You will enjoy her!! I love my FW, Laverne. My sister and I have FWs made in 1947 and purchased at different times. Since they are Singers we decided to name them after singing sisters. They are Laverne and Maxene after the Andrews sisters.

Mary

Kate~Congrats on your FW puchase....pictures please :).
I highly recommend "Featherweight 221: The Perfect Portable (3rd Edition)" , by Nancy Johnson-Srebro.

Good Luck on our knee replacement surgery. People I know who have had it are so much better after....physical therapy is the key! Is it your sewing pedal leg??? Maybe that will count -LOL. Make sure you check in with us on your recovery!!

Mary - very cute names.

Yay! Another FW has found its way to a new home and loving owner. Funny how many are named after family members. My 1947 model that came from Canada has been named Gracie after a fondly remembered second cousin.

Yes to the Nancy Johnson-Sebro book.

Love the names, Mary.
Teresa

Congratulations! Mine is a 1955 I believe. Afraid I don't use it much as I don't have space to keep it set up but it is a fun machne in perfect condition. Interesting, my GM was named Martha as well as my sister. You made me decide to give my FW a name. As it is Mothers day I think I will call her Millie after my dear step mother.
Enjoy.
Jayne

So happy for you, Kate! FWs are fun and great workhorses! Many happy years of sewing to you!

Gwem

This isn't a very good picture, but it shows the 1950 Featherweight "Martha" and the beautiful 1924 Singer that belonged to my mother, Dorothy. Her family called her "Dorie" when she was young, so that's the name of the '24.

Oh my Kate - "Dorie" is beautiful - how lucky you are to have her! Martha is a beauty also. What is the big ring around the FW?

When my brother came to visit, I had forgotten that I had my FW sitting in that bedroom - he came out laughing and told his son (21 years old) to go look at the "baby" my sewing machines had! he thought it was soooooo funny to see such a tiny sewing machine. We don't realize how odd it looks to others - especially when we have a few sewing machines sitting around.

Your Martha looks grand next to Dorie- enjoy!

Both of them have the big rings but you can't see the one on Dorie very well. It's just a beaded necklace with alphabet beads in the center, spelling out the machine's name. Tomorrow when the lighting is better I'll do a couple more pictures.

What beautiful machine with such lovely names!! Makes me wish I had one.

I have a friend (older bachelor) who has a trendle in his basement. Every time I'm over there I make sure I'm in his will for that machine (he told me he won't part with it for sentimental reasons). You can't have too many machines, right???

Robbi

"Too many machines"??? I'm sorry... I don't understand the question. haha

My Aunt Bea is named after my grandmother. A sweet little Featherweight.

Faye

I used to think one machine was enough. Then I met all y'all on this forum and I've been totally corrupted! I thought about bidding for one on-line today just because it was aqua colored!

Kate~step away from EBay! This too shall pass.......
I looked for my FW for many months, constantly following the auctions - after I bought one, I realized I liked the chase more than the prize. Not that I don't like my FW, but following the ads & auctions is exciting! It was taking away my free time for sewing. I see why people get so into Ebay.

LOL - I know! Yesterday I bid on an original owners manual for the larger 1924 Singer ("Dorie") and got it! That was on shopgoodwill.com, not ebay, but it's the same kind of site. Several years ago I got into buying McCoy jardiniers on ebay and spent WAY too much money. Money I could now be spending on fabric (or more machines!).

The person who got me hooked on the idea of the FW was astounded when I started spouting off about the factories where certain machines were made, during which years, and the different patterns of the decals and scrolls. I've got a file folder FULL of information about FW and tackled it like a Project (with a capital "P"). It became important to me while I was searching, but now that I have the machine I'm just excited to have it.

Kate

I know what you mean, Kate. I had only seen FWs online, never in person and I became obsessed with the cute little darlings. I "researched" the FW to death and almost ordered a couple of them before I finally ordered from a restoration dealer in Canada who was a pleasure to work with.

Teresa

I found my FW at a repair shop in a neighboring town. A friend knew I wanted one and told me she saw it in the shop. A couple of years later I found a white FW. I was taking a class and the teacher asked if anyone was interested in buying her white FW. Of course I wanted it!
I named the black FW Annie for the friend who found it for me. The white does not have a name yet.
Linda OH

My FW is named Fiona. I use her all the time for piecing quilts. I have about 7 other machines. They followed me home. LOL. Colleen

You don't have to justify yourself to us, Colleen. You're preachin' to the choir, you know?

LOL...Teresa

Kate, both of your machines pictured are beautiful and I love the names. I have always liked the Featherweights, but never used one... the price has prevented me from buying one, I just can't see pay 300 dollars for one. I'd never use it because I'd miss the bells and whistles of an electronic one too much, but they are fun to look at and they seem more precise than the modern plastic stuff that is out now. Congratulations on getting something that you wanted! How many machines do you have now?

Vacuumfreak, I "only" have 4:
Dorie, the 1924 Singer.

Martha, the 1950 Featherweight.

Julia, the 1990 Elna Quilters Dream. (This is the one I use for almost everything.)

Mrs. Hubble, the 18something treadle. (Still haven't cleaned this one up and put a new belt on it, but I was told it worked the last time someone tried it. It belonged to the grandmother of my sister in law but was owned by someone else in their family before that; so it is named for a generic member of their family.)

I would still like a long (or mid) arm, of course. And an old commercial machine for sewing on leather, although the treadle might be perfect for that if I can get it working.