I clean the lint off mine often. It does make lint, but man does it sew great. I use mine to death for piecing and quilting. It will use any thread and just make a beautiful stitch. I would love to have the Janome 7700, but my Brother 1500 is such a great machine, I can't justify buying another one. Just clean the lint and enjoy that great machine! I am going to try the topstitch needle. I have never tried one of those. Thanks for the tip.