Sewing Patterns & Supplies

kenmore sewing machine oiling

BEST synthetic oil for Kenmore or any sewing machine!! $6.99

Do not yet throw the machine out the window. A lot of what you're describing can be misthreading, user error, the wrong needle, or crummy thread.

First: Check your needles. The package should say on it, 130/705H, 15x1H or HAx1. Not something like JLx1 or DBx2 or 16x1. Size -- well, size 80/12 will sew most garment weight fabrics, so that would be a good pick. If you don't have 80s, use 90/14, the next size up.

Next, take a look at the needle -- there are fronts and backs to them, and a backwards needle won't pick up the bobbin thread or will skip stitches. Here's what the front and back and side view of a needle looks like: http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/17206792 The needle to the left is turned on its side... that indented area near the eye is called the scarf, and that's where the bobbin hook picks up the thread from the needle. The middle needle shows the back -- see the scarf? And the left one is turned so you can see the front -- notice the long groove the length of the needle, just above the eye? When you thread up the top, the thread needs to sit down in that needle groove. Here's how a stitch is formed:
(yahoo is having fun shredding URLs today... go to http://www.sewusa.com and click on "repair" then on "how a stitch is formed".

For this to work properly, the bobbin hook has to go past the needle's scarf just at the right time -- so the needle has to be in the right way around, and the machine has to be "in time" -- and yours may not be if you've just had a load of snarls and broken needles. Here's how to tell: (click on the pictures to enlarge: ) (Another shredded URL: http://www.sewusa.com -- then click on repair and then on timing) If your machine is out of time, it will probably need a trip to the repair shop. If it does need fixing, have the repair person check you on threading, replacing the needle (and knowing which way around), basic cleaning, and starting a seam.

Assuming the timing is ok and you can now fetch up the bobbin thread, let's work on the snarls and the needle breakage.

Here's a really common sort of snarl -- it's caused by the machine not being quite threaded properly and not starting a seam properly -- blue thread on the top, red thread is the bobbin: http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/21916554

The blue thread is loose because I didn't get it in the upper tension. When you thread, you must raise the presser foot, which automagically opens the tension disks and allows the thread to enter. To make matters worse, I just started sewing with the thread ends loose, and that jam resulted. If you look at the third picture, there's a tiny stitch perpendicular to the blue stitching... that's the point the needle would have broken if the machine hadn't jammed completely.

So try rethreading your machine from scratch, making sure the presser foot is raised so the thread can enter the tension. Bring up the bobbin thread, and spool off about 3" or so of both top and bottom thread. Bring them under and then behind the presser foot.
Set the upper thread tension to 4 -- that'll work for most fabrics. You may want to play with it a bit to get perfect stitching later -- normal range is between 3 and 5 and you want your stitches to look like this:

http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/21916693

From now on, you're going to start your seams this way:
1. Needle and presser foot both up all the way.
2. Place the fabric under the presser foot and use the handwheel to lower the needle into the start of the seam.
3. Lower the presser foot.
4. Hold the ends of the top and bobbin thread behind the presser foot for the first 2-3 stitches, then let go and sew normally.

Now, about those broken needles -- needle breakage is usually due to one of three problems: the needle size is too small for the fabric being used -- like trying to use a size 8/60 needle on heavy coating wool. Or the needle is breaking during a thread jam. See above. Or the needle is breaking because you're pulling or pushing the fabric instead of letting the feed dogs move it. Quit that habit -- it can hurt the machine, wreck your fabric, and hurt you, too.

The best cure I know for fabric pushing/pulling is to spend about an hour sewing on paper.... yes, like computer paper or the cards that fall out of magazines. You don't even need to thread your machine. Just sew, and try to keep the stitching marks straight by matching the edge of the paper to the guide mark to the right of your needle. Sew, but don't watch the needle, watch the paper edge against the mark. If you tear the paper, you can be sure you're trying to help, and that's pulling the needle as it's in the fabric, causing the needle breakage.

Once you can sew straight on paper, try curves. When you're happy, thread up and sew on fabric.

You're welcome to email me. If you've got photos of what's going on, it'd help.

BTW, your Kenmore machine was probably made by Janome, if it's recent. It should be a decent machine -- Janomes are generally good little workhorses.

PS: On thread quality: http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa102100a.htm

BEST synthetic oil for Kenmore or any sewing machine!! $6.99