Kenmore 15/I649 User manual

_ N S T R U C T I O N S
'_dODEL15/I649
ZRG-ZAG SEWING MACHINE

TABLE OF
CONTENTS Adjusting for Good Stitches ..... 34
Adjusting Pressure of Presser Foot 10
Adjusting Tensions ..... 12 - 13
Applique 22
Basting
Blind Stitching
Buttonholes
11
19
20- 21
Changing the Presser Foot 15
Cleaning & Oiling 27-29
Connecting Machine 4
Darning
Decorative Stitching
Double Needfe ........
18
t7
24 - 25
Fastening aSeam
Feed Dog Control .......... ,15 15
Identification - Head Parts
Inserting Bobbin into Bobbin Case
Inserting Pattern Disc ......
Inserting & Removing Material
Installing Machine Head
2-38
16
14
4
Needle & Thread Table
Needle Size
Overcasting .......... 23
Parts List ......... 32- 33
Picking up Bobbin Thread .... t0 _
Placement of Needle ................ 5
Removing Bobbin Case'fr'om Shutt e .... 6
Reverse Stitching .... 11
Replacement of Belt . 27
Setting Stitch Length -: ......... I 1
Setting Stitch Width .............. 16
Sewing Light ......... _ :4
Sewing on Buttons : ..... 19
Sewing on Lace ............... 22
Sewing on Ptastic Films ............... 26
Straight or Three-Cornered Tear .... 22
Synthetics .............. 26
Threading Upper Machine
Turning a Corner 9 15
What to Do 30-3t
Winding the Bobbin ......... 7
Writing & Monogramming 23

BACK VIEW
@
@
17, Hand Wheel
18, Clutch Knob
19 Buttonhole Reverse Stitch Length Control
20 Upper Thread Spool Pins
21• Pattern Disc Shaft Cover
22 Bobbin Winder Tension Disc
23, Upper Thread Guides
24., Presser Foot Knob
25, Presser Foot Lever
26, Needre Clamp Screw
27. Thread Cutter
28 Needle Plate

0
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 spoor pins in place+ Lay the plastic discs over
the spool pins D_scs and pins are packed in the
accessory box
SEWING LIGHT
The sewing tight is located inside the face cover plate
as shown, tt 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 bulb clockwise, and remove from socket+ To
repEace push in new bulb and turn counter clockwise,+
See illustration 4,
CONNECTING MACHINE
Push the plug onto three-prong connector under the
bed plate+ Plug machine cord into any 110-120V wall
outlet° See illustration 5
,d

NEEDLE AND THREAD TABLE
THREAD S}ZE
;otton 60 - 1O0
;ynthetic
;_lk A
:otton 60- 80
_lercerized 50
;ynthetic
;ilk A
"otton 40-60
4ercerized 50
/tercerized heavy duty
:otton 30- 50
/tercerized heavy duty
NEEDLEI FABRfC
I slz!_j_.................
t4
16
18
Sheer cottons, silks, and synthetics
Fine laces
Medium weight cottons
Medium weight silks
Medium weight synthetics
Light weight woolens
Heavy weight cottons
Medium to heavy weight woolens
Heavy drapery fabrics
Heaviest cottons as for men's work clothes
Heaviest woolen coating
NEEDLE SIZE
Use KENMORE needles, The size of the needle should conform
to t_ size of the thread and both should be suitable to the
material The same size thread shoutd be used in the bobbin as
on the upper part of the machine for ordinary sewing Never
use a bent needle or one with a b_unt point,
This is the exact length of the needle to
be used in your machine Comparison
with this illustration will determine
whether the needte you have is the
correct one for your machine
PLACEMENT OF NEEDLE
Raise needle bar to its highest
position by turning hand wheel
toward you, Loosen needle clamp
screw, Hold the needle with ,fiat
s_de away from you, Stip the
needle as far as it will go into the
needle clarop, and tighten the
needle clam'p screw
Flat
side
away
from
you,
£
i
5
p

eedle at
s highest
osltiom
Pull
!'" i out
]latch.
/i \_;.i
Pull bobbin case
straight out
REMOVING BOBBIN CASE FROM SHUTTLE
,#

WINDING THE BOBBIN
@
Place thread on spool
post Draw thread as
shown
f_fF
zi,-_ ....
0
Release clutch by
turning clutch knob
toward you Start
machine, Iif "
@
Wind thread around
bobbin a few times.
m';,,s,7{!Z\O @
When bobbin is full,
winding mechanism
stops.
@
Place bobbin onto
bobbin winder shaft
Push bobbin winder
latch until it clicks
J@
Tighten clutch knob
and remove bobbin
...._1
,I

INSERTING BOBBIN INTO BOBBIN CASE CASE INTO SHUTTLE
O Guide bobbin onto center pin of bobbin case,
_1Pulf thread through slot
Pull thread under tension spring
Holding latch, position case into shuttle, release latch_
0@0

THREADING UPPER MACHINE Place thread as _ltustrated between discs of the
Thread Tension Assembly Prevent the spool of
thread from turning and by hotding the end Of
the thread pull spring wire loop up and past the
top hook until the thread can be slipped into
the hook When thread tension is released, the
spring,wire loop will return to poshlon as shown
with the thread in proper place Re_easa spool
of thread and continue to thread machine as
ilrustrated
9
p

10
! q _ti_•
__i__!,:;,:_•
PICKING UP BOBBIN THREAD
Raise presser foot lever
Hold needle thread loosely in left hand and rotate hand
wheel toward you one complete turn
Bring bobbin thread up by pulting upper thread {See illus-
tration)
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.

SETTING STITCH LENGTH
The stitch length lever control the stitch length Set lever to any desired
stitch length position between 0 and 4 by turning knob until the indicator
is aligned with the stitch length number desired
The red mark indicates the setting for a satin stitch This will vary slightly
depending upon the type of material to be sewn At No 4 the longest stitch
is obtained The size of stitch you select wilt depend on fabric you are
sewing Straight stitching is done with stitch width control on 0 setting
and by removal of pattern disc
REVERSE STITCHING
Raise lever for reverse stitching, Lower lever for forward stitching It is
best to begin and end most seams with reverse stitching often called back
tacking
BASTING
For accomplishing quicker, more even and firmer basting, we suggest you
regulate the machine in the following manner; Set stitch length at No 4
for the longest possible stitch Basting is easily removed by pulling
bottom thread
if you prefer to use pins for basting, your KENMORE will sew over the pins
Be sure to keep the pins at right angles to the seam and the head of the
pin away from the presser foot. Also reduce pressure on presser foot
RE
J

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 34)
Fig. 1
PROBLEM REMEDY
Fig
Fig 3
Upper thread too tight
Upper thread too loose
Decrease Tension
increase Tension
¢%, ¸....
4

Whenstitchingis unsatisfactoryasin
figures2 and3,adjusttheupperthread
tensionLower thread tension requires
adjustment less frequently 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
32)
When adjusting the tension on the
bobbin case, make slight adjustments
with a screwdriver (See page 32)
It is necessary to reduce the upper
thread tension somewhat when doing
decorative stitching,. As the stitch
width is increased, the tension should
be decreased (See page t7)
INCREASE TENSION
DECREASE TENSION
Turn Cl0ckwise.
Turn Counter
Clockwise,
13

INSERTING AND REMOVING THE MATERIAL
For all kinds of sewing, consult chart 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
h_ghest 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 dog is 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 mater_al by turning the
hand wheel toward you, tower presser foot
and start sewing, To facil{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 youl 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 pages 28 & 29
!4

CHANGING THE PRESSER FOOT
The various attachment 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 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
TURNING A CORNER
Stop sewing machine with needle in fabric, Raise presser foot Turn fabric
Lower presser foot and continue stitching
FASTENING ASEAM
Be sure both threads are drawn back under the presser foot Lower needle
into fabric about ½ 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 _lown for forward stitching and complete
seam When you reach the end, raise the stitch length control lever and
sew back over _ inch of completed seam
Models 151, t52, 1649 Model 150
FEED DOG CONTROL
The feed dog controi ]<nob is situated on the right front of
machine bedplateo When knob is turned to the other side
of "U" mark, 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 "U"
mark (Feed dog up) 15

ZIGZAG CONTROL
SETTING STITCH WIDTH
Insert disc # IA Turn the stitch width knob to the desired
setting between 0 and 4 on the knob Zigzag stitch width
increases from 1 to 4, Straight stitching is done with stitch
width control on O setting and by remova| of pattern disc
INSERTING PATTERN DISC
1 Turn hand wheel so that the needle is in its highest position
2 Pull pattern disc shaft cover open
3 Push cam follower release lever _, to the right and keep it there
during insertion
4 Grasp pattern disc and s_ip disc onto the shaft Make sure the
retaining pin _ enters hole in disc To start a pattern at the
beginning, align the white dot on the disc with the cam follower
_ To do this, slip the disc onto the shaft so the white dot is at
or as near (counterclockwise) tbe cam foIlower as possible If
the white dot is not aligned with the cam follower, turn the hand
wheel toward you until the dot is aligned (if the machine is
threaded, be sure to place a scrap of fabric under the presser foot)
5 To remove the pattern disc, follow steps 1 and 2, grasp disc and
pult from shaft
There are two different patterns on each disc Apicture of each
pattern is on the disc surface Position disc into machine with
desired pattern facing up
t6
i¸ i¸

1A
F_
3B
_>
>
%"
_L
<,
4A 4B
%
<
<
<
5A 5B
1B 2A 2B 3A 6A 6B 7A 7B
DECORATIVE STITCHING
This machine enables you to sew beautiful decorative and embroidery stitches bY me,ans of various
discs supplied with your machine. The movements of the needle are controlIed by the disc. Basic
decorative stitches are made with stitch width at 4 and stitch iength at the red mark on the indicator
plate The latter will vary slightly depending upon the type of material to be sewn; Pattern wil!
be changed if using any other length or width, AEt patterns also can be made with double needle
See page 25
it is necessary to reduce the upper thread tension somewhat for decorative stitching, As the stitch
width is increased, the tension should be decreased. This win prevent the material from puckering
and will prevent the bobbin thread from coming up on the top of the fabric.

DARNDNG
WITH
1
2
PRESSER FOOT:
Turn feed dog control to left,
Press down outer ring of presser foot knob, see page 10 With presser foot konb in this
position, mending, darning, monogram work, ete, may be done.
3 Stretch fabric tightly between two spring embroidery hoops and place under needle
4 Lower presser bar so thread will have 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 wilt make short darning stitches, Fast movement will
make long stitches
5 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
18
WITHOUT PRESSER FOOT:
1, Turn feed dog control to left
2 Remove presser foot.
Proceed as directed under steps 3 and 4 above.
3o 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

O
O
O
SEWING ON BUTTONS Use disc # 1A
Align two holes of button with slot of presser foot and
lower foot to hold securely. Drop feed dog Turn hand
wheel by hand until needle point is just above button, Adjust
stitch width so that needle will align with a hole of button
Turn hand wheel again by hand so that needle goes into
second hole, readjust stitch width if necessary Stitch a
number of times, turning hand wheel manually Finish
sewing with an extra 2 inches of thread, draw thread to
reverse side and tie securely
tf us]ng a 4 hole button repeat the'_bove procedure
NOTE: To make e small thread shank when sewing on a
flat button, place a straight pin or needle between the holes
of the button
BLIND STITCHING
Disc # 1B
Stitch width 3 (May vary depending on type of materiel)
Stitch length 3
t Prepare the hem with e turned and edgestitched finish.
or
2 Apply seam tape along the jaw edge with either straight
or zigzag stitching
3 Turn hem and baste about % inch from the edge of the
seam tape using longest stitch on the sewing machine
4 Fold garment back along basting line and stitch along
garment fold using disc # IB
5 Remove basting and press hem, The basting step may
be eliminated in e straight hem
19

BUTTONHOLES Use disc # 1A and special buttonhole foot
Stitch length at red mark
Buttonhole control knob F
Feed dog control U
Place the fabric, with the buttonhole tength marked at both ends. under the
buttonhole foot Without lowering the foot. let the needle pierce the fabric
at the beginning of the buttonhole Set the foot so the beginning of the
red zone (ctosest to the needle) is at the mark of the opposite end of the
buttonhole Lower the foot
Stitch forward until the needle reaches the red zone on the front edge of foot
Then turn the knob to R. and stitch the other side of the buttonhole Turn
knob back to F to finish end of buttonhole The speed with which the knob
is turned determines the number of stitches at the ends of the buttonhole
The slower the knob is turned, while sewing, the more stitches are formed
See page 21
Reproduction of identical size buttonholes is facilitated with the aid of the
graduations on the left side of the buttonhole foot These graduations are
!,_ inch apart Just mark the starting points of the buttonholes, let the needle
pierce the fabric and set the index mark CA) on the upper portion of the foot
at the same graduation mark (B) as it was set for the first buttonhole Lower
the foot Follow the procedures outlined above
Always make a practice buttonhole on a scrap of fabric used in the garment.
using a double thickness of fabric, and an interfacing if used in garment
The stitch length may be varied slightly by the stitch length control lever
within the O to 1 range To increase forward stitch move this lever from
the red mark toward 1, to decrease move it toward the O The buttonhole
reverse stitch length control {C} is used to match the length of the reverse
stitches with the forward stitches Turn the dial to the minus direction for
shorter stitches; to the plus direction for longer stitches These settings
may vary depending on the type of fabric used
2O