Kenmore 385.1695180

Excuse my Kenmore-gasm.

This is yet another of the Janome 385 Kenmores -- an earlier one from the 1980s.  The visual cues are here, from the slab front, to the stitch selection dial, the side knobs and hand wheel, the top thread guide, the presser bar lift lever that operates to the right rather than at the back, the thread tension integrated into the body of the machine, the power/light switch, etc.  Many of these elements will be tweaked and refined in the coming years but this Janome is easy to spot.

The seller is an older woman who appeared East Indian.  She was extremely nice on the phone and when I arrived to pick up the machine, her entire family was arranged in the living room, from a very old gentleman right down to the little children.  Their home was very humble but neat as a pin and everyone was quiet, exceedingly polite, and watched me with curiosity and respect.  It's possible they don't get many visitors and those that do drop by probably don't look like me.  I was humbled by how graciously they treated me and how quietly they regarded my presence in their home.  I smiled to all of them and thanked them, looking each one of them in the eye (there were probably 10 members of the family in the room).  The purchase of the sewing machine was an event of some importance, as the woman explained that she loved it but found sewing to be difficult and she wanted an easier machine; passing the machine to me seemed to be a kind of ceremony.  It was both odd and wonderful.  I will remember this transaction for many years.

If any politicians are reading this (unlikely, I know), can we please encourage more immigrants such as these fine folks?  I love these people and want them here!

The machine itself is in good shape.  Not perfect but nice.  The length control (top dial, inner ring) is very stiff and this could be what the seller was inferring by her explanation of struggling to operate the machine.  There is likely some old varnished oil causing it to be nearly impossible to turn -- nothing a couple of drops of kerosene can't handle.

Three Kenmores in two days and I may have another scheduled for the coming weekend.  My friend Janet has noticed that I'm sweeping up the Kenmores around here.  I plead guilty to that.  




 

Kenmore 385.1584180

This morning I found a CL listing for a free sewing machine and I drew in a sharp breath as I stared at the picture.  There it was in all its UV-damaged glory: the Janome-made 385 16-stitch machine I'd been thinking about with such regret.

You see, I took a trip through some depressed lumber towns recently and in one of the several thrift stores I entered, I found several sewing machines mostly in terrible states of repair.  I found this very same model and cringed, as many of its parts had been stripped by 'customers': no spool pins, no bobbin winder post, no winder stop post, no slide plate, etc.  It was dinged and scratched, yellowed and scraped.  No, I can't save them all but I'm very into these Janome/Kenmore 385s right now and I've regretted not simply putting it under my arm and walking to the cashier.

Well, this universe works things out for us and here is the same model, in much, much better condition:

I've yet to oil and run it but moving the hand wheel is extremely smooth and the machine feels as solid as its 24-stitch relative.  I really love these Janome 385 Kenmores and can't wait to get this one in tip-top shape as well as find the next one for the collection.  But I may have to sell a couple of other machines.  What a tragedy.

Kenmore 385.1764180

Here's a bit of a departure.

Walking around a thrift store today, I swore to myself I wouldn't buy anything I don't need.  I'm house-shopping and trying to off-load a bunch of stuff, not add to it.  However, I did spy a Kenmore electronic sewing machine from the 1980s in a tall Kenmore case that fits some of the convertible machines I own for which I don't have cases.

I'm always on the lookout for sewing machine carry cases.  They're often expensive, meaning I can easily pay $25 for an old plastic hard shell case (sometimes less, sometimes more).  I usually wait to find machines + cases for about $10 and get rid of the machine, as I planned to do with this Kenmore I found today.  The case is one of the tall ones that are a little more rare than the standard flat bed cases you see everywhere (except when you need one on the shelf of a thrift store).  My 158.1913 needs this very case so I was very happy to find this one.

I considered donating the machine right back to the store.  I'm glad I didn't.  This is a Janome-made Kenmore and is incredibly smooth and quiet.  The front of the machine is plastic; the back and arm (free arm, once you remove the plastic storage compartment in front of the feed dogs) is enameled aluminum, so it's a rather strong frame.  When plugging it in at the testing station in the store, it ran like a top.  It's fast and there is very, very little vibration.  When I say this thing is quiet, it's not much more than a purr -- a very pleasant sound.  I've only sewed cotton with it thus far (light and heavier) and it's got some power, too.  Speed, power, smoothness, quietness, and excellent stitch quality -- not much more you could ask from a thrift store machine.  It's in great shape, too:

This particular series of machines was available in various stitch configurations: I've seen 8, 10, 12, 20, 22, 24, 28, 30, 36, and I believe a 100 that was an early computerized model.  The design is simple and handsome, very straightforward, and easy to operate.  A four-step buttonhole function is built-in in addition to the simple, stretch, and decorative stitches.  I had another Janome that I really liked but it sat around without much use, so I sold it and bought two industrial machines.  This one is several steps down but sews like a champ; the hook/race design of the two machines are actually nearly identical.

I'm a fan of powerful vintage machines, preferably all-metal, preferably industrial.  However, there is so much to like about this basic machine that I'm really glad I have it and I plan to make use of it.  If you see one, consider this an enthusiastic recommendation, especially if the price is similar to what I paid: $9.99.

Correction: It appears these machines (with the orange stitch number on the face plate) were built in the early to mid-'90s, not the '80s.