My vintage Kenmore 158.130 picks up the bobbin thread, but won't stitch. It is threaded correctly, the tension is OK, and I cleaned and oiled it. Everything moves so smoothly just as if it's stitching, but it never forms a stitch. Could it be the needle length? The needle I'm using was already on it.
By Penny
Is the needle currently on the machine even coming down far enough to penetrate the fabric? Turn the handwheel and watch to see if it is. If not, there's your answer - order the correct needles for the fabric you want to sew and watch for the postie or courier van:)
However, the problem may be something different. As you write you're in a remote location, give serious consideration to using the Sears website to order a replacement manual for the machine if you don't already have one. You don't say if you do have it, so I'm taking a jump and suggesting the manual purchase.
Also, whilst on the Sears parts and repair site, look for the location of the closest authorised Kenmore machine repair tech - as this is a vintage machine, even though you've cleaned and oiled it, there may be a worn part inside that is best looked at by a repair tech.
I love vintage machines and do a good bit of repair on them here in Scotland where I now live (lived in the US 40+years). But buying and using vintage sewing machines is not for the faint of heart - parts wear with age and conditions-of-use (dusty, going too fast, more, all can wear a machine no matter how good it looks on the outside), and all sewing machines require periodic inspection by a qualified repair tech to stay on top of potential problems (wearing parts, parts about to fail, etc).
Best of luck to you. I've lived in a remote, rural area and know how sewing machines (and other home-craft tools) are needed for household items, and creative outlet! I hope you and your machine have many happy sewing years ahead.
My Kenmore 1941 is not stitching. Any advice?
This can happen for many reasons:
maybe spring is broken,
maybe lint or dust got into the oil during sitting unused for long time and oil inside becomes glue like and freezes up moving parts. Then warm up your sewing machine with a hair dryer set on medium during 20 min, clean areas that you can get to easily and add 1-2 drops of fresh sewing machine oil.
There is a post about repairing (if you have any more problems): www.thriftyfun.com/
I own a Carina Professional computer sewing machine and today I am in absolute despair. I've been trying for hours to troubleshoot the problem.
The machine has already been to a repair shop last year (for which I payed 80 Euros). It worked perfectly afterwards, but since then I haven't used it.
The machine made one short stitch line and suddenly stopped sewing. The bobbin thread doesn't go up through the fabric. I re-threaded both threads multiple times, changed the needle, being careful with the bobbin direction and needle position, and checked underneath the plate to see if there's any lint.
I removed the top-down bobbin case and observed the hook. The bobbin thread is picked up only after threading and once up it just stays there. The hook picks up the upper thread, but once released, the upper thread doesn't take the bobbin thread with it. During the troubleshooting I managed to make the threads lock once or twice, but not reliably.
I thought maybe it is a slight timing issue, so I made a couple of bad phone photos of the hook and needle's height. Yet I do wonder how a machine that hasn't been used for a year and is straight out of the repair shop can have a timing issue.
There is no service/repair manual I could find for this machine and I am not quite sure how high the needle's eye has to be when the hook's point reaches it.
Anyway, I don't have the means to invest in another expensive shop repair and this problem I find very weird. Does somebody know more about this?
Carina is made by Elna. You can contact them here. new.elna.com/
You can also contact the repair shop.
I have a Brother sewing machine. I can sew perfectly fine on my scrap material and some flannel blankets I have, but as soon as I put my uniform under and start it up it just skips stitches or won't stitch at all. What am I doing wrong?
Try using a Denim needle. It is made for tough fabrics. Also, some of the bargain thread has a tendency to break, especially when sewing on heavier fabrics.
If your sewing machine's pedal has stopped working, you may need to replace it or have the pedal repaired. This is a page about sewing machine needle won't move using pedal.
I have a Sears Kenmore sewing machine model 385.1884180. It picks up the bobbin thread, but does not stich. I have gone by my model's booklet and have changed the needle twice with #15 to sew cotton. I have re-wound the bobbin 5-6 times and changed the bobbin. I have re-threaded the machine/needle, opened the bobbin section, cleaned it (sucked it out with vaccum cleaner) and oiled it.
Still no stitching. Your help would be greatly appreciated. I need it to work properly. I do a lot of volunteering sewing. Thank you. No stitching at all. Sometimes a couple of stitches, then a big skip then a a stitch or two. Then nothing.Make sure the bobbin is facing the correct way
I recently bought a Singer Confidence 7465 and today I want to sew something. I turned on the machine and turned the wheel left to insert the needle into the fabric and the machine got stuck. I checked the internal part for lint and threads, but there was nothing. I tried a few times after that, but cannot seem to fix it.
May I know whether this is a faulty product? Because I once returned an exact same model to Singer and they gave me this current one. The defective one had the exact same problem the only difference is it was stuck since the beginning (my first time using). I have been using the current one for about 1 month. I have a habit of not inserting the needle into the fabric and start stitching straight away. Is this my problem or the machine's problem?
You should always start your machine with the needle down, into the fabric. You might have loosened the clutch on the big wheel on the right. Tighten up the inner circle and this may fix the machine. Otherwise, bring it back and sew on the new one they give you before you leave the store.
I just got a Brother CS6000i and it does not really work as far as I can tell (I'm very new to this). It picks up the lower thread, the hook timing is right, the tension seems fine too. But no stitches are made.
If the machine is not threaded in the right way, it will not make stitches. Hope this helps.
The needle of my Kenmore sewing machine got broken when I was sewing. After replacing it with the same size needle it has refused to stitch even though it is able to pick up the bobbin thread.
The fabric only passes through without stitching.Hello ! Maybe you could check the new needle. It could be split opened but it does not show.
My Brother sewing machine's top thread just isn't sewing at all. I've tried changing tension, oiling it, etc. The lower one is fine. Please help, I am so frustrated.
make sure it's threaded correctly, one missed spot will cause problems. Also put in new needle, sometimes the needle can have a burr or slight bend
This might be a possibility. I was having the same problem and same frustration. Took my machine into the shop and the guy looked at it and noticed it was threaded wrong! I somehow mis-threaded time after time and hadn't noticed (even though I knew better). Good luck.
