Do you have a Janome Memory Craft machine?
 

My local Janome dealer is having a big sale and I'm very tempted to invest some savings that have been waiting for the right purchase. I already have the Janome 6600 and love it, so need real convincing to move into another machine. However, the Memory Craft series have more space between the machine and needle making them very tempting. I'm overwhelmed with the selections, though, and would love feedback, reviews and recommendations from real quilters. My first choice is the 8200QCP but please let me know about others as well. Thanks so much for your help!

I have the 8900 (been a New Home/Janome girl since my 1968 used one)
If I had to do it again, I'd get the 8200, I do not need all those stitches ;) Otherwise I think they are the same machine.

Janome is really generous in taking in used machines too which will reduce the overall price.
I had a 6600, total workhorse, probably the best standard machine they ever made, but sold it last year, downsizing the herd. I bought it for use when I was away from home for 3 years taking care of my father in law.

I have the Janome Memory Craft 7700 QCP. I bought it 4 years ago. I love that machine. I bought it for the throat space and I am so glad I did. I also love the Accufeed system (built in walking foot).

Oh goodness, my Janome is a MC4800. small throat space too. Wish I'd thought about that when looking for one. oh well, it's a good machine and I've been happy (enough).

I am a Bernina convert....have the 8200 and love it. I do not need all of the bells and whistles- I wanted a quality machine with large throat, and no embroidery. Bernina does not have that available so I test drove the Janome 8200, and have been very happy with it for 4 years. I do my own machine quilting with it-free motion, ruler work, and walking foot. Good luck! I still keep my Bernina Record 930 up and running...she has been my main machine since the 80’s....

I've had the 8200 for 4 years as well, and love everything about it. Throat space is why I chose it, plus didn't want more features than it offered (and didn't want to pay for them). I love the auto thread cutter, the easy , intuitive screen selection of stitches, the way it does FMQ, how quiet it is, the alphabet I can make labels with, the auto tension which has never given me trouble, the drop-in bobbin, I could go on and on. I'm sure I'd love the knee lift if I ever get around to actually playing with it. But in 4 years I have not.

My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner. On the other hand, if I had, I might not have appreciated it as much after struggling with small throat space of my small , first Janome.

I am watching this nervously having bought the 8900 only last week. , So far everyone has been pro the Janomes phew! Hopefully, I will feel the same once I have put it through it's paces. It does feel like driving a formula one car for the first time though.

My 4800 has given 13 years of service and will be kept for workshops if I need a swing needle and for my 7yr old grandson who is learning.

I have the Janome 6600, the 3160, and on a "spur of the moment" 5 years ago bought the 15000 and have absolutely no regrets. I used part of my children's inheritance and have never looked back. I kept the 6600 so I can stitch on it and embroider with the 15000 at the same time. The 3160 is my little traveling machine. I love my Janomes and the advantage to having all the same manufacturer is the learning curve is a bit smaller as well as some attachment feet and all the bobbins are interchangeable. Making life simpler.
This website from Janome Canada is wonderful and has all kinds of info about the Janome machines. I subscribe and get emails every few days or so with all things Janome. Always something new to learn.

https://janomelife.wordpress.com/

I had an 8900 for a short while and although I found the harp space "long/big", it was also "low" and I couldn't get used to it.

I have the 7700 and agree with this. I definitely find my back and shoulders hunching and tightening up when quilting. Because the head is fairly bulky, it can be a little more challenging to use for FMQ if that's its primary use (since the OP mentioned having the 6600 and wanting more space).

If it were the only or primary machine, they are multitaskers. If I were looking for more space for FMQ and already had a good machine for most sewing, I would look more towards the 1600P and its market siblings like the Juki TL2010Q. Straight stitch only, but overall more room to push a quilt into, less head "bulk" to block visibility, and a lot lower cost.

y Janome is at least 20 years old and still going strong. I wouldn't be afraid to invest in another one.

I have the 8900 and love it. Bought it for the large harp and it was on sale. That said I don't use all the stitches so the 8200 would have been fine too, but I didn't even know about that model when I bought the 8900. I love my Janome!

You need to ask your Janome dealer when the machine was first on the market. Janome only carries parts for 20 years and then you cannot get parts to have it repaired. I bought the 6500, 10000 and 11000 and I had a lot of problems with the 6500 and I can no longer get parts for it. My 11000 is being serviced and I am holding my breath that it isn't anything major because the parts for it are no longer available. I have been spoiled my 1955 Singer which still sews like a dream and I can still buy parts for it. There is a lot to be said for the mechanical machine.

Fabric, this the the norm across all lines of computerized machines and any other tech too. My 20 year old phones and dvd players aren't fixable either. The technology changes so fast it doesn't even make sense for the manufactures to support them. Part of life in the fast lane. Fortunately there are millions of pre-chip machines available too.

........and that's exactly what I did! I sold the 8900 and bought the Juki TL2010Q for quilting ( mechanical straight stitch only, high harp space) and a Juki DX7 (computerised "fancy pants") for piecing.

I have the 6500MC and the 1600P....wouldn't trade either of them in, however I don't need all the stitches that the 6500MC has....waste of money paying for what you will never use if you ask me.

I have the 6600, 8900, oh, and Skyline 7. Love them all! The 8900 is my go to for free motion....use the Skyline and 15000 for piecing. Use the 6600 for bags...real workhorse. Would not trade any of them.

I have had many MCs but this time I went for the SkylineS9, much lower cost

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. Tomorrow is the big day when I make my final decision. I really appreciate the feedback on the machines with more stitches because I was wondering if more stitches meant more machine. Never having owned or wanted an embroidery machine, I'm probably fine without too many extras. I like to do my own quilting, mostly SID and turning those quilts can be a real pain so the extra space would be nice to have. My plan is to use this machine for many, many years. Thanks for the tip, Fabric, on the shelf-life of parts. I will be sure to ask.

You might want to try FMQ on each of the models you're interested in before committing. See how the visibility is, see how easy it is to control or "smoosh" the excess in the harp (even take a completed quilt and pretend to quilt it to see how the harp space works for you.)

I have the Memory Craft 6600 love it. Love the large harp. Wouldn't hesitate to but another Janome.

if you haven't chosen yet, consider the MC8900.
the extension table is included with the standard accessories.
that's a "must have" (for me, anyway).
i think the extension table sells separately for around $99.

whichever model you choose, you will also want to buy the 1/4" and open toe accufeed feet.
piecing, attaching binding, sewing the binding down, and straight-line quilting become a breeze. :)

I own a 6600 and an 8900 and love them both. I originally planned to sell my 6600 when I purchased the 8900 but it is such a workhorse, I couldn’t part with it. Good luck.

Inquiring minds want to know! What did you decide on today?! 🤗

So - I went ahead and added the 8900 to my quilting room. Just like you, I now have the 6600 and 8900. I'm looking forward to quilting my first quilt, something that tends to seep dread into me.

I included a table so now I have a corner workstation. It still needs some refinements, but I think it's going to work.

Yay!! Good for you!!! So happy—you’re gonna love that harp space!

So, I did remember to ask about future repairs. The shop where I purchased does in-house repairs and have been doing so for more than 40 years. The repairman told me it is not true that Janome parts become unavailable. In fact, he told me a story about a machine that was brought in and he could not find the parts for it - some special disks in the needle head. Janome machined a new set and sent them to him so he could complete the repair. I did not ask the cost!

You are so fortunate to have that kind of dealer. My dealer has been in business for 23 years and works on all kinds of machines but she told me she couldn't get parts for my 6500 because they only carry them for 20 years and my model was 8 years old when I bought it. She also told me that another woman brought in her 11000 and it couldn't be repaired because the part was no longer available. It has made me leery of spending $10,000 or more for the newer model Janomes.

my dealer/service guy told me the same thing in regard to a replacement needle threader.
that's confusing to me because the 11000 has not been on the market for 20 years. :confused:
luckily mine is still in perfect working order.

I did tbe same thing! Only my workhorse is a 14 yr. old 6500 that l was sure l'd never need to upgrade from...but fell in l♡ve with a lightly used 8900 l saw at dealer's stall at local quilt show. Love the new machine, but keeping the 6500 for my grandd. to use ( she's showing interest, age nearly 8.) I keep it in use& threaded up for quick repairs while the Horizon is set up for a different task.

I have the 8200QCP and I love love love it. It is a better machine than my Bernina. Nuf said.

Congratulations Barbara...I know you’re gonna love your new machine. Good luck with your first quilt.

Yay! That looks like a beautiful machine.

Gosh, I still have my 9000 ! Don't sew on it often, as I have a newer machine - but did use it a while back to sew some outdoor material - and it works great still! Have had it since 1995 or so. My newest addition is the 500E - embroidery only . I use it for the Edge to Edge quilting.

Hi there. I've been using a Janome 8900 QCP for about five years now and I love it. The deep throat is great for larger projects but it's always a struggle for anything larger than a twin size quilt.