Singer Model 101, a Model 15 and First Attachment Find!
 

I posted a bit about the machine I'm trying to get running for my daughter in the Intros section. It's a Singer Model 101 That I've had in storage at my parents' house for the last 20+ years. I oiled it up and ran a few test stiches. I'm still trying to adjust it for a decent looking stitch. Looks like it may be the top tension is still too loose, could be operator error too. I'm a complete newbee to sewing and sewing machines. The only other issue is a missing cover plate for the bobbin. Anyone have any advice on the stitching issue and does anyone know if the cover MUST be from a 101 or will others fit as well?

I bought the machine at a garage sale over 20 years ago so I could restore the cabinet on it, not necessarily to sew with. Now our daughter Olivia is 10 and has expressed a strong interest in sewing so she and I are bringing the machine back to life and will be learning to sew together.

Today while out and about looking for some grease for it I decided to swing by a couple of the local thrift stores. I didn't find the grease but I did find a "Made in Japan" zig-zagger for the princely sum of $1.99 complete with box and instructions and I also saw a beautiful older Singer in a cabinet for $20. I know, I don't even have the 101 running correctly yet or know how to sew but why should that stop me? I checked the serial# (AM590636). As near as I can tell it's a 1956 model 15 that looks to be in really good shape. The only issues so far are someone decided to "antique" the most likely beautiful walnut cabinet that it's in and it needs a bobbin. I went home and told my wife Carol about the sewing machine. I whined and wheedled for a bit and she decided to go ahead and humor me. After I got the daughter off the bus, we went to the local Goodwill and picked it up.
We've gone from one old sewing machine that needs some work to two and still don't really know how to use either of them.
Rodney

I took a couple really quick pics of the machines. Please excuse the mess. Right now both machines are just kind of stuffed in the living room until I can figure out where to really put them.
First up is the Singer 101.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]442747[/ATTACH]
This is the Singer Model 15 I picked up today:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]442748[/ATTACH]
I'm not hating the color as much as I did earlier. It could just be that I really don't like stripping paint too...
Rodney

What a lucky little girl. Beautiful machines and let her help with the cabinet refinishing too, it will make for some beautiful daughter father memories.:)

I don't have any plans to refinish the cabinet any time soon. I've done my time picking paint out of wood pores and really don't want to do it again. I have been doing some more looking around and my machine seems closer to being a model 66 than it does a model 15. I found a model 66 on the internet that's a dead ringer for mine, plus the model 15 shows a vertical bobbin and mine is horizontal. Strange though, the Singer site shows the serial# range as belonging to a model 15.
Rodney

Rodney, is that a storage stool under the second one? The most common serial number issue, incidentally, is mis-reading the number of digits. Singer prefixes often went up to 10,000,000 machines! I did it when looking up my VS2 (1891). Left a digit off and thought it was a different model from 1874. Often the 5 and 6 can look almost identical or a digit is obscured by dirt (completely).
That second machine looks like not just a 66, but a late one (from the late '40s or newer).
Take a pic of the serial number and post it here.

Sometimes you can't trust the info on websites, that does look like a model 66 in the painted cabinet.

If you don't mind a suggestion from someone who learned to sew at age 12 many, many years ago, I would teach your daughter to sew on the 66. The 66 has a numbered stitch length plate and back tack which will be easier for someone learning to sew. Miriam highly recommends a needle guard http://shop.sew-classic.com/Finger-N...?categoryId=-1 .

Manicmike: I'll double check and take a closeup in the morning.
Pennycandy: That needle guard looks like a great idea. My wife got her finger when she was little and still doesn't like sewing machines. I'll start looking for one, worst case is I can bend some wire to make something workable.

I've never been steered wrong by ISMACS. They're pretty reputable and got their info from Singer.

EDIT: I mean I think it's a case of mis-reading the serial rather than ISMACS printing the wrong model. Yes it looks a lot like a 66.

The 101 is a rather uncommon model and you may have trouble finding reasonably priced parts. I'm not familiar with it but I looked at pictures of the slide plate online and it looks different from the plates I'm used to seeing. I agree that the 66 is probably a better machine to learn on. The 66 will fit in the 101's cabinet if you want to swap them. That storage seat is nice, though. Have you checked under the cushion for goodies?
Here's your "library table" #40:
http://www.ismacs.net/singer_sewing_.../40_table.html.

I Googled for it and found one on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/SLIDE-PLATE-...-/231054549513 It says "fits Singer 101" and nothing else. If it fitted other models they'd definitely say so, but the good news is, you can buy one new :thumbup: