SHE IS JUST LIKE THE ONE I HAVE A GOOD MACHINE HAVE FUN
ELSIE

I need some help please. I decided to try treadling. My machine will sew a few stitches and than the needle becomes unthreaded. The needle is new. I have taken the needle out to make sure that the flat side is on the right, just like the manual says. I have rethread it and made sure that I threaded it right to left. Both the top and the bottom thread seems to move smoothly. The machine has plently of oil. I just had it service by a vintage repair man. Does anyone have any idea of the the problem could be? Kathie

try a new needle.

Kathie, this hair had nothing to do with you or your animals. This machine made the same stitch when you had her. I remember when you tried to use her at last month's Girls Night Out -- she was sewing the same way! We all thought it was your thread remember? Well, this hair was a very long human hair that had been in there a very long time. It just got missed at our FW maintenance class. Didn't Linda even play a lot with your tensions, etc., trying to get a better stitch? I would have thought the stitch was ok if it were not for the fact that I know what a perfect stitch these machines can do - besides, it just didn't sound right either. No, this machine was new to you too, and this problem was before you I am sure! I just kept re-reading the book and searching until I found the problem! The book says in several places how the FW was made so small with perfectly fit parts that a thread can mess it up - there is no wiggle room!

Nancy

Wow, I have never seen that Kenmore either! The decals have a red tint -- even the ones on the bed -- and it looks just like a 15 clone!

Nancy

Yes! We have all gone through that -- it is called human error! Kathie, when I started treadling all I could do was go back and forth and break the top thread. I doubt if your machine is just becoming unthreaded - it probably is your treadling! You should practice without thread at first until you can start and stop without the machine taking a back turn - which is what breaks the top thread! If you put thread on the machine - you will get smoother as you practice, but your problem is very common when you first start to treadle -- it takes lots of practice! Hang in there and just keep practicing -- you will get better and better and the thread issue will go away!

Nancy

I'm thinking I should get it... I have wanted a Singer 15, and this Kenmore may work just the same. It's in pretty great condition, cosmetically. One thing I didn't see on it was a power cord. If it's missing, I wonder how hard it would be to find a replacement.

Has anyone seen this machine before and know the approximate age? I'm thinking mid-50's...

That was my first thought, too. When learning to treadle, you often let the wheel roll backwards, and if it makes the machine sew backwards it will break the thread. The old machines were made to go forward only, and the wheel rolling backwards will break that thread after about 2 sts. I'm still getting the hang of this myself, treadling on the Old Girl you see in my avatar.

I am by no means an expert, and I am probably wrong about this, but, going by your description, if the flat of the needle is to the right, shouldn't the needle be threaded left to right?

It looks like the Kenmore power cord is there. It may have tape on it, in which case you'd want to have it checked before plugging it in. My Singer 128 from 1952 has the cord wired into the motor - not a plug in like the 1956 301.