Singer 201 Sewing Machine

The Singer 201 has an unusual motor drive in that the motor is connected directly to the machine using gears rather than drive belts which were common during the time period it was manufactured. There were several other modes available which used a similar configuration. Many people like this setup and claim it permits sewing through thick materials.

The Singer 201 is a very basic sewing machine having capability to sew forward and in reverse. A single control is provided to control both direction and stitch length. It has a light that is somewhat imbedded into the arm as seen below.

We have a lot of work to do on this machine. At the time of this writing, we have not been able to use the machine because it did not come with a foot controller and we have been unable to properly wire up a replacement. We managed to trip the house circuit breaker in the process. We were able to find a wiring diagram--thanks to the yahoo group VintageSingers.

This machine has a band around its arm where the paint has been picked away by its former owner using a wristband for pin storage. The S and I are nearly gone. We prefer to use magnetic pad for pin storage.

A tension issue on the 201 is the bobbin. It HAS to be threaded exactly right! The thread should be coming off the bobbin so that it unwinds CLOCKWISE. This is a must for the 201, other machines are not quit as fussy about this.

Singer 201 Sewing Machine Slide Plate

The Singer 201 has a very attractive face plate. It is removed to lubricate the needle bar and presser foot.

Singer 201 Faceplate

The image above shows the motor and an access plate through which lubrication points can be reached. We have never lubricated one of these motors and know that we must tackle that task sooner or later.

Page was created 6 January 2010.