Vintage Sewing Machine Attachments: The Buttonholer

Описание: Do you want great buttonholes every time? Do you have 5 minutes (or so) to practice? Then, try out a vintage buttonholer! Just make sure you're getting one that is compatible with your machine. Most buttonholers work on more than one model of machine, but they aren't all interchangeable.

The very earliest models didn't have templates, but most of them did. The eyelet template is often missing and is rather prized, so if you're buying a set of templates, check to make sure it's there.

Part 121795 does not use templates and was made from 1939 - 1946.

Templates for the following buttonholers can be either metal or black plastic and are interchangeable: 160506, 160743, 489500, and 489510. Again the eyelet template was sold separately as part number 161231, so be on the lookout for those if you have any of these buttonholers.

Part 160506 is for low shank vertical needle machines. I think it should work on a 15, 66,99, 127, 128, 185, 192, 201, 221, 222 Featherweight, 306, 319, 328 and more. In any case, it works with straight-stitch machines, so doesn't use the zigzag function of the machine it's attached to. It's sometimes called a "treasure chest" because of the shape of the box it came in. The templates for this buttonholer load from the bottom. Manuals were dated 1948-1952.

Part 160743 is for slant shank (slant needle) models, such as the 301, 401, 403, 404, and others. It also doesn't use the zigzag function of any machine that has it. Templates load from the bottom. Its manual is dated 1954.

The "Jetson" case can be either pink (part 489500) or teal green (part 489510). Turns out I was wrong about which machine they were produced to match. Pink case attachments work with slant shank (slant needle) models, generally for 400, 500, and 600 series machines, but I think they should also work with Touch N Sews. Templates load from the bottom. The teal green-case attachments work with low-shank vertical needle machines, such as the 221 featherweight, 185, and 328. Templates load from the bottom and were made in both metal and black plastic. There's also an economy version of the 489500 (with the same part number) which came in a cardboard box and didn't have a gold decal.

"Professional" Buttonholers 161829 (for slant needle/slant shank) and V102878 (for vertical needle/vertical shank) were, I think, made in the 1960s and 1970s. These load templates from the top and that may be why, although I own other models, this is the only buttonholer I've actually used, to date. Their templates are different colors of plastic for different styles of buttonhole.

The buttonholer in the video is the Professional 86721 for vertical needle/vertical shank machines. It was made in 1967 and has the same template system as 161829. I've seen it called the "auto-pilot" online, but that isn't on the box. You can choose different types of buttonholes to make, even bound ones! It should work with a very wide variety of machines, but the machine has to be able to zigzag stitch for it to work. I really like this one and it's the only one, I confess, that I actually use, even though I own four of them.

The machine shown here is the first machine I ever bought. It's a 328k. The "k" means it was built in the plant in Scotland. I picked it up in Michigan. My running theory is that a lot of machines from the UK ended up in Michigan, maybe because it's close to Canada? It's not my fastest or quietest machine, but I'm pretty sentimental about it. I keep the buttonhole plate on it full-time, since I pretty much only use this machine for buttonholes.

As always, if you buy an attachment, test it to make sure it works with your machine and try to purchase from a source with a good return policy.

Do you really need a buttonholer? I've made buttonholes in the past by carefully following instructions and just using zigzag stitches. Lisa likes the look of hand-sewn buttonholes. I really like having one (ok, four)! If you can get one for a good price, I suggest you try it!