For a few years, I dreamt about having a Singer 221, the vintage sewing machine known as Featherweight. Well, 2023 was the year I finally bought one!
For the second year now, my husband and I love to spend one or two nights at our favorite Airbnb in Paradise, PA. If you don’t know the area I highly suggest paying a visit. The Amish community is spread in Lancaster County and just like Paradise, there are many nearby towns full of quilts and delicious food.
When we visited for the first time back in 2022 we visited the Cackleberry Farm Antique Mall on the last day of our trip, almost when they were closing the mall, so we planned on coming back on a future trip.
In 2023 when we went back to the area, visiting the Mall with plenty of time was our main goal. During our first visit there in 2022, despite the limited time we had to run around the aisles as they were closing, I had time enough to spot a few Featherweight machines there, so I knew they had them, at least at that time.
To my delight, this second time we visited, after a few minutes wondering around (there are so many wonderful things in there!!!), my husband ran back to me to tell me he had seen one!
And there she was, looking pristine!
I immediately looked for a staff member to help me and I couldn’t wait to see it closer and make sure that that one would be my first Featherweight sewing machine.
I checked the machine, turned it on, ran a bit the foot pedal, and everything looked and sounded good!
The machine had the original pedal, case, buttonholer, a can of oil, the presser foot, the cover plate, the bobbin case, a box full of presser feet, and the manual book. It also had a thick general Featherweight information book included. With minimal scratches, no smells in the vintage original case, no lint, old grease, or anything inside the machine, made the price I paid the most AWESOME deal! The machine was $375. If you’re into Singer 221 you know that this price is even difficult to believe, especially considering the condition and all the extras included.
After getting back home from the wonderful getaway in Paradise, PA, I had many many projects to finish before the year was over (I bought this machine in November 2023). So my beauty sat on the corner of my sewing room for a bit over a month until I could finally sit and do the tune-up, cleaning, and polishing.
To do so, Carol, a dear friend of mine told me about the Featherweight Shop (this post is NOT sponsored).
I loved the Featherweight Shop FREE content about Singer 221 and 222, and also a bit about the Singer 301/301a (which I own 3). They not only have free PDFs of vintage flyers, manuals, and information cards, but also videos and full articles on how to know everything about your Featherweight machine.
So I bought everything I needed to tune up, clean and polish, and keep maintenance of my machine at the Featherweight Shop website. I have to mention that they have a REWARDS program, using my referral link HERE you get a $5 coupon, and I get 500 points which are equal to $5 (for some reason when you click my referral it shows “Matt sent you a gift coupon” or something similar, that is my husband’s name, I have no idea how the account shows his name, maybe because he paid for all my shopping? lol just wanted to let you know, since I don’t seem to be able to change it). You will also be able to sign up and do your referral link to your Featherweight lover friends!
After gathering all the tools that I bought to bring my beautiful machine back to an active life again, I spent about 3 hours doing the work. From cleaning to unclogging a few spots to adjusting upper and lower tension and polishing it, I can say I had a lot of fun! I am so happy I can do this on my own just by following the amazing guide sold by the Featherweight Shop.
In case you’re wondering, this Featherweight is from 1951. It is very interesting to dig for information about your machine using your Serial Number and maybe gather some history depending on where/who you got it from. About mine, I only knew that the shop I got it from at the Antique Mall is owned by two seniors who have been selling sewing machines and vintage fabrics for almost 30 years now.
Besides the tools and materials I bought from the Featherweight Shop, I also bought an extension table for it at the same website. I love space, and I intend to be sewing a lot on her, so I knew I would need to buy the table.
I also wanted to embellish it, so I ordered some spool pin doilies from Etsy, I recommend this shop, where I got mine from.
I would love to know if you have a Featherweight sewing machine or any story about one that you might want to comment below! Also don’t forget to follow me on Instagram where I’ll be sure to post pretty pictures of this beauty now and then.
Thank you for reading this post! Happy sewing!!!
Daisi Toegel
Several years ago I was taking a friends canvas sewing machine to get repaired for him, while my husband and store owner unloaded the machine I wondered into the shop/warehouse and noticed an elderly man working on machines. My eye then caught a glimpse of a Featherweight which I had only seen online prior to this. I walked over and started talking to the gentleman about how excited I was to see the featherweight(s) – there were a few of them in different stages of being repaired , we talked about my love for sewing started when I was 9 yrs old and chatted for awhile, he then ask if I would like to purchase one. I told him absolutely but was afraid they maybe out of my price range. He said I could buy it for $200. I was very thankful and walked the machine over to the owner and my husband to pay. The owner had a funny look on his face and asked me how I convinced his dad to sell me one “ he has never sold one to anyone before” and for that price!! His dad just waived his hand from across the warehouse with a smile. I will always be grateful to that little elderly gentleman and have enjoyed seeing on my featherweight ever since.
That’s a fun find Daisi! I can’t wait to see what you make with it👋