Serpentine stitch on a Kenmore?
 

I have seen some beautiful quilts done with the serpentine stitch but can't seem to figure out how to do it on my Kenmore 385. Any tutorials available?

Not all machines have a serpentine stitch. Some people just use a straight stitch and a walking foot and manipulate the quilt to form a serpentine line.

385 what? That is only the first digits which tell the manufacturer(in this case Janome). Need to know the rest of the digits which are the model number. Like Feline Fanatic said, not all machines have a serpentine stitch.

Cari

So, if you have a serpentine stitch, you'd select that stitch. Then take the stitch length to about 2, and the stitch width to it's widest number. Use a walking foot if you have one.

I just turn the dial. One of my machines does not have it all my brothers do.
I too love the serpentine stitch to quilt with. it's a fun stitch. good luck.

Serpentine is a specific decorative stitch. If your machine has it, the icon for it will look like an S. Chances are if you have to ask here, your machine does not do this stitch. Here is a link to a photo of a machine that has the serpentine stitch (#21): http://thesewingcorner.blogspot.com/...stitch-do.html

Edit: Well, I looked at the logo for that serpentine stitch again and it really doesn't look like an S. If you stitch out all the decorative stitches on your machine and none of them look like the serpentine stitch, your machine doesn't have it. Here is a photo of the serpentine stitch (do a ctl/F on your computer and type in serpentine to go directly to the section):
http://www.sew4home.com/tips-resourc...pular-part-1-4

As someone else mentioned, if your machine does not have a serpentine stitch, a good substitute is to use a walking foot and manually guide your quilt sandwich from side to side as you sew.

I was surprised that my Janome Magnolia 7330 did not come with a serpentine stitch. :( Seems like a pretty common stitch that is used a lot by quilters. I will practice using the walking foot & manually guiding my fabric from side to side.

I think it is a decorative stitch on newer upper end machines. My Janome 9900 has it...my smaller 3050 does not .
Sandy

I have an older, small Kenmore and to do the serpentine stitch, I select the zigzag and then adjust both the stitch length and width to 3. It provides a nice curve instead of the sharp corner of the zigzag. You may have to experience with the length & width on your machine, because I have shown this to other people and their machine will be slightly different.

My Bernina 1530 doesn't have the stitch but the 1230 has which surprised me. I will have to try Tartan's suggestion.

Thanks for the input. You are all so nice. I was hoping to be able to just select a stitch and go as I am trying to quilt a king size quilt and manhandling that thru the machine is already a chore without trying to add the curves myself.

I have an Activa 230 Bernina and number 4 zig zag does the Serpentine if you adjust both the length and width and use a walking foot. I would think most machines would behave the same way if you can adjust the zig zag....

No matter what you do to it a zig zag stitch does not become a serpentine. The serpentine is rounded on both sides, not sharp like a zig zag. Either your machine has a specific serpentine stitch, or it does not. My babylock has a great serpentine stitch, but my Pfaff does not.

Same here. Awhile back I was determined to find a machine with the blanket stitch, and got myself a new (but used) Janome that had it. Next thing I know, the serpentine is must-have stitch, and I've been surprised at how hard it is to find, at least on machines in my price range. I think I will have to try the freehand serpentine with a walking foot, too.