The wife would like to have a Singer feather weight sewing machine. And so I would like to obtain one. Will buy out right or trade. Have some good stuff, portable welder/generator, band saw, ammo, old coins lots of things we really don't need. Email me and we will do our best to work out a deal. Thanks

-- David in North Alabama (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), December 29, 2001

Answers

Try eBay on Singer feather (I think it may have been feather light rather then feather weight). If you find one you want, contact the seller in advance of the end of the sale to see if they are interested in a swap versus cash sale if you are the high bidder.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), December 29, 2001.

You'd be lucky to find a good featherweight on ebay for less than $200, my friend sold one (white) a few weeks ago for almost $500. Better to scour the tag sales. I've seen them advertised as a 'childs' sewing machine, which they are not. Good Luck!

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), December 30, 2001.

Yes, Singer Featherweights are quite pricey. About the only way to get one for cheap is from someone who doesn't know what they have.

David, if your wife wants the FW because it is excellent for sewing quilts and is lightweight and lasts practically forever (the reasons that the Featherweights have become so much in demand), she might consider a Singer 301 (or Singer 301A, which simply is a designation of which factory made it). Totally different styling, they look sort of like a locomotive. But they are the same "class" as the FW, use the same bobbins and bobbin case, work much the same, weigh only a couple pounds more, have a handle for easy carrying, and are usually obtainable for a lot less. They come up regularly on EBay. For some reason, the black models and the two-tones seem to go for more, possibly because they were fewer in number produced? But a beige one will do the job.

I entered Singer 301 in the search on eBay, and came up with five machines under auction currently. This one, which includes a cabinet, is over with pretty soon. No telling what the final price will be, but currently at $152.50, which is pretty reasonable for a machine with all the extras and the table. Hard to say what the shipping on the table would be, however! The machine itself is usually about $20-25 for shipping.

-- Joy F {Southern Wisconsin} (CatFlunky@excite.com), December 30, 2001.

Oops! Forgot the URL!

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1052201877

-- Joy F {Southern Wisconsin} (CatFlunky@excite.com), December 30, 2001.

Hi David,

One caution. Because the Featherweight sewingmachine has become such a sought after antique many of the parts to replace/repair are very expensive. This applies also to other machines made at about the same time which are not so sought after but use the same parts. I have a Singer 301 which in transport to my house lost the bobbin case (a small metal case which holds the bobbin in the machine) this little part cost me over $100 to replace because it is the same case used in the featherweight. That said they are great machines even 50 years later.

Sara on Vashon Island, WA

-- Sara Perry (JPerry1218@aol.com), December 31, 2001.