Kenmore 15817572, 15817571, 15817570 Owner’s Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

[ Knowing Your Sewing Machine

identifying Parts ............................. 1,2

Installing Machine .............................. 3

Winding the Bobbin ........................... 4

Threading the Bobbin Case .................. 5

"[hreading of Top Thread ..................... 6

Using the Controls

Top Tension Control .................... 7.8

Adjusting Bobbin Tension .................. 9

Checking Tensions ....................... 10

Stitch Length Control ,,: ............... 1t 12

Stitch Width Control .................. l t, 12

Reverse Stitch Control .................. 11. t2

Special Stitch Variegator .................. ', t

Metal Cam .................................. |3

Special Stitch Dial ................... 14.15, 16

Pressure Regulator ........................ | 7

Feed Dog Control ...... •.................... t8

Sewing Light................................. 18

Multi Purpose Needle Plate ............... 19

Accessories

Needles ................................ 20 21

Presser Feet ................................ 22

Buttonhole Attachment .................... 23

]_ Starting to Sew ............................ 24

Garment Construction Stitches

Straight Stitching .......................... 25

Zigzag Stitching ........................... 26

Chain Stitching ............................. 27. 28

Stretch Stitching ............. 29 30.3t 32

Special Finishing Stitches

Satin Stitching ............................. 33

Buttonhole Making ....................... 34

Appliqueing °;. .............................. 35

Blind. Hemming ....................... 35.36

_[ Checking Performance Problems .... 37, 38

Hints on Sewing on Different Fabrics 39.40

p/" Caring for the Machine

Cleaning Feed Dogs end Shuttle ........ 42

Oiling Under Arm Cover Plate ........... 43

Oiling Underside ........................... 44

Oiling in Face Cover Plate ................. 44

Parts List ................................. 45.46

1. KNOWING YOUR MACHINE-

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FRONT VIEW

BACK VIEW

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1. Hand Hole Cover Plate

2. Seam Guide Lines

3. PresserFoot

4. Needle Clamp Screw

5. Thread Cutter

6. Thread Guide

7. Top Thread Tension Control

8. Thread Guide

9. Face Cover Plate

10, Take-up Lever

11. Upper Thread Guides

12. Special Stitch Variegator 13, Stitch Length Control

14. Reverse Stitch Control 15, Stitch Width Control

16. Special Stitch Dial

17. Light and Power Switch

18. Feed Dog Control

19. Nomenclature Plate

20. Clutch Knob

21. Hand Wheel

22. Bobbin Winder

23. Thread Spool Pins

24. Design Cam Cover

25. Bobbin Winder Tension Disc

26. Pressure Regulator

27. Presser Foot Lever

28. Presser Foot Thumb Screw

29. Multi Purpose Needle Plate 30, Feed Dogs

INSTALLINGMACHINE

WINDINGTHEBOBBIN

® ®

Loosenthe two hinge screws under holes in the rear edge of the ma-

chine bed.

2. Raise hinge pins in the cabinet cutout. Slip machine head onto

pins.

3. Tighten hinge screws securely.

4. Push the speed control plug onto three-prong connector under the

bed plate. Lower machine head to

front cabinet flap.

Lower machine head to front

cabinet flap.

5. Plug machine cord into any 110-

120 volt wall outlet. Turn on power by pushing light and power switch.

6. Spool pins are packed in accessory box; after screwing thread spool

pins in place, wipe machine care- fully of excess oil used in shipping.

1. Draw thread from spool through bobbin winder tension disc as

shown in Fig. 1.

2. Wind threadaroundanempty bob-

bin severaltimesas in Fig.2.

3. Place bobbin onto bobbin winder

shaft with thread wound on bobbin

clockwise. Push bobbin winder latch against bobbin until it clicks.

4. Release clutch by turning clutch

knob toward you. Start machine.

5. When bobbin is full, winding mechanism stops.

6. Tighten clutch knob and remove

bobbin.

THREADINGTHEBOBBINCASE THREADINGOFTOPTHREAD

Fig. 1

1. To remove bobbin from the shuttle, raise needle to its highest position.

Remove hand hole cover plate.

2. Pull open latch of bobbin case.

3. Pull bobbin case straight out of

shuttle.

4. Insert bobbin into bobbin case making sure thread is coming

from bobbin as shown.

5. Pull thread through slot of case as shown.

6. Pull thread under tension spring.

7. Holding latch open, position case into shuttle, and release latch. Case

should lock into place when latch

is released.

8. Hold needle thread loosely in left hand and rotate hand wheel toward

you one complete turn. Bring bob-

bin thread up by pulling upper

thread.

Place thread on spool pin as shown

with thread coming from the back of the spool. Draw thread through the

top thread guides. Holding the spool stationary with right hand, pull the end

of the thread between the tension discs as shown. Pull the spring wire loop up and past the top hook until the thread

Fig. 2

;__ Fig. 3

can be slipped into the hook (See Fig.

1). When the thread is released, the

spring wire loop will return to position

(See Fig. 2) with thread in proper place. Release spool of thread and

continue to thread machine exactly as shown. Needle mustalways be thread- ed in direction as shown in Fig. 3.

5 6

CONTROLS

TOP TENSION CONTROL

Probably the most important control on your machine is this one that regulates your top thread tension. It consists of discs between which the thread passes. The pressure on these discs is regulated by turning the dial on the front of the control. The higher the number, the tighter the tension.

There are many reasons for having to reset your tension. The best tension

for one fabric may not be correct for another. The required tension depends upon the stiffness of the fabric, thickness of the fabric, numbers of layers of

fabric being sewn, as well as the type of stitch you are making.

ADJUSTING TOP TENSIONS

0 Upper thread too tight

t_ t. -

" I! =, t/

Upper thread too loose

A perfect straight stitch will have threads locked between the two

layers of fabric with no loops on

top or bottom.

Decrease Tension

It is best to test the stitching on a scrap of the fabric you are using before starting to make a garment. To adjust for the correct stitch, see next page.

Increase Tension

ADJUSTING BOBBIN TENSION,

CHECKING TENSIONS

Bobbin tension requires adjusting less frequently than the upper thread

tension.

If the stitch is satisfactory but the seam is puckered, it may be necessary to loosen the tension on both the top and bottom threads. Be sure to balance

them as indicated on Page 9.

When adjusting the tension on the bobbin case, make slight adjustments with

•a screwdriver.

DECREASE TENSION

Turn Counter Clockwise.

INCREASE TENSION

To check the thread tension balance, be sure to use mercerized thread of the

same size on the top and on the bobbin; and a sharp, correctly sized needle

for the fabric you are sewing. Begin with a full bobbin. Set the stitch length for about 12 stitches per inch.

Fold a 6" square of fabric in half diagonally, forming a triangle. Make a line of stitching 1/2" in from the fold.

a. If seam is puckered - both tensions are too tight.

b. If the bottom thread lays on the fabric - tighten upper thread

tension, and repeat test. See Fig. 3, Page 8.

c. If the top thread lays on the fabric - loosen upperthread tension,

and repeat test. See Fig. 2, Page 8.

Grasp the stitching and pull with a snap to make the threads break.

a. If both threads break - tensions are balanced.

b. If neither thread breaks - both tensions are too loose.

c. If upper thread breaks - loosen top tension.

d. If lower thread breaks - tighten top tension.

Both threads do not have to break at the same place, but they should break

on the same snap.

It is necessary to reduce the upper thread tension somewhat when zigzag stitching. The wider the stitch, the less tension that is needed. This is par-

ticularly important when making designs. It is not desirable to have any of

bottom thread visible on the right side of the fabric when making designs.

Turn Clockwise.

9 10

STITCH LENGTH CONTROL

The stitch length control regulates the length of the stitch you select. THE

HIGHER THE NUMBER - THE SHORTER THE STITCH. Turn only the outer

rim of this control to set the stitch length.

The number on stitch length control indicates stitch number per inch. The stitch setting you use will be determined by the thickness of the fabric

you are sewing.

A longer stitch setting should be used for thicker fabric or more layers of fabric.

The middle range of the control is the 10-12 stitch per inch range which is the most commonly used.

A basting stitch ismade by using the longest possible stitch setting - 6 stitches per inch.

The red marking m on the control is the setting used for the shortest stitches such as in Satin Stitching.

STITCH WIDTH CONTROL

This control regulates the width of the stitch you select. THE HIGHER THE

NUMBER - THE WIDER THE STITCH. You may vary your zigzag stitch width

by adjusting this control to the setting you desire. This control must be on Red Dot in order to do straight stitching,

Turn only the outer rim of this control to set the stitch width. The center of the control dials the special stitches the machine is capable

of sewing.

STITCH LENGTH CONTROL

STITCH WIDTH CONTROL

REVERSE STITCH CONTROL

It is best to begin and end seams with a few stitches taken in reverse. This is called back tacking. Back tacking fastens the ends of the seams firmly

and prevents raveling. When reversestitching isneeded, simply lower the lever and hold there during

sewing, The fabric will immediately start feeding backwards and the seam will be fastened.

REVERSE STITCH CONTROL

11 12

SPECIAL STITCH VARIEGATOR SPECIAL STITCH DIAL

There are certain types of utility stitches you will use often in your home

sewing. This control enables you to just dial the stitch you need for the task at hand.

All stitches printed in red on the dial must be sewn with the Special Stitch

Variegator set at the Red Dot.

This control determines the feed of the feed dogs. All _imple forward stitcl_es require that this control be set at the red dot. These stitches are the

straight stitch, zigzag, mending, blind hem, and basic decorative desig,n_

Stretch stitches and reverse stitch designs are made by setting the Special Stitch Variegator to point to the white and green dots or adjusted slightly

toward the white arrow head mark above the dots. See next section for

specific settings for individual stitches.

METAL CAM

Cam

White

Indicator Pin.

When you open the Design Cam Cover you will find a metal cam in the machine as illustrated. This cam must remain in the machine at all times,

unless you are using one of the plastic design cams.

Position

To make the stitches printed in white and green on this dial,the Special Stitch Variegator must be set at the white and green dots.

THE RED DOT SETTING

The setting illustrated above is the one used for most of your stitching. At this setting you may straight stitch, stretch stitch and make a simple zig zag stitch. As each stitch is dependent upon the settings of your other

controls, carefully read the directions in thi_ next section of the book for the various stitches.

It is best to have the cam so placed that the white zone is aligned with the indicator pin. This will allow you to sew the stitches printed in white on

your Special Stitch Dial. To make the green stitches, reposition the metal

cam so that the green zone is adjacent to the indicator pin.

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