Featherweight high costs .... why?
#51
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Westerville, Ohio
Posts: 711
Well, not everyone pays that much. I found mine at a garage sale for $15.00. I did not get mine to go along with the fad--I got mine because my Granny had one and when she passed, my cousin got it. I learned to sew thanks to Granny and that machine was more my size when I started sewing. I named her Anna after Granny and she is the best one to piece on.
#52
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Sonoma County, CA
Posts: 4,299
I couldn't remember exactly what my grandmother's machine was (the one I learned to sew on) but I remembered it was a Pfaff and I had very clear memories of what it looked like, so with some help from Google Image searches, I figured out exactly what model it was! Some day I want to get one.
#53
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
Reading about all these vintage/old machines makes me so wish I knew what kind of a machine I started on as a little girl. I am now 69 years old and I am a quilter so I sew on a 6600 Janome which has all I want and I have a 2006 mechanical Elna which is my traveling machine. There isn't anyone left to ask what my Mom used and used a lot - made a lot of my clothes. I do know I started on a Singer treadle and then my Mom got a black Portable - maybe it was a FW. Enough rambling on - just wanted to share this and if any of you "young" quilters out there still have your Moms around you may want to find out this info.
Chances are it was an old black machine in that treadle cabinet. Then you have Singer machines or not. Do you remember if it had any pretty decals? I remember my Grandma had a treadle and it had a Singer in it but I don't remember any decals. I think I tried to use it once and Grandma pitched a fit because I couldn't get the hang of the treadling. She went out and bought a green electric Kenmore for me to sew on - she should have sent me down to my great aunt's house. She had a green Elna... now THAT I do remember. I wouldn't know what to get if I was going to try to match up with Grandma's machine. I can tell you that about any old black machine would be fun for you to play with if it is in working order and all there.
#54
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Centralia, WA, USA
Posts: 4,890
I've only treadled a few test stitches so far. It IS fun and surprisingly easy to run the machine. Easy enough that I can see why it took so long for electric machines to dominate the market. I'm still learning starting and stopping.
Sorry for the hijack. Back to featherweights. You can buy a bunch of treadle machines for the cost of 1 featherweight. They're harder to carry around though.
Rodney
Sorry for the hijack. Back to featherweights. You can buy a bunch of treadle machines for the cost of 1 featherweight. They're harder to carry around though.
Rodney
#55
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 440
I know, this is an old many time rehashed subject but my wife an I were going through the sewing machines on Shopgoodwill.com and currently there are 11 Singer 221 Featherweight sewing machines on auction.
On an average there are more Featherweights up on auction than any other single machine with the exception of the 66/99s and the clones.
They are not rare. There can't be that many collectors.
I fail to see what is keeping the prices so high for these silly little machines.
I don't know, I have a different value system than most I guess. Maybe somebody can 'splain it to me.
Joe
On an average there are more Featherweights up on auction than any other single machine with the exception of the 66/99s and the clones.
They are not rare. There can't be that many collectors.
I fail to see what is keeping the prices so high for these silly little machines.
I don't know, I have a different value system than most I guess. Maybe somebody can 'splain it to me.
Joe
#56
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 3
i have 6 featherweights. 3 i'm keeping and 3 i'm selling. i just love how they sew. i use mine for piecing. the least i paid for one is $120 and the most $200.00. i got them all at weekly local flea market. i don't know what it is about those little gems, i just can't pass them up
#57
My featherweight was the first vintage machine I purchased. And yes I may have paid "too much" for her, but she's still my favorite and the one I use all the time. So to me it has been well worth it. Sure beats buying a new plastic wonder every two or three years!
At some point I do want to get something larger to use for free motion (if I ever get good enough on practice pieces to warrant it). Of course I probably already have a couple that I could use, I just haven't finished getting them refurbed and in a position for use as something other than the cabinet serving as another flat surface. Lol!
At some point I do want to get something larger to use for free motion (if I ever get good enough on practice pieces to warrant it). Of course I probably already have a couple that I could use, I just haven't finished getting them refurbed and in a position for use as something other than the cabinet serving as another flat surface. Lol!
#59
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
I had an ad up and down on CL - no action. I don't think it was the price - maybe it was the time of year.
SSSSOOOOOO out of the blue, I got a call from a lady. She swore I was advertising a featherweight. Well I told her I had it listed as a Singer 201 and a featherweight was a 221. She hung up then called back and said you are right your ad says it is a 201. But you should take that ad down since it is not a Featherweight.
HUH?
Oh and don't worry there isn't any ad anymore but I didn't take it down because of her....
SSSSOOOOOO out of the blue, I got a call from a lady. She swore I was advertising a featherweight. Well I told her I had it listed as a Singer 201 and a featherweight was a 221. She hung up then called back and said you are right your ad says it is a 201. But you should take that ad down since it is not a Featherweight.
HUH?
Oh and don't worry there isn't any ad anymore but I didn't take it down because of her....
#60
LOL, Miriam. Remind me to stay out of your way when you advertise on CL. And speaking of that, did you sell the 201? Is it a potted motor 201? And when will you be coming down I-65 toward Alabama again? Not to hijack the FW subject here, I have four (if I remember correctly); one was given to me, my son found one from the year of my birth at a yard sale for $25, one was bought for something like $150, and the last one DH bought for me down in Alabama in an antique mall for $275 (wayyyyyy too much for me to pay) because we had been looking for one for such a long time and when he saw that one he wasn't going to pass it up. I love the stitches and ease of use, my granddaughter loves them so she'll be getting one as a gift sometime soon.
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