GwynR

Get some projects cut and ready to sew!

MacThayer

Hi everyone! Thanks for the encouragement. I have to say I spent the day tearing my stash apart, and found things I'd forgotten I had. Isn't that always the way? But just playing with the fabrics made me feel so much better, and now I have all the fabrics I need picked out to finish a log cabin quilt I was working on when the machine broke. I had finished the blocks in the other colors, and knew I had enough related colors so they'd blend but look different, which is what I was trying to achieve, because this is the border. But I'd never pulled them out of my stash. So now I have some washing and pressing to do. I partly dry my fabrics outside, and adore the smelling of pressing fresh cloth with that outdoor smell. Makes the pressing go so much faster, and if the fabric never goes in the dryer, it still has "body" to it. Which means lighter starch when I get around to cutting it.

And I have my stash to reorganize. I just bought a shelving unit off Craig's list, beautiful and cheap. and I can finally get things out of boxes and out where I can see them! I can see I'm going to enjoy this part!

And I can get the house cleaned. I have guests coming for Thanksgiving. We just moved here in April. I still have boxes in there that either need to be unpacked or stored.

The machine that broke is a Brother Sewing Machine. It was one of the cheap models. Less than $200. I hadn't even looked at sewing machines in over 30 years. Didn't know what I was doing. Didn't realize anything this cheap was mostly plastic and made in a 3rd world nation. I just knew money was tight because we were moving, and I desperately wanted a sewing machine. The sales man had the gall to tell me it was an "industrial strength" model, sewed through anything. Heck, it wouldn't even stitch through a thin quilt! Every time I tried to quilt something, I broke needles and jammed up the bobbin. So the word is, if the price sounds too good to be true, it is. There are some great Brother Sewing machines out there, but if you buy one, make sure it's made out of metal, the face plate is metal, the bobbin cover is metal, the inner workings are metal, and it costs more than $200! The repair fellow told me that I overheated the machine when I was quilting because it was working so hard, and warped some of the plastic innards. That wouldn't have happened if they'd been made of metal, or if the motor had been up to the task.

All I've heard about Janome has been awesome, and in fact, I went out and sewed on 4 different models before I made my choice, and I mean I was there for 2 hours, putting them through their paces. It was awesome! Love that machine!

So I will play with and organize my stash, get the fabrics ready for the log cabin blocks, make plans for my next project, and I can start pulling from my stash for that, and even start some cutting. And of course, I can get the house ready for guests and Thanksgiving. Sounds like I'm going to be a busy lady!

I knew I would find understanding here. Thanks ever so much!

Morag

You will LOOOOOVE your 6500P....It is a charm:)

Mad Mimm

I am a single machiner too and I have always wondered what I would do if my workhorse of a Viking took a dive... I guess now we know why all these quilters have more than one machine eh? Good job staying busy while you wait for your new Janome and I will look forward to seeing what you make with it!

emmah

Pick up a vintage Singer 66 or 99 to keep as a backup. You can find them for less than $50 at yard sales or thrift shops, and they require just a little oiling and cleaning to keep them going forever.

threads57

I have the sister to your 6500, the 6600p, you are going to love this machine. I have had several machine over the years and my 6600p is my all time favourite. Join the yahoo group now and you will get some really good tips on you machine. Time will go by very quickly and just think you will have it in time to sew for xmas.

Morag

Emmah, your exactly correct!
My 99K cost my daughter less than $15.00. My hubby cleaned and oiled her and away she went without any effort at all:)
Love the little booger......and my daughter:):)

MacThayer

Hey, that's a GREAT idea! Thanks!

SharonTheriault

I love my Janomes, one for classes and retreats and one for home. The 760 will also act as my backup. But my 6600P only needs annual cleaning and that's it. You're going to love your new Janome!

Shelbie

I agree with Emmah. Pick up a vintage machine at a thrift store, estate sale, Kijiji or Craig's List as your back up machine. My Singer 201 is a powerhouse and was free to a good home. My Featherweight was at a garage sale for $45 and my newest Husqvarna #1+ bought on Kijiji (orginally sold for $3600) was $200. All of these machines stitch better than my Janome 6500 which I have had a love/hate relationship with and cost me $2000 Canadian. I'm sure that they made my Janome at 10 to 5 on a Friday before the long weekend. It has had its problems but I now have it's issues straightened out. The biggest one was finding out (not in the manuel) that there is an oil wick under the bobbin case that may dry out and make a huge racket and cause the bobbin case to rattle and growl and jump out of place. I had to find out about that one on the Janome 6500/6600 forum on line because my dealer kept telling me that it was "operator error" that was causing all of my bobbin case troubles. I'd advise you to join that forum and read up about your Janome 6500. I hope you get a wonderful machine.