Crooked stitches with Janome MC8200
 

Hi there
Can anyone tell me if this is the best straight stitching I can expect from a Janome MC8200 or similarly priced machine?

All my work is straight stitching and it really needs to be close to perfect. I've been testing over the last several months and thought I had nailed it with a wool batting (light and moves through easily), a huge extension table to help with smooth passage through, straight stitch plate, Acufeed foot, a microtex needle, and a very slow speed. But now I realise that it only really looked ok because my thread close to the fabric colour - when I look at a dark thread on a paler ground, which I sometimes can't avoid using, it looks awful to me.

In this example I've really allowed the dogs to pull the fabric through on their own, just a very light hand keeping the sandwich from skewing. I've used various threads - left to right, there's a pale aurifil, a green machine embroidery thread, black Gutermann sew it all and navy Madeira Aerofil on the right. The Fabric is Kaufman Essex Linen, starched and the batting is heirloom wool. Changing the presser foot pressure seems to make no difference.

What do you all think - is this the best it gets? Do any of you get a run of stitches without a crooked one every 5 or so and if so - what machine do you have?

And anyone ever used an industrial machine to straight stitch - a geared one with speed control? I'm thinking this might be my only solution - I am an artist (targeting art collectors rather than quilt collectors) and they need to be as consistent as possible to justify what I need to charge for a piece to make any kind of living!

Thanks so much to anyone who can help.

Would you consider a straight Stitch only machine? Check out the Brother PQ1500

I definitely would Alyce though it looks like they're quite hard to get hold of here in the UK. Have you used one, were you impressed?
And do you think I'm right about the quality of the stitches in the pix?

I would be fine with your stitches, but, then again, your needs are different. I have two of those Brother machines. Long story why, nothing to do with quality, just family situation at the time, but, both are great for my purposes. Nice straight stitches, not really industrial, but, heavy duty, in my opinion. I can do free motion quilting easily, takes any thread except Madiera go figure. Others here have them and seem to like them too. Supply is an issue lately.

Maybe this will help.


https://web.archive.org/web/20110818...-about-it.aspx

I have a Janome Magnolia that I purchased in 2009 & after I got it home that was the same thing that I noticed about it. The line of stitching was like yours....not totally straight. Since my sewing does not require it to be perfect or close to perfect it does not bother me at all. I don't know if this is true on all Janome machines but I do know that my Singer sews very, very straight stitches.

I think the best Straight stitch machines are the ones that just do a straight stitch. The needle in any machine that does more than a straight stitch is designed to "Move" side to side somehow. yep....can get a bit of a wobble. The best machine I had for doing a perfect straight stitch was a Viking mega quilter. It only did straight stitch. There are other machines like that out there and some folks say even the old singers in a treadle do wonderful straight stitches. I did like the Mega quilter as it also had a scissors and a needle up/down setting which the old singers do not and it also had more throat space.

Perhaps try ruler quilting?

I think it is very difficult to sew "a straight line".

That is my problem with most machines. It seems the stitches get skewed as you have noted. Spending that much money on a machine, I guess I expect straight stitches. However, I do understand the point made that as these machines are made to sew out all kinds of decorative stitches, which allows slight motion of the needle for those jogged stitches. From what I have seen, those stitches seem to be normal for machines at this level.

I would suggest a straight stitch only machine as well. I'm glad I read your post. I plan to add a straight stitch only machine in the hopefully near future, but as I am still researching, I have second guessed my decision, wondering if I should be considering a Janome or other model. My first machine was a Janome MC4800, so when I upgraded a number of years ago, I naturally tried Janome machines first. That said, in general I've never been as impressed with the Janome machines I have tried, this being one of the reasons. I will say I recently sewed on a Skyline 7, that one did surprise me. But I digress - I have a machine that has all the fancy stitches, and that machine is more than I want to spend for what I am after.

I want that bigger throat space for FMQing plus the ability of the machine to handle layers (and sometimes just seam intersections that the other machines seem to complain about). Hopefully you can find a source for one in the UK. Both Juki and Brother are very popular here for straight stitch only machines. Beautiful stitches (both straight FMQing). Brother is a little less expensive here.

I have the Juki TL2010-q which is as straight stitch only machine, I love it. One nice thing it has is a speed control slider, so you can go from very slow up to 1500 stitches per minute. I am a new sewer (just about a year) and I just looked at the seams of my latest piece, and the stitches look pretty darn perfect. So I think if you test drive one of these you might be pleased with the result.
The TL series is the one that can be sold online, the QVP/Haruka are all the same machine but are the models sold in shops (they come with more accessories and at least one has a microlifter, but the machine itself is the same).