Kenmore 14 User manual

INSTRUCTIONS
ZIG-ZAG SEWING MACHINE
P/N 59955

TABLE OF
CONTENTS Adjusting for Good Stitches ............... 19
Adjusting Pressure of Presser Foot ........ 10
Adjusting Tensions ..................... 12 - 13
Applique ....................................... 23
Basting .......................................... 11
Blind Stitching ................................ 22
Buttonhole with Special
Buttonhole Foot ......... 20 - 21
Changing the Attachment Foot ............ 15
Cleaning &Oiling ..................... 26 - 27
Connecting Machine ........................ 4
Darning ....................................... 18
Decorative Stitching ..................... 16 - 17
Fastening a Seam .............................. 11
Feed Dog Control ........................... 15
Identification -Head Parts ............... 2 - 3
Inserting Bobbin into Bobbin Case ......... B
Inserting Disc ................................. 16o
Inserting & Removing Material ............ 14
Installing Machine Head ..................... 4
Needle & Thread Table ..................... 5
Needle Size .................................... 5
Overcasting .................................... 23
Parts List ................................. 30 - 31
Picking up Bobbin Thread .................. 10
Placement of Needle ........................ 5
Removing Bobbin Case from Shuttle ...... 6
Removing Lint ................................. 25
Replacement of Belt ........................ 25
Reverse Stitching ........................... 11
Setting Stitch Length ........................ 11
Setting Stitch Width ........................... 16
Sewing Light ................................. 4
Sewing on Buttons .............................
Sewing on Lace .............................. 22
Sewing on Plastic Films ..................... 24
Synthetics .................................... 24
Threading Upper Machine .................. 9
Turning a Corner .............................. 15
What to Do .............................. 28 - 29
Winding the Bobbin ........................ 7
Writing & Monogramming .................. 23

FRONT VIEW
@
1. Feed Dog
2. Presser Foot
3. Presser Foot Thumb Screw
4. Thread Guides
5. Thread Tension Assembly
6. Face Cover Plate
7. Thread Take-up
8. Stitch Width Control
9. Buttonhole Control Knob
10. Stitch Length Control Lever
®
®
11. Buttonhole Reverse Stitch
Length Control
12. Light Switch
13. Feed Dog Control Knob
14. Nomenclature Plate

BACK VIEW
®
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15. Clutch Knob
16. Hand Wheel
17. Bobbin Winder Mechanism
18. Thread Spool Pins
19. Arm Cover Plate
20. Decorative Stitch Mechanism
Cover
21. Upper Thread Guides
22. Bobbin Winder Tension Disc
23. Presser Foot Knob
24. Presser Foot Lever
25. Thread Cutter
26. Needle Clamp Screw
27. Hand Hole Cover Plate
28. Needle Plate

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INSTALLING MACHINE HEAD IN PORTABLE
AND CABINET
Loosen the two hinge screws under holes in the rear edge of
the machine bed (1).
Raise hinge pins in the cabinet cutout (2).
Slip machine head onto the pins and tighten hinge screws
securely (3).
Lower machine head to front flap.
Screw spool pins in place. Lay the plastic discs over the spool
pins. Discs and pins are packed in the accessory box.
SEWING LIGHT
The sewing light is placed inside the face cover plate as
shown. It may be turned on or off by pushing the light switch.
In order to operate the machine the switch must be on.
To remove bulb, turn light switch off, open the face cover
plate by swinging it open, push bulb in slightly, turn it away
from you and remove. To replace, push new bulb in and turn
it toward you (4).
CONNECTING MACHINE
Push the plug onto three prong connector under the machine
bedplate (5).
Plug machine cord into any 110- 120V wa[ outlet.

NEEDLE AND THREAD TABLE PLACEMENT OF NEEDLE
THREAD SIZE
Cotton 80 - 100
Synthetic
Silk A
Cotton 80 - 100
Synthetic
Silk A
Cotton 60 - 80
Synthetic
Mercerized 50 - 60
Cotton 40 - 60
Mercerized 50
Mercerzied Heavy Duty
Cotton 30 -50
Mercerized Heavy Duty
NEEDLE
SIZE
9
11
14
16
18
FABRIC
Chiffon, Fine Silks, Nylon Tricot,
Power net.
Batiste, Dimity, Organdy, Light weight
Velvet and Taffeta, Fine Lace, Light
weight Knits, Satin.
Cotton, Cotton Blends, Poplin, Percale,
Gingham, Shantung, Pique, Seersucker,
Velveteen, Double Knits, Light weight
wool, Linen, Leather, Fake Furs, Vinyls.
Heavy Cotton such as Corduroy, Denim,
Decorator Fabrics, Wool, Coating and
Suiting.
Heavy Twills, Denims, Coatings.
NEEDLE SIZE
Use KENMO RE 6021 needles. The size of the needle should conform to the
size of the thread and both should be suitable to the material. The same size
thread should be used in the bobbin as on the upper part of the machine for
ordinary sewing. Never use a bent needle nor one with a blunt point.
IIII I This is the exact length of the needle to be
used in your machine. Comparison with this
illustration will determine whether the needle
you have is the correct one for your machine.
Raise needle bar to its highest position
by turning hand wheel toward you.
Loosen needle clamp screw.
Hold needle so that the flat side is
to your right, slip blunt end of needle
as far as it will go into needle clamp.
Tighten needle into place with needle
clamp screw.
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Flat
side
faces
to
right.
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REMOVING BOBBIN CASE FROM SHUTTLE
Pull
out
latch.
Pull
bobbin
case
straight
out.
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WINDING THE BOBBIN
@
Place thread on spool
post. Draw thread as
shown.
0
Wind thread around
bobbin a few times.
0
Place bobbin onto
bobbin winder shaft.
Push bobbin winder
latch until it clicks.
0
Release clutch by turn-
ing clutch knob toward
you. Start machine.
0
When bobbin is full,
winding mechanism
stops.
Tighten clutch knob
and remove bobbin,

INSERTING BOBBIN INTO BOBBIN CASE ......... CASE INTO SHUTTLE
0
@
0
0
Guide bobbin onto center pin of bobbin case.
Pull thread through slot.
Pull thread under tension spring.
Holding latch, position case into shuttle, release latch.
0@0

THREADING UPPER MACHINE

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PICKING UP BOBBIN THREAD
Raise presser foot lever.
Hold needle thread loosely in left hand and rotate hand wheel
toward you one complete turn.
Bri.ng bobbin thread up by pulling upper thread.
(See illustration).
Place threads back under presser foot.
ADJUSTING THE PRESSURE OF THE
PRESSER FOOT
Push down outer ring of presser foot knob (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 about half way
down. When sewing multiple thickness or heavy material,
reduce the pressure. Increase it when sewing sheer fabrics.
Insufficient pressure may cause skipped stitches or difficulty
in guiding the fabric. If feed dog or presser foot marks appear
on the fabric, reduce the pressure.
10

SETTING
STITCH
LENGTH
For all types of sewing other than buttonhole making and blind
stitching, the buttonhole control knob (red dot) must be set at C
(center needle position).
Loosen knob and move stitch length control lever between 0 and
4 aligning the red mark on the side of the lever with the desired
position; tighten knob. The arrow mark indicates the setting for
the satin stitch. This will vary slightly depending upon the type of
material to be sewn. The 4 setting is the Ionges_ stitch. The size
of stitch you select will depend on the fabric you want to sew
Select stitch length and tighten knob so that forward and reverse
stitches will be approximately the same size.
BASTING Set stitch length control lever at 4 for the longest possible stitch.
Use a paper backing when basting very sheer fabrics.
REVERSE
STITCHING
Raise lever for reverse stitching. Lower lever for forward stitching.
(Raise or lower lever as far as locking knob will allow). It is best
to begin and end most seams with reverse stitching, often coiled
back tacking.
FASTENING
A
SEAM
Be sure both threads are drawn back under the presser foot.
Lower needle into fabric about _inch from beginning of seam.
Push stitch length control lever up for reverse stitching. Stitch
in reverse until needle reaches beginning of seam.
Move stitch length control lever down for forward stitching and
complete seam. When you reach the end, raise the stitch length
control lever and sew back over 1_ inch of complete seam.
11

@ADJUSTING TENSIONS
A perfect stitch will have threads locked between the two
layers of fabric with no loops on top or bottom.
(Refer to page 19).
Fig. 1
PROBLEM REMEDY
e Upper thread too tight
Fig. 2
O Upper thread too loose
Fig. 3
12
Decrease Tension
Increase Tension

When stitching is unsatisfactory as in figures
2and 3, adjust the upper thread tension. Lower
thread tension requires adjustment less fre-
quently than the upper thread tension.
When stitch is satisfactory, as in figure 1 and
seam is badly puckered, the cause may be tight
tensions and both upper and lower may be
adjusted. (See page 19)
When adjusting the tension on the bobbin
case, make slight adjustments with a screw-
driver. (See page 19)
It is necessary to reduce the upper thread
tension somewhat when doing decorative
stitching.
INCREASE TENSION
Turn Clockwise.
DECREASE TENSION
Turn Counter
Clockwise.
13

INSERTING AND REMOVING THE MATERIAL
For all kinds of sewing, consult chart on page 5.
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 take-up lever are at their highest
position.
*The tensions have been properly adjusted.
*The ends of the 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 facili-
tate 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 hand wheel toward
you until 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 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 thread
into the shuttle. See page 25.
14

TURNING A CORNER
Stop sewing machine with needle in fabric. Raise presser
foot. Turn fabric. Lower presser foot and continue stitching.
FEED DOG CONTROL
The feed dog control knob is situated on the right front of
machine bedplate. When knob is turned to the left, feed dog
drops and does not pull material. This allows the operator
freedom of movement of material, as for darning. For regular
sewing, turn knob to the right, "'U'" (Feed dog up).
CHANGING THE ATTACHMENT FOOT
The various attachment feet available for certain kinds of work
are to be fastened to the presser bar.
To attach the feet, raise the presser bar to its highest position
by raising the presser foot lever. Loosen the presser foot thumb
screw, choose the proper foot, insert from the front. Tighten
the screw using the large screw driver and make sure that the
foot is secure.
..................................................
15

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16
SETTING STITCH WIDTH
Press stitch width control and move so right edge of control is aligned
with setting desired. Zigzag width increases from setting 0 to setting 4.
Straight stitching is possible only with the control on 0 setting (extreme
left) and with no pattern disc in the machine.
DECORATIVE STITCHING
This machine can make beautiful decorative and embroidery stitches by
means of various discs supplied with the machine. The movements of
the needle are controlled by the disc.
The stitch length specified is for an average pattern of decorative sewing.
When a looser or tighter pattern of stitching is preferred, it is achieved
by setting the stitch length to a shorter or longer stitch to suit your
preference.
The satin stitch requires no pattern disc and can be any width from 1 - 4.
It is necessary to reduce the upper thread tension somewhat for decora-
tive stitching. This will prevent the material from puckering and will
prevent the bobbin thread fi:om coming up on the top of the fabric.
INSERTING THE DISC
1. Turn handwheel so that the needle is in its highest position.
2. Push stitch width control to the RIGHT and keep it there during
insertion.
3. Pull decorative stitch mechanism cover open. Grasp knob of pattern
disc and slip onto the shaft. Turn disc slightly until it slips down
and the retaining pin enters hole in disc.
4. Return stitch width control to LEFT position.
To remove pattern disc push stitch width control to the RIGHT and pull
disc off the shaft.

DECORATIVE STITCHES
Disc No. 0 pattern made on
Buttonhole Control setting B,
all other patterns on setting C.
Stitch width :
Satin stitch 1 -4
All others 0
Stitch length :
about 1_ (arrow)
DISC NO. 0
DISC NO. 1
DISC NO. 2
.'. ,, -,,.., _. -- _ -, ....... .
DISC NO. 3
DISC NO. 4
DISC NO. 5
DISC NO. 6
DISC NO. 7
SATIN STITCH
17

DARNING
WITH PRESSER FOOT:
1,
2.
3.
4.
5_
Turn feed dog control to left.
Press down outer ring of presser foot knob, see page 10. With presser foot knob in this'position, mending,
darning, monogram work, etc. may be done.
Stretch fabric tightly between two spring embroidery hoops and place under needle.
Lower presser bar so thread willhave some tension. When you start to darn, move fabric back and forth to
cover darning area. Then turn fabric and continue sewing at right angles to the previous stitching. Use medium
machine speed. You can make any length stitches desired. Slow movement of fabric will make short darning
stitches. Fast movement will make long stitches.
When you finish darning, raise presser foot and remove fabric. Increase pressure for general sewing by pressing
down inner pin of the presser foot knob. Turn feed dog control to right.
WITHOUT PRESSER FOOT :
1. Turn feed dog control to left.
2. Remove presser foot.
Proceed as directed under steps 3 and 4 above.
3. When you finish darning, raise the presser foot lever and remove fabric. Replace presser foot, and increase
pressure for general sewing. Turn feed dog control to right.
18

ADJUSTING YOUR SEWING MACHINE FOR GOOD STITCHES
When your sewing machine does not sew a properly locked stitch, check the following:
1. Insert a new needle of the correct size for the thread and fabric you are using.
Consult chart on page 5 for needle size.
2. The upper and bobbin thread should be matched in size and type.
3. Check threading carefully. See page 9.
4. Check the thread tension balance. Use mercerized thread, and a correct size needle for the fabric you are using.
Do not try this test with synthetic thread as it will not break.
Begin with a full bobbin, properly threaded into the case. Set the stitch length at about 12 stitches per inch.
Fold a 6" square of your fabric in half diagonally, forming a triangle. Make a line of stitching _'" from 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 page 12, Figure 3.
c. If the top thread lays on the fabric - loosen upper thread tension, and repeat test. See page 12, Figure 2.
Grasp the stitching and pull with a snap to make 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 upper tension.
d. If lower thread breaks - tighten upper tension.
Both threads do not have to break at the same place, but they should break on the same snap.
Bobbin tension may be reset by the following procedure. Start with a loose bobbin thread tension. Tighten the
spring screw gradually until bobbin case and full bobbin can be gently lifted from your hand by the end of the
bobbin thread.
19
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