Janome Joys!

 Five weeks ago, just before holiday club started, I took myself off to Norwich and ordered a new sewing machine. It is a Janome 5270 QDC. QDC stands for Quilting, Decor, Couture - it is a designed to be an "all-round" machine, for people who make Quilts, Curtains, Clothes etc. 

It is from the same series as the 5060 used on the Sewing Bee - but has a bigger, stronger machine. Karen at Sew Creative asked me about the sort of sewing I do. "Are you a quilter?" I told her I have some pieces cut and waiting to be sewn up - but other projects got in the way...memory bears, fancy dress costumes for friends, covers for PA equipment made from recycled gazebo walls...and basic dressmaking and clothes renovations. She suggested that the 5060 can struggle with tougher fabrics and paying the extra would be worth it in the long run. I should get many years of service from it.This will be my last machine - I am not sure I will still be sewing when I am 90!

But I am loving it! On a day when Bob was out at the Hospice, I spent my time just playing around with the machine and see what stitches it did, experimenting with the new features I have never had on a machine before, and generally having fun.

Great things to mention are

• The scissor switch- which cuts threads very neatly as you finish a piece
• The lock-stitch switch, which does that little forward-backward-forward dance automatically at the beginning and end of a lionbe of stitching
• The Knee Lifter - a lever which attaches to the front of the machine, and when I'm manoeuvring round corners or curves, this allows me to do it with both hands, because I can raise the presser foot by nudging the lever with my knee.
• The automatic needle threader. 
• The easy digital stitch selector panel 
• The option of operating with a foot pedal or a stop start switch
• The clear LED display
• PLUS
• The 'quilters' box' containing a Walking Foot and other aids
• The extension table for spreading the weight of larger projects

Back in 2019, cousin Gillian gave me a pretty notebook for Christmas. I have decided it should be for my Sewing Notes

I have made a note of the things I discovered on my Practice Day [the instruction book is very comprehensive - so it is useful to know page 60 is the Twin Needle section], and all the projects worked on thus far. 3 bears, 4 cushion pads, 4 garments and an ironing board cover. That's a dozen items in the first month.

I think one thing I need to make soon is a cover for my notebook - the cover is a strange sort of embossed cardboard, and I suspect it will show the dirt very quickly.

My other 'regular' machine, and my embroidery machine are both made by Janome. I'm very happy with the design and quality of their products. Both John Lewis and Dunelm sell their own branded machines- but these are made for them by Janome. I would definitely recommend these machines.