Monogrammer, James Monogrammer

Within the world of the 158 Kenmores, there is an array of monogrammers. We couldn't go as far as call it vast, but large enough to cause confusion and headache.

Perhaps the most elusive of the monogrammers is the disk cam monogrammers of the 1802 variety. This monogrammer is shaped very similar to the metal buttonholer of the mid to late 60's. To use this monogrammer you need a machine with the 1 1/8" inch notch (which itself will be a flat bed), and a drop feed. Something pretty standard of the mid to top models of this era. What makes this one so frustrating, isn't the 1/2 inch height on the letters, it is  the lack of a full set of letters. Each letter had to be purchased separately, and most original owners did not purchase all 26 to 36 cams depending on year.

1802 Monogrammer with A cam

The cams are green disks with a stylized letter or number on one side and a number from 901 to my guess is 940 on the other. This cam fits between two arms, one arm fitting in the grooves on each side.

Insertion of A cam

The layering of the fabric mover arm over the attached A cam

This system is not shank height specific, but it is bed style specific due to the cam mover. i.e. it'll fit on an 1802 but not a 1601.

The next monogrammer of note is the first one that uses straight pattern cams for monogramming. This little guy hooks onto the presser foot bar, and it's motion is advanced through an extension on the needle bar.

Low shank (left) and High Shank (right)

They have two different model numbers! Low (left) High (right)

What is cool about this one, is that it can be used on the low shank models and the high shank. The down side is that it doesn't fit on the Super High Shank without a SHS to Low adapter (which aren't too hard to find now). It ends up being very similar to the Singer monogrammers of the same time and age, in fact the cams of one fit in the other perfectly! This monogrammer can be used regardless of bed type, but I haven't yet tried it on a free arm machine, I'll do that soon on my little Bernina Bernette 25.

Low shank (left) Singer Slant Shank (right)

This one again didn't come with every letter cam, they had to be purchased separately, but the letters are LARGE and in charge. Well over an inch in height. What was included often with the Kenmore monogrammers was a sort of Celtic style clover, meanwhile the Singer model included a loopy flower. With this new size, the cams aren't all the same length, the more twist and turns in a character, the longer the cam.

Clover button hole and R cams for Shank Specific monogrammers

From my looking around there is one more general style of monogrammer left for the 158 line. The hoop style. These ones resemble the modern machines far more than the previous versions. They have hoops just like in embroidery, and can do two different sizes of letters, 3/4 inch and a 1 1/4 inch height. And include all 26 English letters in the "books" that are provided.

This general style, however has a couple of variations, and these variations are often the most tricky part of finding the right monogrammer. They work independent of presser foot shank height, which is nice, but the styles listed below are what can get you in a bad place.

Hoop Style:
Circle
Oval

Orientation with the "KENMORE" right side up:
Hoop Below Branding
Hoop Above Branding

Plate Style:
Straight Across
Notched

Cam Style:
Straight (Long)
Straight (Short)

So far from what I can tell, the circle hoop style is always a notched plate, and hoop above branding, and came out earlier than any of the oval hoop styles. This notched plate will fit in any of the 1 1/8 notched flat beds. And with its "fixed" hoop, it is designed for you to place one letter at a time, and then move the fabric to place the next.

Notched bed Oval and Circle both will fit on any flat bed with the right measurements

The Oval hoop style ends up taking up most of the remaining monogrammers for the 158s. The nice feature across all of them is that the hoop is not "fixed", which means with just a turn of a screw the hoop is freed up to move along the monogrammer body to adjust position of the next letter without removing the fabric from the hoop.

Still uses the same advancement mechanic as buttonholer and 1802 monogrammer

The orientation of the "KENMORE" to hoop ends up being the most important give away for which monogrammer you need for your machine. The "KENMORE" when placed in your machine should always be right side up. If it isn't, you don't have the right Oval monogrammer.

Hoop Above (left), Hoop Below (right)

Hoop below branding models I have only ever seen with the straight across plate, and with the straight Long style cams. These long style cams are all the same length (unlike the aforementioned shank specific monogrammer), and the length is as long as the "books" they are stored in are tall.

These hoop below branding monogrammers go on the machines like the 1980 and 1981, where the back part of the bed is removed in order to present the free arm. To attach these monogrammers, you replace the top cover insert on that free arm bed, slide in in from the back, and lock it in. Ready to go!

Comparison of the Hoop Below (top) and Hoop Above (bottom) and their respective cams

The hoop above branding models, come in either a flatbed notch where you replace the little cover in front of the needle plate with the monogrammer (like for the 1814). Or in a straight across, which much like the other straight across you change out a piece on the free arm bed insert (like on the 1914). In this case though you are replacing the entire top cover of it, instead of just the insert. Put it in the machine from the front, and TADA!!! All of them have the length of the cams the same as the width of the "books", even the 1914 paired monogrammer.

Hoop Above without notch will fit on 1914 machine

That's all when it comes to the actual monogrammers that I have identified thus far.

The last part isn't about the actual monogrammers themselves what-so-ever. It is the feet.

There are three different feet to use with these monogrammers that I have found. With the metal monogrammer, or the shank specific monogrammer, from instructions included it is often best to use either a satin stitch foot, or a wide bottom plastic foot. The other foot I have seen for monogramming is an open toe SHS foot, much like a quilters foot.

Wide bottom foot like what is seen with the 1802 model

Monogramming foot that is paired with the 1814 and later models, like an open toe quilting foot

 In the pending weeks, I'll be trying out each of the major monogrammers listed here. I have most of the monogrammers pictured, and any of those that fit the SHS flatbeds I have, I'll give it a try.