Singer Domestic Machines

This site is provided as an information resource for people wanting to know more about domestic Singer sewing machines and their accessories. In particular it is aimed at the ever increasing number of more discerning machinists who are fed up with their modern ‘plastic’ machines and want to return to an era when they were in control, and not an electronic chip hidden inside the machine itself. To a time when a beautiful black and gold icon provided a fully adjustable stitch, tension which was easy to adjust and calibrate, and when any old thread could be used top or bottom, whether it matched or not, was cotton or polyester, or even one of each.

Pre-1970 Singer sewing machines were engineered to last, and many continue to do so. They require occasional oiling, but they also allow access to the bobbin mechanism for cleaning, unlike some modern machines that are assembled in ways that make disassembly difficult. If a needle breaks and a fragment is lost inside a modern machine, or if the bobbin-winding mechanism seizes, repairs can be problematic. Overall, modern sewing machines have become more complex. Unless elaborate embroidery is needed, most seamstresses require a basic machine that delivers a perfect lockstitch, rather than extensive decorative motifs. Manufacturers of multifunction machines often justify high price tags with numerous features; while the saying "you get what you pay for" is common, early sewing machines often cost many months or even years' wages and remain serviceable. Whether modern machines will still be functioning in 50 or 100 years is uncertain.