yeoldeforest Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 I am posting this question for my husband...alas he too is becoming addicted to quilting but he also still a hunter:) His newest obsession is searching for a treasure on-line and he is looking at/comparing the Janome Jem to the Singer 221 Featherweight. He asked me to find out anyone's opinion between these two machines. He just wants to be able to do straight stitching for piecing quilt tops and he wants it to be portable. Any suggestions for dear hubby soon to be addict? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbear Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 Hi Joanne, Can you husband locate a featherweight to try out? Because they are an older machine there is a different feel about them than the newer ones and if this will be his main machine he should try it out first. I have had two and sold both of them. They are a lot of fun to own and very easy to maintain as of course they are all machanical. He may like that part. Many many people own them and use them for classes and I know some who only sew on them. Personally, I like sewing on the newer machines. I've never sewn on a Gem, but people who own them like them. Another thought is that if he buys a good featherweight at a reasonable price he will probably get his money back if he decides to sell. If he buys a Gem and doesn't want it, getting all his money back is questionable. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patch Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 I was at Goodwill the other day, and I saw a machine I've never heard of which I can't remember the name of (CRS disease!), but it was made in England. It was in a table, but looked just like the Featherweights. Reminded me of my mom's old Singer which I learned on and which I wish to goodness she had kept. I'm thinking of getting one of those old machines. Just love the feel of them, and when the needle gets stuck on something you just rotate the crank and you're off again. Yup. Tell your DH to have fun! There's plenty to choose from, but pick the one he'll enjoy the most. Great that he's sewing too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheri Butler Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 Janome's are wonderful machines...... just my opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 Joanne, Well if you can find a 221 that you can afford, more power to you...the last few I have seen run in the $450-$800 range. I have a 1949 feather weight that runs like a charm (got mine from family), but they are a bit clunky sounding, they ARE NO way as smooth in the running as the modern machines, but they do sew like a dream and they never seem to have any troubles. NOW if that does happen parts are pretty slim and hard to find. The sewing foot on the 221 and the 301 are a SCANT 1/4 they are way smaller than what our modern machines have...so if you get one you need to start and finish with the same machine...no bouncing from the RV to the house with that project. The Gem and Gem Golds are good machines (I had a Gem Gold, sister has one also). They run very smooth, were made mostly for the Snow Bird sector when they first came out so people could put them in their RV's and travel, since then they have become a great class machine. They have the same foot pattern as the larger Janome's so if you start on one you can move to the other without wondering if your seams will match up later. You can get enlarged plexy tables so that you can do some freehand work , but the throat is so small you will never be able to get more than a LARGE wallhanging in there without some really sore shoulders. They are a great piecing machine, but so is the 221 and its bigger sister the 301...(have one of these as well) Good luck in deciding, its more of what you want from it than how they run in this case...they both are great machines, just one is a lot older and parts aren't easy gotten and good repair people who can work on them not many....the few that I found I wouldn't trust them to give me back my machine so you need to look into that as well. I've known of two featherweights being lost while in repair shops, never to be returned to the customer. Patty, the machine you saw was made for the English people by Singer. I have to go find mine and take a picture of it, will try to get it on today. I bought three two working and one for parts a couple of years ago...they are still packed in boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunningThreads Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 Joanne, I have both a Singer 301 and featherweight. Personally I prefer the 301 it pops out of the cabinet in 5 seconds and weighs about the same as the featherweight in it's case. Also join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vintagesingers/. Tell your husband to be patient and watch your nearby craigslist and kijiji. In the last year I have seen in the local craigslist a small singer portable (featherweight I bought for $100 canadian at least #8 condition) a 301 and cabinet for free (I was too slow) and another featherweight for $75. Ebay prices are usually out to lunch and I have seen horror stories because some people don't pack well. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 I have a Featherweight I bought on ebay for about $200. It's a wonderful little machine. I use it a lot for quilting retreats. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 WOW I would kill to find a featherweight for $200, all those I saw in Reno were well over $400 and almost $800....that's why my BIL took pitty on me and found one that didn't work well and fixed it up all shinny and new.... I have 4 BIL's guess which one is my fav... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeoldeforest Posted September 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2007 Hi Ladies, Thanks for everyone's help! My hubby is leaning towards the Singer. He also just purchased a Ricco from the early 70s at the Goodwill store this morning. He says it runs really smooth...maybe he found a small treasure for $15. Anyway, he is still looking for a singer and he has joined this group under his own name... Thanks, again!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted September 9, 2007 Report Share Posted September 9, 2007 Tip for buying expensive things you really want on Ebay -- do it when there is a time change. I really believe I got such a great deal on my Featherweight because I got up early on the morning of the time change and got my last bid in without many people remembering to change their clocks. It was great! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbear Posted September 9, 2007 Report Share Posted September 9, 2007 Good tip, Linda. I'd also like to ad that if you are interested in a particular machine put it on your watch list and do not bid early on it. I have noticed that if anything has multiple bids on it, it seems to generate more interest from buyers who will also bid and the price is driven up. Don't be afraid to wait and watch for a while. There are always more machines coming into auction. Really read the written words and the words not written, (between the lines) in the descriptions. If you do not have a good feeling about it, wait. I'm not an expert on the featherweights, but I had an older one with the scroll face plate and found that the cord for the food pedal just barely reached the floor. Then I had one produced later on, probably in the 50's, and the cord was long enough to use at any table. Make sure you ask if the bobbin case is installed as these become separated from the machines quite often. There are places that sell parts for these machines, some of them new parts. On ebay there is 'DeskDave', located in Florida, I think. The only other thing I can think of is to always pay through ebay and paypal so that you have some kind of recourse if needed. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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