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Myhusband and I have owned over 1000 antique and vintage Singer sewing machines,at least one of just about everything Singer manufactured from 1851 until themid-1960s. And based on that experience I believe the 301 is one of the two orthree best “home” sewing machines Singer ever made.
Introducedin 1951, Model 301 was Singer’s first modern, high-speed, “slant-needle” sewingmachine. “Slant-needle” means the sewing head is tilted back about 10 degreesfrom vertical, which makes it a lot easier to see your work. You can see thisdesign pretty well in photo three.
Fun fact: Singer Models301 and 301A are exactly the same. Singer called the first ones “301,” and thenadded the “A” in 1953 to acknowledge the town of Anderson, South Carolina,where they were manufactured. Frankly, Jeff and I just call all of them “301”to avoid confusion. The serial number of this 301A, NB155164, dates itsproduction to 1957.
The301 is a high-quality sewing machine and very well-made, but “high-quality” and“well-made” are expensive, and like all of the classic Singer straight-stitchmodels, even the mighty Featherweight, it couldn’t compete with cheap importedzigzag machines. Production ended in 1957, and only 700,000 Model 301s wereever built. And that’s a pity because in my opinion, and we have owned morethan 200 Featherweights and over 100 Model 301s, the 301 is a better sewingmachine. Here’s why:
First,the sewing motor is much stronger and much faster. Model 301 was Singer’s first3000 RPM machine (1500 stitches per minute), and that’s important when you’re workingon large-scale projects.
Second,the sewing motor is internal (bottom right of photo eleven), with no belt toadjust or replace.
Third,the “harp,” or open area under the top arm, is much larger than the harp on aFeatherweight. When you’re dealing with bulky material, like a quilt, this isan important feature.
Fourth,the feed dogs can be lowered for “free-hand” work such as embroidery andmonogramming (the feed dogs are controlled by the small black knob visible onthe left side of photo four). A Featherweight’s feed dogs are fixed and cannotbe lowered.
Pleaseunderstand that I love the Singer Featherweight. I’m just saying that the 301can easily do things that a Featherweight will struggle to do, and it’s only alittle bit larger. A 301’s all-metal body is made from aluminum to reduceweight, just like the Featherweight, but it also has a folding handle on top tomake it easy to move around (photos one, two and six).
Andjust like the Featherweight, the 301 has a folding sewing bed extension thatshortens its overall length and makes it easy to store. Singer manufactured the301 with two different bed extensions:“long-bed” (six inch) machines were designed to be portables, and “short-bed” (three-and-one-halfinch) machines like this one give you the best of both worlds: they can either be installed in acabinet OR used as a portable. Note:aspecial \"quick-release\" carriage is required for cabinetinstallation. Please ask if you have questions.
This301 is painted a beautiful two-tone called “Light Beige and Oyster White” bySinger. It is in near-perfect condition with just a few scratches and a fewpaint chips here and there.
Thechromed parts of this machine are in excellent condition with a beautifulshine. The graduated throat plate gleams in photo seven, and in photo five youcan see our polka dot fabric reflected in the stop motion screw in the centerof the hand wheel. The same fabric is reflected in the presser foot thumb screwto the left of the needle in photo twelve. This machine is still a pretty thing,sixty-one years after it left the factory.
Westarted the restoration of this sewing machine by taking it almost completely apart.The grimy parts were soaked in degreaser, and then we cleaned and polished everything.Photo eight shows the pile of shiny parts just prior to reassembly. We evenshined the drip pan underneath (photo ten). We properly lubricated everything thatmoves and then put it all back together. Along the way we replaced the sewingneedle, the bobbin winder “tire,” and the four rubber bed cushions (“feet”) underneaththat the machine sits on. When it arrives at your home you won’t have to do athing. You can unpack it and start sewing right away.
Speakingof packing, you learn a few things when you ship sewing machines all over theworld. We double-box all of our machines and use a ton of cushioning materials,and we have sent them as far as Australia and Japan without a scratch. We willdo everything possible to deliver your machine quickly and safely to its newhome.
Theoriginal Bakelite sewing motor controller (foot pedal) is shown in photo nine. Ithas also been cleaned inside and out and has a deep, dark chocolate shine. Thewiring set shown with the motor controller at bottom right in photo one is originaland in good condition. The sewing motor controller works perfectly, holding themachine steady at any speed from very slow to very fast. (And this machine isvery fast. It runs like a locomotive!)
The most important feature of any sewing machine ishow well it sews, of course, and this one sews a nice, tight stitch (photo twelve).This beautiful machine is going to help someone make lots of wonderful things. It would make a great gift for someone special who loves to sew, and it\'s not too early to start thinking about Christmas!
Please ask if you have questions. We are happy to helpyou!
Weinvite you to take a look at our other items. We are selling many interesting and usefulsewing things.
All ofour goods are unconditionally guaranteed.If you are not completely satisfied with this machine when it arrives atyour home, send it back and your money will be cheerfully refunded.
Thank you for looking in.
