Best Tips for Buying a Sewing Machine

One of the most frequent questions that I get asked is: “What sewing machine should I buy?”

Here is what you should keep in mind when shopping for a new or “new-to-you” sewing machine.

1.     Determine the type of stitching you want your new machine to do.

Whether you’re looking for a new sewing machine or a “new-to-you” sewing machine, you’ll need to consider the use to which you will put your machine. You may be a seamstress who creates clothing, a home dec stitcher who makes drapes and furniture covers or you may be a quilter, like me. Consider what type of stitching you are currently doing and might be doing in the next year. I don’t look further ahead then that as there will be new sewing machine models available to consider at that time.

2.     Create a “must have” list of features and options that your perfect sewing machine needs to have.

If you’re a quilter, you will want to ensure that the sewing machine is able to form a good straight stitch. This is the most important consideration when you are quilting as this is the stitch that is used the most. There are other options available that will make quilting easier and more enjoyable, such as a needle up/down feature, speed control, and knee lifter, to name a few. If you’re a seamstress, you will want to have decorative stitches, a good buttonhole feature, and a free arm for handling small stitching pieces. If you create pillows and drapes, you’ll want decorative stitches and attachments, such as a ruffler. Determine what your “must haves” are and make a list. This will help to keep you on track when you are actually shopping for your machine.

Photo courtesy of janome.com

Be sure that your “must have” list is your list, not the list of one of your fellow stitchers. Every stitcher will have different items that are “must haves” when they are shopping for a sewing machine. You need to determine what yours are. Don’t be swayed by one of your stitching friends who “must have” a certain feature that you know you won’t really use: stick to what you absolutely have to have in a sewing machine.

 3.     Decide on your budget.

This is a big one! You must decide how much money you can realistically spend on a sewing machine. You can spend thousands of dollars on a sewing machine, but you don’t need to to get a good machine. Only you will know what is feasible when it comes to what you can afford to spend, so determine what this is and stick to it! You want to be sure that you’ll still be able to buy fabric and notions to use with your sewing machine.

4.     Decide if you need to get a brand new sewing machine.

If this is your first sewing machine or if you have a very limited budget, buying a used sewing machine might be ideal for you. Some stitchers buy a new sewing machine when a new model comes out and they have to sell their current machine to afford the new one. This is an opportunity for you to purchase a gently used sewing machine at a very good discount.

5.     Do your research.

Before you start going to the sewing machine shop to try out a potential purchase (and yes, you always want to try them out before buying), do some research about the machine online. You can check in groups to see if other sewists have this machine and how they like it and read the machine manual to see its capabilities and features.  

6.     Narrow your selection.

You may’ve looked at lots of sewing machines online, but now you need to narrow your selection down to about 3 machines. This will save you time when you actually try them out in the store (who has time to test out 15 sewing machines?). Your final potential selections will all have the “must haves” on your list. They will have additional features, of course, but they will all have the “must haves”. These are the machines that you will want to try out at the sewing machine shop.

7.     Stitch test drive.

Now you’re ready to actually try stitching with the three models you selected. Be sure to take the type of fabric or material that you will be stitching with your ideal machine. Try out the various features. Determine what attachments come with it and if you’ll have to buy additional ones to do the type of stitching you do. If you do have to buy optional attachments, what is the price range? Don’t be swayed in trying other models that don’t have your “must haves” on them. Refer to your list and make notes about each model. While you might be able to make a decision on that same visit, you can certainly come back another time once you’ve had a chance to review your notes.

Photo courtesy of janome.com

For more information on shopping for a sewing machine, click on the image below.

Remember: The perfect sewing machine for you is one that fits your needs and falls within your budget.

 Do you have any tips on shopping for a new or new-to-you sewing machine? Post them in the Comments below.

Creatively,

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How to Stitch the Same Seam Length Over and Over

There is a feature on the Janome MC9400 that you may not know about: it’s the memorized quilt seaming feature. This feature can be very handy for specific stitching circumstances, such as when stitching partial seams.

If you wanted to use this feature when piecing a quilt top on the Janome MC9400, this is how you would do it.

You would go into the Sewing application (t-shirt icon), choose Patchwork and then Straight Stitch (#1) and stitch a seam. When you had finished stitching, you would notice a message on the display screen asking if you wanted to stitch another seam with the same size. You could click on “OK” and when you next started stitching, the machine would stitch a line of stitching exactly the same length as the one you had just previously stitched. If you didn’t want to stitch a seam the same length, just choose the “X” and you could then stitch any length of seam you wanted.

The memorized quilt seaming feature would be helpful for stitching partial seams in quilt blocks or other situations where you want to repeat the same length of stitching.

Click on the image below to see how to set up and use the memorized quilt seaming feature on the Janome MC9400.

See page 90 in your manual for more information on the memorized quilt seaming feature.

Creatively,

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Automatic Presser Foot Lifter Feature on the Janome MC9400

One of the very helpful features on the Janome MC9400 is the automatic presser foot lifter. You can set the machine so that every time you stop stitching, the needle goes down into the fabric and the presser foot automatically lifts up by pressing this button on the display screen. The presser foot will automatically go down again when you start to stitch.

I love these presser foot options on the Janome MC9400, but one thing that I didn’t love was that I often wanted the presser foot to lift higher and it took me a while to figure out how to do this as it isn’t in the machine’s manual. 

You can set the height of the presser foot to its highest point in the Settings area, but I want to be able to have the presser foot be set at a regular height and then just be able to push a button to have it raise to the highest height – yes, I’m fussy like that! 

Click on the image below to see how you can have the presser foot lift to its highest height on the Janome MC9400, without adjusting the height in the Settings area.

Creatively,

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Getting an Even Seam on the Janome MC9400

Some people use masking tape or a stack of post-it notes or other methods to stitch a seam a specific distance from the sewing machine needle. If you own a Janome MC9400, there is another way to get an even seam.

The Janome MC9400 comes with a cloth guide that will take the place of any of these solutions and ensure that you get an accurate seam as you stitch along. It is one of the accessories that you’ll find included when you buy the machine and sometimes quilters aren’t really sure what it is! It’s what you can use to stitch a perfect seam! The cloth guide can be set to whatever distance you want from the needle to keep an even seam. If you struggle to use the edge of your HP foot to get a perfect ¼” seam (a method I love to use when piecing!), you can use the HP foot, HP needle plate and the cloth guide for the best of all worlds.

To use the cloth guide, you need to remove the acrylic extension table from the Janome MC9400. The cloth guide snaps into place on the bed of the Janome MC9400 and can be moved closer or further away from the needle, depending on the width of the seam you want to stitch. This is especially helpful for garment sewing when you need a 5/8” seam.

Another way that I think the cloth guide would be really helpful would be when you want to stitch several rows of decorative stitches a specific distance from the hem or cuff of a garment. You could use the cloth guide to stitch the first line of decorative stitches and then adjust it to where you want the subsequent stitching to be. Information on how to attach and use the cloth guide can be found on page 26 in your Janome MC9400 manual.

Click on the photo below to watch a video showing you how to attach and use the cloth guide.

Creatively,

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Walking Feet for the Janome MC9400

I really enjoy making improvisational quilt as you go (QAYG) projects and find that my AcuFeed Dual Foot and Holder (Twin) or AD foot that came with the Janome MC9400 is so helpful in quilting straight or wavy lines when I am making projects with this technique. If you're not familiar with the AD foot, you may recognize it as the walking foot or even feed foot. Yes, it's the one you will use for handling slippery fabrics, or, if you are a quilter, doing walking foot quilting. 

I love using the AD foot, but have recently purchased an additional walking foot, the AcuFeed Foot with Foot Holder Single or VD foot. This foot is similar to the AD foot, but is narrower, allowing for use in areas where the AD foot may be just a bit too wide. 

When I'm adding quilting to my QAYG projects, I like to use the edge of my presser foot to measure the space to where I want to lay down the next quilting line. When I want to have a narrow space between my quilting lines, the VD foot is perfect!

Both the AD foot and the VD foot work with the AcuFeed Flex system to move both the top and bottom fabrics along at the same rate. In order to use them with this system, you need to be sure that the AcuFeed Flex system is engaged on the Janome MC9400.

To see more information about both of these feet and how to use them with the AcuFeed Flex system on the Janome MC9400, click on the photo below.

Creatively,

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