Tracing a branch of the Family Tree - Mid-Century Singers from Featherweight to Touch & Sew

Featherweight --> Touch & Sew

Here is an interesting evolutionary path of one branch of Singer sewing machines. It might be fun to follow along and see the common threads that connected them (no pun intended!) 

Everyone knows the 221/222 Featherweights which debuted in the 1930s, reaching peak popularity in the 1950s.

Besides the portable size, these machines had a few features that elevated them from the earlier Singer models - they had an aluminum body, a flip up extension bed, and a vertical Class 221 bobbin with a full rotary hook. This made them lightweight, compact, and smooth sewing…in that order. Then ran on an external motor and belt.

Then a new model hit the scene in the 1950s, which incorporated some of these features but then added an important new one. This was the 301 - a full size portable machine, with an aluminum body, Class 221 bobbin/rotary hook, and a flip up extension bed like the 221.  But what made it stand apart was the revolutionary new “slant needle” design.  And it had a direct drive, no belt. Yes, this is the first of a long line of slant shank machines, it all started with this one.

Singer 301

The slant shank is proprietary to Singer and was intended to give better visibility as you’re sewing.  It proved to be so popular that Singer then launched a line of “Slant-O-Matics” with the flagship machine being the 401. (There are some other variations in 400 SOM series, but I’ll focus on this one.)  Now, however, they went to a Class 66 horizontal drop-in bobbin, but it was still a full rotary hook because this was the TOL series of the day.

Singer 401 

But Singer couldn't leave well enough alone, and thus began the gradual decline towards what we know today as the "Touch & Sew."  It all began with the changes to the bobbin winder system. First, they launched a new generation of Slant-O-Matics, which were the 500 machines (known as the Rocketeers - 500/503.). They added some styling features which reflected the mid-century "space age" aesthetic, and then attempted to improve the design with a bobbin winder located on top of the machine and hidden under a hinged lid which also served as a cam cover.  Without going into detail, suffice it to say that this was NOT an improvement for a number of reasons.  The machine looks cool, but suffers from a case of "Function Follows Form" when it should be the other way around. 

Singer 503

Which brings us to the 600 series in this line.  Like the 301, which bridged the low shank straight stitchers and the slant shank zigzaggers*, the 600 was a pivotal model. It is both the LAST Slant-O-Matic and the FIRST Touch & Sew which makes it rather unique.

Singer 600e Touch & Sew on left/Singer 600 Slant-O-Matic on right 

Again, the main change was with the bobbin winder - Singer was DETERMINED to hide that bobbin winder!  And now they had an entirely new concept: the "wind in place" bobbin. To this day the bobbin winder gets mixed reviews because it works GREAT until it doesn't. (This machine also did chain stitching, a feature already available on some of the German 400 models.)

While the 600 was called a Slant-O-Matic, the 600e (which had one slight change in where the button was located for the bobbin winder) was rebranded as a Touch & Sew - and thus launched a new line for Singer in the early-mid 1960s.

And here is where this particular branch of the Singer family tree began to devolve. While the 600/e was mechanically identical to the 401 - a well built machine with all metal gears and direct drive - it wasn't long after this that those steel gears were replaced with nylon.  Cheaper, lighter, and theoretically "smoother," but not nearly as durable.  Once the 700 generation of these machines was introduced, the Touch & Sew that people love to hate was born.  These are the machines with the bad reputation and the ones which give a bad name to ALL of them. 

Singer 750 

This is what those gears look like today - even on the most well-maintained machines - and this is why most VSM enthusiasts shun the Touch & Sews. 

*An oddball machine was the Singer 404 which was a Slant-O-Matic straight stitcher (also the 604 which was the Touch & Sew straight stitcher.). Neither of these could match the ORIGINAL slant shank straight stitcher which was the 301. 

Singer Touch & Sew 600 - It Chain Stitches!

I pulled this ad out of a magazine several years ago, and already had it in my collection!

Well, I have finally ventured into the 600s.  This is a model I've had an eye out for just because it has some unique features.  Like most of the machines I've bought, I never wanted one badly enough to seek it out directly, or pay much for it.  But I found this one, with the cool mid-century cabinet I've been looking for, at a thrift store.   Couldn't pass that up!

Singer Touch & Sew 600e

The table needs a little work, the top is rough, but I love this mid-century look

All the Touch & Sews are not created equal.  The earliest ones, the 600 for sure, have metal gears.  Some of the later 600s "might" have metal gears, and I'm not clear on exactly when the transition to nylon gears was complete but it was somewhere along this line.

If you're not sure, just take a look underneath.  

This is what you're looking for!  (There is also a top gear set, so you can use a screwdriver to remove the top cover and check those if it's easier.)

This early Touch & Sew is similar in many ways to the 401.  It has the same lifting throat plate (in fact they are interchangeable) and it has a similar stitch selection system except with levers rather than a dial.  If you're used to the 401, you'll be comfortable with this machine.  But there are two unique features that made me want to try the Touch & Sew: chainstitching and the wind-in-place bobbin.

    Self-winding bobbin in Touch & Sew

 This is pretty cool, and easy to do.  A caveat:  the bobbin must be empty when you wind it.  It unscrews into two parts so you can easily pop out the old thread rather than do the long, tedious unwind.  On the other hand, you don't have to worry about releasing the clutch on the hand wheel to wind your bobbin, you don't even have to take it out of the machine at all!

Then there is the chain stitching feature which I've been wanting to try. (More on the chainstitching feature HERE.) 

Chain stitching on the Touch & Sew

Will I ever actually USE chain stitching?  I highly doubt it.  But I still wanted to give it a try just to say I can.  I could use it for fitting muslins (which I never even do, BTW!)  Or maybe it would come in handy for costuming when you want temporary fitting seams to accommodate various people.  It would be great for basting except that there are several steps you have to take to set the whole thing up so you'd only bother to do it for a big job.  Anyway, my little video shows how you do all that.

A Match Up Between Singer 401 and Singer 600e

I'll just say this right up front - in my opinion the 401 (and its variations) is THE finest domestic machine Singer ever made.  If someone wanted to argue that another Singer is better at a specific thing - for example the 301 sews like greased lightning,  the 15-91 can sew through tin cans, or the 237 makes the best satin stitch - I'll concede the point (note that those are all vertical hook machines, a little more on that here.)   But for "Best All Around" this one has my vote.

Singer 401 - The Best of the Best

Here is a BACKGROUND ON THE SLANT-O-MATICS  which explains how the 500/503 SOM machines had a hidden bobbin winder system that didn't work so great.

So Singer decided to come up with yet another hidden bobbin winder system on the slant shanks, and invented the Singer 600 "Auto-Reel." Here, the specially designed bobbin is wound right in place and it was the main distinguishing feature for what would become the Touch & Sew line.  The 600 was still considered a Slant-O-Matic, while the 600e had a simple upgrade involving the placement of the bobbin winding button, and it was rebranded as the first Touch & Sew machine.

Singer 600 was the last Slant-O-Matic...

and the Singer 600e was the first Touch & Sew

This background is important because it shows the progression from the 401 to the 600, and why there is a basis for comparison.  Despite belonging to two different lines, and looking very different, they are basically the same machine!  In fact, if you find a 401 a little pricey or hard to come by, you could do worse than "settling" for a 600.

So let's compare them side by side: 401 on left, 600 on right

The both have horizontal rotary hook and direct gear drive. They have the same interchangeable all purpose/zigzag and straight stitch throat plates.


They both have the "elevated throat plate" to remove the throat plate without screws and to raise it to bypass the feed dogs.

They have the same built-in primary and combination stitch patterns and take the same top hat cams for additional stitch patterns - although the 401 has more combination patterns.

They use the same two part stitch selection system, along with three needle positions (it is kind of complicated, in both cases.  A little more on that HERE)

Although the system is exactly the same - you select A-J on the first selector along with K-S on the second selector - the controls are totally different.  The iconic Big Brown Dial on the 401 is much nicer and easier to use than the clunky sliding levers on the 600.

Here is another difference between the two.  Although both machines have the spool pin inconveniently placed on top of the cam cover, the 600 has the horizontal pin so your spool of thread won't fall off - and it unwinds more smoothly as well.  (But for twin needle sewing you have to insert a second spool pin which is awkward.)

And of course the bobbin winding system is the MAIN difference between the two.  The "old school" method on the 401, with a class 66 bobbin, and the "wind in place" system on the 600 with a special bobbin that is used exclusively on these machines.

Another major difference is that the 600e can do chain stitching unlike the 401 (there is a German made variation which can do it, but those aren't commonly found in the U.S.)   

SEE MORE ABOUT BOBBIN WINDING AND CHAIN STITCHING ON 600e HERE

While speed isn't necessarily everything, note that the 401 stitches faster, smoother, AND quieter.  The clip starts with the 401 followed by the 600e stitching the same length of fabric (and the 600e takes about 20% longer to do it.)

Depending on your desired features, you can figure out which is the better machine