Sears Kenmore 1503 User manual

INSTRUCTIONS
ZIG-ZAG SEWING MACHINE

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TABLE OF
CON TENTS
Adjusting for Good Stitches ····· ·· ·· ·· 34
Ad ju stin g Pressure of Presser Foot ·· 10
Adjus tin g Tensions ·· · ·· ·· 12 - 13
Applique ·· · ···· ·· 22
Basting ·· ··
....... 11
Blind St i tching ··
Buttonholes ·· ·· ··· . .
.. ... ... . ........ 19
.. .......... .. .... .. .... 20 - 21
Changing the Presser Foot .... .. .. · .......... 15
Cleaning & Oiling ......... .. .. .. 27 - 29
Connecting Machine · .. .... ... .. .... .. .. .... .. .. 4
Darning
.. .. ... .. .......... .. .. .. .. ............ ... 18
Decorative Stitching · ......... 17
Double Needle ....· ....... .. .. .. · .. · 24-25
Fastening a Seam
Feed Dog Control
Identif ication-Head Parts ......
...... 15
...... 15
.. .... 2 - 3
Inserting Bobbin into Bobbin Case ·· · 8
Inserting Pattern Disc .. .. · .... 16
Inserting & Removing Material ....· 14
Installing Machine Head · ........... .. ........· 4
Needle & Thread Table ................ 5
Ne edle Size .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. ...... .. .... .. .... .. .. 5
Overcasting .......
.. ... .. ...... 23
Parts
List ··· · 3
2-3 3
Pi cking up Bobbin Thr e ad ... .. .............. · 10
Placement
of Needle ....· ........... .. .. .......· 5
Removing Bobbin
Cas e from Shuttle .. 6
Replacement of Belt ............ .. .......... 27
Rever se Stit ching ...... ...... .......... ...... .. · 11
Setting Stitch Length ··· 11
Setting Stitch Width .. . .. ....... 16
Sew ing Light .. .. .. .. .. · 4
Sewing on Buttons · .. · .. . .. .. .. .. ....· 19
Sewing on Lace · ...... .. .. ·.. .. ....· 22
Sewing on Plastic Films · · ·........... · 26
Straight or Thre e-Cornered Tear .. .. · 22
Synth e tics .. .. ........ .. .... · 26
Threading Upper Machine .. .. .. .. ......... · 9
Turning a Corner .. .. .. .. .. 15
What to Do · ..................... ............ 30 - 31
Wind ing the Bobbin .. .. ......· 7
Writing & Monogramming .................... 23

FRONT VIEW
1. Hand Hole Cover Plate 6. Thread Tension Assembly
12 . Stitch Width and
2. Feed Dog 7. Thread
Gu ide Buttonhole Control Knob
3. Presser Foot 8. Face Cover Plate
13.
Stitch Length Control Lever
4.
Presser Foot Thumb Screw
9. Thread Take-up 14.
Light Switch
5. Thread Guides
10.
Arm Cover Plate
15.
Feed Dog Control Knob
11 . Bobbin
Winder Mechanism
16 . Nomenclature Plate
2

17 .
18 .
19 .
20 .
BACK VIEW
4E)-- ----itl 'l
48-- ------T -r-
Hand Wheel
Clutch Knob
Buttonhole Reverse
Stitch
Length Control
Upper Thread Spool Pins
21 .
22 .
23 .
24.
Pattern Disc Shaft Cover 25.
Presser Foot Lever
Bobbin
Winder Tension 26 . Needle Clamp Screw
Disc 27.
Thread Cutter
Presser Foot Knob
28.
Needle Plate
Upper Thread Guides
3

4
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 located 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 bulb clockwise, and remove from socket. To
replace 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 11 0-120V wall
outlet . See illustration 5.
1

NEEDLE AND THREAD TABLE
THREAD SIZE
Cotton 60 - 1 00
Synthetic
Silk A
Cotton 60- 80
Mercerized 50
Synthetic
Silk A
Cotton 40 - 60
Mercerized 50
Mercerized heavy duty
Cotton 30 - 50
Mercerized heavy duty
NEEDLE SIZE
I
NEEDLEI
SIZE
11
14
16
18
FABRIC
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
Use KENMORE 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.
II
II
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.
PLACEMENT OF NEEDLE
Raise needle bar to its highest
position by
turning hand wheel
toward you. Loosen needle clamp
screw. Hold the needle with flat
side away from you. Slip the
needle as far as it will go into the
needle clamp, and tighten the
needle clamp screw.
'
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f~: - . ~ ~~
~~s]0~ ~- ··
Flat
side
away
from
you.
5

Needle at
its
highest
position.
6
Pull
out
latch
Pull bobbin case
straight out .
REMOVING BOBBIN CASE FROM SHUTTLE

WINDING THE BOBBIN
0
Place thread on spool - ~ l ;/
post. Draw thread as \ - ,- - .....ll-(;::::
h \ ........) (.. .
s own . ~- ·· --· - ~
Wind thread around
bobbin a
few times .
Pl ace bobbin onto
bobbin
winder shaft .
Push bobbin
winder
latch until it clicks.
Release
clutch by turn-
ing clutch knob toward
you. Start machine.
When bobbin is full ,
winding mechanism
stops.
Tighten clutch knob
and remove bobbin.
7

INSERTING BOBBIN INTO BOBBIN CASE .... ·· .. ·CASE INTO SHUTTLE
0
8
0 Guide bobbin onto center pin of bobbin case.
@ Pull thread through slot .
~ Pull thread under tension spring.
0 Holding latch, position case into shuttle, release latch.

THREADING UPPER MACHINE Place
thr ead as illu strated between discs of the
Thr ead T ension Assembly. Prevent the spoo l of
thr ea d fr om turning and by holding th e end of
th e thr ead pull s pring wire loop up and past the
top hook until the thread can be s lipp ed int o
th e hook. When thread tension is released, the
spring wire loop wi ll r eturn to position as shown
with the thread in proper place. Release spool
of thread and co ntinu e to thread machine as
illustrated .
9

10
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 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.

SETTING STITCH LENGTH
The stitch length lever controls 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 will 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.
11

0
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
12
PROBLEM
Upper thread too ti ght
Upper thread too loose
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)
REMEDY
Decrea se Tension
Increase Tension

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 is badly puckered, the cause
may be tight tensions and both upper
and
lower may be adjusted. (See page
34}
When adjusting the tension on the
bobbin case, make slight adjustments
with a screwdriver . (See page 34}
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 1
7}
INCREASE TENSION
DECREASE TENSION
Turn Clockwise.
Turn Counter
Clockwise.
13

14
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
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.
Experi
ment by sewing on the fabric to be
used
to determine tension adjustments and
correct stitch settings.
Place materi
al 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 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 pages 28 & 29.

)
I
!
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 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
~ inch of completed seam.
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).
15

16
ZIGZAG CONTROL
SETTING STITCH WIDTH
Insert disc #1 A. 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 0
setting and by removal of pattern disc.
INSERTING PATTERN DISC
1. Turn handwheel so that the needle is in its highest position.
2. Pull pattern disc shaft cover open.
3. Grasp pattern disc
and slip disc onto the shaft. Make sure the
retaining pin @ enters hole in disc.
To
start a pattern at the beginning, align the engraved dot
on the disc with the cam follower @. To do this, slip the
disc onto the shaft so the engraved dot is
at or as near
(counterclockwise) the cam
follower as possible. If the
engraved 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).
To remove pattern disc,
follow steps 1 and 2, grasp disc and
pull
from shaft.
I

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1B 2A 2B 3A
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DECORATIVE STITCHING
This machine enables you to sew beautiful decorative and embroidery stitches by means of various
discs supplied with your machine. The movements of the needle are controlled by the disc. Basic
decorative stitches are made with stitch width at 4 and stitch length at the red mark on the indicator
plate . The latter will vary slightly depending upon the type of material to be sewn. Pattern will
be changed if using any other length or width . All patterns also can be made with double needle.
See page
25.
It is necessary to reduce the upper thread tension somewhat for decorative stitc hing. As the stitch
width is increased, the tension should be decreased. This will prevent the materia l from puckering
and will prevent the bobbin thread from coming up on the top of the fabric .
7B
17

18
DARNING
WITH PRESSER FOOT :
1. Turn feed dog control to left.
2. Press down outer ring of presser foot knob, see page 10. With presser foot knob in this
position, mending, monogram work, etc . 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 will 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 .
WITHOUT PRESSER FOOT :
1. Turn feed dog control to left.
2. Remove pr esser 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 incr ea se pressure for general sewing. Turn feed dog control to right .