Kenmore 15358 Sewing Machine Lets Even the Most Inexperienced Sew a Fine Seam
Written: Jan 14 '09 (Updated Jan 15 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: easy to use, lightweight, moderate price
Cons: lightweight, too much plastic
The Bottom Line: If in need of a basic sewing machine at a nice price, you have found it.
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| mind-full's Full Review: Kenmore 15358 Mechanical Sewing Machine |
The Kenmore Sewing Machine 15358 makes even the most inadequate seamstress seem capable. Believe me, I am one.
I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas and my generous parents produced this one. My mother has sewn for years, made all but my jeans up through high school and has done all sorts of pro bono work for me with her sewing machine. Rather than continue to unabashedly ask, I decided a gift that keeps on giving would make a lot of sense.
Mom, an old-fashioned girl, didn't like that she couldn't test a machine at any standard department store or fabric shop, unless going for the high-end beasts that boast myriad stitch pattern choices and all sorts of bells and whistles that we basic folks just don't need. So, going for details on the box made her shopping a little easier.
This Kenmore model stated the facts quite accurately right there on the cardboard container. It's in Spanish and French, too, if you need those translations.
The Basics of Sewing a la Kenmore 15358
I could set up the machine right out of the box without so much as a glance at the instructions because I have used a sewing machine before, but to be fair, I used the instructions to discover how easy/difficult they appeared.
These pass muster, but the fact that English instructions appear on the left-hand page with Spanish and French sharing the right confused me at first. I like fluid instructions -- extra text I can understand if I translate it distracts me because I like to read and tend to read most everything I see "just because." You'll live through this, just as I did.
So, you open to the first section of the manual and find that you shouldn't sew with this machine in the bathtub, make sure to unplug it to service it, oil it, or remove parts from it, etc. Standard, common sense advice.
From this point, you'll whiz through set-up of this machine. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. No sweat. Piece of cake. Five minutes, maybe ... unless you get stuck translating that Spanish.
You'll slide open the storage compartment/removable work table that allows for work on sleeves and other narrow pieces as well as makes a handy hideaway for extra bobbins, seam rippers, small scissor and a small bottle of machine oil) to grab a bobbin ... a plastic bobbin, which unnerved me a bit. I'm not a fan of moving parts being plastic, but I can remedy that at any sewing shop later with replacement parts. The instructions glide through the filling of the bobbin -- the machine clutch easily disengages with one easy pull on the hand-wheel.
I filled my bobbin ... something I watched from start to finish because it's amazing a machine does this ... and this one seems to sense when the bobbin is a little threadbare in one area and fills it in ... practically a show-stopper. I asked the family in to watch. Amazing.
The instructions clearly show, with numbered and lettered clarity, where and how to place the bobbin and then go on to detail the threading of the machine and needle ... the needle comes set in place, another surprise in this age of "Batteries Not Included". A needle ... and you get 4 replacements in the handy hide-away box. Not too shabby.
You're Now Ready To Sew ... Put the Pedal to the, uh ... Plastic
More plastic in a place I thought I wouldn't find plastic -- the machine pedal that lets the power flow to the machine at the simple press of your foot. The cord length of the pedal to the machine seems ample, in that my machine sits back of the work surface a good 18 inches and I had slack in the cord all the way to the floor.
The power cord, at 7 feet, is plenty, assuming you will take precautions in landing your machine safely near a power source to avoid potential trips and tie-ups with the cord.
Flick the on/off toggle located under the hand-wheel to turn on the power and you get immediate illumination from a built-in light just above the presser foot/needle location. You're ready to sew. Get yourself a project and get started.
First Steps
You'll place your to-be-sewn project under the pressure foot so the feed dog (little ridged rods on the base of the machine under the presser foot can help grip the the fabric for smooth sewing and also move it along with the help of your fingers) can grip it.
Breathe in and let it out and remember you are in charge.
Press lightly on the pedal and start sewing. You have guides for stitch width embossed on the machine so you can keep your work evenly-sewn and more professional looking than you thought you had the ability to accomplish. You'll probably marvel at the tight stitching (adjustable to length, tension and in several versions of straight and zig-zag patterns).
When you've finished sewing a piece, you don't need a pair of scissors to cut the thread, but may use the small razor-cutter attached just above the needle station on the machine. I like this and thought I wouldn't. I'm a scissors girl -- every sewing machine has scissors alongside it, right? I can adjust to having one less thing to keep track of in my work space.
Stitch length depends on your project, and a dial clearly shows the choices. Dials also control the thread tension and stitch choices. Easy running of these. Anyone can do it, and you'll want to play a little with stitch lengths for standard use or for specific specialty fabrics.
Practice makes perfect!
Put 'er in Reverse!
To lock your first and last stitches in place or to reinforce a seam by working over it again, you'll use the reverse switch often. Toggle switch, here, and easy to manipulate. After a few uses it becomes a mechanical motion -- you'll learn where it is on the machine without having to look.
Being that the machine is mostly plastic, you have to build finesse on the reverse toggle if you've used heavier machines before. I've not come close to pushing the machine off the table, but I have shifted it a bit.
First-Time User Facts
Sewing can be a need sometimes, repairing a ripped seam, doing a quick hem on a garment, sewing up Small Son's favorite handmade pillow, and so forth.
When first starting this craft, take it slow. The Kenmore 15358 can move along at a swift pace if you press the pedal for all it's worth, and unless you have a license for this thing, you have no need for that kind of speed because your accuracy will suffer.
I sat down with 10-year old Daughter of Mine who gleefully placed her foot on the pedal and then froze, smile intact, in fear. She could tell the power involved and that hand-sewing gives her the power, something she has practiced for several months now and feels confident in doing. This machine would take charge unless she learned to drive it.
Starting out with a very light foot on the pedal will allow you to really see how the machine works. You can stitch ultra-slowly and watch the needle go up and down, up and down, sewing all the way. As you feel more confident, press a little harder. Soon, you'll feel you have a knack for this and speed along at a pace of your own.
Features and Accessories You'll Find on This Model
• stitch pattern selector
• stitch length control
• bobbin winder spindle
• spool pin
(both bobbin winder and spool pin are retractable -- just pull up to use or push down to store)
• thread tension dial
• extension table /accessory box
• thread cutter
• carrying handle (very handy, and since the machine is a light-weight, makes for easy transportation)
• button holer
• seam ripper
• bobbin (2 ... plastic)
• automatic buttonhole foot for use with auto buttonhole feature
• zipper foot
• hemmer foot
• satin stitch foot
You supply the thread, fabric and patterns and you're all set to sew.
My Experience
I will never claim any expertise in sewing, and know enough to get by. I made dozens of draw-string bags as a kid, took sewing in home-ec and successfully made one skirt that had a zipper set in it years ago.
I have done a few craft projects, made draft stoppers and fixed seams, but I will probably never sew yards of fabric into anything beautiful or useful.
This machine is for need, convenience and for the hope that one of my children will begin learning to use it and take it out for a spin, possibly taking up my slack in the sewing department.
This machine makes having to do up a quick sewing need faster and less a bother than doing it by hand, and it's a symbol of hope -- that one of us here will find it more than just a device to fix what's broken, but to create something worthwhile.
ENJOY!
Recommended:
Yes
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mind-full
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Member: Amy
Location: Same Place as Ever
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Faith is like electricity. You can't see it but you can see the light.
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