I have a Kenmore sewing machine for longtime and today Sunday, September 01, 2024. I decided to do something but I didn't even know how to put the thread on or fill the spool with thread, I mean, I didn’t know anything about it! And this gentleman, taught me how to do that! Thank you very much, Sir!😊❤❤❤❤
My deceased mother used this machine for years. She loved sewing. After she passed in 2018, I kept it packed in closet. Had not a clue how to thread this UNTIL I came across your video...I'm sooo appreciative because I can now hopefully get it up and running and make some curtains and many other items...in honor of my dear mom...I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Same exact reason I’m here, my mom passed in 2020 and I remember her teaching me to use her machine when I was little, but I couldn’t remember anything she taught me about it. I’m so glad to have this video as a resource
I just inherited my mom's machine after her passing back in December of 2023. She used it for years and I am so proud to have inherited her sewing skills too, and I agree with the comments about this video being very helpful and informative. Now I can use my mom's machine and feel her next to me showing me how to sew. I can't believe no one ever taught her how to sew or fix machines and she was always able to figure them out while here I am now having to watch instructional videos, lol.❤🥰😊👍
I've owned this machine for 34 years - one of the best purchases of my life. If there is a definite "clunk...clunk...clunk" noise when turning the knob on the right to select the stitches, there is a set of metal gears that needs to be greased at the top of the column. This is not addressed at all in the manual. Hopefully one of his other videos covers this.
Thank you so much for this video! I inherited a Kenmore from my late grandmother, it's a workhorse but she's not here to show me how to use it correctly. You saved my evening and my project when I ran into issues loading the bottom bobbin! Now I'm not afraid to change thread color 😂
I purchase this machine from a second hand store on yesterday. didn't realize I was missing the piece that hold the spool of thread ( will order a replacement). I am a beginner and found this video to be very helpful. Thank you, Thank you, thank you. I can't wait to get started.
Consider this yet another gratified comment by a long time owner of this Kenmore machine who had long lost the manual! I managed to get by, but having gone through your video I realized I could have saved myself a lot of hassle if a video like this had existed when I first got the machine about 10 plus years ago! Deep and bountiful gratitude for the generosity of having taken the time to painstakingly explain the basic parts of this machine!
Great video!. I bought this machine brand new 34 years ago and it is still going strong. To this day, as my brain doesn't memorize simple things well, i can never remember how the thread is supposed to run when its dropped in. When you open the door on the left side, there is a drawing on the door to remind you which direction the bobbin thread is supposed to run.
Thanks so much for making and sharing this video! I just got this model of sewing machine from a friend's mom. Never used one before, and was at a complete loss looking at tutorials made for more modern machines as I poured over the guide. This made everything so much clearer!
Wow...I had to watch your video again to closely at the foot where it it gets attached. Boy let me tell you, on this machine I chained the the foot , the bobbin, needle and now it works like a dream. Thank you. Even the decorative stitches. Thank you again.😊
THANK YOU!! I got this sewing machine off a coworker without a manual and I couldn’t figure out where my spool was supposed to go..lol😅this sewing machine is amazing and you helped me figure that out!!! Thank you!!
I really appreciate you helping me with this vintage machine I had searched and searched on line but wasn't able to find mines that is a stitch 16 even asked some of the girls at the fabric stores they had no idea so again THANKS!💐
I got this same model from a friend a week ago and sent it to the repair shop because it was not reverse stitching. It was not used for eons but I will call her back to duty after overhaul. Love the solid/heavy feel to it as compared to my new brother "Strong and Tough" (AVOID!). These Kenmores/Janomes have a good reputation as workhorses. Wish me luck and thank you for your great video. Greetings from Puerto Rico 🌴
Very, very good demo of this machine. I also have owned and used the 24 stitch model since the late 80's. Probably the best purchase of my lifetime. I've never needed to have it serviced. I have kept it oiled, per the manual instructions and have sewn numerous garments, including heavy wool coats, upholstered two sofas, made handbags, etc. and the timing has survived it all. (I should knock wood making that timing statement.) Two things. #1 When you open the door on the left to get to the pressure dial (which I use often), there is a diagram showing how to drop the bobbin into place. (One of those tedious tiny things I can never remember - so I use that door often!) Also, I noticed that as you moved the stitch selector dials they sounded a bit clunkety-clunk and stiff. I was aware of mine sounding and moving clunky like this for years, but simply chalked it up to "age" just like creaking knee joints in the morning. All was fine and working one day and then on the next - NONE of the dials would move - At All! Completely frozen! I feared the worst - a broken plastic main gear. With much trepidation and fearing I would have to declare my baby dead and gone, I began to disassemble and uncover the nether regions of the right side of the machine - the area never addressed in the owners manual. (Not like I was voiding any warranty after 30 years!) My mouth dropped open in awe as I laid eyes upon a 100% metal gear assembly with minor amounts of lithium grease showing. Poor baby hadn't had a good lube job in 3 decades! At my BIL's at the time, (gifted mechanical engineer) he had numerous containers of lithium for me to choose from, including a spray with a straw nozzle in case I couldn't reach something with a q-tip. I did need the spray in one spot. As I added small amounts of grease, I carefully began moving all of the knobs until everything was moving as smoothly as brand new. I was careful not to allow a cotton fiber to escape from the q-tip. All of the knobs should move smoothly with little noise and gently click into place on the stitch selector - feeling almost no resistance. The machine in the video definitely needs a lube. The clunkey/choppy sound is a dead giveaway. It's been 3 years and my machine has sat unused for most of the last year and a half, so I will probably go back in shortly and freshen the lithium, only this time I will use a 1/8" to 3/16" wide, high quality 8" to 9" long art brush with short bristles for application making certain it has no loose bristles. This way I will not need the spray lithium at all, as solid lithium is better when it can be used. I hope by lightly freshening the lithium every 3 to 5 years at this point it will avoid the need to have to ever disassemble the gear stack completely. BIL agrees with this thinking. We are both big believers in "if it ain't broke- don't fix it", but ongoing proper lubrication is a must. I'm certain I used less than 1/2 tsp of grease the last time and will probably use less this time. Also if it is necessary to use the spray, remember to be careful not to get any of it on any of the plastic housing of the machine. Oils can play havoc with plastics - especially older plastics - as certain oils and greases will caused chemical reactions if left over time that break down the plastic. Sorry for the long post, but with no instructions and no RU-vid video, I managed this successfully all on my own and didn't even need BIL for anything other than deciphering where in his garage his brain had decided to store lithium grease.
Thanks Paul. I just bought this exact model from a Goodwill. I have never used a sewing machine before. I've always sewn by hand. It was a great walk-thru.
Very good tutorial on how to set up the machine. Helps take some of the mystery out of what can be a fairly intimidating process for some of us. Many thx.
Thank you so much for your tutorial. I have had my machine I think for 25 yrs and I have always wondered what the big knob in the head was HA and now I know pressure on foot 😊 I checked and mine was on 2 so put it on 3 and yeah that did make a bit of a difference. Again Thank You
Wow I’ve had no idea I’ve been using mine wrong all this time I was actually threatening it wrong and my son showed me how Thank you for the awesome video
Thank you Paul! Just picked up on a $50 goodwill run. It seems to be top notch for hemming pants but the foot connection piece is missing I’ll let you know if I can manage to get the part and hem some pants in time for the wedding (before 4pm tomorrow). I guess I am missing the piece that normally holds the thread on top too…. I was hooking it to the bobbin winder! Great lesson. I suppose there are a couple parts you did not cover. 1 a metal plate that raises the bottom but matches the foot profile. And 2 a metal dodad about an inch and a half wide that does not seem to fit any where.
Thank you! I have had this machine for thirty years and have never looped the thread around the little tension thingy. I have just gone directly from the thread to the bobbin. 😮
Wow..and it stil sewed ok? normally if theyre not threaded properly, it wont sew. I purchsed one for my son and his GF 2 years ago but it wont reverse.
It would be nice if you'd show how the stitches work. The machine I have is a Kenmore 30. It doesn't have the color code around the knobs. I do appreciate that you shared and demonstrate slowly. Thank you.
Thank you for a great video. Where can I purchase replacement parts and instructions to replace… most specifically for the spool pins. The rubber casing around both spool pins has dry rotted and the spool pins fell into the body of the machine. I appreciate your assistance.
Hi, I’m a beginner. Your video very helpful for me. I need to change the needle, do I need to buy a specific needle for this model or I can buy any kind of sewing machine needle? Thank you!
Thank you so much dear one, good video!~ ;) my 385 is different than yours, but you still helped me. I didn't notice the tension numbers with squares around them. mine are different, 6 doesn't have a square around it. God Bless you! ;) † ♥
Thank you for the information. Can you do a video on how to use the accessories the machine has? I recently inherit one but didn’t have the manual, thanks
Thank you for this video. I have this machine and took it apart at the end to find out why the stitch selector does not change the stitch. Any ideas would be most welcome. Thanks.
When you turn from regular stitches to the stretch stitches (yellow) is it difficult to turn the knob to the stretch stitch? Mine is very difficult and I have tried cleaning out the sticky old grease as best as I could without disassembly I’m thinking the problem may be in the linkages. Maybe I’m missing a spot where old sticky grease is still gumming up the mechanism that the knob controls. Any suggestions? I know that when that knob turns to stretch stitch it has to activate the mechanism by the cam right behind the knob and that seems to be a sticking place til you get over the “hump” so to speak. Anyway, help if you can 😊
Excellent video. I really hope you can help me. I have this exact model. Got it last week from a repair/sales sewing machine store. After some use, (im a beginner) I think the feed dogs dropped because it will no longer pull the fabric through when I sew. I rethreaded the machine like 4 times hoping that would fix it. There’s no switch in the back to raise and lower the feed dogs easily. What the heck am I doing wrong? 😅 thx
A neighbor put a 358 in trash I'm Living in a low income complex, not wealthy, and needed all the machines I could find, sewing for people. I cleaned it and found it quieter than my other 2 Kenmore. I need to know what the thing is on the right side and what and how to use the wheel inside the machine. I have no Manuel. I took it apart to clean it and can't get it back together. Help. Nancy
Hi again...could you show how to remove the light bulb in the Kenmore 30 sewing machine? The bulb it has now I believe it's the wrong one. Cause it's burning or melting the cover. Thank you.
I have the same machine (Sears Kenmore 385) that I am refurbishing for my Granddaughter . The feed dog does not rise enough to grab the fabric. Settings' are L 2 W 2 Foot pressure 3, Thread tension 4 and straight stitch. What can I do to fix the machine?
Great video. I notice the foot on the machine i have is very different. I would like to get a foot setup like you have? Is this factory part or special order? Where can i get this? I don't know the history of the old machine i have a acquired?? Thank you
I have a Kenmore sensor sew 70 sewing machine and I cannot read the machine. I know how to do the bobbin I just cannot do the top threading I really can’t find show me good places to go on RU-vid to really find the answer. I will appreciate any kind of help I can get as long as it’s demonstrated. Thank you. 😮
Hello discovered this video and it was great! I actually rescued a machine out of the recycling bin the other day but it is missing a few parts. Namely the bobbin cover (plastic piece) and the plastic spooners up top for the bobbin. Otherwise it actually works fine.Any suggestion on where to order the parts? I am in bc Canada. Thank you loved the video too!
I've had this exact machine for over 40 years. When i use the reverse button now, it stays in reverse. Im wondering what is causing that and if i could somehow fix that problem?
Hey Paul! Just got this machine, but there is some thread that is stopping my take up lever from moving in its full motion. Any tips on how to easily unclog it?
I accidently posted a reply to R. Cruz that I meant to post as a general reply here. This is an excellent video, VERY WELL DONE, however the machine in the video is in need of a lithium grease lubrication that IS NOT covered in the Owners Manual. If you own one of these machines please look under my response to R Cruz for crucial information on lubrication, because as awesome as these machines are, they are 3 decades old and need some lithium TLC.
I’m getting ready to pick me up a 24 stitch and she said that it gets stuck when putting in reverse. Have you heard of such a problem and have any suggestions or recommendations? Thank you.
I’m so glad I found you! I had a Singer for 50 years. When I brought it to my friend he showed me the inside (bc it would not work). The gears were corroded. They had fallen apart. So I looked at one of his sewing machines, the 385, the one you have. It was an Alien To me. I downloaded a odd on it but what a joke. The writing was so small and when you enlarged it it was blurred. I pray you have other lessons. You’re good! The wheel on the right - Did you say only turn it away from you? Thanks.
HI Mr. Paul how do you open the FRONT COVER of the Kenmore. I have a Kenmore 30 stitch REVERSE BUTTON I think is lose. I want to check what's going in on. Can you make a video of it. Thanks.
