Janome HD1000 Heavy-Duty Sewing Machine with 14 Built-In Stitches

I was torn between this Janome HD1000 and the Singer Heavy Duty. Even though I'm a sewing novice, I personally dislike the new wave of plastic bodied machines. I was using a beautiful robin's egg blue Singer from the '60s or '70s--older than I am!--and it was great until perplexing tension issues began to crop up. I didn't want a slick computerized machine taking its place, so the Singer Heavy Duty immediately caught my eye, due to its 'traditional' looking body as well as exciting features such as a drop-in bobbin and 20 plus stitches, one step buttonhole, etc. However, the lackluster reviews, complaints of a very short lifespan, and overall disintegration of the Singer brand's quality left me wary. The metal body of the Janome is amazing. Sure, it may be heavier, but the overall durability seems greater than any plastic. The bobbin is front loading, which was frightening at first (no 'jam free' guarantee) but it hasn't been a problem at all. The metal casing that holds the bobbin seems very sturdy and made to last. Though the flashiness of a thousand different stitches is alluring, I realistically use only... Two or so for my garment sewing. I haven't touched any other stitches yet, so 14 is more than enough for me. Those who are doing projects that show off stitchwork might want more variety, but again, I think the Janome's offerings are more than adequate for most people. As I said, I'm relatively new to sewing machines (I used to hand sew everything!), but I was able to use the Janome soon after it was unpacked. I had to look up how to load the bobbin, and the inner hand wheel was initially stubborn (I used one of those grippy rubber jar-openers to help--very useful!), and everything flew from there. The automatic needle threader is an amazing luxury; at first, I thought it might not really be necessary, but I absolutely am in love with it. And oddly enough, I received a hard case even though I thought this Janome came with a soft cover (but no complaints here!) I first felt guilty about being unfaithful to my older Singer, but this Janome is quickly becoming an indispensible new friend. EDIT: It's a little over a year later (9/12) and this machine is humming away beautifully. I still use the metal Bernina bobbins, and they work very well. I did have some frustrating issues with getting the bobbin thread picked up, as it seemed to get caught and jam, but I realized that this was due to my own inexperience and stupidity! As I'm sure is common knowledge for everyone else, I only needed to make sure I was bringing the needle all the way back up to its highest position before attempting to pull up the bobbin thread. I only mention this embarrassing incident in case others may have had the same problem, as I had the initial reaction of blaming the machine rather than myself. Anyway, I've sewn quilting-quality cotton to oilcloth and several layers (seriously, like 4-5) of heavy cotton duck (to make a heavy-duty saddle bag for my bike.. it went quite well, considering I pulled the plan from thin air--I'm so proud, haha) and the Janome worked right through them. I occasionally had some difficulty with the layers and layers of folded cotton duck, but that's where the extra high presser foot really came in handy! A sewing machine isn't essential in my life, as I'm a casual, hobby sewer, but I love my Janome like I would an extra arm (and who doesn't need an extra arm sometimes?), though without the self-consciousness an additional appendage would bring.

I bought this machine about a year ago and had not taken it out of the box because I was using my basic Kenmore and basically was too lazy to switch over. Then I was not sewing as much, life got busy and kind of forgot I had it in my sewing closet. This past Christmas (2013) my daughter (on a whim and because it was a good deal) bought me a Singer Heritage machine, computerized and beautiful. I began sewing on it - was much better than the Kenmore but almost felt too lightweight. However, I loved the automated tension adjustment and ease of stitching. But then needed to make a buttonhole. That particular option would not work and much to my complete and utter disappointment, there is NO recourse for obtaining help except to go to the Singer web-site and watch the video that does not address how to make a buttonhole much less how to troubleshoot. There are NO contact numbers and one is basically left with nothing in place to address such problems. I boxed up the Singer and pulled out my Janome and it was the best machine I've EVER sewn on (I've been sewing about 45 years.) The machine is solid, heavy and stitching is sure. Everything about this machine is sound - it even sounded more substantial than the others. I just finished my first buttonhole on the Janome and it was a breeze and took me less than 5 minutes. And to think I've had the machine in my closet for about 3 years! <kicking myself in the butt> The machine is a wonderful machine. No fancy bells and whistles but enough extras to handle most sewing projects. There are also numerous youtube videos for operation and the manual is concise and easy to understand. I'm looking forward to many years of operation with this machine.

This recent purchase of the Janome HD 1000 is my third sewing machine during my lifetime. I bought a Kenmore when I graduated from High School and used it to make many, many articles of clothing ranging from dresses to suits to baby clothes until I quite literally wore it out. Then I replaced it with another Kenmore about the time my daughters were starting to learn to sew in 4-H and the three of us literally wore it out. We made clothes, quilts, repaired jeans, etc. until they grew up and I gradually stopped sewing so much. Recently I pulled out the old trustworthy Kenmore to find that I could no longer get it to do a zigzag stitch and my hubby confirmed that I had worn the mechanism so much that I might as well get a new machine. :) As I searched for a replacement I decided to try a Janome as I had discovered that they supply the machines for Kenmore. I also have a two year old Janome serger and just love it. I decided to get a machine that would do all I require without going overboard on too many bells and whistles and so wound up with the choice of this model. I have had this machine for about a week now and have tried it for a few projects to get the hang of it. I just found that I am going to be a first time grandma and must get working on all those little clothes and quilts! So how does it stack up? Well, here is what I think..... The machine came with an instruction book, two screw drivers,a seam riper, a small container of oil, extra needles, four bobbins, a package of needles, and four presser feet.The presser feet include an all purpose foot for straight and zigzag stitching, buttonhole foot, zipper foot and rolled hemming foot. The zipper foot is better than the old one I had and the rolled hemming foot is a nice option although I usually do that with my serger. The machine has a side bobbin insertion with a metal bobbin housing which is like my first Kenmore and I prefer that to the drop-in bobbin of my last machine. It makes for better adjustment of stitch tension in my opinion and just works better. It also includes a needle threader which I just love now that I am wearing bifocals. I know I will use that feature a lot! There are fourteen built-in stitch variations which are more than enough, especially if you do most of your stretch sewing with a serger like I do. The buttonhole stitch is built in but the buttonhole foot is not that great in my opinion. Fortunately, I discovered that my old presser feet from my Kenmore fit like a dream so I can make buttonholes just like I have done in times past and am happy. I might not have been so happy if that were not the case. I have tried out the machine on a pair of denim Capri's that I needed to mend and while it growled at me a little, the stitches were perfect so I can put up with that. The instruction book is not nearly as detailed as my former ones, but for an experienced seamstress, this is no problem. Bottom line, this is a good all-around machine for normal sewing tasks and will serve most people well although a novice might be a little confused by the lack of instructions. Also, don't expect a great number of accessories, just the basics. I knew all of that going into this purchase so I am happy and maybe this will be the last machine I will ever have to buy.

Bonne machine a coudre pour débudant, simple pas compliquer du tout, fonctionne bien

Works great, not too many fancy stitches but makes up for that with how easily it handles heavier fabric. Get this machine if you plan to fix ripped jeans and heavy jackets!

I was happily sewing with this sewing machine within 1/2 hour of receiving it! I had the earlier version (model 344) of this machine and it lasted 18 years. Therefore, no learning curve for me in getting familiar with a new machine. It handles heavy fabric and serged seams easily and is a joy to use. Janome has now added features such as automatic threader, on/off switch and a hard plastic cover. Toews Sewing in Abbotsford, BC handles this Janome machine for Amazon and sent me a gift of heirloom stork embroidery scissors.

Good work horse. Well made and very robust

Never sewed in my life. Got some quotes for redoing marine canvas top in the $2-3k range, which is probably half of the value of the boat. So I did some research and bought this after seeing it sew through a wooden ruler. Initially, had a lot of bobbin tangles / jams. But I've learned that keeping the tension on the needle thread in the initial stitch solves the problem 90% of the time. I've successfully created a sunbrella canvas for the bow and the stern. My next project will be the bimini top. I've stitched UV thread (thick stuff) through 2 layers of Sunbrella canvas + 2 layers of Sunbrella binding + 1 layer of zipper with no issues. Although I've noticed that the more layers you have, the faster you have to sew. Going full speed ensures that it will get through the layers, but you sacrifice accuracy as a result. Going slow means jams sometimes. I've gotten used to it. It does the job, and I like it, although I don't have any basis for comparison.