Thanks QuiltMom2. I have the #14 microtex needles and a partial spool of the 40 weight thread, so that sounds like a good start. I love your story about your trusty old Kenmore!
When my parents bought my first sewing machine in the late 1960s, we considered Kenmores and Singers. I got a Singer because it was lighter and we were not as confident in the Kenmore brand. What a huge mistake! We did not realize Singers had begun to decline in quality. They were not as good as their lovely Singer ancestors. The heavier weight of that era’s basic Kenmores was an indication they were made better than their lighter Singer counterparts.
The basic Singer machine I got could barely sew through thick layers and had frequent tension issues. I recall one plastic dial that kept coming off. Keep in mind, I was a child (not even a teenager) on my own with that horrid Singer, because no adults in my close family sewed. My frustration using it may have hampered my inclination to sew and to advance my skills. It lasted through about seventeen years of light-to-moderate sewing. I was relieved when it no longer worked well enough to use and was not a good candidate for yet another repair. I could finally justify getting a different machine!
I see the same late 1960s Singer model sometimes advertised as heavy-duty now. An upholstery-fabric project on that old model will likely kill it. It probably only lasted this long because people hated sewing with it. JMO.
This 158 Kenmore machine I just bought impresses me, and your words about that series of Kenmores is encouraging. I wish I would have got a Kenmore as a child. I have several machines, now. I do my best to help others avoid the pitfalls of giving bad sewing machines to children and beginners.