Kathleen Resnick Resnick is the moderator of my Facebook group Denim Upcyclers, and a passionate vintage sewing machine collector. One evening, as we were chatting about our favorite machines, the idea came up: why not share her insights in a guest post on the blog? I’m thrilled to feature her here today, sharing the gems from her collection and her experience sewing denim with them. I hope you enjoy her article as much as I did!
Hope you will like the article as much as I did!
Ariane xo
AUTEUR : KATHLEEN RESNICK
WHAT'S THE BEST SEWING MACHINE FOR DENIM?
VSM are machines that were manufactured prior to 1970. These machines were generally made of all metal, are very heavy, and are almost indestructible with some routine maintenance. They were manufactured in Japan, Taiwan, or Europe mostly, and sold under many different “badges” or brand names. For instance, Kenmore never manufactured their own machines, they were all built overseas and imported here.
In the 1970’s, changes came about as sewing machines were made with nylon gears, plastic parts, and other changes to produce them more cheaply. People started sewing with knit and other fabrics that led to the addition of stretch stitches. Circuit boards and other enhancements made the machines more functional, but also meant that they can fail and are more costly to repair. The old Kenmores came with a thirty-year warranty. Maybe Sears figured out that if machines lasted that long, they wouldn’t sell many of them, so they focused less on quality and more on fancy features that wouldn’t stand the test of time. Around 1970, stretch fabrics became available and machines were engineered with special stretch stitches. I rarely sew stretch fabrics, but I do use the triple stretch stitch frequently. It is an extremely durable seam and almost impossible to rip out, even with a seam ripper. I use it for topstitching. Denim won’t fray past this seam. If you don’t use this stitch, give it a try. I find it very useful.
DO YOU NEED A VINTAGE SEWING MACHINE TO SEW DENIM?
You don’t have to have a VSM to sew denim, but they are generally stronger and more robust than modern ones and they are widely available, used, for very little money. I’ve paid $50 or less for several machines, some I didn’t even know if they would run. I cleaned and oiled them and they run like a new machine.
WHERE TO BUY A VINTAGE SEWING MACHINE?
I bought all my VSM on Facebook Marketplace, and in each case, the sellers had no knowledge of VSM. Sometimes the pedal or other important parts were missing. At first I was intimidated, but I watched a lot of videos and then just jumped in and started working on them. Cleaning, oiling, and packing the gearbox with grease is all you need to do in most cases.VSM were meant to be serviced by their owner; the manuals tell you where to put a drop of oil. I learned everything I know from watching videos; my favorite channel is Randy Your Sewing Machine Man. My favorite Facebook group is Mr. Kenmore’s Neighborhood, where everyone is friendly and helpful. (However, they are a bunch of enablers who like to encourage me to search out more interesting sewing machines and I already have enough!) Randy Your Sewing Machine Man. My favorite Facebook group is Mr. Kenmore’s Neighborhood,where everyone is friendly and helpful. (However, they are a bunch of enablers who like to encourage me to search out more interesting sewing machines and I already have enough!)
Marketplace prices are often negotiable, and many wonderful machines are priced at $50 or less. Many VSM sellers don’t know what they have, or what it’s worth. Mostly they don’t know if the machine even runs, or if it has the accessories that it should come with, i.e., foot pedal, presser feet, manual. If you ever buy a VSM, it is imperative that you oil it first before running it. Old machines can get dry and frozen, and if you run the motor in that state, you can burn it up. Some people bring screwdrivers and take the top off the machine to inspect before buying. I have not done that, but I do bring scrap fabric so I can test the machine. If you are lucky, you will find a machine that only had one owner, was loved and well maintained, and all the pieces were kept together so you get a case, manual, pedal, and accessories.
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MY TOP 5 GO TO SEWING MACHINES…
My friend Pennie and I compared some features of my five most used machines. I love each one of them.
The tested models were:
- Brother SE630
- Elna 7200 Quilters Dream
- Kenmore 158.15251
- Kenmore 158.1060
- Princess Stradivaro
Each one has features that make it unique and useful for different jobs. All machines were able to stitch through 9 layers of denim, although the Brother struggled and skipped stitches. All of them sewed 6-7 stitches per inch at the longest setting. We did a time trial to see how long it took to stitch 22 inches; the Princess Stradivaro was the fastest, the Brother was the slowest.
My Kenmore 158.15251
The Kenmore 158.15251 is a strong machine and does well. Not fancy, but works hard and handles denim easily. It includes stretch stitches. It is a free arm and could be converted to a flatbed, but it didn’t come with the parts to do that.
My Kenmore 158.1060
In the 1970s, women wanted something more portable to take to quilting bees, etc., so the mini-Kennies as they are known as, were produced. They are ¾ size of a standard machine, and much lighter weight, but still do everything that a full size machine will do. The Kenmore 158.1060 has a free-arm, which is great for hemming pant legs, etc. I own 2 mini Kennies. I’ve even sewn leather on one.
My Princess Stradivaro
The Princess Stradivaro made à Taïwan, cette machine est une vraie bête. Son moteur de 1,3 ampère est rapide et puissante. Elle coud 9 couches de denimsans aucun problèeme. C’est comme conduire une Jaguar SJ12 (oui, j’en ai déjà conduit une 😉). Parfaite pour les travaux rapides comme les bandes de patchwork. Seul hic : on ne peut pas changer la position de l’aiguille, et elle n’a pas de points stretch.
My Brother SE630
My newest machine, the Brother SE630, is not as strong as the VSMs, but she has some very cool features and I love doing machine embroidery with her. She can sew through 9 layers of denim, but with difficulty and skipped stitches.
My Elna 7200
My Elna 7200 was manufactured in the 2000 decade, and it has some modern features that are cool, such as the needle up and down button, and ability to adjust stitch length and width digitally. The bobbin winder and thread cutter are great features. She will sew through layers of 9 denim comfortably. She has several decorative stitches that I frequently use.
MY MOST BEAUTIFUL SEWING MACHINE…
My Kenmore 117.841
My Kenmore 117.841 was manufactured in Germany in the 1950’s by the Gritzner-Kayser company. It is a beautiful machine, affectionately referred to as a Root Beer Float because of its color scheme She had one owner and came complete with cabinet, cams, original bill of sale and a bunch of crazy looking presser feet. I didn’t include this machine in the comparison because although I love it, I don’t use it as much as the others. (The stitch length regulator needs some work).
DO YOU NEED MORE THAN ONE SEWING MACHINE?
It’s not essential to have more than one machine, but there are definite advantages.
When I’m sewing a denim bag, I have one machine with a denim needle and denim thread, and another machine is set up to do the lining with regular needle and thread. Then maybe I want to do some embroidery or decorative stitching, so I may use a third machine. I like a large flatbed if I’m doing a quilt or something big. But I love the free arm for anything that you sew in a circle, like pant legs.The automatic bobbin winders on the newer machines work well, so I don’t wind bobbins on my VSM.
YOU WISH TO BUY A NEW SEWING MACHINE…
I really don’t know what to recommend. I do know that just because it is advertised as heavy duty doesn’t mean that it can handle many layers of denim. If I wanted to buy a new sewing machine, I would first try to determine what features I really need before going to a dealer for a test drive. Insist on test driving the type of fabric you plan to sew. New machines can cost thousands, and have tons of cool features that may or may not be important to you.
IN THE END…
There are some YouTube videos out on how to buy a VSM. Once you start looking for one, you’ll find them everywhere. Sometimes they hop into your car when you’re not watching! At least that’s my story 😉
Joan J Boschee
Very educational…I enjoyed reading her intellectual remarks.
Helen Smith
I have a 54 year old Bernina and I would not trade for any other type ever!
ariane
I understand, a sewing machine can become such a sentimental object! What is the model? Do you sew denim with it?