oregongirl

you guys are talking about my current issue! i'll bump this up and see if anyone can help me.

i bought a Singer Buttonholer #160506 in the green plastic case (and yikes, i now need to wash my hands in case those templates are lead!) and am trying to figure out how it works. i have the complete set, including the instruction book, but i've never seen one work and wonder if i'm just confused about it. the published date on the booklet is 1948.

My favorite machine is my 1961 503a slant-o-matic, which does zig-zag. i've made buttonholes on it before but wanted to try the new toy i picked up at the antique fair a couple of weeks ago. so i tried to put it on - everything fits except the slant is a problem and it won't work. the back of the attachment rests on the bed while the presser foot is raised. i'm guessing it needs a straight shank.

Then i thought maybe it would work on one of my other machines. i have a 66, 15-91 and a featherweight, between 1920's and 50's. All of them have only a straight stitch hole in the plate, though, and nothing to switch on the machine to make it ZZ. Do you need a zig-zag machine to use the attachment or do they work on a straight stitch machine? I was thinking you need a ZZ, but maybe not?

ArchaicArcane

Hey oregongirl,

First you're correct, the green case is for a low shank machine. Your 503 takes one of the buttonholers in the pink or maroon cases.

The green case BH should work on any of the low shank machines that you have, they predate the zig zag machines. I have a green case BH that came with my 15-90. The only one I've had cause to use is the pink one on my 503.

The buttonholers work like the zig zag attachment for the same machine, they fling the fabric back and forth to make the zig zag part of the buttonhole edges. This video from April1930s shows it working on a featherweight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XlkM_FOQos

oregongirl

wow - that's fantastic! the video was great. i'm excited to go try it on my FW. thanks!

ArchaicArcane

Glad to help

oregongirl

well that was a sweet little doodad! i finished a shirt i was making with buttonholes down the front using the attachment. they came out pretty nice. i'm remembering all the buttonholes i've made on my 503a using the zigzag, drawing out the center line with a ruler, going down one side, making a bartack, and repeating on the other side.

and i loved using the FW for it.

thanks again for your help.

ArchaicArcane

I used to do the odd buttonhole on my "old" 290c, my first machine - four step buttonholer - think 503, but with markings for the right side, left side, top and bottom. I always felt so incapable - they would always be trapazoidal, or lopsided some other way. I found out about the buttonholers and thought why the heck don't they still do that?!?

I'm glad it worked well for you! I did an obscene number of buttonholes with the pink one and my 503 for the curtains for our gazebo. I thought it worked really well.