The Featherweight name covers more than one machine. Singer built it in three countries over more than thirty years, in black, white and tan, with a flat bed or a free arm, on 110 or 220 volts. They all sew the same lovely straight stitch, but they aren't interchangeable when it comes to value, parts or plugging into your wall. Here's how to tell them apart from a listing.
Where it came from
The design began as the Sewhandy, a small aluminium machine invented in 1928 by Raymond Plumley and Richard Hohmann. Singer launched it as the 221 at the Chicago World's Fair of 1933 to 1934, and the first batch of 10,000 serial numbers was allotted on October 3, 1933. It weighs about 11 pounds without its case. It takes its own thin bobbin, shared with the later 301, and a 15x1 needle with the flat side to the left. The motor sits outside the machine and drives it with a belt. All told, Singer made somewhere around three million of them.
The 221 and 221-1: America, in black
The American 221 was built at Elizabethport, New Jersey, and it's black. US production ran from 1933 to 1957, with more than 1.75 million made, and a gap during the war. The last prewar batch was allotted in July 1941 and the next in September 1945. Singer's numbers for these machines start with two letters, from AD for the first ones through AM for the last. Our serial number guide covers how to read them.
Within the black machines, collectors look for a few things:
- Special badges. A Texas Centennial badge from 1936, a Golden Gate Exposition badge from 1939 to 1940, and the "A Century of Sewing Service 1851-1951" Centennial badge, issued from 1950 to 1952 on just over 40,000 machines.
- Finishes. A wartime batch from 1940 has a black crinkle finish, and machines from July 1941 and September 1945 have chemically blackened faceplates that collectors call blackside.
- Condition of the gold decals, plus the case, attachments and original manual. ISMACS says these are what collectors pay for.
The 221K: Scotland
From August 1947, Singer's Kilbowie factory in Scotland built the 221K for Britain and other markets. They look much like the American machines. You can tell them by the serial, which starts with E, and by the motor and light switch: Singer's UK history site lists different motors for the 221K1, K4, K5 and K7, and the versions are told apart partly by where the light switch sits. Machines made for Britain were wired for British power, so read the motor plate before you plug one in.
The last of the line is the 221K-7 from the mid-1960s. It's white or a very pale green, depending on the light and the batch, with no decals at all. Inside, Singer replaced the cam and rocker that drove the bobbin and feed with a toothed internal belt. This is the machine people call the mint green Featherweight, and Singer's UK history site and ISMACS both suggest the mint is really this white machine. Its belt should be kept free of oil and grease.
The 221J: Canada, in tan
Singer's Canadian factory at St. Johns, Quebec, made the 221J, and most of them were built between 1961 and 1969. ISMACS says all known 221Js are light tan. The J simply means Canadian manufacture. It isn't a 220 volt export model, whatever some listings say. If you see a black machine sold as a 221J, ask for the serial and the model plate.
The 222K: the free arm
The 222K is the Featherweight with a removable bed section, so you can sew sleeves and cuffs around a free arm. Kilbowie built it from 1953 to 1961, and only there, with about 100,000 made, though sewalot puts the figure nearer 110,000. Sewalot also says fewer than 1,300 were sold in the US. It weighs about 12.4 pounds. Most were made with 220 volt motors for Britain, and some were fitted with 110 volt motors at the factory. Check the plate, and check that the free-arm bed section is in the photos, since a 222K without it can't sew flat work properly.
What to check on any of them
The checks are the same whichever version you're looking at:
- Wiring. Singer's UK history site warns that the light cable's insulation can perish to bare wire, and that a machine which only runs at full speed shouldn't be touched until it's checked.
- Foot control. It was always stored in the case, so a missing one is a red flag.
- Bobbin case. The Featherweight Shop says an original Singer case matters and that replica cases rarely form a good stitch.
- Motor. Smoke from the motor almost always means someone oiled it instead of greasing it.
- Belt. If the handwheel turns by hand but not under power, the belt usually just needs adjusting.
- Case. Cases kept in damp places grow mould, which the Featherweight Shop blames on the animal glue used in them.
Ask for a video of the machine sewing two layers of cotton, a photo of the serial and a look inside the case. If the decals are good, the case is dry and the bobbin case is original, you've found a good one.
Which one should you buy?
For a machine to sew on in America, a black US 221 or a 110 volt 221K is the simple choice, since you can plug it straight in. The white 221K-7 and tan 221J appeal to collectors for their color. The 222K is the one to hunt if you want a free arm, and the one to check most carefully for voltage. Whichever you pick, plan to clean it and refill the motor grease if the seller hasn't done it recently. If a Featherweight is more than you want to spend, the 301 takes the same bobbin and adds a slant needle, and the three-quarter-size 99K is another compact Singer worth a look. See every Singer we cover, and read how to check a used sewing machine before you buy.
