Tag: Sewing Machine

I decided that being at Grand Parlor was a good time to send my sewing machine to the spa. I wouldn’t have a chance to even think about sewing, which means that it wouldn’t make me crazy to have it gone.

I am not sure it has been serviced since I bought it and I definitely did not buy it with every day use in mind. As you might recall, it was a replacement for the Janome Jem, which I took to classes. Then, I began having irredeemable problems with the Janome 9k and switched to this machine (Janome DC5100) on what I thought was a temporary basis. Here it is a year + later and I am still using it. It was definitely time for a service. I might have had it serviced before, but I don’t think so. Off it went.

No major problems, but when I was on the phone with Angi at the Sewing Machine Place store in Millbrae, she said that she remembered me. I told her about my 9k and she was horrified that she didn’t remember and more horrified that she couldn’t fix it. I didn’t really remember the details, but she asked me to bring it in and see what was up. They don’t charge to look, so I decided I would.

First, I checked the machine myself. It has been sitting since I had problems with it in 2014. Fortunately the cover was on (what do you think I am? A sewing machine torturer?? 😉   ), so there wasn’t much dust. Immediately the problems started. It ran on its own when I tried to thread it using the needle down button. I couldn’t stop it without turning it off. I didn’t do any further testing. I am not be a sewing machine torturer, but I am also not a sewing machine repair person and it has been a long time since I used the 9k. It simply wasn’t familiar to me anymore. 🙁

I finally had some spare time last Wednesday and took it in. I couldn’t find a parking place nearby and had to carry it over a block to get it to the store. I work out, but that baby is heavy.

Angi was selling a machine so her colleague helped me. We went through all the details of the issues I had found and she found that the machine wasn’t feeding either except when it ran by itself. Angi came over when she was done and we had the whole conversation over. She insisted that she would have remembered these problems, but I think I didn’t bring it back, because I thought it was irreparable and I had already been to 3 repair shops. I felt bad because I hadn’t looked up the exact details of what happened last before I went there. I know I took it to three shops including hers, but looked it up by tag later and got some clarity.

Angi looked at the machine and thought that wires had been crossed somewhere along the way, though the problem may stem from something called the step motor. No electronics, which is good since they are hard to come by, if not impossible for a Janome 9k. She thought 2 weeks and ~$300.

I really want a new machine and have my eye on the Janome 9400. However, if I get a new machine with a larger throat, I have to get a new table as well and that adds to the cost. There is really no point in hauling out heavy furniture and bringing new heavy furniture in without painting and generally giving my workroom a facelift. New machine, much less a new table and decor are just not in the cards right now. YM is in college, I am building my business. The finances just don’t work. The other thing is that I fall in love with new Janome machines all the time. Since I have been thinking about new machines, there have been at least 2 others I have wanted. If Angi and her team can get the 9k running again, that will keep me for awhile longer. Cross your fingers.

The Sewing Machine Place
239 Broadway
Millbrae, CA 94030
(650) 697-4739
10:00am-5:00pm (call as hours may vary)

You probably remember me bringing home the 9k. It worked and I was really happy except that the needle looked out of alignment and the light bulb was burned out.

I called the place that repaired my machine. I felt like an idiot when she, very kindly, told me I could move the needle position.

Oh.

I had never done that before.

Then she explained that she had had to do a factory reset when she re-soldered all of the connections. This meant that the machine was back to what it was like when I bought it. I didn’t remember ever changing the needle position but that was then and this is now. The machine works well. I don’t have to buy a new one; I am happy.

Except for the light bulb. I have an auxiliary bright light over the machine, but it does not shine on the needle. The little sewing I have been doing has been somewhat dark. I asked her about the bulb and she said she would send me one if I told her which one. I was at work; I had no idea.

Later that night I looked at the bulb, which I had to find first. I never had to change the bulb before. That may have been the original bulb! I took a photo and meant to call and tell her, but was too busy at work. My last days mean that projects are being heaped on my that nobody ever thought important before.

On Friday morning I decided I would drive down to the shop and pick up the bulb so I would be ready for sewing on Saturday. When I got there, I showed the photo. The nice lady, Angie, asked if the bulb had two prongs or a roundy sort of connection. I didn’t know. I just stared at her thinking I’d have to go home with no bulb and sew in the dark on Saturday. She gave me one with prongs.

I slotted it in when I got home and turned on the light. It worked and now everyone is happy(mostly me, but also my DH who is happy that I have stopped muttering to myself about incompetent machine repair people and damn light bulbs).

Update: sad news. The machine is on timeout again. I sewed on and off all day on Saturday with my new light bulb, my newly positioned needle and life was good. Sunday all hell broke loose. The machine started running super fast and then giving me an error message about a bent needle or something caught in the needle area.

I changed the needle. No help.

I rethreaded the machine. No improvement.

I rewound a new bobbin. Same problem.

I took off the sole place and cleaned the whole area. It was pretty clean already. Nothing.

I took out the bobbin case and cleaned out under there. The problem persisted, so I put the machine on timeout and took out the backup machine again (no knee lift- BAH).

I feel like I am in an abusive relationship and this might be the last straw. I am going to look and see if there are any contests at which I can win a new machine.

Wednesday

I have a talked a lot about my sewing machine in the recent past and the news has been all bad. 🙁

Finally, last week I got some GOOD news. Finally!

My mom took my machine to Always Quilting for me. I really had nothing to lose since it had been deemed terminal and, perhaps though hope was slim, I could catch a break. I feel like the machine has been at the shop forever.

Anyway, Wednesday I got a call from the woman who was working on it. She wanted to hear the story of the machine.

Huh?

Why would someone want to know the story of my machine? Good idea, but it sounded weird. I think it just sounded weird, because nobody had ever asked me about that before. I told her my whole long sad tale of woe.

She asked if I had noticed skipped stitches or tension problems. I said that I could never get the tension right to free motion quilt, but other than that I wasn’t having any problems. She said that my needle bar was out of alignment. That was a new one on me! I now have a secret hope that I might be able to free motion quilt again sometime. Maybe? Perhaps?

She said that there had been too many hands on the machine and the connections were a mess. She said that a lot of the electronic connections had to be re-soldered, but no new screen was needed and I should have the 9K back by the weekend. I couldn’t believe it!

She said that the machine was NOT terminal!

I feel like I have won the lottery, a reprieve or something really good. I can’t wait to get my machine back.

Sunday

I went and got the machine today. I normally don’t leave, but I am in a weird place with various projects and needed some exercise.

I got the machine back and set it up. First thing I noticed was that the light doesn’t work. Sigh.

The second thing I noticed was that the screen DOES work. YAY!

The needle bar definitely is different. I hope it is straight, though it doesn’t look straight. The seams seem to be straight if a touch wider than a scant 1/4″.

It sounds better, too. I like the sound of my 9k. It is quieter than my other machine.

I will also have a knee lift available again. I haven’t used it yet, but it is set up and ready to go.

My fingers are crossed.

After Grand Parlor, I went back to Serge-a-Lot to get my 9k and brought it home, hopefully to use peacefully for the next 5 years.

Sigh.

I turned it on and it sewed great, but the screen was very faint. This machine uses a touch screen and you might remember that, a few years ago, the touch portion stopped working and I had the touch screen replaced. Looking up the dates made me realize that it was over 6 years ago and while the first screen lasted 14 years, perhaps 6 years isn’t too bad for the second screen.

It doesn’t really matter, though, because a new screen cannot be purchased. They are no longer available from Janome.

I am not sure what I am going to do. What I am not going to do is buy is a Janome 15K, which I covet. I have to face reality that I just don’t use the embroidery module. I admire Katie’s “in the hoop” projects, but just don’t think I will do them enough to justify the expense. After all, I don’t have an Etsy store or anything.

A friend had many problems with the Janome 7700 and the reviews have been scalding. That is the type of machine I am looking at, however, if I decide to buy a new machine. I saw a review of the Janome 8900 at Diary of a Sewing Fanatic that got my hopes up for that model. I don’t know if they still make it.

The part of the this whole saga that is really depressing is all the accessories I have for the 9K: Sew Steady table, sewing table insert, hoops, embroidery cards, templates, etc. Bleah!

I have to think about what I want to do.

• Have you bought a machine recently? What kind?
• What features do you like on your machine (new or not)
• What do you really use on your machine?

clipped from www.janome.com Walking Foot (Open Toe) for Embroidery models The Open Toe Walking Foot offers precise control of fabric, and is especially helpful when working with layers of fabric, or those that may shift or pucker. Feed dogs are incorporated into the foot itself which work in conjunction with the machine feed dogs to feed fabric layers evenly. The open toe configuration allows for a clear view of your work. Use it for quilting, matching plaids, leatherwork, and any task that requires superior fabric control.

I have done several projects lately where I wished that I liked using my walking foot. It came with my machine and I tried it and I really couldn’t see where I was stitching and that was pretty much the end of my walking foot use.

Making Deirdre’s pencil roll last week, which actually calls for a walking foot in the directions,  rekindled my wish for a Janome ‘F’ Foot with clamp-on functionality like a walking foot. The Janome ‘F’ foot is clear and I can see exactly what is going on under the presser foot.

I am friends with Janome Sewing Machines on FB and those people are responsive (another reason to love my Janome). Periodically they talk about a new foot or provide a project to fans on their fan page. Something they said last week reminded me of my wish. I made a comment and they got back to me, also in a comment, and then they posted information about this new-to-me open toed walking foot. I called my dealer to find out the cost and if it works with my machine. It was just under $30 and does work with my machine.  Because I think I am at a point in my quilting where this foot would add to my technique when I quilt the Tarts, I bought one. They will mail it to me and I plant to quilt a table runner first. I’d like to try it out and practice before I ruin the Tarts.

I am curious to know if any of you have a similar foot and what you think about it. Do you use it? Is it as great as it sounds?

I have been having problems with my machine recently. As I may have mentioned, I have a Janome 9000, which is a workhorse. It has a touch screen and the left half of the touch screen has not been working. This is a problem on a number of levels (needle down on the left, menu button on the left, etc), but the BIGGEST problem was that I wasn’t able to modify the width and density of the zigzag stitch. This is a problem because the Tarts require a zigzag to keep the cups and cakes on the background. I had it repaired last year for the same problem and it was okay for a while, but the problem has come back with a vengeance. I finally decided I couldn’t live with it anymore and took it in to another Janome dealeron Friday.

Those people ROCK! I talked with Patty at the Lafayette Sewing Center in Lafayette, Calif. First of all, she was not condescending. Second, she believed me even when the machine behaved perfectly (the machine and I will be talking about that later!). It did eventually start messing up and she knew afer a short time that I wasn’t lying. She thought that the machine may need a simple recalibration of the screen.

Simple = Not expensive, hopefully!

They are also going to do a regular service, which the machine surely needs. I use it all the time and don’t do much more than dust and clean the lint out of the bobbin area.

While I was there I asked about the tablecloth plastic I tried to sew a few months ago. She had worked with that material and recommended the roller foot. I bought one for only $7. One of the things I love about my Janome is the inexpensive price of the feet. And I have never broken one.  My quarter inch foot got bent once and I had to buy a new one. I think I stepped on it, which doesn’t count as breaking. 😉

I am excited to try it and, frankly, I feel like I am about to begin a 3 week sewing vacation where I can sew tote bags and take a break from some of my ongoing projects. I will miss the fact that I may not be able to work on my projects – will have to see what kind of adjustments I can make to the zigzag – but it might give me some perspective.