It may be that the bobbin case is not seated well.... or the wrong bobbin is in the case. I have 3 FW and one of them is a little touchy about the bobbin case. You should hear a 'click' when the case is set correctly.... and the bobbin goes in counterclockwise. Also, was the presser foot 'up' when you threaded it? The tension would be locked in at that point and the thread wouldn't slide between the plates like is supposed to happen.

I'm with the rest.... it is probably a threading glitch. When I bought my 1st one is went home and threaded it from left to right and it wouldn't make a stitch...... I had to look up on internet how to thread it. It's worked perfect ever since....threading correctly sure makes a difference. They are wonderful machines.

I took my featherweights to a local guy on Montauk Highway in Shirley (long island) when I got them just to give them a 'once over' and good cleaning. He charged me only $60 each. Well worth the piece of mind!! Remember to thread it right to left!!

I paid $300. for mine here in Canada & when I did research, the info was if I could a FW here for a minimum of $300 then it was a good deal as they can reach up to $500-600. & so I went ahead & bought it. It is in very good condition, case smells which seems to be a common problem, lots of accessories & I am happy I bought it.

I have .pdf files of the manuals or you can go to Singer.com and download a manual. PM me at [email protected] if you would like me to email the manual. Also, go to my website www.thequiltgal.com for accessories etc for the Featherweights.

I say if you can afford it, go for it. You'll figure the threading issues easily enough if you understand older machines. $240 is probably more than I would pay for it; but they do go for a lot more in some parts of the country. I have a friend who just paid $275 for one here in TN, and it had an issue with the light. She was able to talk the seller down from the asking price of $300, and all she had to do was bring it by for me to look at, and we changed the light bulb. She went home "one happy camper" with her FW purchase.

Lynnie,
The bobbin goes in with the thread coming over the top toward you.
I bought a FW a couple of years ago that also wouldn't sew; got it for $175. The needle was in wrong so of course it wouldn't sew, I didn't tell them. The machine is in beautiful condition, they were going to throw it out.
Sharon

Bitzy one put your little pinky behind the needle. You can see real good the eye.

Hi Lynnie,
Think I would hold off.. It seems a bit high. I past one up for $100. I didn't realize what they go for at the time
I went to the quilt store in on route 112. She was trying to sell me a FW for $345. I ended up buying scraps for $4/lb for trading squares in a swap.

$240 for a FW is a good price around here. My daughter paid twice that for mine - because she wanted it now and from my birth year. She bought one for herself for waaaaaaaay more than that. Even tho I have one I'd buy one for $240 if I found it close by.

Joe is right...most people would put the needle in backwards and thread it wrong.