I love my 301. She just sews so easily. And so quietly. And I've sewn in different places with her because she is light, and basically unbreakable.
The only "problem" I have is my CAT thinks she's his new toy. For some reason he wants the thread that is on her more so than on any other machine.

Do you have a manual? There are good cleaning directions in it, including a picture of putting the little pointy thingy back in the correct position when you replace the bobbin assembly. I downloaded mine free from sew- classic. The machine is well worth working on. I purchased a new bobbin winder tire and tension spring from april1930sshoppe. I haven't replaced the spring yet.

Make sure it's a slant needle attachment.

To answer the question about why a 301 is better than a 99 for quilting, the slant needle makes everything so visible. When I sew on my Elna I feel like my vision is obstructed since having the 301. I especially like to see what I'm doing when FMQ.

These and the blind stitch hemmer are interesting little toys, but it is very difficult to get consistent results on normal sewing projects.

They do well on buckram. :D If you really want one, I don't blame you - I try to make sure that all of my vintage machines have their own full kit of all the "stuff" that goes with them - even the things like this that are better in theory than in actual use. ;) If you starch the heck out of a piece of cloth or stiffen it with water-soluble stabilizer, you might get it working.

They're cheap entertainment. :) I would rely on my zig-zag machines for decorative stitching, though.

The mechanical buttonholer is another story entirely - it produces beautiful buttonholes that resemble the handmade ones made by a fine tailor.

Your blind stitcher might need a bit of oil dropped on it.

hey, Miriam, i know you know a ton about antique machines. I need to rewire my 301 and have lost the message in the change over about what size lamp cord to use. Is it 17? thanks

thank you.

you get the wires at Sew Classic - you might check on that site for wire size

Thanks, I just looked at the wiring for the 301 that one is ok. I have one 15-91 that we are concerned about, the one from the same guy we bought the 301 from (he insisted we buy both who knows why?, but I got both for about $120 bucks, so what if I wound up with an extra 15-91?), we trust the wiring on that one. So I'm down to one rewire job from 3!!:)

gotta love those 15s. They are so simple and turn so free.