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The Kenmore Adventure: Prologue

Craigslist is a dangerous place. Not because of the shady deals for electronics or the occasional stolen car, but because for collectors and hunters of the curious it is a place where much of our money meets its fate.

The story here starts with a craigslist ad about a series of sewing machine accessories. I do a search for sewing supplies pretty regularly. I find that often enough if I'm in need of a small little bit of thread or a cool button craiglist can help me out. This eventually led me to these feet I had never seen before, and a plastic box of cams I'd never seen outside of a sewing machine. I purchased it.
Reassembled version of what I bought, it was missing bobbins and booklet
Then I started my research. What machine did they go to? What is this shank height? Why is it slanted (I thought only Singers had slants)?, what era?  I know it is Kenmore and Sears because both are listed on the top of the case, my great Grandmother had a Kenmore from the late 1950's/early 1960's, so I was familiar with the shape of a button hole pattern cam, but nothing like this flat bar.

I kept going. Digging and digging. Finding myself wandering youtube watching NiftyThriftyGirl sell machines, and Stagecoach Road Sewing too. I saw the power of these machines sewing through denim and I *knew* I had to weigh out the balances of getting one of these machines vs. buying the Toyota machine I had on my wish list for sewing jeans.

There were so many options. 1802, was Sears best at a time and well loved by commenters, but 1601 is often cited as very similar. Then the blogs and the forums mentioned the 1914, but I like the free arm machine I already have. I didn't know which machine to get. Nor why I should get it. I decided to buy a few and see which one I liked the most.

Can you tell the difference? I couldn't at first glance

Down one more bunny hole I noted that my first machines purchased had different alignments, slight different design features. The rabbit hole I hopped into is apparently very deep and extremely dark.

Before long, I was designing experiments, choosing machines over multiple years of the same model, collecting more plastic cases, and more cams. Trying desperately to fill out the collection all for the quest of answering the questions about the differences in the machines, and which machine I should get (in this case keep).
Collecting up the missing pieces for the machines I bought
Once I started collecting the machines, and then their missing accessories I started cleaning every last piece. Then gluing back together anything "Tower of Power" that was broken in shipping. I ran every cam, and attachment through a sonic cleaner and scrubbed every box. As I start working with the machine I'm scrubbing the machine and the portable case.

My quest, excitement, and scientific nature have combined into a few months long project, and I fully intend to share every detail of the discoveries with others who may end up having the same questions.

I'll pick the machine I find is right for me, and then sell the rest. You, my friendly blog reader, will get a chance then to buy one of the machines you have seen me work with and seen me care for.

So after months of prep-work, collecting machines, sewing with them to diagnose issues, preparing to fix their bugs and issues, I finally get to start!

Please join me for this adventure.

9 machines, 8 cases and 1 table



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