Zigzaggers

Singer 221 -- the Featherweight

by Robbie Brewington, a Texan collector/repairer of vintage machines, whose brand-new sewing blog (complete with rhyming poetry!) is here

Love them, hate them, or something in between? I absolutely love my Singer Featherweights! I have two of them -- one from 1951 that I bought (in the rear in the photograph), and the other, made in 1953, that was my mom’s machine (in front). I learned to sew on my mom’s Featherweight. They are 57 and 55 years old, respectively, and still going strong!


When did you get these sewing machines? I bought the 1951 Featherweight about 6 years ago (2003).  I inherited the 1953 Featherweight when my mom passed away in 1991. 


Where did you buy them? I bought the 1951 machine on eBay. We were living on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, when Mom got her machine, so she likely purchased it in Dayton (unless she got it on a visit home, which was in Houston, Texas). I was only 4 at the time, so I sure don’t remember, and dad said she’d always had it.  

How much did you pay for them? I paid around $175 for the 1951 machine, plus about $35.00 for shipping. It came with the basic attachments (zipper, hemmer, binder feet, and a Singer buttonholer).  

According to the information here, mom would have paid around $150 for hers (1953 dollars, of course). 


How many projects have you done on this machine? Lots and lots and lots!


Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I’m going to include what I know Mom made with her Featherweight, just to give an idea of how versatile they are. Besides clothing, I remember her doing a bit of embroidery with her Featherweight (personalizing several of Dad’s shirts) and using it to make lined pinch-pleated drapes for our house in New Mexico. While we were still in Ohio, she made sails for a little dinghy-style sailboat Dad built and sail covers for a larger sailboat we bought. After we moved to New Mexico, she made another set of sail covers (different boat!) and cushion covers. When we moved to California, she made her third set of sail covers (boat #4) and second set of cushion covers. (When I hear that some people only use their Featherweights for piecing quilts, I have to laugh!) My dad ended his Air Force career by spending 3 years in Lima, Peru, and the little Featherweight came along. We had a seamstress who came to the house and had her choice of using the Featherweight or an up-to-date Read’s Sailmaker (which I’ll review later), and she much preferred the little Singer. She wanted to buy the machine, but it wasn’t for sale. 

Since I’ve owned the machines, I’ve mostly used them for clothing and purse construction, but I did make two canvas generator covers on the 1953 machine and have to say that that baby hadn’t lost her touch!

What do you like and what do you hate about it? I guess it’s pretty easy to understand how I feel about Featherweights!

 Here are the things I like: They're easy to use; easy to maintain & do your own repairs on; easy to carry with you; easy to understand the workings of; easy to get parts for; lots of accessories are available; and it makes the greatest buttonholes ever. There’s a reverse lever, so you don’t have to hold a button in with one hand while you are sewing in reverse

Plus, it’s so cute!

There are lots of websites dedicated to the Featherweights, like Gaileee's Featherweight 221 Resource Page, Singer Featherweights, and Featherweight Fanatics.

Buttonholers!

The following is a special contribution from EmilyKate, a loyal friend-of-Zigzaggers (see her sewing machine reviews here, here, and here). This wonderful and helpful bit of information will be particularly useful for owners of vintage sewing machines that only sew a straight stitch. Find EmilyKate at her blog; and if I may be so bold, I'd like to particularly recommend a lovely post about her grandmother, here -- it's not sewing-machine-related, but her thoughts about the aesthetic traditions that are passed down in families are relevant and touching. Herewith, EmilyKate introduces buttonholers:

Many sewers who use vintage straight-stitch only machines believe they can't use them for making buttonholes -- the needle has to be able to zigzag for that, right?

Actually, it doesn't! Back in the day, sewing machine companies invented clever little gadgets that attach to straight-stitch machines: They clamp onto the garment fabric and wiggle it back-and-forth and side-to-side under the needle, creating the buttonhole. The gadgets, which were called automatic buttonholers, are readily available on eBay and sometimes show up in thrift stores. Some of the brand names they were marketed under were Greist, Singer, White, and Famous. Kenmore also made one for their machines.

There are two types -- one type uses interchangeable templates for different sizes and shapes of buttonholes (straight or keyhole-shaped); the other makes only straight buttonholes the length and width of which are adjusted with levers and knobs. You can pick up either type pretty cheaply on eBay -- expect to pay anything from $5 to $25. 

It's important to make sure you buy an attachment that has the correct shank type for your machine. Most vintage machines take low-shank, side attaching attachments, but there are slant-shank variations (for slant-shank Singers, obvisously), and if you have a vintage Japanese-made machine you may need a high-shank attachment. (ed note: See Ed Lamoureux's blog here for more information about shank types.)

If you want to see a buttonholer in action, check out this video I posted on BurdaStyle!

Singer 301-A Long Bed

by Arizona Lagousakos, who blogs about her sewing, knitting, and crafting at The Craftivist -- look there, too, for pictures of the gorgeous "greenery" quilt she's been sewing on this long-bed!

Love it, hate it, or something in between? I love this machine. It has all metal parts and most parts are still easy to find online if something should break (though that's not likely unless one abuses the machine).

When and where did you buy this sewing machine, and how much did you pay for it? I bought it at an estate sale for $25 in October 2008. These machines, in the condition I bought it in, easily sell for $200 or more on eBay, so I got a great deal. A briefcase full of attachments also came with the machine (zig zagger, buttonholer, lots of feet, a few other items) -- there's a photo of them on my blog, here.

When was it manufactured? Singer 301s were manufactured in the late 1940s and 1950s. They are very tough machines and have excellent stitch quality. In addition to sewing, you can also do embroidery and quilting with it (including free-motion quilting).

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I mostly use my 301 for quilting (both for piecing and quilting), but I have also used it for garment sewing. I have a Viking 936 serger and a Viking Diamond, so when I sew garments I tend to use those since they don't require an attachment in order to change the type of stitch used.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? Overall, I absolutely love this machine. The only negative thing about it is that if you want to zig zag or do any other stitch besides a straight stitch you must use an attachment. I don't like taking time to put on an attachment for zig zagging; that's why I tend to use my Viking machines if I am sewing a garment. However, I talked to a woman who is a costumer and she urged me to get to know and use the Singer 301 buttonholer. She says it makes the most beautiful buttonholes she has ever seen. I haven't taken the time to do that yet, but I will since there's nothing like a well constructed buttonhole!

Even though I already have a Singer 301-A, if I ever saw another one at a reasonable price I'd buy it, too. I highly recommend them!

Singer 15-90

and ANOTHER gorgeous treasure from EmilyKate, whose collection I really wish I could see in person.

Love it, hate it, or something in between? Definitely love at first sight. This is a simple but utterly reliable machine that runs beautifully and smoothly. I can service it myself and expect that with proper care it will last until the next century as it is all metal, inside and out. The motor would conk out long before any of the gears or parts wear out, and it can even be converted to a treadle machine if what they say about the world's energy all running out is true.

When did you buy this sewing machine? About five years ago.

When was it manufactured? It's a Centennial-model 15-90 Singer, which means it came out to commemorate the hundredth year of business for the Singer sewing machine company. I believe they had been making this particular model since the 20s but this actual machine would have been first sold in 1950. It has a little commemorative badge on the front and is somewhat collectable to those in the know, but certainly does not command super-high prices on eBay or at antique stores.

Where did you buy it? An opshop in South Yarra, Melbourne (Australia), that I was always finding fantastic haberdashery bargains at -- it has sadly now closed.

How much did you pay for it? $50 Australian. It was in perfect condition, with its bentwood cover unscratched and undented. Its original accessory box was tucked inside with a few feet and bobbins.

How many projects have you done on this machine? I bought this little beauty mainly for her looks, but thought she'd also come in handy as a backup if my regular machine was in for repairs for a long period. I soon discovered that her beautiful straight stitch and strong motor make her an indispensable little workhorse in her own right! I have sewn denim, shirts, skirts, and home dec projects -- pretty much everything. Nowadays, since I have picked up several mechanical buttonhole-making attachments, I keep her pretty much permanently set up as a buttonhole machine.

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. ALL my buttonholes get done on this machine, obviously using one of the buttonhole attachments I've collected. Many sewists agree that buttonholes made on these vintage machines using the old-school buttonhole attachments are superior to the buttonholes that can be made with newer machines, and they are without a doubt more consistent in size and shape; but I'll tell you about the buttonhole attachments in another review!

Singer machines of this era are sought-after by quilters because their narrow feed-dogs and narrow straight-stitching foot make it easy to sew perfect quarter-inch seams. I haven't made any quilts on mine but I might in future.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? It's very large, and being all-metal is slightly heavier than the average boat anchor. But she's not going anywhere so that doesn't matter.

Singer 247

by Karencilla, who has such a fun blog at Little Sweet Hearts -- her mix of sewing projects, photography, and pop culture criticism is really unique.

Love it, hate it, or something in between? It's my first love and always will be. It is my first sewing machine, and without a doubt my favorite. I kind of rescued it from obscurity and weather inclemency. Sometimes she (I like to think it is a she) is little bit stubborn but most of the time, sweetness.

When did you buy this sewing machine? Actually, it belongs to my mom. She doesn't use it as much as I do; usually, she uses it for repairs and fitting. She lent it to my sister and me when we began sewing classes. My sister stopped sewing, so now I'm almost the only one using it.

When was it manufactured? Sometime between 1974 to 1980.

Where did you buy it? I asked her and she can't remember -- oh, well.

How much did you pay for it? She paid around $100 in 1979. Now, if you are lucky you can buy one for $50.

How many projects have you done on this machine? A LOT! All my creations were made with this beauty. The only things I haven't sewn are jeans, coats, and knit sweaters. Originally, this machine series was not made to sew stretchy or thick fabrics. It was made to sew lighter fabrics.

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I have made dresses, blouses, skirts, home décor accessories, bags, and done repairs.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? I like how easy it is to use -- no complications. I love that it has a dial that adjusts the pressure of the presser foot, and I like the configuration of the thread tension dial because it uses numbers (better than + and - symbols). The best thing about this machine is the durability; the metal body makes it almost indestructible. I couldn't believe it when my mom told me that she bought it in 1979-1980 -- it's 28 years old, and still working wonderfully. I just need to oil it once in a while. The few things that bother me are not having a zipper foot, which makes it almost impossible to sew a zipper; and the weight. 

Singer 185K

by Michelle Jensen, who blogs at naughty little epoch about sewing, appliqué, and her amazing op-shop finds

Love it, hate it, or something in between? I loved this machine for quite a while, and still do have a soft spot for it, but it has been eclipsed -- first by my Elna Grasshopper and more recently by my Husqvarna Automatic (both of which you can see amazing examples of on this blog!). It has always sewn pretty well. The foot pedal broke at one point, so that’s been fixed. I find the way it sews to be a bit heavy compared with the whizzy little Elna, and it is really quite loud. Despite that, the stitching is dependable.

When did you buy this sewing machine? I bought this machine about three years ago. I had been living abroad for about four years and coming back to a sewing machine-less existence was a hard thing to take.

When was it manufactured? 1959-60

Where did you buy it? I bought it at a village fete in a tiny little place called Staplefield, in the village hall -- a place I’ve known since childhood (Saturday night discos, etc.).

How much did you pay for it? £2! I tried to give them more because it seemed like such a steal, and the money was going to the church fund or something, but they wouldn’t hear of it.

How many projects have you done on this machine? I’d say I got at least 15 finished items done on it before I got the Elna. But that doesn’t include the ‘experimenting.’

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I’ve made appliqué wall hangings, bags, accessories, the better part of a quilt, and some creatures. I used it again recently because I bought a button hole attachment and a zigzag attachment, but then I found the Husqvarna. So the poor Singer is sidelined once again.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? I hate that it isn’t getting any use. I’m on the verge of finding a good home for it, but it is hard -- I let myself get attached. I like how sturdy it is and the design of it. It came with all the attachments and the manuals. Vintage sewing machines seem to have such nice manuals. I also love that vintage sewing machines have a history all of their own.

Singer Stylist 834

by Erin McKean, whose wonderful blog, A Dress a Day, is all about dresses, sewing, and the state of fashion in general; in case you don't read her blog, you should know that Erin recently bought a new Juki, and is actually giving this Singer Stylist 834 away -- I asked her to write a little about why she decided to retire it (see the end of her review)

Love it, hate it, or something in between? I'd only really used one machine before this (my mom's New Home, which my sister now has) so I didn't have much to compare it to. I loved it when everything was going well ... and when things weren't going well it was usually my fault.

When did you buy this sewing machine? I bought it in the summer of 1992, with my first real paycheck from my first real job. I carried it home on the bus! Took me three hours. Totally worth it.

When was it manufactured? I think -- think -- it was 1971. I liked that it was as old as I am. But I could be wrong.

Where did you buy it? At a sewing & vacuum-cleaner shop near Harlem and Irving Park in Chicago.

How much did you pay for it? I believe I paid $140 for it. $149? Not more than $150, which was my budget.

How many projects have you done on this machine? Too many to count! Hundreds, I would guess. I made two quilts with this machine, plus soooo many dresses. And one handbag. Never again with the
handbag.

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I've mostly made dresses, natch.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? I liked how simple it was to thread; I didn't like that the feed dogs were permanently stuck on "HIGH". Towards the end it was really starting to give out, timing-wise, so I was babying it along.

It also made a very nice noise, actually. A soothing purr.

I decided to replace this machine because I'd had it for 15 years and it was time to give it a break. I was just sewing too much for the poor thing. (Yes, I anthropomorphize machines; I'm sorry ...)

Singer Featherweight Model 221-1

by Katie, a graduate student in Irvine, California, who keeps a personal blog here

Love it, hate it, or something in between? Love it! It's so small and pretty and uncomplicated.

When did you buy this sewing machine? My mom bought it somewhere in early 2005.

When was it manufactured? Not sure, but the latest copyright date on the instruction manual is 1950. However, the instruction manual didn't actually come with the machine, so the date could be off.

Where did you buy it? My mom bought it at an antique shop somewhere in San Diego.

How much did you pay for it? I think she paid about $600. Not sure if that includes the tune up she got after she bought it.

How many projects have you done on this machine? Probably around 30-ish. I'm not a real big sewer, plus I'm in graduate school.

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. Mostly patchwork and quilting, and a few simple sewing projects. I've put together a lot of quilt tops, and have actually quilted a bunch of placemats. Also, I've made some simple bags and clothing items, including a denim skirt. Apparently, Featherweights are highly prized within the quilting community because they are portable and thus ideal for communal quilting. My mom is a quilter, which is why she picked up the machine when she found it.

What do you like and what do you hate about it?

Like:
-- It's small and light and portable and comes with a carrying case. It requires very little setup: Just plug it in and thread the needle.
-- It comes with a bunch of crazy looking attachments for hems and edgings, as well as a gatherer and a ruffler. I've only used one of them, ever, to make a narrow hem, but it's nice to know they're all there.
-- Since Featherweights are so popular among quilters, you can find additional parts for them and lots of information about them on the internet. One of my local quilt stores has a whole section of stuff for Featherweights, and I was able to get a foot for it to do a quarter inch seam (standard in quilting).

Dislike:
-- **It only does a straight stitch** This is absolutely NOT the machine for you if you need to do a lot else.  You can control the length of the stitch and go forward or backward, but that's it. It's not a problem for me since I mostly only quilt, but I have had to drag out my mom's old Pfaff to do a zigzag stitch on bindings.   However, I put the Pfaff back after that because I really enjoy the simplicity of my tiny Singer.
-- There's a light on the machine, but it gets hot really quickly and it's located near where my hand is when I'm sewing, so I can't even use it.
-- The motor is old and gets tired after a lot of sewing, so you can't go really fast for a long time.
-- The sewing space is sort of small, which makes it hard to sew in the middle of something large (though it's not really that much smaller than on a normal sized machine).

All told, this is a great machine for simple sewing.  Probably good for learners, too, because it doesn't have anything you could accidentally press to screw everything up. 

New sewing machines

My original intent with this site was to post reviews of vintage machines so that beginners could read about some of the old stuff that's available in the used market. I figured I'd basically cover any machine that's been around long enough that a few might be showing up on eBay or Craigslist -- in other words, my criteria were not strict.

And while most of the sewing machines that are included here fit easily into that category, I've run a few reviews of machines that seem a little too modern (too plasticky white! not that there's anything wrong with that), but which I thought would, indeed, be good for used-machine shoppers to know about.

Because I want the main body of the blog to stay focused on old sewing machines, in all their candy-colored, quirkily designed, mechanical glory, I've decided to create a separate blog for reviews of machines that are ten or fewer years old. These are some great machines, and their owners really love them -- I think they're all good candidates for used purchases... they're just not vintage, so I'm separating them.

As I add more of these types of reviews (and please get in touch with me if you'd like to review a machine in either the vintage or new category!), I'll update this post, so anybody checking the categories here at Zigzaggers will be led to the new sewing machines over on their other site, New Zigzaggers.

The newest of the new sewing machine reviews comes from Lisa Lam, a really fun handbag designer with a funny, interesting, helpful blog. She uses a 6-year-old computerized Janome 3500 (pictured above with Lisa's cutest shoes) that sounds like a great, dependable modern machine.

Here's a list of the reviews that can be found on New Zigzaggers:

Janome 3500
Brother LS-1217
Singer 8280

Find them all at this link: New Zigzaggers

Singer Style-O-Matic, model 328

by Cheryl DeWolfe, a Victoria, B.C., crafter who blogs a crafty blog here and sells her crafty stuff (including really cute coffee-cup-cozies) on Etsy here

Love it, hate it, or something in between? Overall, I love it. It had to grow on me though -- I pretty much hated it at first. A big part of my dislike came from the fact that it seemed so "pared down" from the Husqvarna I had grown up using. It seemed too basic, it was heavy, and it looked downright Soviet. Now that I have worked with it, though, I don't think I could go back to the plastic 70s machine I had used previously.

When did you buy this sewing machine? It was a gift from my father about 6 years ago. He had bought it at a thrift store locally, cleaned it up, then decided I needed it more than he did. My old Husqvarna machine, handed down from my Mother, was no longer holding tension and repairs would have cost as much as a new machine.

When was it manufactured? According to the serial number, 1961 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, Canada.

Where did you buy it? It was purchased at a Salvation Army thrift store in Victoria, B.C.
 
How much did you pay for it? My father thinks he paid around $40.

How many projects have you done on this machine? Dozens! Everything I have sewn in the past 6 years...which is quite a lot, though many were small items such as finger puppets and pincushions.

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. Mostly, I use it to sew my crafts -- plush creatures, finger puppets, gift bags, and so on. I have also used it to mend clothing -- hems and patching -- and to sew soft furnishings, three Halloween costumes, and even a beautiful ring pillow for a friend's wedding. This machine can sew almost anything. I've sewn every kind of fabric from denim to satin and it does surprisingly well with stretchy fabrics, too.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? As I mentioned, the machine grew on me. I hated threading it, at first. It's not that it is difficult, but there's definitely a trick to getting it through the tension mechanism just right. Every now and then, I still screw that up and all of a sudden my thread will snap mid-stitch. I was also not a fan of the position of the light -- I'm still not; it's a little too focused just at the needle -- but now I compensate with another desk lamp. The foot control was the other thing that took a lot of getting used to -- rather than an accelerator-style pedal, there appear to be two buttons, but only one is the trigger; the other is molded as part of the pedal. For the life of me, I  still can't figure out why it is designed this way, but I have learned to use it.

There are also things I haven't tested; I am eagerly awaiting the delivery of a batch of accessories I bought online including several feet and 8 fashion discs, which are used to create specialty stitching. I'd also like to test how it works with two needles -- it can accommodate them as-is, but I would need to replace the missing post to hold the second spool of thread. Getting back to what I love about it, the bobbin-winding is one of the most even and easy to use I have encountered, and the stitch adjustments allow for detailed control over stitch length and width. I also love that it came with its original manual, and I love that I can open it up and do most of the maintenance myself.

Overall, I'd recommend it for other crafters or beginners; this machine is sturdy, forgiving, and surprisingly versatile.