Kenmore 158.1914

Ask and you shall receive.  At least that's how it all went down today.

I found a CL ad for a Kenmore sewing machine stating that it is an 'old machine' but in working condition, including the foot pedal, all for $10.  That could mean a lot of different things and there were no pictures in the ad.  The price being right for just about any of those different things, I wrote to the seller asking whether they could post a picture or send one to me and she very promptly did so.

Every major brand of vintage sewing machine has one or more models that are considered holy grails within the line.  For Kenmore, the Gritzner-Kayser machines, the 1802, and this one -- the 1914 -- are several such machines.  Not necessarily expensive, they are recognized by collectors as particularly good examples of the best types of machines produced for the Kenmore name.  The 1914 is considered by some as the best sewing machine ever built for Kenmore.  I wouldn't go that far but it's certainly a nice one with some interesting features and a design that is a bit different from many of its predecessors: modern for the late '70s while retaining the classic durability for which Kenmore was known.

At first glance, the 1914 has a sleeker, simpler look than, say, the 1913 or the 1625.  The integrated extension bed is identical to the 1913 but there is no obvious cam assembly and the reverse lever is body-colored, the length dial is smaller and flatter, and the top is a uniform slant all across the machine save for the cleverly designed slot in which the take-up lever can barely be seen.  Where are the controls and features?

That sleek top is a hinged cover revealing most of the machine's controls including (left to right) the width dial, the cam assembly ('C' or top hat cams), cam release lever, bobbin winding tension disc post, stitch selection for cam stack stitches (including both stretch and forward-only stitches), and the bobbin winder. Reminiscent of the Singer 401A, the inside of the lid itself is a stitch chart.  Very, very cool and very conveniently located.

The spool pins (or pin, in this case) are located at the back of this lid at an angle, part of the cast aluminum lid itself -- no screwed-on plastic parts here.

The free arm is revealed at the press of a button near the back, allowing the user to pull off the extension bed.

The front top plate of this extension bed can be removed by pressing yet another button on the side of the bed, thus revealing the bobbin area and feed dog lever, great for when you don't want to take off the entire extension.

The presser foot pressure control is a dial rather than the more traditional knob with twist collar and it's located behind the hinged nose:

So how does it sew?  Well, it's an all-metal Kenmore with a 1.2 amp motor, a convertible, and has just about every feature a 1970s mass-produced sewing machine would have.  It sews extremely well and I've owned it for just a few hours, cleaned up the exterior, and given it an oiling and de-dusting inside.  It's smooth, it's powerful, and the stitches are excellent -- even straight stitches are great for a zig-zag machine, a true test of quality.

I've been looking for a 1914 for 2 years and finally found one after simply asking a seller what she had.  Go get yours.