sewingpup

Have you tried doing a You tube search for something like " how to get a 1/4 inch seam with a Janome 6650? Or maybe on how to thread and use it? I sometimes find that watching a video helps me a lot. It looks like this machine came with two stitch plates and I have also found it helpful to use the single straight stitch plate when piecing. Just have to remember to not try and do a zigzag with that plate on. Have you tried using a scrap piece of fabric to start your stitching with or tried to hold on to the threads when starting? It looks like a nice machine. Whenever I have stitch problems, I unthread my machine, take out the manual and go through threading the machine step by step. Also I will pull out the bobbin and do the same. Sometimes I find I have missed a thread guide or not remembered to lift my pressure foot. Does the shop offer classes on the machine? I really like to take those beginning classes when I get a new machine. Oh, and I went from a 5mm machine to 9mm machine, and I had problems getting a nice quarter inch seam, finally problem solved to get an ok seam, but it was still more fiddly then I wanted so I get another machine going back to the 5mm machine for my piecing as those 9mm machines just don't seem to do as well because of the wider space for the feed dogs.

SusieQOH

I'm in the same camp as Dunster and Peckish.
Best of luck to you solving your dilemma.

quiltedsunshine

Just the opposite. Go to a higher number, it will help feed the fabric through better if the pressure is heavier.

quiltedsunshine

My Bernina has the wider 9mm feed dogs. I use my regular, clear presser foot (#34D), bump the needle position over to the right 3 bumps, then guide the edge of the fabrics just inside the feed dog hole. It works soooo much better, because the fabric is being fed by both feed dogs.

quiltingcandy

I have a Janome MC6600P - it is about 12 years old, are you using the thread holders on the spindle?It may sound crazy but sometimes the thread will catch on top of the spool. Also, I use Sewer's Aid on my thread. It helps the thread glide thru the machine. And my machine has been serviced twice in 12 years and the repairman didn't find any problem or build up of stuff. I clean out the bobbin area often, and put the machine oil in the wick and around the edge of the bobbin thingy. If it's not completing the stop - that sound mechanical and I would take it in. There is no reason to fight with something that may be a glitch in the program. My machine came with three free lessons, so hopefully you can get this taken care of quickly.

gardengirl1331

Well the stitches seem to work ok, aside from when it hits a seam and wants to pull to the left, now known to most likely be the wider 9mm machine. The problems seem to be thread breaking, not shredding or anything else, just breaking, and the breaking after the fact when I use the locking (#3) stitch. When I manually lock the stitch, by turning the length down to 0.1, it works fine. All the other stitches I've tried (which really isn't many yet since it's only a few months old now) seem just fine. But I've had 2-3 threads per quilt pop right where those locking stitches are after I've assembled and/or washed the quilt (I'll notice them when doing the binding or when getting it setup on the floor to take my photo after washing it). It'll do that weird one stitch thing, then it'll do 2-3 locking stitches and go just fine, then when I tack it at the end it'll tack it just fine. It's just the starting bit, it doesn't break anywhere else. So I'm assuming it's user error, or the thread.

gardengirl1331

I'll try to grab the 80 needle over the 70 to see if it helps. I do mostly stitch in the ditch and around shapes. I rarely do any kind of fancier stitching since I have health issues it makes it hard to much. Like I said above I do use the 70/80 titanium topstitch needles, but maybe the 70 is what's giving me the trouble. I'll switch the needles and if it keeps doing it I'll switch to poly thread. I hate to say it but this machine has been more of a learning curve then I thought it would be, it's making me want to sell it and just stick with the 6300, but I worry about it's longevity and getting parts for it since it's an older machine now, and janome seems to be moving away from the 5mm machines, at least where I've seen.

Edit: it does seem to give more resistance when pulling thread through compared to the 6300, like it's tighter, I always thought the 6300 was too loose with that and assume this one is normal, but it takes a little more effort to pull it through, and yes I believe it's threaded correctly because it's a tighter pull before you even get over to the left of the machine. I do use the thread holders that came with the machine, but I'm using them the opposite way (which maybe that's the difference, I didn't know the, pardon I have no clue what anything is called, sticky up bits were supposed to face up and away from the spool, I always thought they faced down to hold it better, with them up it just clicks on kind of.

sewingpup

it's making me want to sell it and just stick with the 6300, but I worry about it's longevity and getting parts for it since it's an older machine now, and janome seems to be moving away from the 5mm machines, at least where I've seen.

I noticed how much fiddling it took to get a good 1/4 inch seam on my new Bernina about 2 years ago. I tried everything, I can do it, but it does take some fiddling and I have to pay more attention when I stitch. Well, seems like I have not been the only one. Bernina now has added a couple of 5mm machines to it's line up. I just bought a new 475 and I am loving it, it will now be my main piecing machine. They also added a new one to their 7 series machine, the 735. When I bought my 475, the sales person told me one of her other customers had bought a 3 series machine (5mm) in addition to her top of the line bernina with the 9 mm feed dogs, just so she could piece with no fiddling on the 3 series one. The 9 mm ones are wonderful for regular sewing and those decorative stitches are wonderful. But it sure is nice to have a machine that has more bells and whistles but also has the 5 mm fed dogs.

gardengirl1331

My regular seams are fine, I only seem to struggle when it hits another seam, then it REALLY yanks it to the left. If I go super slow and really go easy it works, but I can't waste that much time when I'm sewing 90" long seams and have to pass over 20++ cross seams! It'll take me forever to do that! But when I'm just starting and doing just a simple 4-8" seam I find it easier to get a real good 1/4" seam compared to the 5mm (but that might be slightly more due to markings on the machine and foot).

For the decorative stuff I just play around with it. I don't use it often. On my old machine I only used it to make blacklight costumes for my husband's band, and for a dress for me to wear to the shows. Otherwise I'd mess around for fun, nothing serious. I mainly bought this machine for the harp space, the hopefully better control over things and for something that will take me through the rest of my sewing life. But now I'm not sure. I don't use bells and whistles for anything in my life (don't own cell phone etc) which is why I bought this machine over a more expensive one (since I did have a bit of the money saved I spent the extra $500 or so on fabric!) but I wanted the bigger space and thought the 9mm would be a good thing.

JanieW

I have the Janome 6700. I believe that is very similar to your 6650. I have none of the issues you describe. It sews well over thick intersections without any pulling to the left. It likes the purple tip needles as well as any size Superior titanium needles as long as I use appropriate size needle for thread weight. Thread doesn’t break. Isacord thread with fmq works very well on this machine.

I would take your machine back to whomever sold it and have these issues you are having sorted. There’s no way your machine should be having these problems.