well maybe that is her way of avoiding repairs or some passive aggressive stuff going on.  older machines are at thrift stores all the time or people give them away too.  

A lady who I took courses on sergering, quilting etc at the local high school (she doesn't teach anymore) bought a $11,000 machine!  but sewing, quilting is her passion. She was retired but worked in sewing stores or as sale reps for sewing brands most of her life.  She taught lots of courses and always was making quilts and other things with another lady that they sold at a couple of large craft shows.    She sewed and did hand projects in their RV on long traveling vacations.

She stopped teaching the courses at the local high school because her hubby was worried about her driving so far. She lived about 45mins away.  I miss her! loved her courses.  She was always doing new things too.

jan bee:

if someone can't afford the $200 Singer would a cheaper machine be better than nothing?

It would be better than nothing if it worked well. If it didn't it would be a lesson in frustration and a waste of money. I really think that with some looking around at places like Craigslist or yard sales or thrift shops an older metal machine is working order could be found. Except for Singer Featherweights, many are listed for $100.00 or less. Edey

Thanks for the tips!!!!

Do you have one on a good place to buy thread? Fabric shops are 40 miles away & I don't always get their sales fliers. Just missed Jo-ann Fabric & Crafts 50% off sale. I wasn't expecting that until Memorial weekend.

Some sites/catalogs that I like are:

www.newarkdress.com and their sister site www.homesew.com. They have lots of supplies.

Another is www.clotilde.com Their prices are higher but they carry things not found easily. I've had good luck buying from all 3 of these companies.

www.herrschners.com is a good catalog for needlework supplies. I've been buying from them since 1970 and always had a good experience with them.

Edey

Thanks for the sites, Happy $ewing.

finally remembered to ask my mom about  her old sewing machine.turns out she had got rid of it last year or so. cats had peed on it and the motor was gone she said. 

MarthaMFI:

turns out she had got rid of it last year or so

Ah, I was looking forward to checking it out. Oh, well. Edey

I found a beautiful little Singer on e-bay last month and it is sewing like a dream. It is a little bigger than a Featherweight, and about 10 pounds heavier. It is a 99 straight stitch machine that came with attachments to do ruffles, attach binding and do hems. It is so cute! Since learning about these 3/4 machines I really wanted one, so kept looking thru e-bay for one that I could pick-up locally. I got lucky and found one, one very well taken care of, for $50.00. To me, the price was well worth it for it's near perfect condition.  The 99 will do heavier materials than the Featherweight, it has a stronger motor. The Featherweight is good for the quilting classes because of its compactness and light weight, however a 99 in it's case will also work well due to it's small size.  

Older Singer model numbers 99, 28, 128 and 185 are considered 3/4 machines, meaning they are smaller dimensionally then the same full sized machine. Singer 66, the most common of the treadles, is full sized, 99 is 3/4 sized. They are the same machine, only size varies. A 27 and 127 are full sized, the 28 and 128 are the smaller verisons, 27 and 28 are older than 127 and 128.

  A Featherweight, which many quilters want and will spend several hundred dollars for, is a 1/2 size machine and weighs 11 pounds outside of the case, 19 pounds in the case. It too, is a straight stitch machine. Older models don't have reverse, newer ones do.  Featherweight machines were made between the 1930's and 1950's, and a specially made card table with a cut-out or a cabinet was made for them. The cabinet is very hard to find, the tables sell on e-bay for almost as much as the machines do.

I hope to get lucky someday and find a Featherweight, but don't want to pay the going price for it now. Someday, Someday. Edey