They Laughed When I Told Them I was Going to Buy an Old Singer Featherweight Sewing Machine.....
And then it turned out that all my friends already had Singer Featherweights!
This
week we have seen a steady stream of emails from How-to-Quilt.com
Newsletter Subscribers telling us how much they love their old
Singer machines, or would love to own one. I thought I would share
just a few of them with you.
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My Singer is ready for me to sew anytime I'm ready. I bought the machine on ebay and actually got it for a very reasonable price. It was a factory reburbished machine, and it is perfect.
Margaret Roosa
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What about an old fashion hand cranked Singer? E-bay to the rescue. I've had my Singer for 2 weeks and it goes beautifully (and nice and slowly!)
Chris Hobson
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I would love to have an older Featherweight someday. Or, maybe a new one. Never know.
Susan Emge Milliner
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And so it is confirmed that quilters around the world will keep these little machines going for many lifetimes.
There are five other popular brands among our newsletter subscribers – Janome, Pfaff, Brother, Bernina, and Viking.
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Toni likes her Janome 6500 because “there is more space between the inside of the machine and the needle. You can also purchase a foot that will help you do "stitch in the ditch" when you are ready to begin tackling beginning quilting.”
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Bev and Fara like their Pfaff sewing machines because of the built in walking foot (Integrated Dual Feed) which makes their machine quilting easier and keeps them from having to buy a separate foot. Nieka likes her Pfaff because it is easy to set the stitch length.
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Laura has both a Brother and Viking. She likes the Brother as an inexpensive “starter” machine, and says that it is highly recommended by a quilting teacher. Her new machine is a Viking (bought for her by her husband). This machine features an interactive design screen for embroidery and fancy stitching.
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And Kim likes Bernina machines and has owned them for many years. Bernina has machines designed specifically for quilters with a stitch regulator for machine quilting and a knee lift – which allows you to lift the “presser foot with your knee keeping both of your hands free to handle your project!!” Kim wouldn’t live without this feature.
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For
those who asked the question about which machine to buy, I hope
the personal experiences of these quilters gives
you some insight as to what features are important to quilters
and what you might look for as you shop for your new sewing machine.
In
addition, you may want to check out “Buying
a Sewing Machine,” an article posted on www.How-to-Quilt.com
discussing what to look for when you buy a sewing machine. The
tips provided in that article are just a beginning. For you, my
newsletter subscribers, I have included even more things
to explore as you investigate the world of sewing machines.
Keep
in mind that used sewing machines are also a
great option. I use a Singer Featherweight,
purchased many years ago, for all of my quilting – both patchwork
piecing and machine quilting. It is small, lightweight, and a
little workhorse. I keep it oiled and cleaned, and periodically
take it to the local Sew and Vac for a checkup, and (like the
Energizer Bunny), it keeps going and going.
Things to consider as you shop for a sewing machine:
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Test sew on the machine at the shop. Take some of your quilting fabric and samples of projects you will be working on, so you can see how the machine will perform for your type of sewing. This might include some machine quilting and embroidery as well as patchwork.
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Notice how easy it is to move the fabric through the sewing machine with the feed dogs up and with the feed dogs down. (Feed dogs are the little “teeth” below the needle that pull the fabric past the needle.) With the feed dogs down, you can do freeform machine quilting.
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See if you can change a setting so that when you stop sewing, the needle always stops either in the fabric you are sewing or up from the fabric. This is one feature I wish my Singer Featherweight had! I tend to sew along then stop and adjust my fabric. Each time I stop, I manually position my needle in the fabric to stabilize the fabric while I re-position it.
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How much free space is there between the needle and the machine? Machine quilting and sewing on large quilt tops will be much easier if there is extra space in that area.
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Where is the bobbin located; and how easy is it to change? Bobbin thread tends to run out at the most inconvenient time, and if the bobbin is easy to get to, you may be able to just re-position your work, change the bobbin and continue sewing. Also notice how easy or difficult it will be to clean this area. It tends to gather fluff from the fabric, so periodic wiping with a q-tip, linen towel, or other soft cloth will keep your machine running smoother.
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How do you wind the bobbin? Do you need to unthread the machine to wind a bobbin?
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How easy is it to change the needle? Do you need to completely remove your work in order to change the needle?
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Check out the locations on the machine that need to be oiled, and note those that may be damaged by oil. Periodically oiling your machine will definitely increase its life. Accidentally getting oil on a part that will be damaged can be very distressing.
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Look at the attachments that come with your machine. My Featherweight came with no attachments, but I have been able to purchase a “Little Foot” for sewing ¼” seam allowances, and a walking foot for machine quilting. If the machine you are considering comes with few or no attachments, you may want to check out and see if you can get generic attachments that will allow you to do the sewing you want to do.
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As you look at the attachments, consider what type of sewing you will be doing. Buttonholes? Zigzag? Hem stitching? Embroidery? Machine quilting? Unless you will be buying more than one machine, you want to consider your use and how important each one of these features is. You may want to buy some extra features that you might use in the future.
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Buy a machine that can be serviced easily by someone in your community, especially if you are considering an electronic machine. Whether it is a sewing machine store or Sears or Walmart-type store, be sure they service your brand and type and stock most of the parts.
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And
just a general thought – buy the best machine you can
afford that does what you want it to do. A great sewing
machine can make hundreds of quilts over a lifetime or two. Consider
that the Singer Featherweights have been around
since the 1930s and are very popular with quilters.
The
machines were made to be portable, so are lightweight
and easily transported to quilting classes, quilting retreats,
or moved around the house (if you don’t have a sewing room).
Many
quilters own a Featherweight in addition to a full-size machine.
The Featherweight goes to class, and the full-size machine is
for home use.
Whether
you are in the market for a new sewing machine, used machine, Singer
sewing machine, Brother sewing machine, or Janome machine, The Ultimate
Sewing Machine Buying Checklist will help guide the way for you
to make a choice that you will be happy with for years to come.
This 12 page Checklist is jam-packed with questions and organized
in a way that makes it easy for you to compare machines as you
do your shopping.
This
great information is available to you immediately as an electronic
download. You will be on your way to owning the perfect sewing
machine in just a few short minutes.
The
Ultimate Sewing Machine Checklist
- Yours for only $7.95
Happy Quilting!
