Mini Kennies on Parade

Are you looking for a fun vintage machine to take to classes and workshops?  Don't want to spend $300 to $500 for a Singer Featherweight?  Consider the 3/4 size Kenmores.  They may not be as cute as the Featherweights, but the cases are WAY cuter.

The other major reason to buy a mini Kenmore?  Well, do you ever want to do more than just straight stitch?  If you have a Featherweight you are either out of luck, or you have to install an attachment.  And uninstall it if you want to go back to straight stitching.  Even the earliest of the mini Kennies had zigzag and the oh-so-useful blind hem stitch and a FEED DOG DROP, and from the 1040 onward they had several stitches.

So why is the Featherweight the most expensive vintage machine?  Good old law of supply and demand.  Quilters love them and thus they have become trendy among quilters.  Supply low, demand high = price high.  And they ARE undeniably cute.  I have three Featherweights myself, so I'm not dissing them.  (Didn't pay the high prices but two of them need some serious work and on the third I just got extremely lucky.)

Very few Kenmores have ever been accused of being cute, or even attractive.  There are some early exceptions but most of them are pretty boring looking.  The mini Kennies fall into the boring category, IMHO.  But they sell for reasonable prices.  For only a few more pounds (of weight, not currency) than the Featherweight you get a whole lot more functionality.

Featherweight, naked:  11 pounds
Featherweight, in its case, 15 pounds
Kenmore 1040, naked:  15 pounds
Kenmore in its case:  17 pounds

Last week Barbara came over and brought some of her mini Kennies.  She's a fan.  I have one myself and we did a side by side comparison.  Here are our results, with additional notes from "folklore", i.e. things we have read but have not personally confirmed.  And Barbara is the Mini Kennie expert so most of the folklore is from her online reading.

Introducing the 3/4 size Kenmores

Kenmore 1020

we don’t have one

folklore:  not many of them were made

Kenmore 1030

 

• low shank
• two tone green
• feed dogs drop
• stitch selector and stitch length are brown plastic 

• Stitches (in order) 

• Straight stitch, shown as round red dot
• multizig
• button hole right
• button hole top or bottom
• buttonhole left
  blind hem

• handwheel must be turned to release handwheel to wind bobbin (as opposed to the pull-out handwheel on the 1050)
• presser foot regulator controlled from the top of the machine

• needle plate is one piece with no pop-outs as later models have. So you have to have two full needle plates, one for straight stitching and one for zigzag.

• Rose embossed case

1030 accessories that came with machine

Barbara reports that the same set of accessories came with every mini Kennie

• extra needle plate not shown in photo
• bobbins
• edge stitcher on a post compatible with Greist hemmers and other Greist attachments
  • we tested the Kenmore post with some Greist attachments and they did work.
    This means that you can add that fantastic set of Greist hemmers in several sizes.
    
    
• straight stitch foot
• case with 12 sewing machine needles
• adjustable zipper foot
• set of five buttonhole templates
  
  

  

  
  
• seam ripper
• set of two screwdrivers
• needle threader (two are shown in photo, one of those is for a different Kenmore)

Kenmore 1040

 

• low shank
• two tone green
• stitch selector and stitch length are plastic painted silver

• Stitches in order
• straight. Marked “S” (not the round red dot on the 1030 and 1050)
• button hole right
• buttonhole top or bottom
• buttonhole left
• blind hem
• multizig
  stretch stitch (two forward one back)
  
  

  

• handwheel must be turned to release handwheel to wind bobbin (as opposed to the pull-out handwheel on the 1050)
• presser foot regulator controlled from the top of the machine

• Needle plate has a removable insert so you can switch between straight stitch and zigzag without removing the whole plate, a very dandy feature.  And I discovered that I don't have the straight stitch insert for my 1040.

• Feed dogs drop

• Rose embossed case

See 1030 for list of included attachments

Kenmore 1045

we don’t have one

Barbara thinks they added a stitch

Kenmore 1050 

Major innovations were included on this model,  including slot threading.  I'm a big fan of slot threading.

We've popped the top here and perhaps you can see the thread path.

• low shank
• feed dogs drop
• stitch selector and stitch length are plastic painted silver (we think)

• Stitches (in order)
• straight (round red dot)
• multizig
• blind hem
• zigzag
• ?1 decorative stitch
• ?2 decorative stitch
• ?3 decorative stitch
  

  we couldn't figure out what to call them. 
• stretch stitch (two forward one back)
• buttonhole right
• buttonhole top or bottom
  buttonhole left
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
• handwheel pulls out to wind bobbin
• presser foot pressure controlled by a numbered dial
• Needle plate has a removable insert so you can switch between straight stitch and zigzag without removing the whole plate.
• tensioner on inside, part of the slot threading system

• totally different look
• beige with dark brown trim
• Rose embossed case (the last model to use the rose case)

See 1030 for list of included attachments 

Kenmore 1060

we don’t have one

We have read that it has a free arm, so it had to be taller, so it doesn’t fit in the rose embossed case

Flip Out Tray 

 

This is almost certainly overkill,  but hey, we already took the photos and this tray HAS defeated me on more than one occasion.  So if you are also a bit 3-dimensionally impaired, here is the definitive guide for accessing, removing, and replacing the tray.

Lift up the cover.  You can remove it or not but it takes one of your two hands to hold it in place.  I usually remove it but here you see Barbara holding it up and out of the way.

Flip the tray forward.

Open the cover to access the goodies inside.

You can remove the entire tray.  But then you have to figure out how it goes back in.  This is the part that tends to exceed my brain capacity.

So here I have shown you the correct orientation for getting it back in.

Here it is in place.

And the cover sits on top.  The fact that the cover and the front of the tray is discolored and yellowing actually helps me figure out which part of the tray goes in front.

But if yours is also discolored and you want it looking better. Barbara discovered a way to brighten it up.  Here's what she says:

"I used the 'developer 40' creme (on Amazon).  You brush it on, put the part in a ziploc plastic bag, then leave out in the sun for 20 minutes.  Check and see if it has lightened.  If not, leave out for a bit longer, but check every 5-10 minutes.  When appropriately lightened, wash with soap and water and then place back on machine.  You want to watch the lightening carefully because you don't want to weaken the plastic.  There's a lot of information on Google and on YouTube.  It worked great for me.  I would be careful if applying to metal/paint - could bubble if left on too long and then you're sc*****."

And click here here for a post by Retrofixes describing the method, with photos.

Rose Embossed Case 

 

ooh, pretty

But not terribly easy to deal with.  Although I'm sure that if it was your go-to machine it would quickly become easy.

On both sides of the case flip the latch down, push the button above the latch and slide it open at the bottom of the case.  Then remove the case.

That part is fairly obvious and not too bad.  The fun starts when you want to put it back in the case.

First take a look at the inside of the case and you will see that the two sides are NOT the same.  The rubber bumpers at the hinge end are closer together on one side than  on the other side.

There are four possible ways to TRY to get the machine into the case, but only one of them will work!

Place the front of the case face down with the top of the case resting against the bumpers that are farther apart (the ones to the right in the photo above).  When closed the feet of the machine are going to be sticking out of the bottom of the case.

I did put a piece of painters tape inside the case telling me how to do this but I kinda forgot about taking a picture of it.

The piece of blue painters tape that you can see is to keep the tray from flipping out while you are wrangling the machine back into the case.

Then tuck the foot pedal/motor controller inside and you are ready to close up the case.

This is what it looks like if you get it wrong.

And this is what it looks like if you get it right.

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Do you have one of these 3/4 size Kenmores?  How do you like it?  How do you use it?  For instance, do you take it to quilting classes or workshops?  Take it in your motor home?  Does it stay home with you?  Do tell us all about it!

Think you wanna be a blogger?

Hello dear readers.

Do you want to be a blogger?  You should give it a try.  You might have something worth saying that other people might want to hear.  Never know until you try.  And it's free.

There are a lot of good reasons to do it but that's not the reason for this post.  Let me know if you are interested in wandering down that rabbit hole.

But what I have to say today is just about the time commitment.

I have been working on an upcoming post about the Kenmores 1030, 1040 and 1050 and just happen to have kept track of how long it took.  You might or might not be surprised.

One blog post, one, repeat ONE has clocked in at 9 hours.

The first two hours were a fun playdate with Barbara, in which we did a side by side comparison of the three machines, taking photos and writing down the characteristics of the machines.

The next 7 hours included:

• Editing all the photos.  They might be rotated, cropped, brightened or all of the above.  It doesn't take long per photo to make them look a WHOLE lot better.  In a couple of photos I also added arrows or text to make things clearer.
• Creating a "new post" in Blogger. (takes seconds)
• Writing the text.  Re-writing the text. 
• Adding photos to the text.
• Realizing what was missing from the first photo shoot, getting the 1040 back out and taking more photos.
• Editing the additional photos
• Writing more text
• Emailing Barbara to ask questions about things I was unclear about.  Twice.
• Re-writing some more.

This was standard procedure.  When I first sat down to write the blog post I thought "Oh, this will be a snap because so much of the text is already written".  The notes from the playdate became the bulleted list of characteristics of each model.  But there was so much more to say and explain!  So it became just like all the other blog posts, which all take about this much time.

I'm not complaining btw.  I like doing this and there are those previously alluded to benefits.  But nobody pays me to do this and if I didn't want to do it, well, I just wouldn't.

Just thought you might be interested in the process, especially if you have thought about blogging.

If I was not an empty nest retired widow I seriously doubt if I would be doing this though.  Time is one resource I have plenty of, and this is one of the things I enjoy doing with it.

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Do you blog?  Why not share a link with us in the comments section below.  And let me know if it also takes you this much time.

 Or if you want to blog, what do you want to cover in your blog?

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Edit:  the post on the 3/4 size Kenmores is scheduled to be published on October 6, 2019.

How to Market a Black 15 Clone

Distinguishing characteristics of the 15 clone

Hello dear readers.  Lots going on this summer and if I get a minute I'll blog about it.  Lol.

But as you continue to wait in suspense for the 2,000 photos of my trip to Newfoundland, here's something about sewing machines.  I know you are here for the sewing machines.

I have written about Singer 15s and their clones before.  And I wrote about them again when I was Interviewed by Leah Day for her video podcast.  Which you can watch here if you missed it last year.  Or if you just remember how good it was and want to watch it over and over again.  Kind of like Princess Bride.

I removed the original motor and added a modern hand crank to this one.

I got an email a couple of weeks ago from a quilt guild buddy who wants to offload an old machine and asked for advice about selling it.  I gave her the quickie version and now I am going to share the bad news with everyone here, which is

Good luck.  You are going to need it.

There are a bazillion (technical term) fantastic vintage sewing machines out there.  Millions and millions certainly.  At least half of them are straight stitch only machines.  And only 3 people in your state are looking for one*.

*not verified scientifically in any way, statement not subject to review or approval by any intergalactic legal authority.  Your mileage may vary.

Now quilters love Featherweights and so do I.  They love them because they are cute and trendy and portable and so do I.  They fall in love with that absolutely perfect straight stitch.  And fail to realize that grandma's old machine down in the basement will do the EXACT SAME PERFECT STRAIGHT STITCH.  There are serious engineering reasons why a straight stitcher makes a better straight stitch than a zigzagger but it boils down to this:  straight stitchers were designed to do only that one thing.  And they do it brilliantly.

I have been buying and selling vintage and antique machines for about 10 years, only as a hobby and I do NOT make money doing this even if you DON'T factor in the labor costs.  So I have some idea of what does not sell in my market (I'm halfway between Raleigh and Greensboro NC).

Vintage zigzag machines I can sell all day long (what that ACTUALLY means is that they only spend a week or two on CraigsList).  All my machines are fully serviced and guaranteed for 30 days btw, which helps them sell.  If they are a pretty color they sell better, and I ask more for them.  And sorry, but I never ever put any pricing info on this blog for a multitude of reasons.  But for the price I ask for an excellent vintage machine you could buy a plastic wonder from Walmart, designed to last for months rather than decades or centuries.

Vintage multistitch machines are a MUCH harder sell even though I tell buyers that we can set it up for the zigzag stitch and they never ever have to turn those scary dials for the other stitches.  Doesn't matter.  Many buyers find those extra functions intimidating and just don't want them.  Modern manufacturers seem to be missing this point btw.

Scary

Scarier

Scariest.  These are all the same machine btw.

As for the straight stitch only machines, I do sell the pretty colored ones, often to a savvy seamstress who is looking for an extra machine in her studio and knows why she wants it.

But I had no luck selling the much more plentiful black straight stitch only machines until I stumbled on a marketing strategy.  Which I am going to share with you after the disclaimer that after the first donor machine in the story I  have sold a grand total of TWO on the following basis.

Here's the story:
My friend Nancy asked me to check out her plastic machine.  When I went over there to pick it up her partner Don threw in a black 15 clone from his workshop.  It was a very sorry and beat up looking machine.  He said he just wanted to get rid of it and would I take it?

The front of Don's 15 clone BEFORE cleaning

Little did he know, mwahahahaha.....

So I cleaned and oiled Nancy's machine and reset the tensioner.  Machine was fine for a plastic machine.  Then I tackled Don's.  Thorough cleaning and oiling and maybe a new bobbin winder tire (this was years ago).  Replaced the slide plate.  Scraped off the flaking areas of paint and touched them up with a Sharpie oil paint marker (not a regular Sharpie).  I won't claim that it looked like a million bucks after that but it looked respectable.

The back of Don's 15 clone AFTER cleaning

And then I loaded a size 18 needle in it, which is the largest size that a domestic machine will take (and still work lol).  I wound a bobbin with heavy duty thread.  NOT buttonhole thread which has a waxy coating and is not meant for machine sewing.  I set both the upper tension and bobbin tension for that thread.  I got some heavy duty canvas and tested how many layers it would sew through.  And got that lovely perfect straight stitch.

When I took Nancy's machine back I also took back Don's. I explained to them which one was the better machine (although hers does do zigzag which is definitely a good thing).  I suggested that he keep his as a workshop machine and that it would be perfect for boat cushions, a project I knew he had done before.

And then I went on to sell other machines (uh, the aforementioned two) using the technique highlighted in bold above.  I have a standard description of the wonders of vintage machines I use for CraigsList ads and to that I add a headline of "Workshop Sewing Machine" and stress the heavy duty nature of it and mention the boat cushions.  I also advise that this is not an industrial and if they are planning to manufacture boat cushions (or whatever) and run a machine on heavy duty stuff all day for weeks at a time,  what they really need is an industrial.  But this model is perfect for home workshop use.

So Susan from guild, if you made it this far I hope this might be useful information for you.  And for all the vintage sewing machine addicts out there who also need to offload some machines, let me know if this marketing technique works for you.

I do my best to avoid accumulating black straight stitchers these days but if another one shows up on my front porch, this is how I will attempt to get rid of it.

Playmobil Gender Issues

I'm a big fan of podcasts, and my favorite sewing podcast is Sewing Out Loud by Zede and Mallory Donahue.  They are a mother and daughter team with two lifetimes of sewing experience.  And they are very funny, one of my personal prerequisites for a podcast.

There is also a Facebook group, The Self Sewn Wardrobe, run by Mallory.  She stresses that this group is for EVERYONE.  And if you don't play nice, there is no whining and moaning by Mallory--she will just toss your worthless self out of the group pronto.  I really, really like this.  Cussing is absolutely allowed but criticism of anyone's body or lifestyle is absolutely not.  And the group is very helpful to any sewing person dealing with any kind of fitting issues, including those of body parts not appropriate to one's gender identity.  Have I been both appropriately specific yet vague in my vocabulary?  In the group one may be as explicit as one wants or needs to be.  It's been a real learning experience for me.

All this is background for my latest experience of being just-so-hilarious-I can-hardly stand myself.  But first, one more bit of background data.  My BFF is a real, honest-to-goodness professional archaeologist.

Now on to the story:
I was excited to find a Playmobil sewing set and I quickly ordered it.

Playmobil set 9437, Fashion Designer

The set was supposed to include a dolly, her dress form, and various sewing tools.

The red things represent tools that can be clipped into the dolly's hand.  These were missing from my set.  But I didn't care one little bit because what I got instead was an extra dolly.

So, here we have the dressmaker and her client!  Fantastic!  (The decals in the back are decorations you can add to the garments.)

Not long after buying the Playmobil sewing set I saw a Playmobil archaeologist.  Had to have that too.

Playmobil set 9359.  Archeologist (not the way I usually spell it though)

Just one problem with the archaeologist though.  He is very definitely male.  And Playmobil did not offer a female version.  As I was thinking about being bothered by this I realized that I had not given one tiny thought to the fact that the only option for the sewing set was female.  Get with the 21st century Playmobil!  (and me too!)

Archaeology is a dirty messy business! 

Can you see where this is going?  Mwahahahah....  YouTube was my next stop....

Where I discovered that Playmobil people CAN be dis-assembled.  Apparently this is quite a big thing, with people customizing the heck out of them and selling them online.  So I had to give it a try.

Voila!  A female archaeologist!  I packed her back in the original box with all the archaeologist's tools and goodies and sent her off to my friend, who was appropriately amused.

And the other dolly became a guy in a dress.  What is his story?  Lots of possibilities, but

I think he's an entertainer, a drag queen, and he is visiting the dressmaker for a fitting.  He didn't bother to shave because he's not appearing in public, just having a private visit.  Which is also why I am calling him "he", because he is not really in his female persona at the moment.

Gender vocabulary has changed as our society has opened up.  I'm doing my best to keep up!

Spartan does Steampunk Viking

Never heard of Steampunk Viking?  That's because I made it up.

About ten years ago I bought a large piece of leather for $5 at a thrift store.  SIL Mary says I shouldn't bother to say "I bought it at a thrift store" because I buy almost EVERYTHING at thrift stores.  She says it would be more efficient to only mention it when I buy something that is NOT from a thrift store.

Anyhow, this item was obviously once the cover for a large ottoman.  It had interesting seams and variations in color and was not noticeably worn.  Unfortunately that particular thrift store had a very moldy smell and when I got the leather home I realized that it smelled moldy also.

So I washed it.  In the washing machine.  With hot water.  And detergent and BLEACH.  Because mold is horrible and only $5 was at risk.  And it came out just fine.  I dried it on the line rather than in the dryer though, on the don't-push-your-luck-any-more-than-you-have-to principle.

Then I shoved it in a drawer and it took up one whole drawer of a lateral file cabinet.  And pondered what to do with it.  About 5 years ago I decided that it would make an awesome heavy duty apron.  About 2 years ago I decided that it needed to be a Viking themed apron.  Because Lagertha of the TV series Vikings is my role model.  Except for all the bloodshed and killing, of course.

And this year was the year I finally got that leather out to work on it.

Once I had opened up the corner seams so that it would lie flat I discovered that I could get at least two aprons out of it.  Nice, because I have two daughters.  I only had vague notions of how to Viking it up but I cut the aprons out.

Once of the categories of things I hoard is metal belts.  I pay less than $2 for them (from guess where) and I have accumulated a lot of them over the decades.  By "metal belts" I mean the kind one wears around one's waist, not anything industrial.  Chains, interesting metal shapes, hearts, butterflies, in gold, silver, and bronze colors.  I thought they would be interesting on the aprons.  Because I just never find chain mail in the places where I shop.

So I got the two aprons cut out without any clear idea of where I was going next with this project.  One of the things I do while having insomnia (a nightly occurrence) is plan the sequence of events for sewing or craft projects.  This time there was a sudden flash when all of the pieces fell into place all at once.  I love it when this happens.

And this was my revelation:  Leather loops at the top or neck edge and waist edges.  Split rings in the loops.  Lobster claw clasps threaded on to the split rings.  THREE lobsters per ring.  One is for the neck strap and waist ties.  The other two can hold the decorative chains.  Pockets and other decorations attached to the chains.  All of this in a blinding flash of less than a second, I kid you not.  So much for absorbing lots of insomnia time.

To sew leather you need the right tools and the right attitude.  The tools:  a roller foot, a leather needle, and some heavy duty thread.  The roller foot is cheap, at least for low shank machines.  There's one on amazon right now for less than $5.

roller foot

The leather needle is a must because leather is totally different from fabric.  With fabric, the needle more or less slides in between the fibers.  This varies, of course, with the type and weave of the fabric and the size of the needle you use, but that's the general idea.  With leather, the needle has to punch a hole in the leather and it has a wedge shape to the point to accomplish this.  On leather this weight I used a size 16 leather needle.  On garment leather a 14 would be better.

And you have to have the right attitude because you get ONE SHOT at whatever you are trying.  There is no ripping out and re-sewing.  Once the hole is there it is there forever.  And you had better have a long stitch length because if you have tiny stitches you have just created a line of perforations that could easily lead to a tear along that line.

For the same reason you can't pin it, although leather this thick wouldn't take pins.  Handy little seam clamps work just fine.

I tried a sample of three layers of the leather (mocking up the loop configuration) first on my modern(ish) Pfaff and got the results I expected:  the Pfaff just laughted at me.  Fortunately I knew I had a machine that just might be able to handle it:  A Singer 192 Spartan with a retrofit hand crank.  The Spartan is the budget version of the Singer 99, both are 3/4 size machines.  I keep the Spartan in the studio for sewing persons who are also children to use.  And sometimes even adults get to use it.

Years ago I read a blog post by a leather worker who raved about the abilities of a Singer 99 to handle leather.  Something about superior torque, which I only slightly understand and not well enough to tell you about.

Now there is leather and there is leather.  Thin garment leather can be sewn on just about any machine.  Saddle leather can be sewn on giant machines manufactured specifically for that purpose.  I got to try one once--you stepped INTO the machine which wrapped itself around you.  Awesome sewing experience.  That leather was 1/4 inch thick.

Folks, I won't kid you.  Yes, the Spartan managed this furniture weight leather, but just barely.  It was hardcore hand-to-hand combat all the way, especially over those seams!  I was able to use the hand crank about 80% of the time, but the other 20% I was turning the hand wheel by hand.  And there are a fair number of skipped stitches.

No backtacking either, but you can pull the threads through, tie them, and use some Fray Check on them.

After I had the first two aprons cut out I realized that I had two pieces left that, if sewn together, could create another apron.  Great, because one daughter has recently acquired a fiancee who is very handy around the house.  Nice addition to the family!  He obviously needs a leather apron also.

I had to piece the leather for that last apron and instead of just sewing on some leather loops I had to sew a long seam.  Then once it was sewn I had to find a way to flatten the seam open (it was just too bulky to leave it alone.  The original seams of the leather ottoman had some kind of seam tape glued over them.  I used my enormous hoard of yardsticks and c-clamps and got results that were acceptable.  Just.

There are yardsticks inside also.

After they were finished I wiped them down with neatsfoot oil.  Leather is an organic material that will dry out and crack.  I use neatsfoot oil on my leather shoes and bags twice a year.  It soaks in and disappears.

OK, aprons made, time to glam them up.  I'm sure I had 10 times as much fun making them as the recipients had receiving them.  I used all sort of things from old keys including a skate key, old dog and cat tags, the little tools that come with DIY stuff, and lot of other bits and bobs laying around.  And I went to the dollar store for the weapons.

I experimented with a lot of different designs.

And a bath towel draped around the shoulders that is supposed to look like some sort of cloak.  but sadly looks exactly like a bath towel.

So how do you wrap Steampunk Viking aprons for Christmas?   ummm, garbage bags.....?

Aprons on the 2 dress forms and a giant bolster.  Garbage bags labeled with names and titles in English and in Norse runes.  Of course.

They were received with hilarity.  One daughter didn't want to be seen and the other reasonably requests photo approval in advance, and right now I can't be bothered.

The practical daughter had all the bling whipped off so fast I didn't get a photo of  her with all the chains and weapons!

Jim has an appropriately Viking presence.

I had a ridiculous amount of fun doing this and it took a ridiculous amount of time.  Time, time I got.  Time has a totally different meaning when one is retired!

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Well, it only took me 6 months to finish telling you about Christmas.  I'm just back from a bucket list trip to Newfoundland and I'll  be writing about that.  Because I want to write about it.  And I do know, dear readers, that you are here for the SEWING MACHINES.  There will be a few, but only a few.

If I have any readers in or from Newfoundland, please let me know!  I'm already looking for excuses to go back.  Maybe I really need to meet you and have lunch.  With scrunchions.