Gilla

[quote= My husband comes from Melbourne and I think it is a beautiful city. I do hope you get the machine. :)[/quote]

We lived in Sale, Victoria, for 6 years in the 80's. I taught high school in Sale for two years. Our son married a girl from Melbourne. They had a daughter in 1988 and divorced the same year. He is back here, remarried. We came back in 1986 to San Antonio, TX and are still here. Our granddaughter has visited here a couple of times, but now she is married and it is much more expensive for them to come here.

Wings

Hi Gilla -so you lived here as well - incredible. Do you ever want to come back to visit? I have been to Sale. Re the discs - interesting - I was looking at mine this morning and thought perhaps time I learnt how to pull them out. I have a wonderful Singer from the 50's with thirty flat discs and wonderful silver gears on the right hand top side of machine and it does around fifty different stitches between the gears and discs. Discs very easy to get on and off on it. 306K by memory. Yes, I meant the one like you just bought when I asked regarding the discs.

Wings

Sorry - my other singer is a 319K - I have forty machines here and I get confused unless I go and check them, I also have a 306K but it does not have discs. I have another Singer Slan O Matic which winds the bobbin from the top direct through the needle so you never take the bobbin out. Plus eight old treadles and other odd machines up to embroidery and other present day machines.

Shandy

How very pretty a cabinet that is! I don't have a 401, but would find it a struggle to part with my 301A. I love that machine....It's probably my favourite, next to my little 222K. I am lucky enough to own a Janome 11000, and Janome Jem, and a Janome 1600p on my quilting frame, but those vintage machines are the ones that really make my heart beat faster when it comes to piecing and garment sewing. They will likely outlast my Janomes.

kapatt

I have both the 401 and the 403. There are several other disks that you can buy to go with your machine. Remember that the 401 already has many of the patterns already installed in the machine. You just have to change the settings to get the pattern that you want. The 403 does not have any patterns installed into the machine. You have to use a disk for each one.

Below is a link to a page that has the stitch pattern on it for both the 401 and the 403 disks.

The 401 stitches are on the left side of the page and it shows where to put the settings and which disks to use for those stitches. The 403 is on the right side of the page and it shows which disks to get for those patterns.

For patterns that aren't installed into 401, you can buy a disk to put in for that pattern. The list of extra disks is at the bottom of the page.
(You can usually pick them up on ebay.)

Below is the link. When you get to the page, scroll down to the heading "403 (403A)". Under it is the list that I am talking about. Click on the list and it will come up in a new screen. Click on it again to enlarge the list.

http://blog.sew-classic.com/2008/10/...ne-review.aspx

Gilla

Wow and thank you for this information. It really is very helpful.

Wings

Thanks from me too Kapatt - amazing site - have put it on my desk top - I have the original manual but the bit on cleaning and pulling down the machine was incredible . I had trouble with my tension on my needlebar this morning and it is all stuck up with that old oil, have tried cleaning and the hairdryer trick, which I knew about, still needs more but until then I can move it manually with a pair of pliers, carefully, of course. I thought the oil problem was just my machine, interesting to find it is a prob with this machine. :)

Gilla

Do you know where I might find a darning or free motion foot for the 401. I am also interested in finding a monogrammer. The site you mentioned earlier did not have a place to purchase attachments. On eBay there really wasn't any listings either except a plastic darning foot and I am not sure how good that one would be.

Thanks for any more info.

Gilla

Wings

Gilla I did see a darning foot once on the ebay site for Aus - it was about $45 Aus. I have a darning foot that came with my Janome 6600P - which was thrown in with the deal - it has Q A written on the base of it - and is all metal with a spring which is on the right side of it when you attach it to the machine - which you wind up and down manually - it does not jump up and down at all, but it keeps the material under it and works fine. If you look up a Janome site you would find it.

Olivia's Grammy

I have the 301 also, it's such a little work horse. I don't use it very often, but I would be hard pressed to get rid of it.