 Attached to a Singer 15-91. As discussed in the article "To Greist or Not to Greist," some collectors turn up their noses at Greist attachments because they don't bear the Singer name. But that doesn't make them inferior. In fact, they can be decidedly superior at times, as I discovered when I tested this one. How so?  Lever on side selects stitch pattern. First of all, it's fully automatic, which means that there are eight stitch patterns built-in. That's right...no cams or discs to change! A lever on the side selects the pattern and away you go. Another lever disengages the zigzag mechanism, allowing you to sew straight-stitch without removing the attachment.  Lovely stitch quality & straight rows! Secondly, the side-to-side zigzag action is so smooth that it's not difficult to guide the fabric in a straight line. A refreshing difference. Third, the stitch quality is the best I've seen from an attachment. Last, but not least, it's one of the prettiest zigzag attachments I've ever seen. With its metallic gold jacket it's a perfect complement to the black and gold Singer Featherweight, 15-91, or other low-shank Singer of your choice. So, would you like to see it in action? Well you get to, whether you want to or not!
See what I'm talking about? The action is smooth and takes very little guidance.
So where can you find one? I've only seen one other like it in the years I've been collecting machines and attachments. The other one had a silver jacket and was made to fit a White sewing machine. I watch for them on eBay but have yet to see one. I don't know if that makes it rare...or simply underappreciated. But keep your eyes open and maybe you'll get lucky! Happy Sewing! Barbara OldSewinGear...dedicated to helping you get the most out of your old sewing gear.
18 Comments
Arrow
10/2/2014 08:40:59 am
The only machine I could make the black singer zigzagger work well enough to be worth the effort is the 201 model. Not that I have tried a lot of machines out there, but the 66 and 99 is a hassle. Not sure why because the feed dogs act much the same on any of the low shank Singers? I so want to try out the 15-91 model ;- )
Anwen
3/9/2015 01:01:10 pm
Hey Barbara - would you happen to know where I can find a list of the different models of the Greist auto-decorator? I have one with a gray cover and it doesn't fit on my Singer 15-91, Singer Featherlight 221, or Kenmore 1652, all of which are low shank and share many other attachments. For it to fit the machine's presser bar would have to be a little shorter and the needle plate hole would have to be further forward. I am terribly disappointed since my Kenmore lacks the elusive C cam #1 and can't zigzag. I have a Greist button hole attachment that is fabulous (better than my modern machine's abilities), but darn it I want to zigzag!
OldSewinGear
3/11/2015 02:25:07 pm
Anwen,
Marie Bouman
4/5/2016 03:57:47 am
Dear Anwen: You have a high shank Greist auto decorator? I have a high shank Necchi BU. Care to sell your Greist? If so, let me know. Cordially, MCB
Anwen
4/5/2016 09:26:27 pm
Hi Marie,
Anwen
3/11/2015 03:48:02 pm
That is helpful actually. I hadn't caught on that there was more than one model when I first saw (and bought) mine. I didn't see any others at that time or I would have wondered why there was a gold one too.
OldSewinGear
3/15/2015 02:35:08 am
Anwen,
Mary
10/22/2015 07:23:59 pm
Okay, I found one that looks EXACTLY like this except its a Kenmore attachment. I can't try it out since I don't have a Kenmore, but I did open it up and saw all the cute little cams stacked up. A lever moves to the one you want, just like in a zigzag machine. It seemed a little clunky to me, but like I said I haven't tried it on an actual sewing machine yet, so hearing how much you like it makes me hopeful it will be useful to someone.
Rebbecca
12/22/2015 02:39:29 pm
I recently purchased the Kenmore version of this. The problem is it doesn't have a manual! Can you explain how to use this in more detail? My lever to switch stitches is stuck on #1... I can't get it to change. I tried pushing on the unlock thing on the opposite side but it still didn't move.
Anwen
12/26/2015 01:05:26 pm
Hi Rebecca,
Lindsey
9/10/2016 09:56:16 pm
I read your blog and had to have one of these. I was surprised that it didn't take too long to find one on eBay that wasn't too, too rich. Not cheap but not silly in price. haven't even tried it yet but can't wait.
Laura
11/1/2016 08:46:53 am
Hi Barbara,
Sarah Fish
11/3/2016 12:38:13 pm
No reason for anybody to turn their noses up at Griest, since they made most of the attachments for Singer and a good many other manufacturers.
Arden
2/21/2017 01:08:30 pm
Hello, Great blog btw. Thanks to this blog I happened to come across one of these. No manual though. So I was wondering if you could tell me what the knob on the top is for and do I need to lower the feed dogs to use this attachment. Much appreciated.
margaret coplin
2/19/2019 04:12:23 pm
The top knob is to adjust the pattern starting point - look thru sight hole. Mine is for standard Straight Stitch machine and the supplementary instruction on green sheet says to lay a sewing pin (bent into L shape) next to feed dogs. It should be level with feeddogs. On many old machines the feeddog adjustment is done from underneath.
Rebecca G
5/16/2017 09:52:38 am
Hello, 2/19/2019 03:51:15 pm
i just ordered and received two from Quebec Canada. they have never been used. So excited:-)
Angela Hardy
7/20/2024 08:13:40 am
Did I understand correctly, you bought 2 of the metal gold Greist Automatic Decorators from someone in Quebec Canada? I’m currently looking to buy a fully functioning and in proper working order metal gold greist automatic decorator. If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it. I’ve tried eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Poshmark. Leave a Reply. |
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