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Has anyone heard of a "THROW AWAY" sewing machine.
I bought a cheap little Janome mini sewing machine for making cards. Had a few months and it is not running already. Took it to a sewing center for repairs and the repair person told me these machines are called throw away's.
The discount stores like Target and walmart but them at a discount price and sell them cheap.
I did end up buying another Janome machine form them for 150.00 and it is a world of difference in quality and worth every penny.!!!
I am just writing to alert you all if you are in the market for a Janome sewing machine for your crafting watch where you buy it....
Mine was a lemon. I've vented here several times about it.
For the same money (Price was full retail, but I figured I was supporting my LSS, who in turn did not swap out my lemon and were not particularly helpful), I could have bought a full sized Singer or a Brother with better features (light & line guides).
Live and learn. In my case, not to buy Janome or big ticket items from my LSS if they won't stand behind what they sell.
Those little mini sewing machines - no matter what brand - are rightly referred to as "throw aways". It would cost more to repair them than what the machine is worth. I own 11 sewing machines, 4 sergers and 1 embroidery machine. In most cases you get what you pay for - but honestly some of the cheaper low end machines can be real workhorses. I would always recommend buy a low end brother (or singer or kenmore or babylock ....etc..) before buying one of the mini machines. The mini machines are fine for what they do with the stitch package, but for a few dollars more you could get a "real sewing machine". And who knows? That might inspire you to make some kitchen curtains or a halloween costume for the kids.
By nature some machines are more finicky than others. And sewing machines were never solely designed to sew on paper - although they can and do handle it. If you only want a machine to sew on paper, you really need to pay attention to the shuttle race to make sure it hasn't gotten paper fibers it it. Pay attention to top AND bottom tension and the type of needle and thread you are using. I always use a size 14 needle and adjust my top tension to be slightly looser than when sewing fabric. I use a lighter weight serger thread in the bobbin also.
I have a mini New Home ( a precursor of Janome ) and I have never had good luck sewing on paper. My cheap Babylock mechanical with 21 built in stitches sews paper like a whiz. I will never ever sew paper with my computerized machines. I just don't want to borrow trouble, so I use my mechanicals.
__________________ A good dog, a sewing machine, and an old guitar......
Oh - one more piece of advice. Don't buy a sewing machine from a scrapbook store. Either go to a sewing machine dealer and buy a good refurbished older machine (and usually the dealer will give a limited warrenty on it) and plus you can take your paper in with you and give it a test drive.
OR - buy a low end machine from Walmart. They have an unbeatable return policy on their sewing machines. Take it home, try out your paper project - if it works - great. If not, box it up and take it back to Walmart. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
__________________ A good dog, a sewing machine, and an old guitar......
I have had my Janome Sew Mini for over a year and have not had any problems with it. I don't plan on using it for quilting or anything like that but it works perfectly on paper so I am a happy crafter.
Between DH & I we have a treadle, regular sewing machine, embroidery machine and a serger. I also have a Janome Sew Mini. I did know she was a throw away machine. That's why I love her. She's a good machine and works great for me. I only use her for light projects or mending. I am overprotective of my embroidery machine so I will not use it to make a quick purse. I prefer my little Janome Sew Mini. Your repair guy was right it's not worth the time to fix it.
Janome sewing machines
