Buying vintage featherweight - No more advice - I'm addicted!

[sewlinzi]

I have decided that I "need" a vintage featherweight to add to my sewing room batterie de cuisine... I have read how people love to take them along to quilt classes as well as just look at them. I have been outbid on a few on ebay but am watching a few and have also found a UK dealer. Question is - do I need a pretty black one with the nice black box or a minty green/white one with the ugly two tone box?? Apparently they are both reliable and the white one is even lighter. Help me decide which collectable, vintage machine to invest in!! (or waste money on)

[RunningThreads]

Linzi;

http://www.singer-featherweight.com/sitetwopages/site2.html

Graham Forsdyke is definately the best dealer of featherweights on your side of the Atlantic. He participates on many of the Yahoo groups dealing with vintage machines. This past Christmas Day he made hiimself available for phone back support for anyone who received a featherweight for Christmas (didn\'t matter where your machine was bought). I prefer the look of the black ones myself. Check out your local craigslist or kijiji rather than buy one off of ebay without seeing it first. I found ours (condition 8+ on Grahamms scale) on kijiji locally for $100.

Happy hunting

Nigel

[JoAnnHoffman]

I bought a white one with an aqua two tone box and I love it.

I do all of my piecing on it.

Perfect stitch and perfect quarter inch with the see through 1/4 inch foot you can guy.

I bought mine off of Ebay for $300, white ones usually cost more. They were only made for a short time in England or Scotland I think.

You can find black ones with striped face plates or I like the Egyptian scroll face plates starting at $100 and up.

If you find an anniversary model with a blue oval S badge on the right side, buy it, collector item.

Here\'s a great website with everything you could possibly want to know.

You can even find the birthdate with your serial number.

http://www.singer-featherweight.com/siteone%20pages/Site_one.html

[michaelalan]

I have one in each flavor, I don\'t use them, I just love them, they are all original with the acessories and boxes, they all are in top shape and I also have their big sisters, the 301\'s in all three flavors also....It\'s the GE sewhandy feather that I charish most, it is the 1st feather but not a singer, it is green and all complete with all the gadgets. I also have 2 grass hoppers, that are complete, these are Elnas....:cool::cool::cool:any of these machines are great, I would advise you try out all the machines you can, and get the one that you like best....there is also a 222 freearm, very costly and collectable:cool::cool:

when I was in England last year, from London to Norwich, I was told that used appliances weren\'t for resale at the thrift shops I went to, of course I was looking for sewing items....Is it that way with the sewing machines also in Scotland??? :cool::cool:

[catsigler]

Hi Linzi,

I have two featherweights, a black one from GF in England, and my Hotrod Featherweight (a cosmetically challenged one that I sent off to be repainted). I love to look at them but can\'t stand to sew on them after sewing on Pfaffs and Berninas. http://picasaweb.google.com/catsquilting/VintageSewingMachines

However, for portability, I found something better. In a class a few years ago, I sat next to someone who had an Elna Stella. I fell immediately in love with her machine and started searching for one of my own. It took awhile but I finally found one on ebay a few months ago. You can read about them at http://www.whitesewingcenter.com/page3.php but I wouldn\'t pay his inflated prices for one. They come up on ebay from time to time and although the bidding can get a little crazy, they usually go for much less than this man sells them for. It only weights 13 pounds and sews like a dream. The motor is quiet and strong. I don\'t understand how the foot control works without electricity, but it does. And unlike the featherweight, it zigzags.

I love my machines, all sixteen of them! My kids are going to have a ball on ebay when I die!

[veg-girl]

Electrical items aren\'t available in most charity shops as they have to be tested for electrical safety and that costs the charity money so is not worthwhile. I have bought several old machines from e-bay and been very happy.

I have 3 Singer featherweights, 2 bought from e-bay. The 221 was under £100 but the 222 was about £150. Last year I was given my SIL\'s MIL\'s machine, a beautiful 222 in almost mint condition, she was unaware of its collectability and did not have a use for it. It now resides on the floor next to my Bernina and I now owe her a nice quilt in exchange I feel. Mine are all black with gold decals. They do the best straight stitch, much better than a modern machine and the 222 has the free arm, quite a sophisticated little machine for its time.

If you have the time and energy the other thing to do is go to car boot sales and house clearance auctions, this is where you will find the cheapest ones but it takes much more time and effort.

Be careful, buying old machines can get to be quite addictive, like quilting!

[Merryjo2003]

I got one off ebay also. I love it. Any parts or manuals are still available through Singer.com. They are bomb proof and fun to have. Finally, I have something older than me!

[sewlinzi]

Ooh - Ooh. Now I still don\'t know whether to get black or white (white ones were only made in Scotland)- maybe I need BOTH!! Thanks for all the buyer beware tips and advice. I\'ll see if I can get one soon and show it off. Fingers crossed...

LINZI x

[CWBowser]

Go for it. I have 3 featherweights. All three are black. If you can get one of each do it. There is also a featherweight that has a removable table for sleeves and cuff. They are rarer than the others. I got two of mine at local auctions. Good luck.

Charlotte

[Saundra]

My DH bought me a Singer Featherweight several years ago, it is a 1936 model. It has some of the gold scroll worn off of the base and he said he bought this one because it looked well-used and loved. It is still well loved. I carry it with us in the motorhome and use it most of the time we are gone. It makes such a wonderful stitch. Hopefully the one you choose will sew as well as mine does.

Saundra

[mrmquilt]

Linzi, They also made a beige one from Great Britain,. I got mine at a garage sale for

$10.00. They didn\'t know what they had. I think it was the only thing my husband was happy I bought.

Works great.

Michele

[Mary Beth]

Michele,

Did you run to your car? Were your hands sweaty? Your heart racing? Oh my gosh, what a deal. I would love to have one of those machines...Dh would pass out if I bought one...gonna have to use those tactics mentioned in that other post about talking DH into a LA

I want an Willcox and Gibbs, mostly because I love the look, but they are functional too. Someday, now is not a good time for any of them.

[Susanri]

The search is half the fun!! I had great luck on ebay, check out estate sales too.

[SylviaJ]

Once you get the Featherweight bug, it hits hard!!!Buy a black and a white one from Scotland. You won\'t be sorry. I treasure mine and once own 8 of them. Down to two, the original black one I bought and the Commerative one with the blue Singer seal. They are easy to care for and dynamite for quilt classes.

I started originally collecting the 301\'s and have one of each style made. Won\'t part with those either!

Have fun with this, Linzi!

Sylvia Jacobus

[countrystitcher]

I bought a black Featherweight about 5 years ago on E-bay and paid almost $600 for her. It is the anniversary issue 1951. After some oiling and new grease, she runs like a top, never a miss and is so quiet and perfect 1/4" seam. Last week my DH asked me why I never used the Pfaff he bought me two years ago. Had to tell him the truth that I just love the Featherweight because of ease of use and how quiet it is. He told me maybe I should sell the Pfaff, right, like he should sell his power tools he uses once a year or less.

Good luck on your search for the little Featherweight - get one of each color, enjoy!

Sharon

[michaelalan]

Flavors, colors, they are all sweet to use, but I also love my Pfaffs....:cool::cool::cool::cool:

[mrmquilt]

Mary Beth, You bet I did. What was even funnier was she must have thought she was ripping me off.

She started giving me thread and containers for holding stuff. Any sewing stuff she could grab she was

handing to me. I was in heaven with the machine alone!!!

Michaelalan, I would like to get my hands on an Elna Grasshopper. I haven\'t checked ebay in awhile

maybe I\'ll go do that right now.

Michele

[sewlinzi]

This is a strange bug... I\'m actually a Husqvarna nut with a great Platinum and an SE. I bought my 10 year old daughter a Janome Jem at Christmas, also have a seriously underused embellisher and an overlocker that only ever tidies up the edges of quilts for customers (and the Millie of course)

BUT I now feel that I NEED some vintage gear!! (I\'ve tried being arty but I just love those old feedsacks). I might also look for a treadle in a nice table \'cos it will go very nicely with the tea cosies and scones:P in my studio.

I\'m bidding like crazy this week so surely I\'ll end up with something soon!

LINZI x

[QuiltSnob]

I have 2 featherweights. The first one was brought by my youngest son for my birthday one year. What a surprise! it had to be cleaned and adjusted and works great! I bought the second one with the card table that it goes in at a quilt show. It was very reasonable and turns out it was an 1951 edition. It has the label on it and everything. Both machines have many of the tools and booklets with them. I would not give up either. I love to sew on them both and they do have a wonderful straight stich. Hope you find the one you are looking for. Good Luck!

[quiltmonkey]

I have my trusty Bernina, and I have an old Singer treadle circa 1920\'s, but I want to get a Pfaff and I also want to get a Featherweight. I want it all! I am worthy, right???

[Susanri]

collecting machines is fun

to date

1 treadle singer -15 just a cool old machine in case the power goes out I can still stitch

1 feather weight 221 must have!

1 gemgold for classes

1 pfaff (my first computerized machine 20 years old! and still works great)

1 babylock ellue must do embrodery??

1 juki love the straight stitch!

1 serger sometimes you need a finished edge:)

1 APQS Longarm ok all that sewing a longarm is needed!!

would you believe I still look at machines!! I have my eye an another singer! this one a crank!

And I have my eye on a repainted PINK featherweight after the recession:)

so enjoy these wonderful machines!

P.S. I even have a spinning wheel

[quiltmonkey]

ToManyQuilts, are you sure you don\'t want to change your name to ToManyMachines???

(just teasing... you have a nice collection!)

[sewlinzi]

I\'ve just won a black 221! Little bit worried - seller says foot pedal not working (so that\'s not major but what if motor is shot?) Anyway I now have bids on 2 others as just in cases (these were not listed in the main bit... OMG what if I end up with 3?? I know I\'l bring them with me in my luggage when I come to Paducah!

This is a good end to my slightly stressed day involving 3 little pigs - do you really want to know? Vegetarians, look away now!

I raised 3 wild boar x berkshire pigs in my garden and today had to load them onto a truck to go where all piggies go...

The abbatoir were not happy when they realised about the wild boar as they have to undergo a special disease test.

Next the butcher got the wrong idea and told us that they were not deemed fit for human consumption after all that TLC and vast quantities of food. Big misunderstanding - all sorted now - large G&T drunk! Big learning curve though - my pigs were twice the size they should have been and I never told you all the story of how they escaped the day we got them and ran around the countryside and got on the traffic news. Anyway - some people are persuading their husbands to buy logarms and I\'m busy trying to persuade mine to go and look at Gloucester Old Spot or Saddleback piglets which are just 3 weeks old!

Here\'s a pic of when they got really big and hairy!!:cool:

[veg-girl]

Don\'t worry too much about the foot pedal. Some just need rewiring and some have a burnt out condenser in them which needs to be cut out and bypassed. If that fails then a standard modern foot pedal will work but you may have to swap the connecting bits around. How nice for you swapping pigs for sewing machines!

[Susanri]

Funny Shana! I have too many quilts and so little time!! but machines are so cool! Linzi you can get the pedal replaced easy enough as well as the cord which I would recommend for safety.

good luck!