I'm so lucky... found a FW for 40$
 

After finding a very nice Bernina 730 record a week ago, luck hit me again this morning. I was, as usual, working on my computer, becoming bored, etc. The ad that catch my eye was saying something like: "Old singer sewing machine from the '50" I recognize the case, so I clicked on it. It was very laconic (usually the sign of somebody not knowing what he/she is selling): "Antique sewing machine. Need adjustment. Very rare!" From the picture, there was no visible missing part. Anyway, for 40$, I could manage some! It was two hours and half drive from my home, but I have a young brother living there and he is on parental leave this week so I gave him a call. He was very doubtful at first ("Really? You want to buy a old sewing machine like that?") I told him these sold for 250-300$ on ebay. He understood right away my interest :D He told me he was going to take care of it and sent me a mail two hours later telling me he it was now in his hands. Yippeee!
I'm very excited about this "mysterious" FW that I now own but haven't seen yet. I'll ask my brother tomorrow to take some pics of it because I don't think I'll be able to wait for three weeks to go get it (I have a weekend at my brother's house already planned).

You better play the lottery while you're on your hot streak! WOW!!!!

Congrats!!! What a good brother you have!!

Lucky Lady!!! Show us some pictures once you get it!

When I read that my first thought was of a 1959 Brother Galaxie. Maybe I should settle down a bit. :rolleyes:

Wow, really your a lucky one :thumbup:

Congrats on an amazing find!! You are going to love your FW - I'm working on lap quilts for Christmas presents on mine right now and they (I own three) always put me in a good frame of mind.

Lucky you! I bought a FW on an on-line auction for my sister last spring and delivered it to her this summer. It sews, but I think it has the wrong bobbin, as it gets birds' nests underneath. My DH purchased another FW from some friends (they go to a lot of estate sales)...He told our friend HE would buy it and I could use it ( :)). Then, in late August, one of my coworkers (who had been GIVEN a FW!) offered to sell it to me for what I paid for the one I got for my sister. It was a no-brainer, because the FW she was given had ALL the attachments, several bobbins, the manual (and even some old thread!). I told my sister about it, and a bit of history (the original owner had purchased it in WW II). My sister response was "Can I sell the one you brought out, and buy this one?" I told her yes...and then told my coworker what I had done. She wanted to know why I wasn't keeping it...told her DH had already got one I could use, and my sister liked the historical bit of hers....AND I assured her my sis would take as good care of the machine as I would.

Congrats, really great deal!

Profannie, you have wonderful luck!!!

Am very excited for you. :-)

Just called my brother using Skype... he showed me my new baby with his laptop camera. I saw something blue and asked him to zoom on the badge: yes, yes, yes, IT`S A CENTENNIAL!!! I was so excited! The decals are beautiful, nothing is missing, it is coming with all the attachement and the original manual. Can't believe my luck. It`s a good thing that I didn't get it myself because I would have felt bad to pay such a low price: the seller's inherited the machine from her aunt, she just didn't know what she was selling.

Profannie, I am laughing, because I secretly had a hunch that with your luck, it would be a Centennial! (Because she did not know about machines, yet she said 1950, which gave me the hunch that she had seen the badge.)

Very nice for you.

And you know, the lady would be very happy to know it is going to a loving home. I got a FW Centennial quite cheaply as well, and I tried to tell the seller that she could get much more for it elsewhere, but she was actually just really happy to sell it to me because she liked that I was honest, and she liked the idea of it being used and loved. So, good for you!

Cecilia, you are right, people are often attached to a sewing machine coming from a member of the family, and they are happy to sell it to someone who will love it and use it. Thanks for reminding me this, now I feel better :-)

When I got my first FW, I bought it from the niece of the original owner. She had inherited it from her aunt 8 years earlier and put it in the attic. When she decided to clean out, she listed it on craigslist for $95 not knowing what she had. When I saw the ad and called, she had already been called by a dealer who offered her $150. I started talking to her about why FW are popular with quilters and how I wanted one to sew on, and said I would gladly match the $150. She took my offer because she was happier to sell it to someone who would love it and sew on it, than a dealer who would resell it higher. The funny thing was, she lived 6 blocks from my Mom. This also happened 2 weeks after I found a FW bobbin mixed in my Mom's stuff for her Singer 401, and took it for "bait".

Congrats. I finally got my FW sewing like a Dream and I am so in love with her. Are you going to name it?

What good luck you have had! I just found a fw to replace mine that was stolen and am not telling the price lol. It really wasn't a bad price just not a bargain like u found! It should come in next week and when we leave the house for any length of time I'm loading it in the car with me! I still have the featherweight table. So happy and it will be a long week!

Steph, I will for sure find her a nice name when I will meet her in person :-) It will be French, of course, because it`s my native language and she is coming with a french instruction manual!

Chantelle? Chantelle Chanteuse? ;-)

Cecilia, your French is very good :-) In french canadian familiar vocabulary, we use some english words with a french prononciation, so I could very well call her "Lucie la Loque (luck)" ;)

Lucky you! Congrats. Wish I could be so lucky and find a 301 that cheap. Enjoy your FW.

You are one lucky woman!

Luck and living in the right area seem to make he difference with vintage machine discovery. I never find good deals where I live. I do ave several vintage beauties including 2 FWs and 2 Bernina's but they were not super bargains. I love them nonetheless. Congrats on your treasures.

It`s true, FLQ; area is everything when it comes to finding vintage beauties. On Ontario's / Canada Kijiji ads, the price asked for sewing machine is twice the one asked for Quebec's / Canada ads. It may have something to do with how much quilting and sewing are popular as a hobby. Or it may be related to language: there's a lot of information on the web for one who can read english, not that much in french.

YaHHHHHHHH for you.
You will love it.

Re: "It sews, but I think it has the wrong bobbin" You may have to find some of the original bobbins to get it to cooperate with you. My white featherweight will only work with the original bobbins that came with the Featherweights. I have tried new bobbins from every source without success for her. And yes, birds nests are exactly what I get when I try anything but the older versions.

FLQ I too live in N central FL 40 miles SW of Ocala and 70N of Tampa in Homosassa, and old machines here are NOT reasonable usually. I got two tredle and a singer in nice cabinet reasonable only because friends run estate sales and when Gary knew I wanted them, I got them. I am still waiting for a FW. Cannot afford the $300 the ususally want here.
Happy you got such a great buy and post pictures, love to look at them.

Wow fantastic find and bro who went to get it!

Hey Linda, This is Linda, My last 301 was $35.00 in a cabinet from St. Vincent De Paul. She's a beauty. Sorry I can't send photos. Got her last March, 2012.Came with toys, bobbin case(the most important piece, most expensive to replace), manual, great condition. Keeping looking, they're out there. Good Luck!!!!!

karen, and others that are having trouble with FW bobbins. Have you tried ordering some from sew-classic? Theirs work great in my featherweight machines. Don't get the ones at Joann's and other places like that. Usually they don't work as well.
Janis