New Toys

Well today brought a wonderful treat. I have been looking at those computerized sewing machines and thinking how great it would be to have one. I've looked at them forever but just couldn't come to terms with them. Perhaps because it wasn't for me. I even went so far as to ask our local retailer about the Janome Memory Craft 11000.... Whew talk about big ideas...but I have no follow through on that. After sitting down and giving it some really serious thought, it was plain to see that a machine that does embroidery and is computerized, is just not me.
I like simple and those machines are anything but simple. I've also been wondering if I should just get a new sewing machine, just upgrade my current one. But again, that didn't seem necessary because I took this one apart a couple of weeks ago and gave it a good cleaning and it runs like a charm, so no need to change it. I've been hearing so much about Embellishers and thought, why not take a look at those. Having little idea of how exciting they could be, I went surfing. I found two choices to think about. The Baby Lock or the Janome Xpression. I am the first to admit that I didn't have the first clue how they worked. I just sew and do some free motion sewing as needed. Well, how did I know what I would discover... Why has this been missing from my room for so long...Shame on me !!! I decided on the Janome Xpression.

A couple of tips that Barb from Joggles shared. The part that holds the needles, should be designed so that if you break a needle, you can replace just the one needle. I asked about that and Janome saw that problem with their machine, and have developed a new holder for the needles so you can replace just one needle if required. The original design was that if you break one, two or ......you had to continue on with the remaining needles or buy a new part (not a good option). So, this machine comes with a holder that houses 5 needles and a separate one that holds just one needle, great for small jobs. The other thing Barb pointed out, was to ask the retailer to loosen the screw that holds the needle holder in place. It can of course be tightened up again, but the first turn could cause a huge problem if not loosened off in the shop first, as Barb discovered.. When I have something of substance to share that I have done with the embellisher, I will post again and explain how it does what it does. Just below are pictures of the needles and how they are designed. This is very nice because it has a shield in front of the needles incase of a broken needle it acts as a safety feature incase it flies...