Petite Able

I've been a fan of the Kenmore 158-1030, 1040, 1050's for some time now, ever since my friend Fran gave one to my daughter Kelly. Although the top dial broke, somewhat of a common problem with the 1030 model, little did we know I would eventually go into the sewing machine repair business and learn how to replace the dial and oh so much more. I've bought and sold many of these cute 3/4 sized Kenmore's and have a whole list of blog posts about them, especially the Three Little Kennies in a Row so didn't expect to hear about other models of the same ilk. I should have known better because there is always something new to learn about any model and that's my story for today. I now have a Kenmore 158-1020:

Kenmore 158-1020

She's a precursor to the 1030 model but was actually manufactured after the start of the 1030. So let's get this straight: the 1030 series was made between 1970-1975 and the 1020 was made between 1971-72. There's a great chart available to verify all of this as well as other Kenmore sewing machine dates you might find interesting. I can see why these dates seem a bit backwards because it's all about the simplicity of each model. The 1020 only has straight and zigzag stitches and the 1030 has more. Each model number has a few more features but still the same small footprint.

Kenmore 158-1020 stitch dials

There is no dial on top, just the stitch width on the front and the stitch length on the right side. I couldn't figure out how to get the backstitch to work and even took much of it apart only to discover I needed to move the stitch length past zero to get that to work. I should have known better but in the joy of discovery my common sense seemed to have stalled out. It came complete with foot control in vinyl pouch, intact accessory box full of goodies:

Kenmore 158-1020 accessory box, rolled forward

and even the carrying case was in great shape:

Kenmore 158-1020 all packed away

Kenmore 158-1020 rose embossed carrying case

What's not to love about this 3/4 sized Kenmore? How did I get my hands on this little cutie? I was willing to travel a tad farther than usual but my husband was working that night and I was already on the road to pick up thirty spools of serger thread. With only another twenty minutes of driving I could check this out and I'm glad I did. It's a great stitcher with a bit of adjusting to the tension and general cleaning and oiling. It belonged to one of their mothers and was given to his wife who really didn't sew and now it was time to move it out of the house. I'm delighted and think it will make a nice travel sewing machine for someone but I won't keep it since I have Fran's 1030 that I truly treasure. I love the stories behind these machines and really like a pleasant surprise like this new-to-me model.

To end this post, here's a photo of previous models that I'll need to add the 1020:

Kenmore 158-1030, 10450, 1060

So many sewing machines, so little time... but a holiday weekend is coming up and I have free time to sew new porch furniture cushions, finish rewiring a White Rotary, rev up a Bernina I've been neglecting and posting more machines for sale. Mary Sue is coming up from St. Louis to pick up her Elna Jubilee so let's hope we remember to take a few photos of that, too, for sharing!