Quilter's Treasure Quilter's Treasure Singer Featherweight Portables by Carolyn M Ybarra ISMACS News Issue 27 SLEEK AND shiny with a simple, elegant, and compact design, the Singer 221 - nicknamed 'Featherweight' - is the semi-precious jewel of the world. For those who collect toy machines, it's too big, weighing in at 11 lbs 1 oz. For those who collect antiques, it's too new, having been manufactured in the United States between 1933 and 1964 (with the white-colored 221K version made in Britain from 1963-68). For modern seamstresses, it's too basic, sewing only a straight stitch without even a reverse setting on early models.

This quick and easy method for dating black Singer Featherweights uses only the 2 letter prefix and the first 2 digits of the 6 digit serial number. For purposes of. The Singer Sewing Machine Company has published the complete list of serial numbers reserved for each production run of the Featherweight. ISMACS Singer Serial Number lookup. Look up your Singer Sewing Machine Serial Number to find out when your machine was made and identify what model you have.

Even during the years of its manufacture it was sometimes ignored by the sewing public, as looking too much like a toy, and being too expensive for depression-era and wartime pocketbooks. For modern-day quilters, the Singer Featherweight, like the baby bear's bed in Goldilocks, is 'just right'. Football Manager 2002 Free Download Pc. Quilt tops are pieced together from small scraps of fabric using quarter-inch seam allowances. Esky Usb Controller Driver more. Quilters, therefore, value a machine that can sew a straight lock stitch without the slight zig-zag that characterizes the straight stitch on most modern machines. The featherweight, although constructed of aluminum and thus very lightweight, runs smoothly and quietly due to its well-balanced rotary-hook mechanism.

This lightweight machine that comes with its own handy case (resembling and roughly the size of an old-fashioned cosmetics case or record case) is also valued for its portability, by those who attend classes and conferences with fellow quilters around the world. Finally, its sleekness, elegance, and mechanical simplicity appeals to the design sense of women and men who appreciate the beauty of color, line, and texture in their quilts. Now collectors are starting to take notice, too. While many existing machines were well-loved and thus well-used, Featherweights are by no means rare.

Machines in good condition can still be found at bargain prices in garage sales and auction houses. Advertisements in quilters' magazines bring higher prices. The highest-priced machines are in good condition with little wear on the gold leaf, complete with case, attachments, and original manual. The predominant finish on the 221 is a shiny black. The 221K was black or a shiny white and has a shorter bed. A smaller number of machines in other colors exist, including a light tan color produced in Great Britain and a matte black produced in the United States.

The rumored mint-green Featherweight is apparently an alternate description of the white machine, which can have a slightly greenish cast. Rumors of a red and/or blue Singer 221, reputedly distributors' premiums, have not been verified. It may be that these stories are based on the existence of colored versions of the Singer toy model 20.3 The Singer 221 has a fold-up bed which allows the owner to change the bobbin easily, and also makes the machine compact enough to set down into the carrying case. The combination free-arm model 222K is a rarer find in the United States than it is in England. These were apparently produced in the Kilbowie factory in Scotland, between roughly 1954 and 1961. The 222K has a removable-bed extension, for use when sewing pant legs and shirt sleeves, and weighs in about 2 lbs more than the model 221. Cases are black, with leather handles on the older models and plastic on the newer. Mitek 20 20 Engineering Cracked.