Not knowing how to start the fire in a gas burner means you’re not going to start cooking!
Similarly, not knowing how to thread a sewing machine means your sewing career is at a halt before you can even start it!
So, it’s pretty important that you know how to thread your sewing machine. In fact, this is one of the primary things in sewing.
You’ll find tons of sewing machine brands in the market, thanks to advanced twenty-first-century technology. The problem is all those brands have different procedures for threading them.
In this article, I’ll try to give you a very vivid description of how to thread a Kenmore sewing machine.
If you’re familiar with Kenmore, you might know that there are several models of Kenmore available in the market. I’ll try to cover most of the differences between them.
For your better understanding, I’ve prepared this article in four parts. Basically, I’ve divided the whole process of threading a Kenmore sewing machine into four parts.
So, let’s start threading a Kenmore!
Part One: Wind the Bobbin
As the first step, you’ve to release the clutch knob. You’ll find it on the right side of the machine.
It’s a problem for most Kenmore models that you’ll have to hold the outer portion of the clutch with hand and rotate the inner portion. The inner side is the clutch knob while the outer side is the hand wheel.
Rotate the clutch towards you. The clutch will easily come out of the machine.
Now, position the spool of thread on the spool pin. For most Kenmore models, the spool spin is situated on the top of the machine. If it’s not there, look at the base of the machine.
While positioning the spool of thread, make sure that the spool rotates counter-clockwise if you pull the thread.
There is a tension disc in front of you on the top of your machine. Pull the thread from the spool and wrap around the tension disc from the upper side towards the left and back again towards the right in the bottom side.
Take the bobbin and put the thread through its hole from inside to outside. And put it back again. Make sure that the thread and the corresponding hole are facing upward. The bobbin shaft is usually located at the right side of the spool pin.
Now, slide the bobbin shaft towards the right to lock it. You’ll hear a click when it’s locked. And your bobbin is ready to wind.
Gently press the power pedal of the machine with your foot. Your bobbin should start winding.
Once the bobbin is full, slide the shaft to the left and release the bobbin. Cut off the thread from the spool and the upper tail that came through the bobbin hole.
If you’ve done everything properly so far, we’ve reached the last step of part one.
In this step, you’ll have to tighten the clutch knob that you released at the beginning of part one. Just rotate the clutch knob away from you, and you’re done!
In some Kenmore models, you’ll have to push the clutch knob inside to tighten it.
Part Two: Thread the Bobbin Case
Raise the needle first. Turn the hand wheel on the right side towards you. You’ll see that the needle is moving upwards. Stop when it reaches the top.
The bobbin case lies inside the extension table. You’ll find the extension table on the left side of the machine. Pull it towards the left, and you’ll see the bobbin shuttle. Simply pull the marked portion of the shuttle to open the cover.
There are some models that house the bobbin shuttle just in front of the needle plate. In such a case, you’ll have to lift the door up to open it.
Have you seen the latch of the bobbin case? Just pull the latch, and the bobbin case will come out of the shuttle.
Now, place the bobbin inside the case again. The bobbin must rotate clockwise if the thread is pulled.
Once you’ve placed the bobbin in the case, pull the thread through the slot of the bobbin case on the top. Weave it till the thread is under the small piece held by a screw on the top. This small piece is called a tension spring.
It’s time to place the bobbin case in the shuttle again. Pull the latch and push the case into the shuttle. You’ll hear a click. You can even try rotating the case to check if it’s locked perfectly.
Part Three: Thread the Needle
The first thing you need to do in this phase is to raise the take-up lever. It’s pretty simple: turn the hand wheel towards you.
You’ll see that the take-up lever on the left side of the machine is going up. Rotate the hand wheel until the lever reaches the highest position.
Then lift the presser foot lever situated behind the needle. This will raise the presser foot from the base of your machine.
If your spool of thread is not on the spool pin, place it there. The spool must rotate counter-clockwise if the thread is pulled.
Now, find out the rear thread guide. You’ll find it on the top of your machine towards the back. Pull the thread and wrap it around the left of the thread guide. And bring it down to the front.
You might need to keep a hold of your spool with your right hand to prevent it from being displaced.
You should see that there are several paths marked on the front side of your machine. Pull the thread through the first path on the right.
This path should be marked “A” or something equivalent. Hook the thread at the bottom of the path and pull it back up through the second path on the left marked “B” or equivalent.
Note that, in some of the Kenmore models, the thread guide and other related parts are located towards the left of the machine.
There should be a tension spring on the top of path “B”. Pull the thread through the tension rings back to the bottom following the third path. Don’t forget to check whether the thread has passed through the take-up lever.
There are two thread guides – one at the bottom side of the last path and the other is located above the needle. The second one looks like a horizontal pin.
Pass the thread through these two guides before we start threading the needle.
Once you’re done, check how your needle is positioned. The needle eye should be facing side to side or front to back.
If your needle eye is facing side to side direction, pass the thread from left to right. And if the needle eye is facing front to back direction, pass the thread from the front towards the back.
Keep a tail of thread of 2 to 3 inches. The tail should lie towards the back.
Part Four: Pick up the Bobbin Thread
We’re almost done!
Check whether the presser is raised. If so, rotate the hand wheel on the right towards you.
This process will lower the needle to the base and back up. Don’t forget to hold the upper thread.
If you’re doing it properly, a small loop should appear from the bottom of the needle plate.
Break the loop and pull both the threads towards the back of the machine. Make sure that the threads pass under the pressure foot. Pull the threads till a tail of 4 to 5 inches is created.
Now, you’re ready to start sewing with your Kenmore!
Conclusion
Finally, I’ve tried my best to discuss the whole process breaking it into step by step. Hopefully, this article will enable you to thread your Kenmore all by yourself.
You’ve to keep in mind that reading this article will not make you a skilled seamstress. Rather practice will enhance your skills. So, read the steps carefully and do some practice.
If you’re still confused about the whole process, you can watch some videos on YouTube. Here is a video. The video will give you a visual experience of the threading process.