Singer 301 Sewing Machine is considered by many, to be one of Singer's very best sewing machines, with the motor directly powering steel gears, which drive the sewing machine, though, like the 101, 201, 401, & 500, and a few other Singer sewing machines, the 301 does have one Textolite resin/fiber gear, to engage the handwheel, and allow the turning of the handwheel, to engage the needle, when you need to raise or lower it manually. (Early Singer electric & treadle sewing machines transferred power from the treadle or motor, via a belt, to the handwheel with the handwheel driving the machine. )
301 Variations
The 301 comes in 3 different paint schemes, LBOW- Light Beige Oyster White (like these top two photos)
Black- much harder to find in many areas Beige- common
Long Bed Short Bed
Separate compartment including short shelf, on right, is perfect for storing the accessories in their box, the buttonholer, and the presser foot & power cord, even the Automatic Zigzagger, can all fit inside the 301 case, very neatly. This is the short bed version of the Light Beige Oyster White (LBOW) designed 301A.
Videos of 301A Sewing (using old black thread, so it broke, at the high speeds these like to sew)
Featherweight big sister?
Many bloggers, and sewing machine enthusiasts will describe the Singer 301, as the 221 Singer Featherweight's "Big Sister", partly because the Singer 221, 222k, & the 301 share the same bobbin case, and bobbin system, as well as being manufactured of cast aluminum, making it a much lighter sewing machine, & more portable than the cast iron Singer sewing machines. The 221 & 222k Featherweights range from 11 lbs., to 12 lbs., depending on which case they are in, which machine version you have, & what accessories are in the case with them. The 301 is larger and heavier, but has the same handy flip up bed extension, though the 301 has 2 different bed extension versions, a short bed, like my 301 photographed above, and a long bed version, the same as the Featherweight bed extension.
Singer 301 trapezoid case, heavy wood
A very informative blog, or article, with excellent information about the Singer 301 sewing machine, can be found here
Singer 301 attachments, their original box & packing paper from factory. Back row left to right, adjustable bias binder, shirring foot, adjustable zipper foot, ruffler, Front row left to right, edgestitching foot, rolled hemmer, adjustable hemmer, and seam guide with thumbscrew
Singer 301 cleaning brush, small & large Singer screwdrivers
Singer 301 slant shank buttonholer in red case, with extra buttonhole cams, the feed dog coverplate & screw, as well as the buttonholer manual
301 zigzagger stitch sample from Singer Factory. The zigzagger can sew the zigzag stitches, but if you need to sew a straight stitch, in between zigzag stitches, you can flip a lever on the zigzagger, to disengage the zigzag function, and sew the perfect straight stitches, as shown here. To achieve best zigzag stitches, it is wise to either starch your fabric, before sewing, or to use a stabilizer, or tear away paper, under the fabric, to avoid tunneling. You could also decrease your needle thread tension, to help avoid tunneling.
301 bobbin stitch sample from zigzagger attachment. Top is zigzag satin stitch, bottom is straight stitch. Notice the initials signed on the fabric sample, of the inspector who sewed it, ensuring it worked perfectly, before leaving the factory.
301 zigzagger with 4 cams, and all original Singer packing paper, including the anti tarnish paper which helped prevent tarnish both in shipping, and as long as it is kept with the attachments.
Singer 301 calibrated stitch lever and reverse, you raise it up to reverse, lower it to sew forward. The knob on the stitch lever can be tightened down, at whatever number of stitches per inch, that you want to sew. When the knob is tightened to a specific stitches per inch, you can raise it completely to that stitches per inch in reverse, as well as putting it down to exactly that number of stitches per inch. If you choose not to tighten the knob at a specific number of stitches per inch, you may wind up with different sizes of stitches, in reverse & forward.
BOBBIN WINDER- simple, and there is a spring spool pin on the corner of the bed (I have my extra bobbins for this machine stored here. The metal reverse bell like part to the left of this spool pin, is the bobbin winding tension, which helps the bobbin wind smoothly and evenly. To wind the bobbin, flip the bobbin winder up, until the rubber tire rides along the side of the handwheel. Put your empty bobbin on the bobbin winder, put spool of thread on spoolpin on bed, bring thread to left, and under the reverse bell, then up & through the inside of the bobbin, out through one of the holes, & hold about 2 inches to the left of the bobbin, when you wind it. Release the clutch knob in the center of the handwheel, by turning it forward, while holding the handwheel still. After winding your bobbin, remember to tighten the clutch knob again, and flip the bobbin winder back into it's storage position, as shown here.
Singer 301 handwheel is powered by a Textolite fiber resin gear, but the sewing action is directly driven to the needle, via the steel gears, the Textolite gear is only for driving the handwheel to wind the bobbin! Of course, if you want to hand crank a few stitches, by the handwheel, you can, which is where the Textolite gear comes in handy. They are very tough!
301 minus fold up bed & handle, extra bobbins on spring spool pin for bobbin winder, the Mary Kay bag I store it in, is on the floor below it, a zigzagger with 3 cams, and a manual, a ruffler, and rolled hemmer foot, all fit neatly in the Mary Kay bag, for taking to classes, or sewing events! Notice- This is the beige version 301, the serial number indicates it was a long bed, originally.
The lightweight aluminum handles are easily broken off the 301, I do not recommend lifting them by the handle, if you wish to keep your 301 in pristeen condition. This $10 301 was missing the fold up bed plate, the screws for that, and the carrying handle. I decided I didn't care, because I can change the bobbin easier, without having to fold anything out of my way, and I wouldn't carry it by the handle at the top, anyway! I put it in a Mary Kay cosmetic bag, which has pockets perfect for the pedal, manual, and accessories, so it is much lighter weight than my 301 in the original wood Singer trapezoid case, that has the bed extension.
Comparison of Singer 500 on left, with Singer 301 on right, I just started cleaning them both, as you can see by the lint balls on the felt bed liner.
LilaDude on Ebay gave me permission to share these photos a few years ago, a very RARE Singer Swiss made zigzagger walking foot, with stitch cams, and the feed dog plate
LilaDude on Ebay gave me permission to share these photos a few years ago, a very RARE Singer Swiss made zigzagger walking foot, with stitch cams, and the feed dog plate
LilaDude on Ebay gave me permission to share these, a few years ago, it is a very RARE Singer Swiss made zigzagger walking foot, with stitch cams, and the feed dog plate! I would not be surprised to see this sell in the $1,000 range, simply because it is so rare, and the 301 has begun rapidly gaining in value, as more people have begun collecting the 301, because it is stronger, and faster, and quieter, than most Singer Featherweights, but only weighs slightly more than the Featherweight.
Singer 301 Tables
The Singer 301 sewing machines have their own special tables, including some which are very unique, so any time you find a 301 in a table, or a table that fits a 301 (either version), you are very lucky, because they are getting harder to find, as more people snap them up, and collect them, or part them out online. To keep the portability factor, all 301 tables are designed to allow you to quickly unsnap the 301 from the table, to carry it to classes, or on vacation with you!
There is a special cradle, which the 301 snaps into, and out of, which tends to sell for pretty high prices, because it is necessary, to properly fit the 301 into, and out of your sewing table. Whether you get the fabulous Singer folding table, available in wood & metal, or one of the standard wood Singer sewing table/desks, the special cradle is what makes it possible to remain portable, as well as allowing it to sit flush into a table, which makes sewing larger projects, much easier, because you don't have the project's weight hanging of the machine bed, messing up your stitches!
