athenagwis

No you are right ... it is Janome.... LOL Wouldn't that be nice if it WAS Bernina??? :) Thanks for clarifying for me!!

Rachel

SherriB

I have a Janome that looks identical to this machine. I love my Janome! I paid over $400 for mine, but I bought it from a dealer. It is a great machine, very easy to use. My only problem is that I can't figure out how to FMQ with it. I think it is more operator error than machine. :D I don't think you can go wrong with this machine. The price is fantastic!!

Oh, and I love the needle down position on mine. You do have to push the button but it is not a big deal. It will stop in the down postion until you change it back to the up position.

Maride

I think all machines stop in the needle up position unless you push the button and then they stop in the needle down position.

If this is not true, someone tell us different.

Barb[/quote]

Most machines, maybe all, will stop at the needle up position every time. Some have a button (and this one has it) that when you hold it down for a couple of seconds, the needle will stop in the down position every time you stop. This a a great feature when quilting. My old Bernina always stops with the needle up and if I want it down I have to do it manually. I still love my oldie anyway.

Moonpi

That is my machine! It is 3 years old now, never a bit of trouble, and I have really been happy with it. Lots of good features - needle up/down stopping is good for machine applique,(it remembers that setting until you turn it off) lots of decorative stitches for crazy quilting. Very easy to use. Altogether, a quiet and well-behaved machine. I'm not sure how it reacts to being dropped, though.

I did have to buy the quilting accessories separately- quilt box has the free motion hopping foot, and the walking foot was separate, if I remember right.

The Janome Red model is identical.

athenagwis

Thanks everyone!! You have made me feel better about getting the Kenmore, it was this one or the $350 Janome, but I really didn't want to go over $300, and I figured if it was similar anyway.....

I agree with whomever said that they don't want to invest a ton into a machine and not be able to justify a new one in the future. I started with a cheapy turn dial machine, then moved up to the Singer, and now I am very excited to get this Kenmore, but I am glad it's at a price where if I want to change again in 5 years I can, but it's also of a quality to where if I don't want to change in 5 years I'm not forced to (like I am right now with my Singer). I just cleaned up my sewing nook in my bedroom in anticipation!! Hopefully they have some in stock at the Sears I can go to. :)

The machine doesn't come with an embroidery foot, which I really want since I have yet to try FMQ, if Sears doesn't sell the foot in store, does anyone know if I can get a generic foot at Joanns and have it work on this machine? Or will I need to order it online?

Thanks again for the great feedback, I was hesitant to get this one, but now I am super stoked!! :)

Cheers!
Rachel

athenagwis

Bwahahaa :) :) :) :) Well hopefully I won't be dropping this one!!! LOL I should take pics of my Singer to show you guys, it's pretty sad really. The plastic broke right where you plug in the power and the foot, so I had to jimmy rig it so the foot will stay where it needs to in order to work, and then once I did, I taped the heck out of it so it would move!!! But the drop happened when I brought it to a quilt shop to sew. I had it on the back seat, and I stopped too quick, and bam ..... on the floor. Not cool. If I bring my new baby, it's so getting seat belted in!

Cheers!
Rachel

zennia

I loved my Kenmore. I found out to late that Janome was same as Kenmore I could have saved myself a lot of money. I buy feet for my Janome at Sears.

BellaBoo

If you have sewn on machines without the needle up/down option, the needle stops whereever it wants to.

ctquilter

Most machines, maybe all, will stop at the needle up position every time. Some have a button (and this one has it) that when you hold it down for a couple of seconds, the needle will stop in the down position every time you stop. This a a great feature when quilting. My old Bernina always stops with the needle up and if I want it down I have to do it manually. I still love my oldie anyway.[/quote]

On my machine I have to push the needle down button every time I stop sewing. Does anyone else have to do this?

Maride

Rachel, This machine is a low shank as most Kenmore are, and any generic foot will work as long as it is a low shank. All the other feet besides the walking foot are snap on, which means that the "low shank" part remains on the machine and you only have to change the lowest part of the foot, and any snap on foot will work.