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Singer 111W151

32K views 47 replies 5 participants last post by  SHOPIE 
#1 ·
I just got a singer 111W151 in great working order. I got it to do some car and boat upholstery on (or learn to do it).

It came with a 1/4" welting foot. I am looking to get some other foot sets for it. I noticed that the rear presser foot for this machine come in two configurations. One with the shank 90 degrees to the other. I am sure you can change the orientation of the presser foot shaft but I cant see how to do it.

I did find the US Army manual for this machine but I doesn't tell how to do this. Does anyone know?

Thanks in advance.
 
#27 ·
I have a Singer 111W151. When I was researching what machine to get to do my boat's upholstery, I read to look for a Singer 111 or 211 as these are walking foot machines. I have since learned that there are other types in the 111 line. My machine is a needle feed machine, not the recommended walking foot.

I didn't do too badly getting this machine though as I only paid $200 for a fine working machine with the power stand.

It works great when I sew the marine vinyl material face to face since there is a fabric backer. I was having trouble where I tried to face stitch, such as the top stitch on a french seam. The stickiness of the vinyl was causing the material to stick on the presser foot causing messed up seams and stitches.

I tried rubbing a rag that had some food grade silicone that I had laying around along the intended seam line. This worked great and the material went right through with nice stitches. I can't imagine that the silicone would hurt the vinyl but I have a piece sitting with some silicone on it to see if there's any effect. In a production environment this wouldn't be cost effective at all but for my uses it works fine. I am looking to get a Teflon foot which would do the same thing I think.

It only sews slowly now due to the pulley change I made. I wanted to see how slow I could get it to go with what I had on hand. If that didn't work I was going to get a servo motor.
 
#28 ·
Silicone will not harm vinyl or Ultraleather, but don't put it on leather. Depending on the quality of the leather, the silicone can leave a permanent stain.
 
#30 ·
The rule of thumb for welt feet is to add 3/32 to the size of the welt cord and use the foot closest in size. 3/32 plus 5/32 equals 1/4, so that's exactly the right size foot to use.

I use the 1/4" foot for 3/32, 4/32, and 5/32" welt cord, which works good for vinyl, leather, and Ultraleather. If I was sewing thin fabric, I would use a smaller welt foot.
 
#31 ·
Awesome, thanks so much for your help Dan.

My boat has heat stamped vinyl just like this boat except mine is a nice 70's burnt orange color that I still need to find material for;

Boat Vinyl

How would I go about recreating that with stitched pieces?

I was thinking of making the center vertical lines as a panel top stitched through sew foam and then attaching it to the main seat panel stitching where the outline is heat stamped in the original - although not sure how I would do that in practice.
 
#32 ·
I would caution you against doing boat seats with all that stitching. If you did it that way, you're just inviting water into the seat cushions and they'll never dry. Also, the sun will play havoc with the thread. There is marine vinyl out there that has 1 1/2" pleats heat sealed into it, but you're going to have a hard time finding the burnt orange color. (You'll have a hard time finding burnt orange one way or the other.) This is called pleated vinyl, or roll n' pleat. This stuff is very expensive, unless you can find a good deal on line.

If you absolutely have to have the stitching, I would just stick to a panel with vertical channels on the bottom sewed to a smooth panel on top. You could separate the two panels with a welt if you wanted to.
 
#35 ·
june bug said:
Hi Dantwolakes, I think it was Coodeville asking about the red ink pens. I was asking about the siver washable ones for vinyl & where to purchace them. MPM says he got his on Ebay, is this where you get yours? Thanks
I have a supplier that sells them, but I've also bought them on line.
 
#36 ·
So, I've completed my boat upholstery project. It came out great. I then left the machine and I need to use it again for another project. It was working fine when I left it, I don't know what could have happened.

I'm having an issue where the top thread is breaking on the third stitch. I took a video of this happening. I have tried adjusting both the top and bottom thread tensions but something doesn't look right when it's running.

Can anyone see what the issue might be from the video?

 
#38 ·
I can't see anything wrong except it looks like the bobbin thread is not under the tension spring on the side of the bobbin case, which would make the bobbin thread looser than the top thread.

I can also tell you that about 99% of the time it's something you are doing wrong and it is not the machine.
 
#39 ·
I have the manual. It says to use left twist threat for the needle, either for the bobbin. It is important that you keep the machine oiled to operate properly. You can get feet at www.wawak.com, and just check the configuration of what you have (shank) to get the right ones. www.singer.com will get the phone # (1-888-873-9822) and they are usually very helpful. Don't worry, your foot will get lighter the more you use the machine and before you know it, you'll even be able to use it that fast. btw, you don't need a walking foot machine for thick stuff! You get "the hump jumper" $2.99or the "jean-a-ma-jig" $1.55, both are for use on all heavy fabrics, to stitch over bumps without breaking the needle.Also, www.sewingmachineparts.com/singermanual.
 
#40 ·
The problem is not the thread or the needle. What he has is an industrial sewing machine, not a home sewing machine which is what wawack sells parts for. Advising someone that they don't need a walking foot to sew a car interior is not good advice. There is no add on or accessory that can make a non walking foot machine into a walking foot machine. Also, most industrial machines are compound feed machines which means that they have two feed systems that work together. You can't replace a compound feed, walking foot machine with a home machine which almost always have needle feed only, and never have a walking foot. That's like comparing a .22 to a howitzer.
 
#41 ·
111w151

I have sewn many a car seat, snowmobile seats, motorcycle seats with a Singer 31-15, which I much prefered over my Juki walking foot. I have just purchased a 111w151 to do a camper interior.It will need parts and work, first. If someone is doing a few projects, then sure what he has will work, I think. Upon inspection of my machine yesterday, I saw and then realized the problem with the foot that was encountered. It is not typical. Also, the bobbin is a very tight fit, so I could see the request on that. Waywak had the regular everyday feet, but I did not realize the configuration of the 111w151 foot, as that machine is at my shop, and my computer is at home. I did not intentionally give out false information. I was not implying a home owner machine would do the job, as I know that it never would!
When using a straight stitch machine, and you have to jump over multiple layers, stop the machine and hand spin the wheel over the lump so that you do not break the needle. Singer Co., in the past, has been very helpful to me, they even sent me a bound copy of "historical records" full manual and repair book for my 31-15, which I should never have sold when I moved. So, ok, I should have examined my machine before I posted a reply, you DO know more than me, so I'll leave future replies up to the expert. The previous owner handed me a manual, but I later saw that it was for the 111w155 not 151. I intend to call Singer today so see if they can get me the correct paperwork I will need to restore the machine. I look forward to learning from this site.
 
#42 ·
111w151

New to me.... the needle operation on this machine is different. Instead of just going up and down, this needle "walks" the project thru the machine, so the throat plate has a slot opening in it, not just a singe hole. The needle pierces the fabric and travels in conjunction with the feed dogs, moving the project one stitch back, and then returns into the start of the next stitch. Therefore, the extra feet that the seller provided me is NOT for this machine, which are also in the catalog previously (therefore erroneously)mentioned. Therefore, I guess you could call it a "walking needle" as opposed to a "walking foot".
 
#43 ·
The needle action you are describing is the needle feed part of the compound feed system that the 111W151 has. The other part is drop feed, which is accomplished with the feed dogs.

The term "walking foot" is a term to describe alternating presser foot, which is the correct term. Your machine has three shafts, one of which holds the needle and the other two shafts hold one part of the foot. When one of the foot shafts goes down, the other goes up, hence the name alternating presser foot.

You will have better luck with the web site www.singerco.com, which has some instruction manuals available for free.
 
#46 ·
111w151

OK,so Singer does NOT have the manual for this machine. I don't think I need many parts and I can find them with that parts list. However, there are some buttons on the throat plate I have no idea what they are for. They seem to engage into parts on the drive shaft underside of machine to stop different mechanisims. I am assuming they might be for setting timing or some other mechanical repairs. They are not the "oiler" spots for the old oil tin can... anyone know?
 
#47 ·
This is not a Singer 111W, it is a Consew 226R, but they are almost identical machines. Are these the buttons you're referring to? If so, the one on the left is to change stitch length, and the one on the right is to re-engage the safety clutch on the main shaft under the bed. The safety clutch disengages when you jam the machine. It prevents further damage to smaller more sensitive parts.

BTW, the manual for the 111W152, 153, 154, and 155 will work for the 151, there are only minor differences between all of them.
 

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