I decided to buy her...Singer Fashion Mate
 

I decided to buy this Singer Fashion Mate. I want to thank everyone for all your help. She started off running really slow and after a few minutes she is moving much faster. The terrible noise I hear sounds like a rattle from the motor. DH is going to take it off in a few minutes to see whats going on. I need to download the manual to see where I need to oil her.





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Looks like a good one!! Have fun bringing her back to life!

That was the machine that I started out sewing on when I was 9 years old. No one in my family sewed so I had to teach myself. By the time the "Singer man" came to the house to show me how, I had it all figured out! Nice machine, congrats!

Congrats! She is beautiful.

You are on a roll with sewing machines! I actually saw a Singer 403 today. Didn't have thread, so just tried it with material and the needle. I see one of those in my future!

Congratulations on your newest find! :-)

Dh and I got it cleaned up and he was able to get the rattle out of the motor~the motor clamp was loose. I have her all oiled up and she runs.

The PROBLEM...she won't stitch thru fabric.:mad: The thread runs thru the machine fine the feed dogs are up, it just doesn't create a stitch on my fabric. It seems like its not pulling the thread thru the fabric.

What is going on?????

Sounds like a needle problem. Have you got the needle in correctly? Some of those machines the needle goes in left to right. Also you have the knob set in reverse. ALso do you have it set on straight stitch? I can't see the picture good enough. That knob on the bottom is either a reverse or you push it up or down to rewind the bobbin. Push on it and see if it comes up. If it does it will let you sew. No the knob isn't reverse. It to rewind the bobbin. I'll bet it is stuck for rewinding.

when you say left to right what do you mean? I just stick it straight into the hole, flat side of needle to the back. Ill go back and read the directions about the needles.

I think I figured out the needle, but now I have this problem[ATTACH=CONFIG]309503[/ATTACH]

Well, I meant flat side to the right side on the needle.ha. Did you push on the round knob on front of the machine to try to get it up or down? It runs the bobbin winder. It may be stuck. Maybe you need to take the screws outof the needle plate and see what is down in there. no telling. I'm not talking very good am I? I mean the flat side of the needle facing toward the wheel.

Hi Kay, first off congratulations! The 237 is a great machine.

The needle goes with the flat to the back, you have it correct.

The knob you see on the bed of the machine is for dropping the feed dogs for FMQ.

Now let's figure out why your machine is not making a stitch. Do me a favor and open the slide plate all the way. Then stick some fabric under the needle, drop the presser foot, and use your hand to turn the handwheel towards you to place a couple of stitches. While you are doing this, watch the bobbin case carefully to see what's going on. Tell us what you see. Is the needle thread being pulled across the bobbin case?

The round knob on the bed of the machine isn't for the bobbin winder, it's to drop the feed dogs. If you ever see a white 237, you'll see it lacks this knob, as those versions of the machine do not have the feed dog dropping ability.

Hi Kay, this problem in the photo is because you have the needle in incorrectly. You had it right the first time, with the flat to the back!

Congrats on your new machine, the cabinet on this one looks very nice, I like that style of cabinet! Sounds like maybe your timing is off - I am sure Rain can talk you through that one to get her up and running!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]309509[/ATTACH]the bobbin is turning but after 2 turns this is what it looks like. I need to change the needle back too.

I just turned the back side of need to the back and it is not piercing the fabric now.

I'd say that was my old machine but mine wasn't in a cabinet. It was a great little machine, the first one I owned after getting married.

My suggestion about your problem is to check that you have the bobbin in correctly. Getting a manual will probably answer a lot of your questions.

I found a copy of the manual on line and I am using that for direction.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]309526[/ATTACH] SUCCESS!!!!!!! :thumbup::D I had the machine threaded wrong. Once I got that figured out I was good to go. For those that have this machine, may I ask what setting you put your thread tension and presser dial at? Thank you again all so much I really appreciate it it.

It doesn't matter what others have their machines set at. You need to figure out which tension # works best for YOUR machine. I have 4, 301's and each one is different.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]309538[/ATTACH]So I played around with some FMQ and WOW:shock: this thing does so much better then my Janome. I am so glad I ended up buying her~I almost didn't.:eek: I love the D (daring option) on the dials) it takes the guess work out of it.

Awesome, am psyched you got the machine up and running! The 237's a great machine, and I'm glad you didn't pass on what turned out to be a simple-to-fix case of noise.

Just want to say, congrats. I just bought the same machine last fall and love it! She sews like a dream. Mine did not turn at all....she was frozen, but a little overnight soak in oil and she loosened right up. One thing I did find was that the bobbin case was dirty...you know that old gray looking dirty metal kind of dirty and the stitches were not very nice. I took my trusty dremel tool and used the brass brush attachment (gentler than the steel brush) and cleaned all the corrosion (?) off inside and out, wiped it down with a little oil, dried it and no more problems. I also just found the cabinet has a knee control! Have fun!!

Well, Kay now you know I didn't know what I was talking about lol. I tried didn't I?

I believe this is the same machine I saw for sale at a neighbors garage sale this weekend. It belonged to his wife and he was selling it for $30 and cabinet was in gorgeous shape also. Wish someone on this board that lives in Tucson wanted this nice machine. I don't have room for her.

Make sure it is the same NUMBER of machine - there are some that look a lot like it

I'm glad you got it working!!!

Looks great, FMQ she be a breeze with that big harp. Enjoy!!!

Old machines like old gals rule!

So exciting to get an older sewing machine up and running! I gotta tell you - I am sold on these older machines. The throat space may not be as large as some of these newer computerized models (talking the machines that have 9 or 11 inches or more) - but the stitch quality can't be beat. And - the throat space is close to 9 inches on many of these (feels larger without the bulky, plastic arms). I determined that I would rather polish up my FMQ skills and work on these machines than feel so stressed about spending $1,000 to $2,000 on these new machines. I read someone's post that indicated that the skill was with the quilter, not the machine. No matter which machine - there's a learning curve, practice is needed.

I know many love these newer machines - and we each find our niche as to what we enjoy working on and also as to what we can afford - so not knocking anyone or saying these are bad machines. They are just - different. I tried out a Sweet 16 at a sewing machine shop - and yes - all of that space was wonderful - and yes - I could so love that machine. Just can't afford her.

Do so love sewing on my 15-91 though! Glad you got your machine up and running and stitching!! :thumbup:

That brings back memories!

The flat of the needle needs to face to the right or it won't sew properly. The needle threads left to right or outside to inside. When you put the bobbin in the bobbin case the thread comes over the top toward you. I treadle my Singer
237, its wonderful for FMQ too. If you go to : www.sewusa.com you can find threading instructions for the 237.
Sharon W.

Enjoy your found machine. She probably sews better than the newer models.

Egg on my face! Just pulled my 237 out to check. Two previous posters had it right and I had it wrong; the needle flat must be to the right, and it threads left to right. Apologies for the misinformation, I am clearly trying to keep track of too many machines at once.

I feel so much better - I did that with a Japanese 15 clone - I thought sure I had that needle in right - darn thing wouldn't sew for anything - did all kinds of trouble shooting to no avail. (learned a lot) Finally changed the needle just for kicks and it worked great ever after. To be on the safe side, it is always a good idea to check an owner's manual when you are using a 'new' machine.

Thanks for the instructions on threading. I did find the instruction manual on line but the pictures don't clearly show how to thread and the written directions did not say. I will check out the link you suggested to see if there are better directions. Although I got it sewing, from your directions it appears I have threaded my machine wrong. I have it threaded right to left.


RAIN, no big deal you are a hugh help to this newbie and I can't thank you and EVERYONE else for all the information you have provided to me.

Hi Kay, here are two screenshots from the 237 manual, I hope it helps:

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I believe the knob on the bottom on the bed of the machine is to drop the feed dogs...I think. I have the same machine..but it's upstairs in the attic..too lazy to go look.

YES, YES the close up of the knob second photo center is exactly what I needed. Thank you, thank you so much:thumbup:

Great. Just ensure the thread goes between the discs and all the way around the bottom; in the photo it kind of looks like the thread just goes straight across, from right to left, but obviously they must go around in order to get the tension.

good luck with it,