After reading all these posts I've come to this conclusion. Those of us that have featherweights love them dearly. Price isn't always an obstacle if you want one bad enough. Many of my friends as well as myself, have other machines besides the featherweight for quilting purposes. I acquired most of them while I was employed full time. Now I'm retired and when the day comes I need to downsize I 'might' consider selling one or two, but the value has increased and putting my extra $$'s in FW's 10 years ago was far better than buying bonds or CD's. My next will be a red FW. No, they don't come in colors other than the celery/white, brown and black. I plan to send one of mine off to a professional machine painter.

well, out touring agiain - on my own this time - visited a gorgeous tea room and antique store - browsed for ages - saw a couple of vintage machines - but no featherweight in sight ... chatted later to owner just as I was about to settle up my shopping bill (mostly silver and linens) when I thought I'd just ask if there were any little portable sewing machines around her store, not out on display - well, took me into her little side room which I had visited before - moved some stock from in front of a cupboard in the corner and sitting in it was a featherweight box!!! No price on it so she had to phone the person who had supplied it to her store for her to onsell, she told me before she phoned it was probably a couple of hundred dollars ... well ... yes I bought it for $200 - so now I have two!! Not in as good condition as my first (bought less than 3 months ago!) - and tomorrow morning I'll give her a run - it's just before midnight here - had a long ... but great day!

This should give you something to dream about while you wait to get a red one :mrgreen: Isn't it beautiful. No, it's not mine but I would love to have one that looks like it.

Wow!!! What a lucky find. :thumbup: It really pays to ask!

Cathy, my dream machine, it's a beauty. One of these days it's twin will be sitting in 'my' sewing room. Thanks for the pic.

Because they are just special :)

Learned to sew on a treadle New Home but bobbin case wore out. So when I was 18 I went up the street at lunch hour and bought a 221 Singer Featherweight. I still use it although I have two other machines.
It is lightweight, a workhorse of a machine and works as good today as it did in 1956.
I've sewn a lot of clothing and quilts on it.

I've been reading the book on Featherweights by Nancy Johnson-Srebro. It's got a lot of good information in it, plus the info on all the feet, and how to maintence your machine. the fore runner to the FW was a machine called Sewhandy. According to the book it was the jumping off point for the FWs.

I like my 301 much better than my FW. Price was great and I got my FW at a really great price too. God is a quilter!

Would you recommend this book? I've had it in my Amazon wishlist for awhile but haven't bought it yet.