Sears Kenmore 158.950 in front of the sage green boxes of cams & attachments, monogrammers and buttonholers for various Sears Kenmore sewing machines.
If you love vintage sewing machines, you are constantly looking for a new "fixer upper" to rescue, and put back to work, sewing! I LOVE vintage sewing machines, but I didn't realize I'd started a few different blogs, but forgotten them, so I have stopped posting new posts on 2 of my blogs about vintage sewing machines, and now only post on my
Vintage Sewing Machines blog on blogspot.com. Here is a link to see the 80+ blogs
Because my first sewing machine was a Sears Kenmore, a Japanese manufactured
zigzag sewing machine, I thought that the only feet & attachments
available, were the ones that came with the Sears Kenmore 158.1560, the
model shown here. It came with a straight stitch foot, a
zigzag foot, a buttonhole foot (to use with the built in buttonhole program), & the basic set of feet & accessories shown in the third photo, but the ones with the less expensive machines, didn't all come in the colorized version.
In addition to the presser feet which have
their shank already attached, Sears included a multi purpose foot, to which
you could attach a variety of sizes of rolled hemmers, an edgestitcher,
based upon the old Singer model, & a multi sized binder attachment,
the cardboard box they came in included a large & small flat head
screwdriver, a ruffler, a narrow rolled hemmer foot, a sliding
buttonhole foot, to be used with the built in 4 step buttonhole stitch,
as well as a adjustable zipper foot/cording foot, & a seam guide
& a thumbscrew, which could be attached to the bed of the machine,
to help you sew straight seams, & last, a button sewing foot. I
never knew how to use most of them, even though we had the manual, I
tried the button sewing foot, but didn’t figure out how to properly lock
the stitch, so they always pulled apart easily, so I went back to hand
sewing buttons. (You just take 2 or 3 stitches in the same place, with
the feed dogs down, in one side of the buttonhole, then zigzag stitch in
place, when you have enough stitches, repeat the 2 to 3 stitches in the
same place, & it locks the stitches in place, like tying a knot.
Sears Kenmore model 148.1560 built in stitch
cams, including some stretch stitches, a 4 step buttonhole program, feed
dog control for darning & freehand embroidery, reverse, auto shut
off bobbin winder, free arm, with extension bed, with easy flip up door
access to the bobbin. Class 15 vertical front loading bobbin system,
with quick release, for easy jam removal, if necessary. Light must be
turned on, for machine to sew, lightweight, portable, but sturdy cast
aluminum body, motor & belt are built into the machine, so no safety
worries about fingers, hair, or anything else getting caught in them,
while sewing. Cost 178.99 in 1978, at Sears. My sister, Michelle, & I
went together to buy it new, using money from raising a calf & pig.
Sears
Kenmore SEW BY COLOR kit, showing the basic attachments which were
included with each Sears Kenmore sewing machine, in a more colorful
version, with even the least expensive models. If you wanted the Sew by
Color set, it could be purchased separately.The pieces aren't all in
their correct locations, the seam guide is in with the adjustable zipper
foot, & there appears to be an extra adjustable zipper foot in
there, too, lol! I didn't double check before taking my photo. This also
included a set of very well illustrated descriptions of how to use each
foot or accessory.
Low shank Kenmore machines are easy to find feet for, since low shank sewing machines are the most commonly sold sewing machines, worldwide, but for the luxury Sears Kenmore sewing machines, a proprietary specialized, super high shank foot was required, in the same way that Bernina, & Viking Husqvarna manufactured their own shanks, so to use their machines, you needed to use their presser feet, though Bernina did also sell an adapter shank, to allow a low shank binder foot, & a ruffler to be used with their machines.
For their top of the line machines, Sears Kenmore even followed Bernina's "quick change foot" system, idea, using the same kind of a lever, to allow approximately a "3 second" quick change from one Kenmore shank to another, but unfortunately, not all Kenmore feet shanks, work with their quick change system, requiring the frustrating situation of needing to remove the lever (which screws the opposite direction of what you expect), then the screw for the presser foot quick change system, before being able to use the adjustable zipper presser foot, & some binders, rufflers.
I confess, I really dislike the Sears Kenmore “quick change” presser foot
system, not because it doesn’t work at all, it does work great for the
majority of the Sears Kenmore Super High Shank presser feet, but because
the majority of those feet are the cheap, easy to break, clear acrylic
type of plastic, they just don’t last! That is only part of the problem,
though, because the high shank adjustable zipper & cording foot
that comes with the top of the line machines, do not function with the
quick change system, so to use them, you have to unscrew the quick
change presser foot lever, by unscrewing it from it’s reverse thread
section of the presser foot screw, & you cannot remove the presser
foot screw, unless you CAN get that lever off!
Many of those levers are
firmly rusted in place, & are almost impossible to remove. If you
can get it off, then you can unscrew the presser foot screw, so you can
put the zipper foot on. In the meantime, you stab yourself with the
needle, unless you remove it, & having to remove the lever, the
needle, & the screw, you have wasted all of your sewing time, &
still haven’t sewn a stitch!
Some Sears Kenmore machines may actually have had the quick change lever setup on so long, or tight, that you cannot remove it, sometimes requiring someone stronger, to help remove the lever, so you can unscrew that presser foot screw, otherwise you cannot use the presser foot screw to attach other presser feet that will not go on, without completely removing the screw, first. This has been my number one pet peeve, about the Sears Kenmore luxury machine models, which all required the super high shank presser foot system.
A Sears Kenmore Extra High Shank Presser Foot Adapter can be used to allow a
low shank snap on adapter, making it MUCH easier to change presser feet
quickly!
One of the most important presser feet to have, is the adjustable
zipper & cording foot. It is extremely important, that this foot can
be properly adjusted, to ensure it works well, with both the needle
& the feed dogs. While most low shank presser feet will fit the
Sears Kenmore sewing machines, there are some feet which have their
needle hole just a hair too far forward, or backwards, from what the
Kenmore machines require, so when you get a new presser foot, before you
start to sew, first, install the foot, & turn the handwheel
slowly, by hand, while you watch the needle, & if the foot will
work, the needle will be able to go all of the way down, but if the
needle hits the presser foot, at any point during the stitch
(particularly check to be sure that the needle doesn’t hit the sides of
the needle opening of the presser foot, before trying to sew with the
pedal or controller.
While Sears did include a good assortment of presser feet for their
sewing machines, their top of the line “luxury” models, all require
their proprietary “Super High Shank” presser feet, & they do not
have a very wide selection, & when they did include a wide variety
of feet with those machines, the majority of them have the narrow steel
shank, but have the presser foot itself, in a clear plastic, possibly
acrylic, which cracks & ages with time, even if they have never been
used.
The Sears Kenmore Super High Shank Presser feet are available
regularly, on eBay, but prices can be pretty high, unless you purchase a
box or the organizer accessory cases, & most savvy eBay sellers
list each case or box separately, actually charging more than these
attachments & parts cost when new! Particularly since you usually
have to pay shipping, too!
The Sears Kenmore Super High Shank acrylic, or plastic, presser feet
which I have owned & used, include a cording foot, an embroidery
foot (wide angled groove on underside of presser foot, allows either
satin stitching, or you can feed ribbon under it, as you stitch it to
the fabric), an open embroidery foot (has no front bar, in front of the
needle, but has a wide, rectangular groove, same use as previous
embroidery foot, but better visibility), a blind hemmer foot (white
plastic for the foot, with a steel screw & nut, which allows you to
adjust the bite of the needle, so it catches & stitches just a
thread or two, on the wrong side of the project hem), a 3 hole cording
foot (has a clear foot, but a thin steel strap covers 3 little grooves
where decorative cords can be fed, under the foot, as you use a
decorative zigzag stitch, to secure them)
Because I also have had the joy & excitement of Bernina, Necchi,
Viking Husqvarna, & Elna sewing machines, I learned how fabulous it
is, to have a wide variety of very sturdy, well designed, & high
quality presser feet & attachments, which make an enormous variety
of sewing tasks so much easier, & FASTER! Then, I discovered SNAP ON
PRESSER FEET!
One of the joys of the internet, is that it makes it possible for us
to share our hobbies, as well as information, with strangers, as well as
family & friends, through the internet, & photos, as well as
blogs & tutorials. When I discovered snap on presser feet, I thought
I died & went to heaven! Not all snap on presser feet will fit
every sewing machine, you really do have to match the presser feet to
the feed dog configuration, & the needle opening of your machine.
Many vintage sewing machines have narrower needle openings, &
consequently, a narrower zigzag stitch, & require narrower feet.
This
Sears Kenmore top of the line zigzag sewing machine is the same basic
machine, but you will discover it is nearly identical to many other
model numbers of Kenmore sewing machines, the only changes were in the
decorative details on the faceplate & the front of the machine, one
machine will be 158. 18081, another 158.1703, or others, beginning with
158.xxxxx with the other numbers which indicate the decor scheme to be
used, as well as the accessory kits to be sold with the machine.
Sometimes the control dials are slightly different, the reverse lever is
a different color, sometimes the feed dog raise & lower control is a
button, like here, sometimes it is a lever, or a knob, if it is the
expensive version, it will have a cam lid on top, which flips up, to
allow you to change the cams, to sew more stitches than those printed on
the lower front knob. The needle plate has either a long, narrow
reversible straight stitch & zigzag stitch plate inserted, or a
wider, changeable snap in rectangular needle plate, & a separate
straight stitch plate will be in the kit of accessories, as will a
needleplate with the same shape, but with the chainstitch configuration,
which plate will be in a small yellow plastic box, with a clear plastic
lid, & a bobbin insert, which looks like a boat propeller, with
only 1 prop, which allows this lockstitch sewing machine to sew a
chainstitch!
Some of the 385.xxxx models of Sears Kenmore sewing machines did come
with a snap on presser foot shank, & it’s own snap on feet.
Unfortunately, this super high shank snap on presser foot shank, does
NOT fit onto the presser foot bar of the older Sears Kenmore Super High
Shank Sewing Machines, so while I thought I would use that shank on all
of my super high shank sewing machines, I couldn’t use it on any
machines, except the one it came on. BUMMER!
There are several Super High Shank Presser Foot Adapter Shanks
available online, for the high end Sears Kenmore vintage sewing
machines, but I have not yet heard anyone recommend any of them, other
than a few who said they do NOT work! I finally broke down, &
purchased one of the metal versions, planning on determining if it would
actually work, & if it did, I wanted to share that information, so
others won’t have to waste the many hours, & days, that I have spent
testing various feet & attachments, so these heavy duty, sturdy
vintage Sears Kenmore sewing machines, don’t go to waste! Obviously, if
you can’t get good feet for them, they are worthless!
I ordered the metal Super High Shank Presser Foot Adapter Shank,
from 231Terry, on eBay, for $11.90 + $2.67 S&H, & at first, I
was terribly disappointed, because the first snap on shank I tried to
use it with, just would NOT attach to the lower shank of the adapter. I
found 2 more of my low shank snap on presser foot adapters, & these
two DID work! After excitedly trying snap on presser feet, & testing
to see if they would work on my super high shank Kenmore sewing
machine, I got brave enough to test the first snap on foot again, &
realized that the reason it didn’t fit, wasn’t that the adapter’s shank
was too thick, (which is what I first thought), it was because the
little tiny screw for holding a metal seam guide, in the top back hole
of the snap on shank, was just a hair too wide, blocking the snap on
shank from fitting onto the adapter! I removed that screw, & tried
again, & after testing a huge variety of feet & the 3 different
styles of low shank adapters, I have declared 231Terry on eBay’s Sears
Kenmore Super High Shank Presser Foot Adapter, as WINNER!!!! IT works
FANTASTIC!!!!
231Terry eBay seller’s KENMORE SEWING MACHINE SUPER HIGH SHANK ADAPTER
TO LOW SHANK # P60666 DOES WORK!!!! Note, the paper towel has some snap
on feet below the NO, they are center needle position straight stitch
feet, & a zigzag foot, which CANNOT be used on these Kenmore super
high shank models, because the needle would hit the metal foot. NOTE-
the snap on adapter with the red button, has moved to the YES section,
with the silver screw removed, & placed on the paper towel ( Note-
scissors are pointing to the screw which as been removed), now all 3
adapters shown, DO fit on 231Terry eBay’s Super High Shank Adapter
#P60666 !!!
My favorite cutting tools are a cutting mat, & a rotary cutter. There are a variety of sizes, I have 2, & while I have scissors & shears, I do not use them for cutting out entire patterns anymore, just because the rotary cutters are so much easier to use, & much more accurate. If you have trouble cutting fabric pieces the correct size, due to jagged edges when you cut out the pattern pieces, try the rotary cutters with the mat, they are expensive to start with, but absolutely worth every penny!
If you are going to sew a LOT, where you are trying to produce many identical items, you may need to consider an industrial rotary cutter, to save an enormous amount of time & effort, making it possible to produce far more product, in a much shorter time. Be sure you choose one for the type of electrical system you have, whether it is 110 home type of electrical outlets, or 220 industrial electrical system. It is important to follow safety guidelines, & wearing a glove made of stainless steel chain, helps protect your free hand from being cut accidentally, by this rapidly rotating super sharp rotary blade, like this one I found on eBay.
Factories & professional sewing workers use mechanical folders & binders, & other special accessories, which they attach to the sewing machine bed, or even on industrial sergers & coverstitch machines, to complete 2 or 3 sewing tasks in 1 step, instead of several steps.
Sewing Workbooks are an excellent way to learn how to use your sewing machine to it's maximum potential. Most sewing machine shops also sell workbooks, & sometimes even include free classes, in the price of the sewing machine. Step by step instructions, photos, & a chance to sew them in a class, under the tutelage of an expert, is a great way to learn specialty features, & how to make your sewing look professional.
Babylock Imagine Wave, has automatic tension, you just turn a lever to the stitch you want, & this incredible, "self threading" serger sews the right stitch, without you having to make multiple adjustments like most sergers. I overedged this washrag that was falling apart, in just a minute or two!
Babylock Imagine & Eclipse sergers use the same presser feet, this set of 5 feet includes piping feet, in 2 sizes, elasticator foot, blind hemmer foot, ruffler foot, & one more, but I can't remember if it was a beading foot, or what. Regardless, they make many sewing tasks much faster & easier. One of my favorite is the ruffler, it allows you to both ruffle the fabric, & stitch it to the smooth fabric, all in one quick step!
Babylock 838D 4/3/2 serger with differential feed, this one even had a knee bar, for raising & lowering the presser foot, hands free! Notice the metal bar lying on the table to the left of the serger accessory manual, it looks like it has a blue handle, that is the knee bar.
Babylock 838D with knee bar shows accessory door open, & stitch samples, as well as the instruction manual. The knee bar is installed in this photo, note it is attached on the right side of the machine, & bends over the front of the sewing table (I used a sofa table back then) to make raising & lowering the presser foot, hands free.
Babylock Imagine Wave showing 2 samples of the Wave stitch on satin & denim.
Babylock Imagine Wave showing more examples of the wave stitch, this time on cotton.
One of my favorite speed sewing tools, is having a serger! While home sergers are not as fast as industrial sergers, they do sew much faster than most people operate their home sewing machines, & the serger will trip the edge of the fabric, before sewing the seam & finishing the edge of the fabric, all in 1 step! Most sergers offer a variety of stitch types, & by using different tension settings, or using 1, or 2 needles, you can sew an enormous variety of seams & gorgeous decorative finishes, ruffles, puffing, flatlocking, & if you have a new enough, machine, you may even have the coverstitch capability! Some sergers offer a chainstitch & an overlock stitch, which means they are a true serger, but many home machines, are actually only an overlock machine, particularly if they are only a 3 thread, or 3/4 thread sewing machine, but an overlock stitch is actually more secure than a true serged seam, so don't worry about whether your machine sews a "true serger stitch", or is just an overlock machine. Most people don't actually know the correct definition of a serger, so most people will use the terms overlock & serger interchangeably, but regardless of which of these types your machine is, it can make completing sewing projects much faster, easier, neater, & can actually make your home sewing look professional!
For those who are new to vintage sewing machine collecting, refurbishing, & sewing, initially assume that their sewing machine only has 1 presser foot, or however many feet were with their sewing machine, when they purchased it, unless they bought it at a sewing machine dealership, or have family and friends, who either sew at home, or sew for a living.
I used to be one of those people who assumed that, because I grew up with Sears Kenmore, Japanese manufactured sewing machines, & I thought all of the feet & attachments available, were the ones that came with the Sears Kenmore 158.1560, the model shown here. It came with a multi purpose shank, to which you could attach a variety of sizes of rolled hemmers, an edgestitcher, based upon the old Singer model, & a multi sized binder, the cardboard box they came in, included a large & small flat head screwdriver, a ruffler, a narrow rolled hemmer foot, a sliding buttonhole foot, to be used with the built in 4 step buttonhole stitch, as well as a adjustable zipper foot/cording foot, & a seam guide & a thumbscrew, which could be attached to the bed of the machine, to help you sew straight seams, & last, a button sewing foot. I never knew how to use most of them, even though we had the manual, I tried the button sewing foot, but didn't figure out how to properly lock the stitch, so they always pulled apart easily, so I went back to hand sewing buttons. (You just take 2 or 3 stitches in the same place, with the feed dogs down, in one side of the buttonhole, then zigzag stitch in place, when you have enough stitches, repeat the 2 to 3 stitches in the same place, & it locks the stitches in place, like tying a knot.
Sears Kenmore model 148.1560 built in stitch cams, including some stretch stitches, a 4 step buttonhole program, feed dog control for darning & freehand embroidery, reverse, auto shut off bobbin winder, free arm, with extension bed, with easy flip up door access to the bobbin. Class 15 vertical front loading bobbin system, with quick release, for easy jam removal, if necessary. Light must be turned on, for machine to sew, lightweight, portable, but sturdy cast aluminum body, motor & belt are built into the machine, so no safety worries about fingers, hair, or anything else getting caught in them, while sewing. Cost 178.99 in 1978, at Sears. My sister, Michelle, & I went together to buy it new, using money from raising a calf & pig.
SINGER 15-88 15-89 TREADLE SEWING MACHINE WITH ATTACHED MOTOR, I keep it in a treadle table, because I prefer treadling, to using the electric motors, though there are some times where the electric comesin handy, so I like to have both, lol!
Anyone just getting into fixing up, & using a new to them, but
vintage sewing machine, will need to find good sources for free
information on history of their machine, what feet & attachments are
available, instruction manuals, & more.
SINGER 15-91 POTTED MOTOR OSCILLATING BOBBIN, ELECTRIC SEWING MACHINE
The first links are to some of the most comprehensive sewing machine
websits, with links to other pages, where you can find photos,
informational history, as well as free manuals, & more, to help you
with your new hobby! Here are a few of my favorites!
http://needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page (Sewing Machine Museum Archive)
http://ismacs.net/ (International Sewing MAchine Collectors Society)
http://www.victoriansweatshop.com/
Some of the old free Yahoo sites for individual sewing machine
brands, or models, are also a great source of information, but many of
them have switched almost completely to Facebook now, so also, try doing
Facebook search for your model of sewing machine, & choose sites
you enjoy. For the Yahoo groups
you join the specific ones you want
to, they have loads of photo files & other files, with free copies
of sewing machine manuals & how to photos & instructions, to
help group members, so join the groups that you have sewing machines of
the brand or model type in the group name, or description- some have
Facebook pages with the same group names, which are used more now, but
there are loads of information files in the Yahoo groups, still.
If you are new to vintage sewing machines & their attachments, these advertisements, flyers, & Singer Fashion Aids & Singer Fashion Aids Case, may be new to you! Most of us didn't know that even our great great grandma's, had so many attachment, presser feet, & accessories, to make all kinds of crafts & clothing, as well as other textiles, for over 100 years! I will add more to this blog, over time, as I remember. I have brain tumors from NF2, so I do forget, but if I find my blog again, it reminds me, & if it can help educate other people, too, that is terrific! Besides the photos here, I am including a link to one of my sewing videos, showing a Singer Featherweight 221, along with presser feet & attachments, which also fit all of the other low shank straight stitch Singer sewing machines, as well as many other low shank sewing machines.
Did you know you can zigzag with a straight stitch only machine? There are zigzaggers of many types & some even have multiple cams, to make many stitch designs, there are at least 16 Singer zigzag cams, that take the aluminum stitch cams, I want to say 20, but I would have to look them up again, I don't have all of them!
Here is a link to my Youtube video showing many of the Singer attachments for the 66, 99, 101, 221, 222, 201, 301, 401, 500 & many more!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJASHbVPhl0&t=2s
SINGER FASHION AIDS CASE WITH SINGER 15-88 /89 SEWING MACHINE
SINGER FASHION AIDS CASE WITH THE ORGANIZER INSERT INSTALLED
SINGER FASHION AIDS CASE WITH SINGER 15-88, 89 SEWING MACHINE, IN A TREADLER TABLE. The crocheted flower doilies, used as spool anti back spin features, instead of a felt circle, were crocheted by Marietta, a member of one of my favorite Facebook Vintage Sewing Machine groups
SINGER FASHION AIDS CASE REAR VIEW & HINGES
SINGER FASHION AIDS CASE PHOTO IN LID, SHOWS STITCH SAMPLES made by the various Singer Fashion Aids
SINGER FASHION AIDS ADVERTISEMENTS were often included in the Sewing Machine Manuals for sewing machines, but also in the book "Machine Sewing Singer", for Home Economics Teachers, as well as Student Manuals, or Singer Sewing Books, of various titles.
SINGER FEATHERWEIGHT 221 WITH ONE VERSION OF THE SINGER ZIGZAGGER ATTACHMENTS, WHICH MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO SEW STRETCH FABRICS, EASILY ATTACH LACE, DO FRENCH ANTIQUE SEWING, LACE JOINING, RIBBON OR ELASTIC PLACEMENT, CORDING, PINTUCKS, & MANY OTHER SPECIAL SEWING TECHNIQUES, EVEN WITH A STRAIGHT STITCH ONLY SEWING MACHINE. FITS ALL LOW SHANK STRAIGHT STITCH ONLY SINGER SEWING MACHINES, & OTHER CLASS 15 CLONE SEWING MACHINE, AS WELL.
SEWING A ZIGZAG PINTUCK, WITH THE SINGER FEATHERWEIGHT 221 SEWING MACHINE, USING THE OPTIONAL EDGE STITCHER GUIDE, WHICH ALLOWS FOR MANY SPECIAL SEWING TECHNIQUES.
