Singer Fashion Mate 237
 

Is this machine worth buying? From what I can find out it is all metal gears no plastic. Made in 1960's in the Singer Italy plant. ME 625390 From what I've been reading it is considered a work horse. I found one not in a cabinet has the drop feed dogs, one extra foot a few needles, really dirty and he was asking 25.00 and then I made an offer of 15.00 and he came back with 20.00 is it worth 20.00? No attachments and it needs a thread holder.

Also going Tuesday to look a parlor cabinet with a White Rotary in it that needs a lot of TLC for 40.00 is that a good deal? I know nothing about parlor cabinets other than they are hard to find.

I don't understand why nobody commented on my previous post. this is a first. I ended up getting the parlor cabinet one for 30 needs a lot of TLC. I'm still wondering about the Singer 237?

I have a Singer 237. I like it. Mine is all metal but some are a bit of both nylon and plastic gears. So depending on what one you have one is more favored the other isn't. They're great machines really. This is about the era where Singer was starting to put nylon gears in to their machines. I have 2 singers, the Fashionmate and a Graduate (school model) both made about the same time but the Graduate has the plastic gears like the Touch and Sew line. For the price you've posted i would seriously consider buying it. They really are great machines.

Sometimes under powered so that could be a problem. Unfortunately mine is one of the under powered ones. In actuality once i get a better motor on it, it'll probably run circles around my other machines. As is i'm more of a Kenmore collector.

This lovely lady has a video of the machine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSLEIrvWuQI

My Dh has one, but he has not cleaned it up yet. He wanted it because it can be converted to treadle, and he liked the idea of having a zigzag machine on a treadle. He picked up his in a small cabinet for $25.

Thank You for answering back and with the video.

Thanks for posting this Quilter day-by-day. I don't 'do' vintage machines but I sure enjoy reading all the posts in these threads. I am compelled to post because this is the same machine my mom bought me when I graduated from high school in 1971! That's when double knits were just coming out and the darn thing would not sew on double knits at all. I had to put tissue paper between the top fabric and the presser foot in order to coax her into sewing a seam without getting her undies (and bobbin thread) in a bunch. I held onto it (and cursed it every time I had to sew on knits) until I unloaded it in the late 70s when kids came along and my garment sewing days were over. I did, however, make a wise choice to hang onto my Singer professional buttonholer.

Thanks for the memories!

When I got to the shop I told him what I found out about the machine and I wasn't interested if it had plastic gears but I would have to take the top off to check. The guy at the shop let me bring it home yesterday the 237 and it looks like all metal except the bobbin casement. It needs a lot of cleaning and a spool pin and a o ring but other than that it seem okay. He's come down to 10.oo what do you think no extras 1 foot, manual. What do you think?

It's pretty easy to take the chance at $10.00. I'd say you did well.
Rodney

I'll take about any chance for $10.

I liked the 237 model so well that I bought five of them.

In fact, I preferred keeping.

my 237 over keeping a 401A



I made a jean rag quilt and it handleed it fine.