miriam

I don't know what Janome I had. It was new in 1998 or so and I barely used it - it was a moderately price piece - it had a few bells and whistles but it wouldn't sew anything very heavy. I had a hard time making it stop where I wanted it to - drove me nutty. It had some kind of whimpy button hole maker foot that I couldn't make button holes as good as I would have liked. I finally got rid of it. I have a quilt top somewhere I pieced on it so it must have been good for something.

I've tested a lot of different machines I will say that. There ain't a new one out there worth 2 cents as far as I am concerned. I messed with some Necchi machines and a couple Vikings. The Vikings were ok but I just never really bonded. The Necchi machines vary wildly - some were ok and some not so much. Some machines have the nose sticking out too far and make it hard to see. Makes my neck hurt. Then I found a Singer 401G in the garbage - it was a mess. My sister insisted that I make the thing work. I think she double dared or something. I did - it took a lot of research and trial and error. I used 3 in 1 oil on it. Talk about stuck up cam shaft selectors!!! I found a 403 and fell in love with it while I was working on the 401G. I had an Elna SU I was very bonded to before I burned out the motor too many times and tried to fix that. I found another Elna after 20 years... I also use a Consew walking foot for anything tough. That thing might sew through a board for all I know - just needs the right needle I guess. My favorite right now is a Singer 403 with all the disks and a bunch of attachments. I like it because it is simple. It does what I tell it to do. I can see what I am doing. It is tough. The decorative stitches look good. I can fix it my self. It is easy to keep the bobbin area clean. The gears are metal. You can peak inside at the bobbin to know how much thread is on the bobbin. My Elna kept breaking gears and burning out the motor. I'll admit when I sew I sew hard enough to kill a machine. The vintage Singer machines seem to hold up better than anything else I've had. I have tested Touch and Sews - they are good for parts and/or land fill. I think anything newer than them is probably junk too. I had a Pfaff for a while and a Bernina. They were ok but I never bonded. I never bonded with the other Viking I had - probably mid 80's piece.

I just was over at my DDs place and the very basic Viking (bought new in 1992) I gave her when she moved out was making a racket. I opened up the throat plate and cleaned it out. I think it hadn't been cleaned in a very long time. My 403 is so much easier to clean out. Then I sewed on the Viking. My old machines - every last one of them - sew straighter, quieter and faster. I'm really glad it's her using it and not me - I wouldn't have any hair. My old machines feel so solid and stitch so well..