DonnaMiller

Finally, somebody agrees with me about FWs. I find them to be Prima Donnas and difficult to keep in adjustments. Cute, maybe, but give me a 201 for sewing any day. I trade in FWs because it seems everybody wants one because they are trendy and a bit of a status symbol. I take one to guild meetings, but prefer a different machine for piecing as a rule. Maybe it will eventually grow one me, but after 3-4 years, probably not. They are literally non-existent in TN. I got mine on Ebay and without a case, the last one cost $167 and was in good shape. I found a shabby old case and fixed it up. They are out there. I have a list of attachments that came with original FWs and have compiled several sets, even found an original green box. Even the boxes have part numbers. I see what A------1930s charges for the attachments and I want to get sick. You don't have to pay high prices, if you're careful. May the force be with you.
Donna

NKH

I picked mine up for $300 in Seattle while on vacation recently. Shipped it home as I wasn't prepared to manage it along with the rest of my luggage. It's in good shape and has a lot of attachments. Can't exactly say why I fell in love with the Featherweight, but I did and just had to have one. No regrets. Maybe it reminds me of the machine I learned to sew on, way back when, when I fell in love with sewing.

Jeanette Frantz

I have a white FW, and I love to piece blocks on it. It's easier for me to use because of the light weight -- I have a serious back problem and CANNOT lift anything over 10 pounds or so. My son bought my FW for me -- he found it at the local Good Will store, no case and no attachments, for $50. It had the foot control (original equipment in good shape)and a presser foot-I purchased FW bobbins.) The machine itself is in pristine condition, but he got the machine for me to use (it's a White FW). It is not the only machine I have, and not the only one I use. For its size, it's a powerful little machine (I attached binding to a full-size quilt, then turned the binding to the back and hand-hemmed it). I think the binding would be easier on a more powerful machine (I have a 403A, a 201-2, a 328K, etc.) These machines are all for my person use (I don't sell stuff, to borrow a phrase one time). I can only judge what I'd be willing to pay and could afford to pay myself. Forget some of the sellers' inflated ideas of machine value. I have seen 222's advertised for $750 -$800.00 and a little higher, have not seriously looked or inquired because that amount is beyond my budget, besides which I don't have room for any more machines. IMHO, anyone trying to sell a 222 for $2,000 - $3,000 has been smoking wacky weed or drinking Colorado Kool Aid!

Jeanette

4dogs

I have a white one, from 1964 - I got it for just over 200.00 / think it was 216.00......it has some cosmetic spots where the paint is chipped..................very good case came with it..............it sews great and its wonderful if you need to take it somewhere because it is light weight.............but like the other gals are saying, I really prefer my 301 too..........and its not much heavier ...........even on ShopGoodWill.com they go for about $200 most of the time, or higher...........just ask him what he wants for it, and if its a good price, buy it.............later, if you decide you don't want it, you can always sell it on ebay or here on the board or etc........

lass

Don't know about fair price, but I have sewed everything from curtains to clothes to quilts to very large heavy canvas covers for a boat with mine. It just hummed along. I also take it on retreats as an extra in case my other machine stops working. My featherweight has never stopped working since my mom bought it for me in 1966 for $75 to take to college.

toverly

I'd love to have a featherweight for $200. But unfortunately, around here they are trying to sell for $400 - 500 and I just can't see that. So I keep looking one of these days, one will have my name on it.

Sewnoma

The thing I like best about the FW is that it's really portable. I don't use mine at home, only on trips and for that it's just perfect. I like that the case locks; I had to check my luggage at the hotel several hours before check-in recently and I was grateful that I could lock up my machine...it was a nice hotel and it probably would have been fine but I felt more peace of mind knowing it'd be difficult to get into the case, just in case someone recognized it and wanted to swipe my bobbin holder or my nice Gingher snips. And I loved having the machine with me, it's light and small so I could use the hotel's ironing board as my sewing table so it was a comfy height. The machine, secure in its case, is small enough that it can sit on top of my small rolling suitcase; I strapped it there and it made it easy to get all my stuff into the hotel room in one trip - that wouldn't work with any other machine I have, vintage or modern.

I was attending a work conference and it was very nice to be able to sew in the lonely evenings - I got most of a quilt pieced in just three evenings.

Aurora

I purchased mine from a friend. I paid $100. for it complete with case, attachments and manual. He had purchased it at a yard sale for $100 and offered it to me for the same price. It only has slight decal wear in a small area.

My brother found one on a pile of scrap metal at a California Flea Market. When he asked about it the guy wanted $25. He worked on it and my sister-in-law uses it.

When I lived in Cincinnati in the 90's, there was a man at the local Antique who would sell 3 or 4 every weekend to quilters for $500 each. I have no idea where he found them but he always had 3 or 4 in his booth every weekend to sell.

MarthaT

Thanks everyone for your feedback! You have given me a good balance of opinions. He is asking $200 for it, so sounds pretty fair to me. I recently hand quilted a quilt for his wife and may take the machine as partial payment. He put it in my car Sunday after church, but I've had a busy week and haven't had a chance to even look in the box. Tomorrow is my "sewing room" day, so I will play with it then. I have an old Bernina 930 that I LOVE, but it weighs a TON, so I thought a FW would be nice to take with me when we travel and I have sewing time in a motel or cabin. I hand quilt almost everything, so I don't need harp space for machine quilting, just a good machine for piecing.

misseva

I LOVE MY FW! And do almost all my sewing on it.