You sold the Elna??? I'm shocked. I have the purple Kenmore in hiding around here. High shank attachments and needles aren't hard to find. I remember having tension problems with mine. That's what drove me to buy my Elna. I have used the Kenmore for SITD quilting and it behaved then.

Enjoy yours.

Why do you think it takes a special needle? It shouldn't.

You are a shopper and a busy one, you did good.

The flat side is to the right and you thread it from back to front.

Thanks! I told my husband, "I know this is awful, because I see the green one every time I walk in and out of the house, but I want a purple one!"

I did sell Elna. Someone offered to buy it for more than I got it for, and I thought I'd found true love with the Juki... so how could I say no?! She was a great sewer, tho. I hope "Kenny" does as well. No more than I sew, I need to stop collecting!

You don't need a special needle for the purple Kenmore. It takes the same class 15 needle as the other machines you have had.

May I ask why you feel you don't deserve a 700.00 sewing machine? Sew on the Juki. It is a great machine, much better than any other machine you have brought home to date. If you keep neglecting it, I'm going to have to come show you how to use it. Don't make me come down there! :)

Oh please come! Please come!! :) I've offered to help you with your hand-quilting in exchange!

The Juki is a good one. Really good. I made my kid a pair of pants the other day, and it made the process so simple! Usually I'm frustrated and hatin' it, but it did all the work and all I had to do was feed it the fabric.

It's not that I don't deserve it, I just don't use it and don't see me using it anymore than I would use a $20 machine. It would be like having a $2,000 oven to cook my frozen pizzas in haha. Besides, I'm afraid I'd mess it up. I'm not afraid to mess up a machine that I can afford to replace right away.

You are not going to mess it up. Why be frustrated with a 20.00 machine. You yourself said how nice it was to sew the pants and not be frustrated. If a machine is a pleasure to use, you will use it and it won't just sit collecting dust.

I'm thinking your 158. prefix machines were made by Jaguar for Sears. Don't hold me to it though.
I'm searching for the chart of manufacturers prefixes. After the 158. prefix 385. is the next manufacturer prefix which is Janome.

That's not a special needle.