1953 Model 221K Singer "Featherweight" Sewing Machine

When / How Acquired

After buying my 1945 Featherweight, I still had my eye out for a bargain featherweight in excellent (or at least usable) condition. I reasoned that I could probably buy another featherweight for less than it would take to restore the first one to a workable condition. And I was right.

I bought this machine from eBay in April this year. Not only does it have all accessories, but came in it's original black carry case.

If I Lived in Tasmania, I Would Need a Really Big House

Why, you ask? Because of all the cool stuff in the Antique shops.

You may have noticed that it's been a while between blog posts. I'd like to say that it's because I've been away, which I was, but I scheduled one post per week to go live while I was on a recent holiday in Tasmania, so there wouldn't be a break. Problem being, I haven't written any posts since I've been back. And it's now been three weeks since I came home again. I blame my new cardigan that I've been knitting. All of my spare time that I would have been typing up blog posts have been overcome by knitting. Good news though, it's just about finished, so I'm pretty sure my next blog post will be the reveal of my Miette, and life can get back to normal, (whatever that is).

Singer Model 20 Child's Sewing Machine

So, here's my second most recent aquistition to the Singer sewing machine collection. My husband has been keeping an eye out for a Singer Toy Sewing Machine. They are quite collectable, and quite cute too. I saw one at a local antique store a while ago, asking $495! Here's the low down on the Singer Sewing website, (not affiliated with Singer, but dedicated to all things Singer) and another great resource that I found - Sewalot.

How/When Acquired

I purchased this from eBay in March 2014. My eagle eyed husband spotted it, and I set to work on the bidding when there was about an hour left to run on the auction. I spent a little more than the budget he gave me, but still managed to obtain it for about a quarter of the same one that was available locally, inclusive of postage from the States. Still a bargain, I thought!

Fresh out of the box!

Fabric-a-brac 2014

I first heard about fabric-a-brac last year, but unfortunately couldn't make it. This year, I only found out a week before it was on, and although I already had a few things on that day, I was determined to get there.

This annual event brings together those with too much fabric in their stash, and those wanting more. I used to think I was in the former category, but since linking up with women from around the world in a bid to reduce our stash, I've realised that I don't have that much fabric at all.

Two kids in tow, fresh from their swimming lessons, I set off to Fabric-A-Brac, with just enough time before I had to get home to take the older one to a birthday party.

1945 Model 221K Singer "Featherweight" Sewing Machine

When / How Acquired

I'm sure the start of this story will sound familiar. I bought this machine from eBay on February 27 this year. Funny story on this one though. My dear husband has a habit of putting machines on my Watch list that he thinks I might be interested in (should I change my password so he can't get into my eBay anymore?) I knew that there was a featherweight on my watch list that I was really interested in and wanted to try my luck at getting. So when I read an email from eBay saying that there was an auction ending soon on a featherweight, (it had one hour left when I read the email), I jumped onto eBay, and without more than 5 seconds thought, put in a bid for it. I remember thinking, "wasn't the machine I wanted in better condition than this?" Then I looked at my Watch list and found the one that I was actually wanting to buy. Ending the following day. Oopsie! I sat for the next hour hoping that someone else would bid on it. They didn't, so that's how I became the owner of a this 1945 Featherweight. I did bid on the other machine, but having just bought one featherweight, wasn't willing to spend enough to secure the second.

1937 Model 66K Singer Treadle Sewing Machine

When / How Acquired

This machine was the second pickup on a day in December, from an eBay purchase. I'd already sent the husband out to the Hills District to pick up another machine, and he was out when the auction for this machine ended. I paid for it straight away and shot a message off to the seller. She answered within minutes, so I rang her and asked if my husband could pick it up while he was in the area. Thankfully she was home, and hubby came home with not one, but two new treadle machines for my ever growing collection. They both had to live at the bottom of the stairs for a few days, but this one now lives in our main living area under our bedroom stairs, while the other one (the 201K), managed to score a new home in my studio.

It came with a few spare bobbins, but is in need of a new rubber ring for bobbin winding. Included were both the original and a new leather belt (which I still haven't tried to attach).

1953 Model 201K Singer Treadle Sewing Machine

When / How Acquired

This machine is an eBay purchase from December 2013. My husband's new hobby seems to be trawling through eBay, Gumtree and any other site he can find, looking for machines to add to our (MY) collection. Within the same week we came across two machines that were going cheaply, and picked them both up on the same day.

I had to rearrange my studio to fit this one in, and the other pick up of the day lives at the end of our hallway at the front of our house.

We purchased this from a young guy on eBay, who was selling it on behalf of his mother. It had belonged to his grandmother (his mother's mother), and was obviously a much loved family machine. I am honoured to have given it a new home.

1950 Model 99K Singer Electric Sewing Machine

When / How Acquired

My second antique (well, not really as it isn't anywhere near 100 years old) Singer that I acquired was a gift from my father.

In 2009 when I was heavily pregnant with my daughter, my father was in the process of closing up his sewing machine business, and had a garage full of old trade-ins and assorted other machines that needed to be stripped for parts. He had ordered a metal skip that we slowly filled up over the course of an afternoon. It was kind of fun unscrewing the machines and stripping out bits and pieces, anything that would prove useful when repairing other machines.

Metal skip bin (in front) with many sewing machine bodies!

Right at the end of the line of machines was a beautiful dome shaped timber case which I was dying to see inside, and dad made me wait right to the end to see what it was.

Inside the case a 1950 Model 99K "Portable" Electric Singer was hiding. It was in beautiful condition, but without bobbins or other accessories.

As a thank you for all my hard work (when all the non pregnant people had given up and gone back inside), dad gave it to me. How awesome is my father? As it uses different bobbins to the 1900 Singer however, when I got it home I wasn't even able to test it out.


Machine Specifications

A look on ISMACS International website shows that this machine was part of a production of 60,000, which were allotted on September 26, 1950.

The Singer centenary badge would suggest that the manufacture was not complete until 1951 however, and I can say with some certainty that it was manufactured in Great Britain! It says so on the machine!

Note the Centenary badging from 1951

It was made in Scotland to be exact. All Singer models that have a "K" came out of the factory in Scotland (the Kilbowie factory in Clydebank, Glasgow).

The machine is compact, 3/4 the size of it's full size mate the 66 (but it's still really heavy, weighing in at a little over 15kg!), with an extension plate that connects in on the left hand side, and is operated by a knee controller that slots into the base on the right. It has a light attached at the back, but it gets so hot I'm not planning on using it, but now have an LED light that clips on with a magnet that I can use, and move between machines. It is housed in a domed (bentwood) lid. Inside the lid are all sorts of clips (which I hadn't noticed earlier), which keep all the bits nice and safe.

With extension plate in place

Knee Operated

The light

Inside the case. Everything clips in. Somehow.

The machine bed is decorated with filigree scroll work, which has only one place along the front where it has been rubbing off, so I'll leave it as is and just give it a bit of a clean.

Models 66 and 99 are both oscillating hook machines. Before you ask, no I don't actually know what that means in technical terms, that's more of a question for either my father, or maybe my husband.

Work done on this machine

With my recent acquisition of an additional two Singer Treadle machines, with bobbins(!!) I was finally able to get this machine going in December. My father (along with other family members) was staying with me over Christmas. We looked at one of the other treadles first (more in a later post), and after he did a clean and oil on the other one, I did the same on this machine. All up it was in pretty good condition. The bobbin case had a build up of dirt and grease, but armed with a cheap paintbrush and an old machine needle, I cleaned it all out, and then oiled the machine. All by myself! My cleaning passed inspection from my father, and after a bit of adjustments, we did a test sew it worked beautifully!

Top: before cleaning. Bottom: After cleaning - much better!

My trusty paintbrush

I love the little button to release the bobbin!

The Inner workings

"Scroll" design on faceplate

Storage space underneath the machine

Dad removed the needle plate from the machine and polished out the marks left by needles over the years so it won't catch on anything. I still need to give the exterior of the machine a good clean, but it is in great working order, and I'm sure I'll have fun trying out all the accessories from my other machines.

Keep an eye out for a detailed look at my other Singer machines:

Overview of my Singer sewing machines

1900 Model 27 Treadle

1937 Model 66K Treadle

1953 Model 201K Treadle

1943 Model 221K Featherweight

Singer Model 20 Child's Sewing Machine

1953 Model 221K Featherweight

Do you have a Model 99 Singer? I'd love to see more! Feel free to leave the link to your related blog post in the comments below.

1900 Model 27 Antique Singer Treadle: Background and Restoration Part I

When I was growing up my mother had a Singer treadle which she had bought for $5. Before I even hit my teen years though, she sold it to friends of ours who were living out of town on a property, reliant on a generator for their electricity. My sisters and I all have fond memories of that machine, and I think we've all been secretly seeking to replace it in our lives. (Well I have anyway.)

Original eBay photo

I've gone Antique Singer sewing machine crazy!

What am I obsessed about at the moment? Antique Singer sewing machines, that's what.

At the end of last year I acquired two (more) antique Singer treadles. (Thank you eBay!) Added to my existing machines, that brought my total to four Antique Singers. A bit excessive you say? I hear you, I don't know what it is about them, but I start to swoon when I see a beautiful Singer. Add in a gorgeous cabinet, in mint condition if possible, and I might even start drooling.

Up until these latest two machines entered my house, I hadn't even been able to try out the other two. You can bet I'll be writing (a lot) more about these machines as I get to know them, but first I'll give you a brief history of the machines that I have, in the order in which they entered my life.

Firstly is a 2008 eBay purchase. It is a 1900 Model 27 treadle, in an absolutely gorgeous 7 drawer cabinet. The machine was in need of a bit of attention, so has never been tried. My husband took the machine out of the cabinet shortly after we got it home. It came with an almost complete accessories box and original instruction booklet, which was put somewhere safe. It'll surface again one day I'm sure. We did download a manual that was, if not identical, then similar enough to the original, so we wouldn't risk damaging the original when looking anything up. Unfortunately we were in such a hurry to clean this machine up that we didn't take photos of the machine before we did anything to it (and it's currently in lots of pieces), so the photos I have used here are scanned from our printout of the eBay listing.