My sewing machine????

Question

well i've had a kenmore sewing machine for about five years and it's not that top of quality. the threads are very loose no matter what tension i adjust it too. i'm really frustrated. and the loose threads are the same way for my button hole stitch. should i get a tune up or get a new sewing machine with all the fancy features. i'm kind of a beginner sewer but then i'm kind of not. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Sears normally sells machines that work reasonably well even if the common machines are not outstanding.  Therefore it is likely that an adjustment is off.   I use a 50 year old Necchi that my mother originally had and when I change thread I can create some unbelieveably messy thread tangles.  I also discovered I was missing a simple placement of thread on the bobbin.

If you have the directions or can download them, you might begin by doing the steps they suggest for a user adjustment and tune up.  You may find you are skipping a step on the threading path that is critical.  Be sure you are doing your checking with pretty standard thread and fabric, not super thin or super slippery

Answer 2

Can you afford a new machine? If you are buying a new machine, then consider and electronic machine. You are going to spend about $600 +  You can get your machine cleaned and oiled for about $100 + or -. I can't tell what your problem is from what you've said. Is the thread coming up from the bobbin or is the top thread loose? If you take a sewing class from a fabric store, you can often use their machines and find out what you like. The Viking Galleries inside JoAnn sometimes offer classes, or Joann's offers classes. Sometimes there are beginner classes for things, like an apron or pajamas, or pillow cases, and even quilts. This is a great way to learn how the newer machines work and what the features are.

Answer 3

I have had a lot of the same problems and found out it's the quality of the thread I use.  You can not expect the sewing quality to be the same if you're not using  the proper thread and size of thread.  It's worth a try, a sharp needle and good thread.  A needle is only sharp for 6-8 hours, a dull needle cause lots of tension problems!!

Answer 4

just remember..

its not the size of the needle

its the speed of the sewing machine

Answer 5

Well sometimes it is something really simple. It depends on how much you are willing to pay for another machine. It could be cheaper to take it to a repairman.  You  can buy a machine at Wal mart for a little over a $100.00.

Answer 6

First, has it been cleaned out and oiled?  The manual has the care of your machine section.  I would start with that first.

It may be a simple fix.  Is it on both the upper and lower thread tension?  Is it the top threads or the bottom threads that are bunching up?  In the sewing manual does it mention the number to set at for the top tension?  

Here is someone that has a problem simular to yours.

http://www.sewing.com/forum/Default.aspx...

If that still doesn't fix it, I would see if Sears has a repair person or can recommend one.  Look for a local shop and see how much it may cost.  If it hasn't had a tune up in 5 years, sounds like that would be one thing that would need to be done.  

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/nb_10153_1260...

I have a Kenmore 385.16231 sewing machine for about 3 years, found out it was Janome brand with Sears putting the Kenmore name to it.  Its a good machine.  I bought it cause I didn't want or need all those fancy features, I wanted a reliable sewing machine that does what I need it to do.

Answer 7

I've struggled with this myself with my cheap Brother sewing machine.  I kept changing the tension and nothing seemed to help. So I tried  cleaning out the inside of the machine, like where the bobbin goes. That gets really dusty and makes my machine work badly. I also tried different stitches with different materials as well as fiddling with the tension.  Continue to try your tension. Between cleaning out the machine and fiddling with stitches and tension, it started to work fine. I wish I could tell you for sure.  I know, you said you tried the tension, but so did I. I kept changing it and nothing seemed to work, then, all of the sudden, I just found the right spot on my tension k**b or something and it worked. Good luck!

Answer 8

Unfortunately, a modern sewing machine at the low end of the line is not going to do anyone much good for very long - no matter how careful you are with it - and sadly, it doesn't even matter what brand you get. IMHO, the plastic machines that are sealed to prevent owner maintenance aren't worth what you pay for them.

I'd definitely not buy another of the same price range and if it's one of the low-end machines, I wouldn't even waste the money on getting it serviced.

Instead, look on craigslist or eBay and find a good all-metal, owner-serviced machine - a Kenmore from the 70's is unbeateable - they came with 25 and 30 year warranties back at a time when other brands came with 1-3 year warranties. Find a Kenmore 117.840 (or 841) a 158.1802, (or 1803, 1914, 1702, 1703) or something similar. Ideally, it will come with all the bells and whistles.

I bought a 158.1803 with all its toys for $75 plus shipping and I just bought a 158.1802 today (Sears Best) with all of its toys for $25. There wasn't a thing in the world wrong with that machine except that it had been sitting since probably the mid-70's and was frozen stiff.

Getting it properly lubed and loosened up took ten minutes and now it's running like a champ. It's going to take me a couple of hours to detail clean it with denatured alcohol, but once that's done, I'm going to have another phenomenal machine that will do all kinds of crazy-quilt stitches, buttonholes three ways, monograms, chain-stitching, fabulous free-motion quilting and embroidery (thread-painting) and will sew through just about anything I can get under the feed dogs.

Learn how to do your own maintenance - it's much easier to do than you might think, and way cheaper than taking it in to a shop.

Besides saving a lot of money and getting a huge value, it's great fun to get something running when it's been broken and given up for dead.

The older machines have a lot of very cool features - they just require another step or two in order to access them than the modern push-button wonders do. But, the older machines will be working for you long after the push-button wonder has gone belly-up.

There is just almost nothing you can do to truly "break" one of these old gals. Old Singers are the same way - look for a 401, 403, 500, 503, 600E, 626 or 628 with all their "stuff."

The 401's and 500's are in higher demand, so they are more expensive but the other machines will do everything that they will. And the 600 series machines on up will also do chainstitching and/or basting, which is very handy.

Some of the post-WWII Japanese-made machines are excellent stitchers and will cost very little to acquire or maintain.

Good luck and have a great time! :)