There are at least two theories on the design of these machines; it's possible they
were produced to a specific order or they may have been manufactured on marketing
speculation.
We may never know the true origin of the Featherweight 221 crinkle machine, but what is
known is that Singer produced other models with a crinkle finish: models
66, 99, and 128 well before the 221 crinkle machine was manufactured.
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However, none of
these models had grooves cut into their beds like the crinkle Featherweight 221. At the
time, the Featherweight 221 was Singer's most produced and most popular model; the grooves
may have been added as a simple decoration. |
Beginning in 1997 I've corresponded with the Office of the Quartermaster General, Army
salvage depots, field service maintenance branch; Air Force maintenance and engineering
branch; procurement division; Navy bureau of supplies and accounts, procurement division,
material distribution and disposal, aviation supply depot, bureau of construction and
repair, shop equipment sections, etc.
Where I could not convince clerks to dig through the documentation, I pulled in favors
from friends living and visiting all over the U.S. who have generously given their time to
look through mounds of military documents, maritime museum archives, the National Archives
and Records historical documents, records of war production, Lend/Lease Administration
archives, War Production Board archives, Office of Price Administration archives,
Department of Justice Federal Prison Industries, Federal Property Utilization Branch of
the Treasury Department, Purchase and Contract branch, etc.
This research encompassed the years 1930 through 1950.
Through these efforts I have documentation of military contracts for Singer models 241,
17, 97, 68, 69, 144, and class 7 (model 31) but no branch of the armed services has
produced a contract or purchase order for a Singer model 221.
There are 
currently two identified production runs of
Singer Featherweight 221 crinkle machines—December 5th, 1939 and August 15th, 1940.
The serial numbers of crinkle 221 machines are not consecutive, they are intermixed with
japan-finished machines in both production runs.
The faceplates on all reported 221 crinkle machines in the first run—December 5th,
1939—are black with three
parallel grooves like the grooves on the bed.
The faceplates on reported 221 crinkle machines in the second run—August
15th, 1940—are a mix of the black grooved
faceplate and the plated striated faceplate that was introduced on Featherweights during
the AH serial number series in 1947.
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Standard Faceplate |
Crinkle Plain Faceplate |
Striated Faceplate |
