you are doing is straight piecing. They make great second machines, just in case your main machine needs to go to the shop.

I have had a Bernina 440 QE for about 5 years, and it has 182 decorative stitches. It makes 4 different kinds of buttonholes and has a button foot to sew buttons on. It has the needle up/down feature, a knee lift, the variable speed feature, and the stop/start button. The needle plate is easy to remove, so I clear the lint out each time I change the bobbin, and the feet are very easy to change. The two options I would like to have, but don't, are the dual feed option and the thread cutter, but all in all I am happy with what I have. If it lasts me 38 years, like the Singer 237 did, I will leave it to my daughter in my will.