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Sewing Resources and Information

bj139 said:
I bet the quilters like the 15 because of less birdsnests when sewing from thin to thick. I just bought another Singer 15 yesterday that needs a tension dial since several parts are missing. I ordered one yesterday. 15 parts are super easy to find.
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Seems all the singer parts are easy to find. Online resources for maintenance and adjustmentare plentiful as well . I found the opposite for Pfaff machines. Had to use trial and error to get a 130 up and running.

The 15-91 is definitely less sensitive to thread changes over the 201 as well. So much that changing to a heavier thread in the 201 requires tension in the bobbin as well as top thread. The 15-91 is happy with anything and only requires top tension adjustment once the bobbin is properly set. But that 201 stitch with GP thread...wow! 83 years old and perfect stitches, every single one of 'em!

luckylakes said:
The singer 201 is refuted as one of the best home pro machines, smoother and has a longer neck than the model 15 due to a rotating cam causing some vibration but the horizontal bobbin holds less thread than the vertical model 15. Both have potted motors. 2ea of the very best, excellent home machines..
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Different class bobbins so not due to horizontal vs vertical orientation. The class 15 bobbins are visibly thicker than the class 66 bobbins but about the same diameter. Would be nice if both of those machines could run M-style bobbins which are wider with a larger diameter. Who doesn't hate running out of bobbin thread in the middle of a long seam?
 
luckylakes said:
BJ139,
I meant to say arm not neck.. The 15 also has a shorter arm than a 201.
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I'm pretty sure they both have 9 inch throats

Edit: 201 has an 8 inch throat and the 15-91 has a 7 inch throat. Both measured along the bed to the needle.

Edit: Singer 281-1, 11 inch throat.
 
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Andy0689,
I'm a green horn to sewing but the Vertical and horizontal is not only related to amount of thread you can put on a bobbin but to the way the thread is pulled and the model 15 does make it easier for the less experienced per my daughter and why its a popular machine. She also told me to order a bobbin tension scale to help zero in on the proper tension. She has rebuilt about 6 machines not counting her 60.00 featherwt I know of. She is an expert in clothing. Last spring before I got a machine she made a great rendezvous mnt man work shirt which I could not understand the pattern layout. It was a eagle view pattern # PM/89. check out crazy crow or track of the wolf. Our projects are not as complex as making period correct clothing yet saddle production is in the class of life saving .
I truly appreciate old world craftsmanship which I have experienced on this site. There are truly many gifted folks here. I aspire to that level
 
luckylakes said:
Andy0689,
I'm a green horn to sewing but the Vertical and horizontal is not only related to amount of thread you can put on a bobbin but to the way the thread is pulled and the model 15 does make it easier for the less experienced per my daughter and why its a popular machine. She also told me to order a bobbin tension scale to help zero in on the proper tension. She has rebuilt about 6 machines not counting her 60.00 featherwt I know of. She is an expert in clothing. Last spring before I got a machine she made a great rendezvous mnt man work shirt which I could not understand the pattern layout. It was a eagle view pattern # PM/89. check out crazy crow or track of the wolf. Our projects are not as complex as making period correct clothing yet saddle production is in the class of life saving .
I truly appreciate old world craftsmanship which I have experienced on this site. There are truly many gifted folks here. I aspire to that level
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The hook actions are different too. The 201 uses a rotary hook and the 15 oscillates. The thread has to make a sharp turn across the top of the bobbing and then up to the top which results in increased tension by itself. I haven't noticed that one is more difficult to sew on than the other but that's probably because I don't know any better.

I can't believe she found a featherweight for $60. I'd clean it up and flip it! The mountain man shirt sounds interesting. No shoulder seam? I imagine a pretty large pattern with one continuous piece for front, back and sleeves. Fold in half and sew together. Kind of a good idea to eliminate shoulder seams. Wish clothing manufaturers would do that with waterproof shells. No more leaking through the seams at shoulders.

The tension scale is a big help. I have a cheap one from the Featherweight Shop that works good enough for $7. Fancier scales on Amazon are more than I want to spend for something I probably won't use much. The vintage machines are amazing. A bit of work and they run like new which is better than any modern machine I've ever worked with.
 
Featherweights have turned into collectibles for some reason so they sell for $250 while 15s sell for $30. A few days ago, I saw a Featherweight listed locally in the box for $40. It had been listed for 17 hours as only a Singer machine. I messaged but it had been sold. I think I would have flipped it. I bought a 15 instead for $30.
 
bj139 said:
Featherweights have turned into collectibles for some reason so they sell for $250 while 15s sell for $30. A few days ago, I saw a Featherweight listed locally in the box for $40. It had been listed for 17 hours as only a Singer machine. I messaged but it had been sold. I think I would have flipped it. I bought a 15 instead for $30.
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ShopGoodwill.com has them on auction all the time for and they usually close over $300
 
Has anyone used braided fishing line in place of sewing thread? Just thinking that the braided line would be stronger than twisted sewing thread.
 
Tomtanner said:
Has anyone used braided fishing line in place of sewing thread? Just thinking that the braided line would be stronger than twisted sewing thread.
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@bj139 might have I believe. It's not recommended, and I don't think it feeds correctly. There are plenty of strong threads out there made for heavy duty applications. If you were hand threading something fishing line may be fine in a pintch. There is a simple way to calculate you webbing strength for stitch per inch, as long as you do it properly you can sew the joint to match the strength of the material you are connecting.
 
gcr0003 said:
@bj139 might have I believe. It's not recommended, and I don't think it feeds correctly. There are plenty of strong threads out there made for heavy duty applications. If you were hand threading something fishing line may be fine in a pintch. There is a simple way to calculate you webbing strength for stitch per inch, as long as you do it properly you can sew the joint to match the strength of the material you are connecting.
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Thanks for the feedback - just had an extra spool lying around and had a thought of trying it in my wife's sewing machine. You may have saved me more than one problem!
 
Tomtanner said:
Thanks for the feedback - just had an extra spool lying around and had a thought of trying it in my wife's sewing machine. You may have saved me more than one problem!
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Haha yea don’t do that!!!
 
I never did try the spectra fishing line although I have spool of 100 lb test sitting next to my sewing supplies. It is more sensitive to high temps, melting at around 130C/266F. Friction could melt it easier than nylon or polyester.
 
Tomtanner said:
Has anyone used braided fishing line in place of sewing thread? Just thinking that the braided line would be stronger than twisted sewing thread.
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I’ve tried it in the past. Two problems, one is certain machines require a certain twist direction. The other bigger problem is braided line is dyneema/spectra. Most saddles are polyester or nylon. They stretch, spectra does not. So you lose some of the shock load ability of your saddle. Also because spectra doesn’t stretch and it is so much more abrasion resistant, the treads start to cut into the webbing after it is weighted for long periods of time. I have seen dyneema thread used for sewn eyes on ropes but in thinner webbing it isn’t a good idea - again speaking from personal experience. PS I also got some braid boogers in the bobbin of my machine a couple times too!
 
Well, I wish I would've read this thread before I sewed my rope bags. Reading through, I can already see all of the mistakes I've made. Plus side, I know what to do better for next time.
 
MNFarmHunter said:
Well, I wish I would've read this thread before I sewed my rope bags. Reading through, I can already see all of the mistakes I've made. Plus side, I know what to do better for next time.
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If it's really bad that's why they make seam rippers. Usually it is fine as is.
 
No, it's not bad and is functional. My first attempts however weren't "right" so I'll make another one this weekend to further improve and refine it.
 
After watching the posted videos, I decided to redo my gear strap. My box stitch actually looks good now, the back stitch button is really cool for sewing loops in the webbing and burying the needle before rotating the item being sewn is slick.
 
Need some help, I bought a Singer 15-91 (I think) has the potted motor. Wires and connectors hanging loose. Looks like someone started to rewire it. I know I am missing a screw that holds the 3 wire plug deal to the machine. Also looks like there are thumb screws that hold the terminal ends to the plastic connector deal that are missing. Anyone have pics , part numbers or any information where I can get these items? I don’t think I have privileges to post pics on here. Feel free to message me and I can text pics of what I have.
 
D.AKINS said:
Need some help, I bought a Singer 15-91 (I think) has the potted motor. Wires and connectors hanging loose. Looks like someone started to rewire it. I know I am missing a screw that holds the 3 wire plug deal to the machine. Also looks like there are thumb screws that hold the terminal ends to the plastic connector deal that are missing. Anyone have pics , part numbers or any information where I can get these items? I don’t think I have privileges to post pics on here. Feel free to message me and I can text pics of what I have.
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www.sewingpartsonline.com

Singer 15-91 Sewing Machine Parts

These parts and accessories are guaranteed to fit your Singer 15-91 Sewing Machine.
www.sewingpartsonline.com www.sewingpartsonline.com
 
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