Could you post a picture of the machine.
It's hard to know without seeing the machine but it has to have a stitch length dial on it somewhere.

What did you turn to make those short or tiny stitches? Whatever it was can you not turn it the opposite way to make the stitches longer?

I'll see if I can get a picture in a little bit. There's a dial that's numbered 1-5. On 1 it does insanely tiny stitches, on 5 it's short stitches.

No need to post a picture. I was only looking for a stitch length dial and you answered my question.

If the dial only goes to 5 and that's short stitches and the 1 is tiny stitches then there is no way you can do gathering stitches on that machine. The stitch length dial is the only way you can adjust the length of your stitches.

There is either somethbing wrong and the dial is not putting in the right stitches or it never had that capability in the first place--unless the tension is faulty. Does it make proper stitches --The top and bottom thread meeting in the middle of the fabric--or are they pulled tight. If they are too tight then loosen the upper thread tension a bit and see if that helps

It's proper stitches. I played with the tension a bit and it made it all loopy on the back.

It's all good, though, my MIL brought me another sewing machine this afternoon and it seems to do longer stitches (right now I have 3 sewing machines sitting on my kitchen table).

Thank you so much for your help!

I have had a Kenmore for many years. I took it in to have it worked on and get a good cleaning. The guy told me it is one of the best machines on the market. Very little plastic in it. It is a worker of a machine..

Susie