Kenmore 385 sewing machine? Let's thread it, wind a bobbin, and sew!

Getting ready to sew on your Kenmore 385 model sewing machine? Need some help winding that bobbin and getting the machine threaded up? That's what we're about to do in this video today. So stay tuned, hit the like, and we're going to get right into it.

We have a Kenmore with a side loading bobbin. This tension disc, is going to be used to wind the bobbin, but you'll see it's never used when you're just threading the machine. I will show you how to do this.

To take the thread out of being threaded, we're just going to cut it and then come to the needle and pull that thread out. You might think, "Oh, I'll just pull it out this way to save thread.", but that's actually bad. It gets lint inside your machine. 

Now take your thread and it's going to come around this little bobbin winder tension disc. You might be wondering, how exactly does it come around it? Most of the time just like that. Okay? Just around the back and like that, and then this is gonna come over here. Now, if you look, you'll see it's actually two discs and the thread needs to pass in there in there because it needs to be under tension. If you just try to like loop it around here and come back like that and it's like in the wrong spot or not really locked in, it's not going to give the thread the proper tension and you might get a messed up bobbin. So, we're just going to come around here like this. Make sure it's in there. Lock it in with both hands. It's in the tension discs. Pull it through nice and taut. And now we're going to come over here and get our thread tail.

Now we're going to get an empty bobbin. These come in different sizes and it's important that you use the one that's right for your machine. They all kind of look the same and will work interchangeably, but if you're having trouble, that could be something that you can check out. Make sure you you're using the right one. 

We're going to thread this in kind of a weird way. You'll see there are holes on the bobbin. There's also these ones that aren't really holes, but look like holes. We've got real holes and we've got fake holes on both sides. Make the thread come through the hole from like the inside and then up out the top of the bobbin like that. Then take the bobbin, and pull that tail all the way through so it's taut, and you have the hole with the thread on the top. Then just put that onto the little post. Click it down. Now you'll take this little post and push it over. When you push that post over, that tells the machine when you hit the pedal, don't sew using the needle. Do this winding. Some machines also take a second step like this one does right here. You also have to take this flywheel and pull it out to disengage the clutch to further tell the machine not to sew when you hit the pedal, to only do this.Now that we've done those two steps, we can hold this thread tail. I'm holding it up and I'm going to hit the pedal. 

That looks like plenty.  I'm going to stop. If you didn't want to stop and you wanted to fill it all the way, the machine will actually stop once it fills. This looks like a very properly wound bobbin. If you watched it, this thread went up and down, up and down, so that it filled that bobbin evenly. Sometimes they don't come out even like this, and those can give you trouble.Always inspect your bobbin after you wind it.  Make sure it came out right. 

Next we're going to just cut off this tail that I'm holding here. Cut it flush with the bobbin. Re-engage the clutch. Push the flywheel in. Push the post back over. That tells the machine now when you hit the pedal, I want you to sew with the needle. We're done with the bobbin winder. Now we'll just take the bobbin off of the bobbin winder. Get the thread out of the bobbin tension disc. We don't use that when we thread the machine.Then you can just cut this anywhere to separate bobbin from spool, You now have a wound bobbin. You're ready to put it into your machine. 

We're going to remove this compartment part of the machine. Pull it off to the left like that and open this door. In here you will find your bobbin case. If you pull this little lever out like this, you can pull the bobbin case out of there. Now we're going to put our newly wound bobbin into the bobbin case.  Make sure you have it the right way!
Here's how I like to remember it. If you look for that little slash opening on the bobbin case, the thread should not come the same direction as that slash, but it should go the other direction. There's actually a picture on the machine.

Some machines will have a picture. Luckily, this one does. That way, if you forget, just look at their picture. Hold your bobbin case like that and then see that the thread is going up over the bobbin away from you. It's going away from us like the picture. So, now it's in there. Now, just hold on to it and then bring the thread tail through that slash opening like that.Then continue to pull it through this bigger opening here. It'll kind of click a couple times.When you can pull it freely, you know it's really in there.

Now we're going to put it into the machine here. You can see this divot here. That's where this bar on the bobbin case needs to line up. Put your bobbin case in there like that. Line it up and push in the middle. You should hear a snap like that. Now, we're just going to leave that bobbin alone until we're done threading the top part of the machine.

Take your thread tail from your spool and we're going to bring it this way.Here's a little arrow on the machine that shows we're coming this way. Here's our number 1 direction. It wants us to come around the back of this silver guide here like that. It's number 1. Then come down here. Number 2 has us coming down and back up like that. Number 3 shows coming around like that. Now, you might need to use two hands there and hold here and really pull on that. Our objective is for the thread to go in that little hole in the front of the takeup lever there. So, make sure it went in there and then bring it back down this channel. There's our number 4 arrow. Next there's these two little guides here. These two little metal guides. I think they give you two in case you want to use a twin needle. But for now, we just need to bring the thread around that little wire guide like that. That needle guide. Thread the eye of the needle from front to back.

Now, pull the thread to get rid of any slack. This is the final step that we have to do for this machine. We have to get that bobbin thread to come up through this oval hole that's in the metal throat plate here.  We're going to use the needle to do it.  What you're going to do is come over here to your flywheel on the side of your machine and use your right hand to turn that wheel towards you, as you hold on to the thread that's coming out of the needle. Turn that wheel towards you. The needle's going to go down. It's going to come back up and it's going to have that loop of thread with it. Just grab that loop of thread. Pull it out long so it's not a loop anymore, it's just a strand. Then all we have to do is get both of our threads under the presser foot and go and just back into the left like that. Now we can shut the door and put the compartment back on.

Now you are ready to sew. I placed some fabric under the presser foot here. Now I'm going to reach back here for this lever. Lower this lever down to lower the presser foot. Now you can press on the pedal.

Looks good. I hope that was helpful for you if you have the Kenmore model 385. I've actually had this machine since I was a kid and I use it almost on a daily basis. I hope that you're able to now thread your machine up and also start sewing on it. Leave me a comment down below if you did and if you have this machine or if you have anything else to say. As always, thanks so much for watching. Please give me a like and a subscribe and I'll see you next time.