The Worlden Chainstitch Machine Review

Written By Allison Kohler

Worlden Chain Stitch Machine - $789.00

Total Set up Cost : $1,198.99 (see cost breakdown below)

Pros:

  • More affordable

  • Fast & easy to ship

  • Uses the same parts as vintage chain stitchmachines

Cons:

  • You have to cut and assemble your own table & motor with pedal

  • Some pieces need to be replaced or repaired

  • Less information is available about the machine because it’s more obscure

  • Made in China

Overall I have been very happy with my machine, but it did take us several days to figure out how to work it because we couldn’t find videos about the Worlden machine specifically and the instructions that came with the machine were vague. So I am hoping this blog article and my video will improve your Amazon chain stitch machine experience.

Additional Necessary Parts for the Worlden Chainstitch machine

Extra Parts and Pieces

Thread & Felt

Regardless of whether you have the Singer or the Worlden Chainsitch machine, you have to get a specific kind of thread, it is very different then the machine embroidery thread you will find at a craft store. It’s best to order as much as you can afford at once because it will save you shipping costs with the Tex 15 thread. For the Chenille yarn, the shipping costs didn’t make a significant difference. As for fabric, I have embroidered on almost everything from plain woven cotton to denim to knits. However, if you want to make period-correct moss stitch lettering for applique purposes then follow the link above for specialty felt.

Troubleshooting tips when having problems with your machine

  1. Check the needle direction and make sure the hook is facing towards you at 6 o’clock for chain stitching or away from you at 12 o’clock for moss stitching.

  2. Check to make sure that the rotating screw latch (see video) to the left of the threading area is positioned correctly for the kind of stitches you’re planning on doing.

  3. Make sure the thread plate hole is big enough or small enough to fit your thread and needle. This affects how tight the chain is or how loose the moss stitches are, but it won’t make or break getting your machine to work.

  4. If your machine isn’t even making a chain or a moss stitch and it’s catching and picking up and damaging the fabric, check to see if the motor is spinning your wheel backward away from you, this is the opposite of what your standard sewing machine typically does. This was the problem we faced for hours and it was a simple switch of a button!

  5. If your hook won’t pick up the thread into the inner hole double-check that the thread went through the second hole underneath the top plate when you threaded your machine.

  6. If your thread keeps breaking make sure your thread isn’t experiencing any additional tension and make sure it’s placed directly under where it threads into the machine. I never adjusted my tension, but if all else fails I would try doing that.


2024 update

-one year later-

My Machine is still working very well after some moderate to heavy usage throughout 2023. Ultimately I had broken all of my needles and lost every extra threading wire I had my husband make from his guitar strings, so I reached out to the original shop (TCQtexportpvtltd) that sold the Tex15 thread because it was the only place I knew of that had needle replacements but the seller was of no help with helping me figure out what needle size to use for the Worlden Chainstitch Machine and his shipping costs are insane. Also since the Worlden machine only came with one needle size I was hopeful that either a larger or smaller needle would help me achieve a tighter and narrower chain, especially with the smaller fine lettering. So I looked elsewhere and ordered 3 new needle packs in 3 different sizes on AliExpress which saved me a ton of money on shipping and they also offered a free return in case they didn’t work! The sizes I ordered were 3, 4, and 5 because I am pretty sure my broken needles were a size 4 and I wanted to go up and down one size to test how it affected the tension. The links are below.

WORLDEN Chainstitch Machine Replacement Needles

I would personally order sizes 3, 4, and 5 to have on hand for troubleshooting different fabrics and threads. Size 4 is what came with the machine. I haven’t tried size 5 yet, but my theory is that it would perform better on thicker fabrics like canvas or denim or through multiple layers. Size 3 seems to have tightened my chain stitch so it looks less sloppy for small lettering

Allison Kohler
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