slbram17

I am interested in getting a buttonholer for a singer 99K, but my feed dogs don't drop (as far as I know). Will a buttonholer work with this machine? I have read how people are happy with these vintage buttonholers.

Serita

Shelbie

The regular short shank buttonholer (green box) which fits your machine comes with a plate and screw to cover your feed dogs. You can either use the plate or drop your feed dogs if you can. The buttonholer works both ways and will make you perfect buttonholes every time. I have never seen a buttonhole any better and I've used a lot of machines.

slbram17

Thank you so much.
I am trying to make decent looking buttonholes through layers of flannel, and the results are not that good. I'd love to use the little 99K for this too.

J Miller

Any Singer or even Greist button hollers ( Greist made the Singer ones ) for a low shank will work on your 99K.
The Singer ones come in the green rectangular and egg shaped boxes. The older ones come in paste board boxes and will most likely be for the short shank as they went to the plastic boxes before the slant shank machines came out.

And yes they do make the most bestest button holes.

Oh, if you want bigger button holes get a low shank Professional Button Holler kit. I really like those.

Joe

path49

I believe the Professional Buttonholers are only for zigzag machines....

Rodney

I have the Greist branded one and love it. They're fun to watch work. Make sure whatever you get comes with the feed dog cover plate and screw for fastening it to the bed and the screw to hold the buttonholer to the presser bar. It's easy for the smaller parts to go missing. There are also extra templates available for keyhole shaped buttonholes.
Rodney

slbram17

Thanks. I am happy to hear that the buttonholer will work with this machine.

Macybaby

did I read the word "attachment"? you all are going to get pretty sick of me and my stuff!

Anyway - here are some button holers - the older style with the wing nuts, and the style with the cams.

The black and green cases have the same unit in them, the red typically has the slant for the 301. These all perform the zigzag pattern along with the size of the button hole.

This shows the extra set plus the eyelet - it's the one with the hole in it. Sellers often mistake the 3/16 cam for teh eyelet - the eyelet is rare and can sell for over $10 for just that one.



I want to point out the two screws in the front. The older style can come with either - one is identical to what is used with the hemstitcher. You don't need the funny shaped screw with the buttonholer, but you do with the hemstitcher.

So if you get a hemstitcher and need a screw, you can often get the old buttonholer and screw for LESS than people list just the screw for the hemstithcer. BTW - Singer gives the button holer screw the same part number with a -1 at the end. I can not see any difference, and they both screw into the same hole on the machine . . .

Here is the next group - a bit newer and often with plastic cams



These come in slant and straight, and still zigzag.



And how do you tell them apart - it's rather obvious, but you'd be surprised how many sellers don't know this.




And the last - these are for zigzag machines. They are the same except the feed dog cover plate, though both will work on the 401. Keep in mind, if you have a 404, you need the style that will zigzag.






There are many other brands out there than Singer, many made by Greist (I believe the Singers are), though some are for top clamping machines and are made to connect to round bar instead of the flat sided one that Singer has.

I don't have a top clamp buttonholer yet (it's in the mail LOL!!)

SteveH

in case folks want to see the origin of these wonderful devices...

Here is (L-R) a Singer VS2 buttonholer, a Narrow Famous, and a Standard Famous

The VS2 is the second known buttonholer to have been patented. This particular one was made in 1887
I have never seen a complete version of the first type.

Unlike to "modern" ones, these do not use cams. You can set ALL of the following individually;
Size of buttonhole
Number of Stitches
Depth of stitch (bite)
Width of cutting space

[ATTACH=CONFIG]449910[/ATTACH]

vanginney

You will love the attachment. I tried making button holes on nwer computerized machines. And end up using my vintage ones. I took a short video a while back of the device in action. Just attach and go!
https://createquiltsew.wordpress.com/tag/buttonholes/