Janome 661G Jem Gold Plus Trim and Stitch Sewing Machine with Accessories

This is the perfect sewing machine for me to take in my RV. I have used it several times and find the sewing easy. I practiced with the “ serger” component and the buttonhole process. Very easy to follow the directions. I love it and I am happy with this machine!

The serging feature is great. I didn't realize that the 12 stitches did not offer adjustable zig zig width and stitch length as well. So, you get 3 straight stitch length choices and 3 zig zag choices. Otherwise, Janome high quality. Purchased this for my daughter who is just starting out. The portability and the serging feature were the go-to reasons to purchase. I would suggest you also consider the Janome 2222 and purchase a separate side cutter foot.

Like this machine. perfect size, works great. SewVac shipping was awesome, like the accessories.

This little machine is a workhorse! Great basic for beginners or those of us who just don't do anything fancy.

Quiet machine, love the cutting and serging option on the machine. The light is terrible, yellow light, small watt 15 and does not hit the sewing area well. Have to us additional lighting. Also can not dial in you stitch length to whatever you want. Ok for a portable machine, put next time will do better research when buying for quilting classes

Great basic machine

Great machine, works well

I'm reviewing the Janome Plus (with light Serging system) . If you are wondering what it does, or if it is a good machine for you, I hope this will help.This sewing machine has a small but useful selection of built-in stitches. It also has a built in seam cutting knife, similar to the knife on a serger. ( If you don't know what a serger is, or how it differs from a regular sewing machine, the internet is full of resources that explain this). If you do want an actual serger, do not buy this! Buy an actual serger. I hope that clarifies things!The Janome Jem is a conventional sewing machine, with the ability to trim seam allowances and finish edges at the same time. It does this very well. The stitches are not identical in appearance to seams made on a serger (but they are just as functional). It does not sew as fast as a serger (but it does the job).Now, on to why I like this machine. I use high quality fabrics for making custom shirts, and other types of women's clothing. My usual fabrics arelight to medium weight cottons, rayons, and linens. My usual sewing methods are mostly what are now thought of as "couture", a fancy name for traditional non-industrial garment construction. In plain language, this basically means using simple tools and careful fabric handling to get a quality result. I call it Slow Sewing :).So, where does the Janome Jem fit in?Well, I have owned 5-thread and 4-thread sergers, which I liked for fast sewing on casual fabrics. I also have a larger Janome with more features, such as decorative stitches and various buttonhole styles. I love that machine, but have realized that about 90% of my sewing is straight stitch, zigzag, overcasting and a few basic stretch stitches. The Janome does all of these things well, and though it only makes one type of button hole, it is a good one.To avoid disappointment, please carefully read the product description. This is fine machine, but may or may not meet your needs.Here is a list of somethings this great little machine does NOT have:*needle up/down button*decorative or embroidery stitches* manually adjustable stitch lengths (more about that later)* electronic speed control* 1-step buttonholesHere are some of the features that make this machine useful to me:*Pre-set stitch settings -At first glance this looked like it might be a problem.In reality, nearly everything I sew works with one of these settings, so it is no problem at all.* Light serging system- This is all I need for most of my sewing. The only time I need a serger during shirtmaking is for interior seams on collars and cuffs, or for other areas where I want to remove bulk. This is simpler than moving to another machine, and I can use the same thread I am using on the rest of the garment. Since these seams are short, the speed of a real serger is not needed.* Slower speed -Again, this could have looked like a problem, as the instructions for the light serger system say to use the "slowest possible speed". Sergers are super fast, and this is not. But, for me this is actually fine because I want to go slowly when using fine materials. I need to have maximum control over the fabric. if it costs $15-$40 or more per yard, I do NOT need to go fast and make mistakes :).The knife lowers into place when needed and folds back up. It trims the raw edges as I sew, and when used with one of the three edging stitches, it makes very neat and sturdy seam finish on light to medium weight garment fabrics. The knife is not designed for heavy fabrics, such as canvas or upholstery. I never use those fabrics, so I don't mind.If you do sew heavy fabrics, this machine has the stitching power to handle them. The edging stitches still can be used in the normal way, using the included satin stitch foot.* Good stretch stitches - No compromises here. The Jem has the same stretch stitches as my big machine has. These work well on knits. The multi-step zigzag stitch that makes nice flat hems on knits. With the knife, the stretch overcast stitch makes a good stretchy construction seam for lightweight knits, such as rayon jersey. It will not look exactly like the serged seams in ready to wear, but I think it is a better stitch for my needs because it does not unravel or pop open as serged seams often do. (It adds a few extra minutes of sewing time per garment, but I am not a factory so this is OK).Other features:* Size: This machine takes up very little space, so it's easy to store. It has a little carrying handle, and is very portable for travel or going to classes.* Feed dogs can be lowered. If you do free-motion sewing, this is handy. If you don't, you can use the zig-zag stitch with the feed dogs down to sew on buttons.* Durability: The machine feels solid. Because it is a mechanical machine, there are fewer things that can malfunction.* The manual is good. I recommend reading it all the way through before sewing a project -even if you already know how to sew. This machine is a bit different from anything else, and has a little bit of a learning curve.All in all, I recommend this machine especially for slow sewers like me, beginners, or infrequent sewers who want a machine that is reliable and easy to use.