Capt Noonie: My collection thus far
Singer 27 (my grandmother's treadle) MY dream is to make a quilt on this machine.
Newhome treadle not sure of the make number ( my great,great grandmothers)
Singer 99:first of the portable machines. Very small,straight stitch only. A pretty good work horse.
Singer 201: full sized machine,black,single stitch. I use this to sew on leather or put patches on leather motorcycle vests. Weighs about 40lbs. I tell people it will sew on anything including your fingers.
Singer 301: also a portable,single stitch. Alot of people like to use these for quilting.
Singer 401A: made in 1957,has several built in stitches as well as cams that go in the top for more special stitches. There is also a monogramer attachment.
The 201 and 301 also have attachments so you can do zigzag stitches.
The 201,301 and 401 have buttonhole making attachments. Makes perfect buttonholes everytime.
A 99 and 201 will usually run around $200 the 301 & 401 usually go for around $300. These machines are all mechanical and can be easially serviced by the owner with a little practice. The prices may seem a little high compared to what you see at the fabric store or Walmart. But these machines are mostly or all metal even the gears. Newer machines have plastic gears that wear out quickly if used alot or used and abused by a new seamstress. My 16yr old daughter has a Singer 403 (older sister to the 401,no built in stitches but uses the same cams and attachments,1951). She loves this machine!! I think that she has even named it.
You can find all of these machines for a little less on Craigs list,garage sales and GoodWill. When I go treasure hunting,I take a small Singer screwdriver with me. I will open the top of the machine so I can make sure that the gears are actually in there. Turn the flywheel make sure that it turns freely. I do not purchase machines that I did not put my hand on first.
Hope all of this helped. Let me know if you have any more questions and I will be happy to answer them if I can. |