Kenmore 1218 User manual

I N R U C T I 0 N S
ZIG- ZAG SEWING MACHINE
52880

FRONT VIEW
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1. Bobbin Winder
2. Special Stitch Control and Width Control
3. Stitch Length Control
4. Light Switch
5. Feed Dog Control
6. Nomenclature Plate
7. Needle Plate
8. Feed Dog
9. Needle Clamp Screw
10. Hand Hole Cover Plate
11. Presser Foot
12, Presser Foot Screw
13. Thread Guides
14. Upper Thread Tension Control
15. Thread Take-up Lever
16. Bobbin Winder Thread Guide
17. Upper Thread Guide
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BACK VIEW
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18. Presser Foot Pressure Regulator
19. Face Plate
20. Presser Foot Lever
21, Thread Cutter
22. Hand Wheel
23. Clutch Knob
24, Thread Spool Pins
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INSTALLING MACHINE
1, Loosen the two hinge screws under holes in the rear edge
of the machine bed.
2, Raise hinge pins in the cabinet or case.
S!ip machine head onto pins.
3. Tighten hinge screws securely. Lower machine head to
front flap. Screw spool pins in place. Place the plastic
spool holder onto the spool pin. Holder and pins are
packed in the accessory box.
CONNECTING MACHINE
Push the connector of the speed control onto three-prong
connector under the machine bedplate. See illustration 4.
Push the two prong plug of the speed control into any
110-120V. wall outlet,

Fig.1
FEED DOG CONTROL
The feed dog control is located on the right front of the machine
bedplate. There are a few times when you want to control the
feeding of the fabric yourself. When the control is turned to the left,
the feed dogs drop and do not move the fabric.
For most of your sewing the feed dog control is turned to "'U".
(Feed dog up)
SEWING LIGHT
The light and power switch shown above in Fig. 1 provides the
electric current for the motor as well as the light. In order to operate
the machine this switch must be on.
To turn on the light, depress the switch. If you are interrupted while
sewing and must leave the machine unattended, just turn off the
switch and the machine cannot be started accidentally.
The sewing light is located inside the face cover plate as shown.
To replace the bulb, turn light off, and swing the face cover plate
open. Push up on the bulb slightly and turn bulb to the left.
Remove bulb from socket. Push in new bulb and turn to the right.
Fig. 2 5

NEEDLES
Use KENMORE needles. The size of the needle should conform with
the size of the thread and both should be suitable to the fabric (See
next page). Never use a bent needle or one with a blunt point. Fig. 1
shows you the exact length of your needle. Be sure you never use in
your machine one that is not this exact length.
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Fig. 1
You will find among your accessories "'Q NEEDLE ''_ with blue shank. This special needle is to be used when
sewing certain knits and certain difficult synthetic fabrics. If you experience skipped stitches in any of your
sewing, use "'Q NEEDLE ''T".
Flat
side
faces
to
right
PLACEMENT OF NEEDLE
Raise needle bar to its highest position by turning the hand wheel
toward you.
Loosen the needle clamp screw. Holding the needle with the flat side
away from you, slip the needle into the needle bar. When it is in as
far as it will go, tighten the needle clamp screw with a screwdriver.
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NEEDLE, THREAD, FABRIC CHART
THREAD SIZE
POLYESTER CORE/COTTON WRAP
FINE MERCERIZED COTTON
POLYESTER SYNTHETIC
SILK A
50 MERCERIZED COTTON
POLYESTER SYNTHETIC
SILK A
50 MERCERIZED COTTON
MERCERIZED HEAVY DUTY
POLYESTER sYhrTHETIC
SILK A
NEEDLE SIZE
,, ,,,,, ,,,,,,
9or 1!
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14 or 16
FABRIC
Lightweight: Batiste, Dimity,
Chiffon, Silks, Synthetic
Jerseys, Fine Lace, Organza,
Crepe. Taffetta, Voile,
Organdy
Medium Weight: Cotton, Cotton
Blends, Percale, Gingham,
Shantung, Pique, Seersucker,
Satin, Knits. Vinyl, Suitings,
Linen, Wool Crepe, Leather
Medium Heavy Weight: Corduroy,
Denim, Wool, Sailcloth, Wool
Flannel, Gabardine, Velvets,
Leather
HF_AVY DUTY MERCERIZED COTTON Heavy Weight: Coatings,
POLYESTER SYNTHETIC 18 Upholstery, Cotton Duck.
SILK A Heavy Twills, Canvas
16, 18 or
SILK BUTTONHOLE TWIST "Q NEEDLE"TM Decorative Top-stitching on all
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POLYESTER SYNTHETIC
50 MERCERIZED COTTON
"Q SET"TM
("Q NEEDLE'TM
and
"Q FOOT"TM)
Synthetic Knits and Stretch
Fabrics: Polyester Double
Knits, Nylon Tricot, Jersey,
Stretch Terry, Sl_ndex,
Cire Tricot
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Take up
lever
at its
highest
position.
Pull
out
latch.
Pullbobbin
case straight
out.
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REMOVING BOBBIN CASE FROM SHUTTLE

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WINDING THE BOBBIN
1. Release clutch by turning clutch
knob toward you.
2. Draw thread from spool through
bobbin winder tension discs as
shown.
3. Pull end of thread through hole in
bobbin as shown.
4. Place bobbin onto bobbin winder
shaft with end of thread coming
from-the top of the bobbin.
Push bobbin winder latch against
bobbin until it clicks. Holding onto
end of thread, start machine.
When bobbin is slightly filled, snip
off end of thread.
5. Start machine. Wind thread until
bobbin winder latch releases.
6. Tighten clutch knob and remove
bobbin.
Two spool pins have been included
with this machine to aid in bobbin
winding, By placing aspool of thread
on the second spool pin, you may
wind your bobbin without unthreading
the machine.
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THREADING THE BOBBIN CASE
INSERTING BOBBIN INTO BOBBIN CASE ........ CASE INTO SHUI"rLE
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4.
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Insert bobbin into bobbin case
making sure thread is coming from
bobbin as shown.
Pull thread through slot of case as
shown.
Pull thread under tension spring.
Turn hand wheel to raise needle to
its highest position. Holding latch
open, position case into shuttle,
and release latch. Case should lock
into place when latch is released.
Hold needle thread loosely in ieft
hand and rotate hand wheel toward
you one complete turn. Bring
bobbin thread up by pulling upper
thread.
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Fig.I Fig. 2
THREADING UPPER MACHINE
Place thread on spool pin as shown with the thread coming from the back of the
spool. Guide thread into top thread guide A as shown in Fig. 1and Fig. 2.
Holding the spool with the right hand pull thread between tension discs as shc_wn
in Fig. 3.
Pull the spring wire loop up and past the top hook until the thread can be slipped
into the hook. Release the spool and the spring loop will return to position for
sewing, Fig. 4.
Continue to thread mschine through guides as illustrated, Fig. 5. Thread needle
from left to right, Fig. 6.
Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6
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ADJUSTING THE PRESSURE OF THE
PRESSER FOOT
Push down outer ring of presser foot pressure
regulator (See illustration), This will release pressure
of presser foot. To increase pressure, push down
inner pin until suitable pressure is obtained. For
ordinary sewing, the inner pin should be all the way
down.
Insufficient pressure may cause poor feeding of the
fabric, skipped stitches, or difficulty in guiding the
fabric.
When sewing multiple thickness or heavy fabric
reduce the pressure. Increase pressure when sewing
lighter weight fabrics. If feed dog or presser foot
marks appear on the fabric, reduce the pressure.
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STITCH LENGTH CONTROL
The stitch length contrql regulates the length of the stitch you select. THE
HIGHER THE NUMBER -- THE SHORTER THE STITCH,
The stitch setting you use will be determined by the thickness of the fabric you
are sewing, The 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,
The basting and stretch stitch are made by adjusting the lever to make the
longest possible stitch. When adjusting for shorter stitches, select the stitch
length and tighten the knob in the center of the lever handle to remain at the
same setting. The knob must be loosened to readjust the lever.
REVERSE STITCHING AND FASTENING A SEAM
tt is best to begin and end seams with a few stitches taken in reverse, Simply
raise the Stitch Length Lever to R to sew in reverse. The fabric will start feeding
backwards and the seam will be firmly fastened, Lower the lever to again stitch
forward, This fastening of the seam is done both at the start and finish of a seam.
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OADJUSTING TENSIONS
A perfect stitch will have threads Jocked between the two
layers of fabric with no loops on top or bottom.
Fig. 1
PROBLEM REMEDY
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Fig. 2
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Fig, 3
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Upper thread too tight
Upper thread too loose
Decrease Tension
Increase Tension
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NOTE: Never adjust more than one number at a time.

When stitching is unsatisfactory as in
figures 2 and 3, adjust the upper thread
tension. Lower thread tension requires
adjustment less frequently than the upper
thread tension.
When stitch is satisfactory, as in figure 1
and seam isbadly puckered, the cause may
be tight tensions and both upper and lower
may be adjusted. (See page 28)
When adjusting the tension on the bobbin
case, make slight adjustments with a
screwdriver. (See page 28)
INCREASE TENSION
'" Turn Clockwise.
DECREASE TENSION
Turn Counter
Clockwise.
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INSERTING AND REMOVING THE MATERIAL
For all kinds of sewing, consult chart page 7.
Before placing the material on the machine see
that:
• The presser foot and needle clamp screws are
both tight.
•The sizes of needle and thread suit the kind of
work to be done.
•The needle and the thread take-up lever are at
their highest position.
a The ends of threads have been drawn about 4
inches to the rear of the machine.
• The feed dogs are up.
• Stitch length and width controls are set at desired
settings.
Experiment by sewing on the fabric to be used to
determine tension adjustments and correct stitch
settings.
Place material under the presser foot, insert the
needle into the material by turning the hand wheel
toward you, lower presser foot and start sewing.
To facilitate placement of heavy fabrics under the
presser foot, the presser foot lever can be raised
beyond the normal "up" position.
To remove the work, first turn the hand wheel
toward you until the needle is at its highest
position, then raise the presser foot, draw material
to the rear and cut °off excess thread with the
thread cutter located on the presser bar.
IMPORTANT:Always turn the hand wheel toward
you ! When the machine is not being used, place a
piece of material over the feed dog and lower the
presser foot. Always have fabric under the presser
foot when operating the machine. Operating
threaded machine without fabric will cause it to jam
by forcing _int into the shuttle.
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TURNING A CORNER
Stop your sewing machine and make sure needle is in fabric.
Raise presser foot. Turn fabric to desired direction. Lower
presser foot and go on with your stitching.
CHANGING THE PRESSER FEET
The various presser feet available for certain kinds of work are
to be fastened to the presser bar.
To attach the foot, raise the presser bar to its highest position
by raising the presser foot lever, Loosen the presser foot
screw, choose the proper foot, insert frorfi the front. Tighten
the screw using the large screwdriver and make sure that the
foot is secure.
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STITCH WIDTH CONTROL
Stitch Width 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.
Straight stitching is possible only with the control at the
red dot.
In case fo Model 1220, this dial also has special setting in red
for sewing stretch stitch. You may vary the width of the
zigzag stitch by adjusting the dial from 1 to 5 in black for
regular stitching and from 1 to _in red for Rick-Rack stretch
stitching.
Regular straight stitching is possible only with the control at
the red dot and straight stretch stitching at the _mark.
Before turning the dial, make sure needle is above fabric_
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Fig.
Fig. 2
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OVERCASTING
This is one of the more frequently used zigzag stitches in garment con-
struction. You may want to overcast along the raw edge of each seam
allowance or fold the raw edge toward the garment and stitch.
Fig. 1shows the raw edge finished.
Fig. 2 illustrates the folded edge stitched.
Stitch so the needle pierces the fabric just short of the outside edge. Raw
or worn edges of older garments can be overcast to prevent further
raveling.
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20
RSTRAIGHT STRETCH STITCHING
(Model 1220 only)
Setting:
Special Stitch Control -- ,,
III
Stitch Length Control -- All the way
down
Use this specia! stretch stitch with knitted
fabrics and other fabrics that stretch. Sew as
you do a regular straight stitch seam. The
machine will make triple lock stitches back and
forth of a fixed stitch length, to give the
stretch to the seam. See illustration.
This stitch enables you to press open your
seam as with any straight stitched seam. The
seam will stretch with the fabric without
breaking the thread.
This is also a good stitch to use on curved
seams that will receive a great deal of strain
when worn, such as in children's shorts and
slacks as well as adult sport clothes.