Cute Little Blue Kenmore

I didn’t know until fairly recently that Kenmore Sewing Machines were never made by Sears. They are badged machines, meaning they are manufactured by one company with another company’s logo (or badge). This was—and remains—a very common practice with sewing machines.

I have the Kenmore Mini Ultra Light Sewing Machine 385.11206300 made by Janome in the early 2000s. Mine is a pretty blue machine (it came in other colors) that is not much bigger than my toaster. It’s also shorter than my 6-lb pocket kitty! It weighs almost nothing, and it is tiny compared to my vintage metal behemoths.

This was purchased via an online auction for about $10 plus shipping. It has the familiar front-loading class 15 metal bobbin. It has 16 stitch functions and a built-in 3-step buttonhole. This is not a heavy-duty machine by any stretch, but it’s great for piecing or other light sewing. It’s the type of machine that would be great as a travel machine or for taking to a sewing retreat. It was dirty on the outside, and it needed a new needle, but it’s otherwise in great condition.

My low-shank vintage Kenmore presser feet work great on this machine.

It came with a sad, discolored, and dirty vinyl cover that will get a glow-up one day soon.

Randy, Your Sewing Machine Man, has a video with this model. He’s not a fan of plastic machines, but he takes good care of his customers.