Janome Continental M7
#21
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Keller, TX
Posts: 1,937
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I have numerous Janome machines, love them all. I checked out the Continental M7 at the Sewing Expo when it came out....pretty machine. After reviewing what it had to offer versus my 15000, 8900QC, and my Skyline7.....the only extra for me, was the extra 2 inches of bed space. Not worth it. Now that I hear about the stitch quality, I'm glad I didn't purchase at the show. It is a big machine.
#22
Member
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 1
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yes, I just purchased this machine recently for $4,000. I love it! I had a Janome MP6600 prior to this purchase. I have been looking at this model for about a year, but the $8,000 price tag scared me away. I was vacationing in Ft. Myers, FL and went to a distributor. The rest is history as I now own this awesome machine!
#23
Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 65
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I don’t care much for the hand-stitched group either, but they can be easily ignored if they are not your thing. There are a couple hundred others to choose from. I don’t really choose a machine based on deco stitches, as there are always a wide variety included to please a wide audience of sewers with different interests and projects.
I would love this baby. Congrats to the lucky new owners. Lots of impressive features there, acres of room, and a strong motor. Very nice.
I would love this baby. Congrats to the lucky new owners. Lots of impressive features there, acres of room, and a strong motor. Very nice.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 04-22-2020 at 02:58 AM. Reason: shouting/all caps
#24
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I'm thinking about getting a new machine, and the Janome is on my top three list. Yesterday I downloaded the manual and read it, and to be honest there are a lo of features that are the same as what's on my Bernina, but on the Janome they seem to be better explained and simpler to carry out. I like the idea of having two different machines to take advantage of more features and different stitches.
#25
Member
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 3
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I called my Janome dealer and the price for the M7 is $5K. Yes, its not cheap at $5K but a lot less than MSRP of $8K. Is it worth $5K?? For 13.5 inches of harp, maybe. For all those into doing your own quilting, the big harp might worth the $$$.. For comparison sake, the latest Horizon model (9450) goes for $3.5K and the previous Horizon model (8200, special edition) is selling new for $1.9K (which can be bought anywhere online, even Amazon). Not sure about the Horizon 8900 but its probably very close to just over $2K. .
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 332
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NinaB - Thank you for a solid review. I am a Janome girl through and through and have thought about upgrading to this machine as I now have the 9400. You did a great job on your review and I really appreciate your time and input! Great idea on the Home Depot work table. Thank you!
#27
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my dealer put it on sale for a deal too good to pass up.
i was kicking myself all the way home for buying yet another expensive machine.
have been using it every day.
no more kicking or buyer's remorse.
i am in sewing dreamland.
i was kicking myself all the way home for buying yet another expensive machine.
have been using it every day.
no more kicking or buyer's remorse.
i am in sewing dreamland.
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#28
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Va.
Posts: 5,753
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Rob
#29
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I ordered one last Friday and picked it up on the 4th. I spent all day yesterday sewing a new mindless strip quilt and so far I love it. It took me a while to figure out how to get a 1/4" seam allowance, but the stitch quality is great.
#30
Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Tampa Fl
Posts: 2
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I bought this machine a couple of days prior to Thanksgiving. I had literally sold my home and was moving. I didn't really begin to use it until January (Move + Holidays, etc.)
I'm working on three quilts concurrently, and I sew an hour or two daily after work, and in this nasty Pacific NW winter weather, my Saturday & Sunday is usually dedicated to quilting. (Yeah, I'm single, and my kids are grown lol) This machine was a graduation for me. I've sewn for years, but hadn't touched a machine until a couple of years ago, a friend suggested I learn to quilt as a mechanism for dealing w/stress. I'd bought a little 189.00 Brother Laura Ashley machine on Amazon, made a queen sized quilt, and was hooked. I knew I needed more throat space if I was going to continue quilting.
After building a spreadsheet, and listing all the needs/wants, I looked at every machine out there. Elna, Bernina, Pfaff, Brother, Viking... I spent time in the sewing shops testing all of them. I spent hours on the mfg websites reading details, read forums, googled pros/cons of each brand. By the end of 2 months of research, the Continental was clearly the winner.
Stitches are like silk. I see many complain about "wonky stitches" - those are the stitches, and purposely designed this way to emulate hand stitching. I don't find the heirloom stitches to be "wonky", but that's just me. All other stitches flow like butter.
I paid 5999.99 for my machine. I received several Kim Einman(sp?) rulers, her BOM pattern and one of her jelly rolls, along with a rolling bag in addition to the machine. This "bonus" package was not a big deal (IMHO). I'm not one to ever turn down more quilt rulers... LOL The BOM wasn't anything awe -inspiring, and the jelly roll pack came in handy for another quilt, so I did ok there.
I'm just saying this "Bonus" package wasn't something that would be a deal breaker. The design of the rolling bag is poor b/c of the handle placement. THe bag itself is fine, but that handle placement was just plain . Imagine a rectangle, and the pull handle is on the narrow end - which means it'd be easy to topple the cart because this is a LARGE machine.Furthermore, there's I'm hauling this machine back/forth to the shop for "lessons". LOL I am risking my investment like that.
After I moved, I found a local sewing shop, and he sells the same package (machine/pkg) for 5k - too bad I didn't know about this vendor! LOL (If you're interested and in North Seattle area - lemme know, I will provide the name. Wonderful folks)
Because I plan to move cross country by year's end, I wasn't going to invest in an expensive cabinet - but I needed something large enough because, it's a pretty good sized machine. I went to Home Depot, and purchased a HUSKY brand height-adjustable work bench. The bench/table is 47" wide, has two nice ball bearing track drawers (the nice ones like in a fancy rolling tool box). The base is white, the top is a thick butcher block - AND - has a hand crank that will raise the table from 29" to 43". The caster rollers (incl.) are great, so I can move the table if needed, and do so easily - even on carpet. If I used the optional stationary feet (also included) I believe that would change the table height to a range of 26-40". Assembled myself in about 30 minutes, looks nice and neat in my sewing area (i.e. not like it's a garage piece in the house) and it's VERY solid.
If you decide to take the jump, just know you're NOT going to have to pay 8k. Careful shopping, and you can find the machine for 5k. It's very easy to use - the spiral bound manual is pretty darn comprehensive.
I'm working on three quilts concurrently, and I sew an hour or two daily after work, and in this nasty Pacific NW winter weather, my Saturday & Sunday is usually dedicated to quilting. (Yeah, I'm single, and my kids are grown lol) This machine was a graduation for me. I've sewn for years, but hadn't touched a machine until a couple of years ago, a friend suggested I learn to quilt as a mechanism for dealing w/stress. I'd bought a little 189.00 Brother Laura Ashley machine on Amazon, made a queen sized quilt, and was hooked. I knew I needed more throat space if I was going to continue quilting.
After building a spreadsheet, and listing all the needs/wants, I looked at every machine out there. Elna, Bernina, Pfaff, Brother, Viking... I spent time in the sewing shops testing all of them. I spent hours on the mfg websites reading details, read forums, googled pros/cons of each brand. By the end of 2 months of research, the Continental was clearly the winner.
Stitches are like silk. I see many complain about "wonky stitches" - those are the stitches, and purposely designed this way to emulate hand stitching. I don't find the heirloom stitches to be "wonky", but that's just me. All other stitches flow like butter.
I paid 5999.99 for my machine. I received several Kim Einman(sp?) rulers, her BOM pattern and one of her jelly rolls, along with a rolling bag in addition to the machine. This "bonus" package was not a big deal (IMHO). I'm not one to ever turn down more quilt rulers... LOL The BOM wasn't anything awe -inspiring, and the jelly roll pack came in handy for another quilt, so I did ok there.
![Smile](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
After I moved, I found a local sewing shop, and he sells the same package (machine/pkg) for 5k - too bad I didn't know about this vendor! LOL (If you're interested and in North Seattle area - lemme know, I will provide the name. Wonderful folks)
- The machine is quiet. Like "I can sew in the LR and not bother others who are watching TV kind of quiet. Quiet like "doesn't wake someone sleeping in the chair 8' away" quiet.
- The bobbin winder is dreamy and fast.
- I love the alert that tells me my bobbin is low!
- There's not enough internet bandwidth to handle my unending praise, awe, and compliments about the acres of workspace! OMWORD - there's ..!
- The lighting in the work area is absolutely incredible!
- I can wind a bobbin w/o un-threading my machine.
- She can sew at crazy high speeds, but I keep it in the middle setting for quilting/piecing. High speed is awesome for garment sewing.
- The needle plates are fabulous! No more tips of HST tips being punched down into the bobbin area. The plates pop up for easy switching.
- The needle threader works - every time, and ohhh does it work !
- I like the placement of the LCD screen, it's right in front of me and easy to see and a simple easy to read layout..
- The quilting stitches available are pretty darn cool - I can put my 1/4" foot on, select quilting stitches and then select the preset for a 1/4" seam and I am 100% on target for a 1/4" seam.
- This machine is SOLID and Larrrrrrrge.
- Quilting on this has been amazing - that throat is divine.
- Nice spiral bound user manual
- of extra feet included (yay!)
- Built in thread arm (this is very nice - spools/cones sit upright)
Because I plan to move cross country by year's end, I wasn't going to invest in an expensive cabinet - but I needed something large enough because, it's a pretty good sized machine. I went to Home Depot, and purchased a HUSKY brand height-adjustable work bench. The bench/table is 47" wide, has two nice ball bearing track drawers (the nice ones like in a fancy rolling tool box). The base is white, the top is a thick butcher block - AND - has a hand crank that will raise the table from 29" to 43". The caster rollers (incl.) are great, so I can move the table if needed, and do so easily - even on carpet. If I used the optional stationary feet (also included) I believe that would change the table height to a range of 26-40". Assembled myself in about 30 minutes, looks nice and neat in my sewing area (i.e. not like it's a garage piece in the house) and it's VERY solid.
If you decide to take the jump, just know you're NOT going to have to pay 8k. Careful shopping, and you can find the machine for 5k. It's very easy to use - the spiral bound manual is pretty darn comprehensive.
Thx,
Ana
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