So, how old is my Singer sewing machine? To identify when a model was made, you need to first find the Singer sewing machine serial number. Whether you want to pick up one of your own older models because you love the history, aesthetics or nostalgia of the piece, they’re easily still found on the market if you know what you’re looking for. If you’ve nabbed one of these beautiful bargains at a local market, auction or garage sale, it’s worth identifying the age and model of your machine to see if you’ve managed to pick up a rare antique. These beautiful machines have evolved over the years but are still standing the test of time, with some of the older models being highly sought after by collectors and sewing enthusiasts. If you find the information provided useful and would like to make a small donation to help fund the considerable cost of maintaining and adding to this site, then please use the Paypal DONATE button below.Singer sewing machines have a long and rich history, dating as far back as 1851.
Anyone interested in the development history of the Singer Sewing Machine Company can find a very good ‘time-line’ at In the section for Featherweight machines there is a list of Serial Numbers that were issued for models 221, 221K and Singer marketed all their high production models with serial numbers which they referred to as ‘dates of birth’. Antique sewing machines by other makers besides Singer.Īll the Singer sewing machines listed are low shank models.Miniature & toy sewing machines, many of which were inspired by the Singer model 20.Singer Featherweight models 221 and 222.Domestic Singer sewing machines and their accessories produced between 1865 and approximately 1970, when the plastic machines appeared.Will the modern ones be in 50 or 100 years time? I very much doubt it. I know you’re saying, ‘you get what you pay for’ but the early sewing machines often cost many months and in some cases even years’ wages, but they are still working. With modern all singing, all dancing machines, the manufacturers aim to talk us into agreeing to their eye-wateringly high price tags. Unless one is into elaborate embroidery, the need for a basic machine with a perfect lockstitch is all most seamstresses require, not the facility to produce lines of rather poor ‘swan’ motifs or the like.
All in all, modern sewing machines have become far too complicated for their own good. Heaven forbid should you ever break the needle and loose a bit of it inside a modern machine, or have the bobbin winding mechanism seize up. OK you have to oil them occasionally, but at least you can get at the bobbin mechanism to remove the fluff, unlike modern machines which are assembled in such a way as to make it impossible to ever get them apart again. Pre 1970 Singer sewing machines were engineered to last and they certainly have. To a time when a beautiful black and gold icon provided a fully adjustable stitch, tension which was easy to adjust and calibrate, and when any old thread could be used top or bottom, whether it matched or not, was cotton or polyester, or even one of each. In particular it is aimed at the ever increasing number of more discerning machinists who are fed up with their modern ‘plastic’ machines and want to return to an era when they were in control, and not an electronic chip hidden inside the machine itself. This site is provided as an information resource for people wanting to know more about domestic Singer sewing machines and their accessories. Singer Sewing Machine Information Site Including Featherweight models Singer Sewing Info