Wednesday, June 22, 2011

New sewing machine

Well, the time came: my old 20+ years-old Kenmore has retired. I've been fighting with it for a while now, and was spending more time unjamming and ripping out bad stitching than I was sewing. I tried out quite a few machines, including Singers, Bernina (nice but out of my price range), and Janomes (I have a Janome serger and really like it). I used this website to do some research and read reviews. This is the machine I bought, the Janome 2030QDC (computerized, how fancy!):


It's actually considered a quilter's machine but has all the features I needed without being overly complicated with bells and whistles. It has good power, is fast, and easy to use - I took it out of the box, plugged it in and started sewing right away (well, the most difficult thing was trying to figure out the auto-threader!). It also came with an extended sewing table, hard case and lots of accessories. So nice to have consistent, even stitching!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen,
I find this interesting. I'm considering purchasing a new sewing machine and have seriously been considering the Janome 2030 too. I have a 30 yr old Kenmore (which I believe was made by Janome) but the tension had gone kaput. I too bought a Janome serger (last year) and love it. Does your Janome come with a lot of feet like the walking foot? It really appeals to me. I'm not a quilter but I like doing crafts, home decor and some clothing.
Judith (from Guelph)

SpecialK said...

It came with lots of accessories: buttonhole, zipper, zig-zag, cording, piping, satin, walking, darning... so far, I'm pretty happy with it.

Heather D. said...

I'm curious....are you still liking this machine? I am in the market for a new machine and this is one that's top of my list of considerations.

SpecialK said...

I like it a lot, no problems so far. Easy to change stitches, handles everything from silk to multiple layers of thick fabric. Although, if I had the money and could justify it, I would get a Bernina - the stitching is so perfect!

kathryn said...

Hey Karen,

I'm thinking of buying this machine but I can't for the life of me figure out how much it costs. It's $600 here in Sweden....wondering how much less it is if I wait til I'm back in the states. I'm willing to assume Canada and the US have similar-ish prices on things.

Thanks so much!

Kat

SpecialK said...

I think I paid around $400 for it. The dollar is pretty much even for US and Canada, but I'm not sure how much this would cost in the US, probably a bit less.

Unknown said...

Hello I am looking at buying this one as well and am wondering if you guys are still very happy with this one?

Thanks

SpecialK said...

very happy! No problems so far. Sewing is far more enjoyable, and efficient, with a good machine. The only criticism I can think of is that it can be a bit noisy on the highest speed.

Annalisa said...

Hi Karen .... I have been thinking about buying the Janome 2030QDC, but the places I've called are quoting prices of $600 and more plus taxes. The price you paid was much less. Where did you buy your machine ... btw I'm from Mississauga.

SpecialK said...

Well I bought it almost 2 years ago, so I'm sure the price has increase since then. I bought it here: http://www.sewingmachine.ca/

Anonymous said...

The Janome 2030QDC is on sale right now, Apr. 26 - May 10 for $479.00 plus your trade in, I think probably at most Janome retail stores.