SINGER GENIE 354 SEWING MACHINE REVIEW
Review:
Portable, pretty zigzag sewing machine for stretch & woven fabrics, comes with it's own cover, which has convenient storage for Pedal, cord, manual & accessories pouch, inside the bottom of cover, which slides on from the side.
I sold a Singer 201-2, with a zigzagger & 4 cams, a buttonholer, & a box of feet, for $100, plus I received the Genie, which came with the manual, pedal & cords, & straight stitch foot. They explained it made thread nests. I removed the top cover, cleaned & adjusted the tension unit activator, now it works great! I like fixing up sewing machines, if I can't fix everything, my hubby helps, too. My sister wanted the Genie, so she now owns it.
Simple to use
Multiple needle positions
Drop in bobbin, class 66 bobbin system
Stitches- straight, zigzag, multi stitch zigzag, blind hem, elastic stretch
Darning & freestyle embroidery using a plate lift, not feed dog drop
Accessories- Low shank snap-on all purpose presser foot (zigzag) with blind hem foot insert, clear snap-on zipper foot, clear special purpose foot, all purpose zigzag needle plate, raising plate for darning, & freestyle embroidery.
Special accessories can be purchased separately, even feed foot 507806 (walking foot for difficult fabrics like velvet, leather), professional buttonholer u1102878, deluxe monogrammer 171278, button sewing foot 161613, seam guide 161172, straight stitch foot 153267, straight stitch needle plate 171391, Ruffles 86742, binder foot 81245, hemmed foot 161671, darning & embroidery foot 161876, gathering foot (shirring) 161659, edge stitcher foot 36865
Relatively heavy machine, mostly metal, plastic is only used as covers, knobs & levers, stitch cams. Belt driven
A great machine, actually only has problems if it hasn't had proper care. Like all mechanical things, it needs a thorough cleaning & servicing, to keep going. Oil & lubricants, motor brushes, bobbin tires, springs, light bulbs, possibly even electric cords, need replaced at some point, to keep it in good working order.
Troubleshooting:
If thread nests on bottom of fabric - Upper thread tension is not engaging when presser foot is put down, & vice versa. If it happens a lot, the cover will need removed, & the parts from the presser foot lift lever, to the tension unit, will need all old oil & lubricant cleaned off with alcohol, or kerosene, usually with qtips, then lightly oil only where metal rubs against metal, one drop in each location. If cleaning & lubrication of the inner parts does not allow the tension to work properly, you may need to make an adjustment in the alignment of the tension activator frame inside the machine. (This is probably not the correct terminology, but it is the best I can come up with at the moment. I included a photo showing my screwdriver on the screw which allows the adjustment I described, to solve the upper tension problem.)
There is a screw on top of the steel tension activator frame, which holds the lever inside, in the correct alignment, which can be loosened, in order to move the upper tension frame either towards the front, or the back, if your tension unit cannot release, due to the upper inside lever, hanging up on the presser foot bar. This will be noticeable when you have the top open, if you raise the presser foot, a pin should stick up above the frame, at the top, back, the tension activator should rock towards the front, pushing against the back of the tension unit, releasing the tension, so you can thread the machine, as well as making it easy to release your thread tension, when you are finished sewing, & want to remove your project from the machine.
When the presser foot is down, the pin should drop down, as the top frame will rock back. I had to adjust this unit a millimeter or two further towards the front, to allow room for the activator to rock freely, as the presser foot is raised & lowered, so the back of the activator lever won't hang up on the presser foot bar inside the machine. After adjusting it, & testing, remember to tighten the screw firmly, to lock it in e correct position.
When the presser foot is raised, The activator should rock back, when the presser foot is down, to engage your upper tension, to sew. I will try to upload photos later, since I don't know the correct terminology to discuss this more clearly.
As with all machines, it is occasionally necessary to replace the springs in tension units, & presser foot lift, & other areas where springs help create tension for levers & other moving parts.
Thread tension-loops below fabric, upper tension too loose. Loops above fabric, bobbin tension too loose.
A thorough removal of all lubricants & oil, the light lubricating & oiling in the necessary locations is necessary in all sewing machines, if they are expected to work properly. Most problems are a result of old oils & lubricants drying to glue parts together, which are supposed to move against each other. This happens even in modern machines which are supposedly permanently lubricated in manufacturing, by impregnating the metal parts with oil or other treatments designed to decrease friction, between moving parts.
If thread nests on bottom of fabric - Upper thread tension is not engaging when presser foot is put down, & vice versa. If it happens a lot, the cover will need removed, & the parts from the presser foot lift lever, to the tension unit, will need all old oil & lubricant cleaned off with alcohol, or kerosene, usually with qtips, then lightly oil only where metal rubs against metal, one drop in each location. If cleaning & lubrication of the inner parts does not allow the tension to work properly, you may need to make an adjustment in the alignment of the tension activator frame inside the machine. (This is probably not the correct terminology, but it is the best I can come up with at the moment. I included a photo showing my screwdriver on the screw which allows the adjustment I described, to solve the upper tension problem.)
There is a screw on top of the steel tension activator frame, which holds the lever inside, in the correct alignment, which can be loosened, in order to move the upper tension frame either towards the front, or the back, if your tension unit cannot release, due to the upper inside lever, hanging up on the presser foot bar. This will be noticeable when you have the top open, if you raise the presser foot, a pin should stick up above the frame, at the top, back, the tension activator should rock towards the front, pushing against the back of the tension unit, releasing the tension, so you can thread the machine, as well as making it easy to release your thread tension, when you are finished sewing, & want to remove your project from the machine.
When the presser foot is down, the pin should drop down, as the top frame will rock back. I had to adjust this unit a millimeter or two further towards the front, to allow room for the activator to rock freely, as the presser foot is raised & lowered, so the back of the activator lever won't hang up on the presser foot bar inside the machine. After adjusting it, & testing, remember to tighten the screw firmly, to lock it in e correct position.
When the presser foot is raised, The activator should rock back, when the presser foot is down, to engage your upper tension, to sew. I will try to upload photos later, since I don't know the correct terminology to discuss this more clearly.
Thread tension-loops below fabric, upper tension too loose. Loops above fabric, bobbin tension too loose.
A thorough removal of all lubricants & oil, the light lubricating & oiling in the necessary locations is necessary in all sewing machines, if they are expected to work properly. Most problems are a result of old oils & lubricants drying to glue parts together, which are supposed to move against each other. This happens even in modern machines which are supposedly permanently lubricated in manufacturing, by impregnating the metal parts with oil or other treatments designed to decrease friction, between moving parts.
