Was most interested to read about old Singer machines. I decided to dig mine out of the cupboard. Bought in an auction about 30 years ago for pennies. Have not looked at it for at least 10 years. It does work but it is so badly scratched.. The number on it is EJ699325. I think it has to find a new home as it is just taking up room.

Sarah could you keep this beauty and use it to show Georgie how to sew? These machines are beautiful and a great reminder how machines were. I used to collect some earlier machines for the beautiful decorations on them, They took up too much space and my husband rehomed them. It is almost 2 years ago that we were at a wedding in a large building and I saw loads of sewing machines in a room there. It turned out that the building had been built by Singer and was his UK home after he left the States. I put something up about it at the time.

Sarah could you keep this beauty and use it to show Georgie how to sew? These machines are beautiful and a great reminder how machines were. I used to collect some earlier machines for the beautiful decorations on them, They took up too much space and my husband rehomed them. It is almost 2 years ago that we were at a wedding in a large building and I saw loads of sewing machines in a room there. It turned out that the building had been built by Singer and was his UK home after he left the States. I put something up about it at the time.

A lovely piece for your sewing room.

1 comment

by airyfairy 23 Mar 2014

The problem is that I do not have a sewing room :(

I listed my lovely old Singer Treadle machine on Ebay and it only made a few dollars, I was so disappointed that I had to let it go because we were moving, but I should have put a reserve on it.
Sarah is yours a 99K?
If so, according to the records, it was one of a number of 40,000 made in the Kilbowie factory, Clydebank Scotland with a release date of May 19th 1954
There are many charities looking for old machines to give to South African missions for young women to learn to sew.
I'm sure if you Googled it you would come up with something. Hugs n love, Meg

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by airyfairy 23 Mar 2014

Thanks Meg for your comment - not sure what 99K is??

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and suggestions. I think I am going to keep it for a while. It has been in the cupboard in my spare bedroom for so long - a bit longer will not hurt. Have just realised why it is so scratched at the top. I think it was probably bound with material and perhaps a bit of padding and pins were stuck there. **** 4 all.

Hi Sarah, if you don't want to use it or have it as a piece of "objet d'art" why not find a voluntary organisation that could utilise it. I'm sure in South Africa there would be lots of places that could something like this, especially if it still works. Last year I gave mine to a museum in Victoria that showcases sewing machines through the ages. Mine was a Number 1 and still in working order. The museum were so appreciative of it. Love and blessings Chris

I was looking on ebay USA on line and someone has painted one purple and wants 600.00 for it, they also have one in pink. I guess a 2 dollar can of spray paint adds to the value(in their mind) maybe,

I have 3 Singer Featherweights from this period. I would not sell them unless I got a good price. My thought is yours is worth more than mine. Check on line for model and them establish a fair price.
.
SQ

2 comments

by kezza2sew 23 Mar 2014

I was trying to think of this name "featherweight", I also have one, is this the one in a black case, the ladies took them to war to do sewing/mending. I bought mine off eBay and it was from Tasmania. I paid $1200. I will not part with it, it is truly a lovely piece...

by almag 30 Mar 2014

$1200!!!!!!!!!!! No dots???? like $120.00????
I have two Featherweights, one cost $120 and the other was about $100. I was really lucky to get them at that price, I know, but $1200 seems to be way too much for these little machines. If they fetch that much money I'll be hanging on to mine for a long time yet.

It's very nice! It could come in handy when your power might go out.

1 comment

by airyfairy 23 Mar 2014

That is a brilliant idea as we have masses of power failures here in s. Africa.

This is a wonderful machine. Being a hand crank it would be great for those days that the power is out. Where do you live?

Lovely machine - with this serial number you can find out your singer is dated 1954, if you wish find a singer certificate to print as PDF in the link below, scroll down and "find my Singer" on the right side -
;-) any email will do

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by airyfairy 23 Mar 2014

Thank you so much for this. I knew it was not that old as the box that it is in looks very 'plastic'.

When I first married in 1966, my sister in law had a really old Singer. It was just the head in a box base and had a dome shaped cover. It had an electric pedal, she would sit on the floor with her legs, yoga style, and the pedal under one knee. What was strange was that the bobin was like a mini thread spool and was inserted into a round opening near (not under) the needle. As the machine stitched the bobbin ran right to left in a half circle!!

2 comments

by mops 26 Mar 2014

My mother had a treadle machine, a Naumann, on which I learned to sew. It had the same shuttle style bobbin, with messing end caps with a small hole that fitted the winder. And the needle was not the system we have now but a rather thick round shanked one. she got it second hand when she was 19 (in 1933).
I now own a Singer made in 1920 that has the more modern system, so hers must have been older than that.

by almag 30 Mar 2014

Aren't these shuttles called boat shuttles? I have a couple of machines with these shuttles but only for play because they run out of thread too quickly.

It is wonderful. I would think there would be an organization that could utilize it and the results would be to improve people's lives.