Darth Vader's Guide To The Janome 6600

Sigh. I've figured out that must be related to Darth Vader. I'm not evil though. At least not evil enough to try to take over the Empire. I just breathe like he does. Really. I do.

I do find Darth Vader a fascinating character. For me, "Star Wars" is truly about him and not Luke Skywalker. It's about the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. Without him turning into Darth Vader, the Emperor could never be defeated. I digress..sorry.

Why do I say this about my breathing? I tried THREE times to make a video about my Janome 6600 and all you could hear between my talking was this crazy breathing in and out sound. Is there such a thing as movie making asthma?

Here's my review on the Janome 6600 in print form.

DH bought this for me about 3-4 years ago. I paid 1800 for it brand new. I don't know what they cost now but I know they haven't lost value as Janome did a great job with it. Everyone that I know loves theirs. I've had a love/hate relationship with it.

FEATURES

* It's heavy and sturdy. It's not going to slide across the table on you. I have put this machine through tons of fabric and it keeps going. I'm rough on machines and it's taken every bit of it with ease.

* It's not picky. I've never had a problem with different threads, even while FMQ. It's never jammed on me, shredded thread, eaten it, or come out of the take-up lever.

* It's super quiet. My Viking machines sound like a 747 on a runway taking off. You can barely hear my 6600 humming away.

* It's easy to use. The screen is well lit with large, easy to read numbers.

From Quilted with Love

The buttons are large and well thought out. You don't have to go looking for what you need. Everything is right at your fingertips. The tension dial is manual making for precise tension adjustments.

I don't like the speed settings. For me it's worse than snail slow, slow and so fast you can't work with it. There are no other speeds between those.

From Quilted with Love

* You have the stitch numbers/pictures on top for easy viewing. Janome has "modes" that help you navigate through the stitch menus. The only thing Janome didn't do was label the stitches in the book. Some of these stitches I have no clue what to use them for or what they are called.

From Quilted with Love

*The dual feed system. Attach the built-in walking feet behind and you are good to go. You have a 1/4 foot, an open-toe foot and a regular foot. Just unscrew the front foot section, add the foot you need, pull down the back feed dog and you off you go. It's a little bulky, but it works.

From Quilted with Love

* It FMQ beautifully and with ease. I've done some incredible work with it. The Janome 6600 comes with an open toe spring foot. The foot sucks as I hate the bouncing. The idea is that it grabs the fabric for stability and then bounces back up for movement. If you can coordinate between the two movements..great. I can't.

Janome finally came out with a much better foot that lets you adjust the spring and gives better visability. The foot is worth investing in and makes this machine even better for FMQ.

Visibility is limited because of the walking foot. You learn to work around it, but it can be a pain for intricate work.

From Quilted with Love

* The knee lift. Finally, with the push of your leg, you can move the pressure foot up/down for hands free sewing. However; it's very loose. I have to push my leg extremely to the right to get the foot to move up. That really needs to be fixed.

From Quilted with Love

I LOVE the table that Janome made for this machine. GET ONE. I put a board over the opening for my Topaz and use it that way.

The stitch quality is great. You can adjust many of the stitches with both width/length. It does a beautiful straight stitch and a nice satin stitch. I don't like the extra stitches in the blanket stitch, but it's still beautiful.

My biggest problem I've had with this machine is piecing. For some reason my machine feeds to the upper left. I'm constantly fighting it to keep the fabric to stay straight and feed through correctly. I've had it looked at, had other people use it with no problems, changed how I've sat, everything. I've spent 3 years cursing it. No one else I know who own one has this problem.

It hates going over bulky seams. It goes up, moves the fabric to the left and gets stuck in place. I have to lift the foot and gently move the fabric until it gets over the bulk. Even with the walking foot, it does this.

It hates pins. When the front of 1/4 guide hits a pin, instead of going over, it jams up, moves the fabric to the left, and messes up all accuracy. A lot of times, I need to get much closer to the pin (not put the needle over it) and I hate having to move a little at a time to get that accuracy. Same with the walking foot.

The foot pedal is way too small and moves across the floor. It's very precise and responsive, I just have to keep moving it back in place.

The manual is pathetic. Don't bother opening it. Janome makes terrible manuals. My Janome 350e manual is terrible too.

Is it worth getting? YES. As with any machine, test it out. Make sure it's what you want. Give it a work out to see the stitches and how it pieces and FMQ. If I could figure out the crazy piecing issue, it would be one of my favorite machines.

SITD Foot???

Is this how stitching in the ditch is supposed to look?  Because I hate it.  I know it's partly because I used blue thread but if it's supposed to be "in the ditch" how much of it are you supposed to see?  I've never actually seen how it should look.

I bought the Janome 6600 SITD foot and I despise it.  Or I just don't know to use it.  It's bulky and the black blade doesn't work.  If I line it up in the ditch, the needle is off either on top of the fabric or just next to it.  It's just as obnoxious as the 1/4 inch walking foot for this machine. This is why I topstitch everything with the 6600. 

 The SITD foot for my Sapphire works beautifully so go figure but to try to quilt with it isn't really feasible.   There isn't a SITD walking foot for the Viking line and the walking foot system on the Janome is far more powerful hence using it. 

When I used the open toe foot to do SITD my quilt still slides to the left.  I talked to my Viking dealer as she sells Janomes about it and she said that the 6500 had that problem but they fixed it on the 6600 by adding the inside feed dogs.  I'm beginning to think my machine is secretly a 6500 with the cover of a 6600.  Or my "inside" feed dogs aren't working right.  This is a beautiful machine and I want so badly to love it, but I just haven't despite my efforts.     

I also run into the problem of the back is a deep blue hence using the blue thread on top.  If I used white, I would have dots on the back.  If I used white in both the bobbin and the top, I'd have white stitches all over the back.  What's the best of all the evils?

The only other solution I can think of is to add a decorative stitch 1/4 to 1/2 inch inside the embroidered square of each of the blocks using a decorative stitch or just a straight stitch and forget this stupid SITD idea.  

This is where being self taught is really frustrating and I just can't bring up the machine and my quilt and get a lesson on my time.

    

  

  

Owning More Than One Machine?

Does anyone else feel terribly guilty for owning more than one machine?  I'm going through a terrible bout of guilt.  I've never owned 4 machines in my entire life and I've been feeling sick over it.  I feel selfish and greedy.  I hadn't planned on owning more than one.  It just sorta happened that way.

My very first machine was a Singer that my mom had purchased for my birthday almost 8 years ago.  It was good for piecing but couldn't quilt to save it's life.  Hubby bought me a Janone Quilter's Edition 6260 and it worked for awhile until I read Harriet Hargrave's book on machine quilting.  Being so new to quilting, she made me feel like if I didn't own a very expensive machine with bells and whistles that I wasn't truly a quilter.

So I talked hubby into buying a used Bernina 1630.  I had never used a machine with 9mm feed dogs and couldn't get to Bernina classes as they were held during the day when my kids were in school and hubby was sleeping.  The classes were only held at certain times and there were no private lessons.  Not driving really sucks for classes.  Somehow I nicked the bobbin casing and was so frustrated I traded the machine up for an Aurora 440.  The problem was I couldn't afford the machine.  I fell for the "interest free" Bernina card.  The lady's eyes about popped out of her head when she realized I had the TOL limit on their card.  I realized later that if I didn't have the machine paid off within the time frame the interest would be charged from the beginning.  At 28% interest I was going to be financially impaired.  I sold the machine on Ebay.  NEVER buy a machine on store credit.  If you have to use a card, use your own.

Still listening to Harriet's advice, I kept wanting the "dream machine" she said I needed.  My LQS was having a local sewing machine store bring down Janomes and they talked me into buying the Janome 6600.  I wasn't that impressed with the machine but still very much a novice with machines I bought it anyway.  I've never truly liked the machine as I couldn't get it to accurately hold a 1/4 in seam allowance without the fabric sliding to the left.  No one I know was having this problem and the dealer said the machine was just fine.  I've put up with the 6600 for 3 years wanting to love it, but just couldn't. 

I bought the Janome 350e when I saw a beautiful embroidered quilt.  I bought the machine without even testing it and it's been a great machine.  I had no idea I would outgrow it so fast.

When a friend suggested the Viking line of machines, I fell in love with the Sapphire 870.  For the first time since starting to quilt, I found the machine of my dreams.  Then I realized that I needed a bigger embroidery machine and was able to purchase the Topaz.  Amazingly hubby said to keep the Sapphire as I was just going to trade up.  

That brings me to now with 4 machines and 3 of the are in storage as I don't have a place to put them upstairs.  However; each machine has its good points.  The Sapphire is perfect for piecing and has fabulous decorative stitches.  The Topaz does amazing embroidery designs.  I pulled out my 6600 today as it quilts with ease.  The 350e is perfect for embroidering small items.

I've bonded more with my 6600 for its quilting abilities today as I've been topstitching my quilt.   This truly is a fabulous machine now that I'm not mad at it for not piecing right.   

I feel SO much better after bringing this up.  Still feeling guilty, but knowing now that I have a bond with each of them at really helps.  They aren't wasting away, but used as needed.  

 

I Could Put My Car In This!!!

I got the peacock design done today! Those center parts took over a hour each to stitch out. Here it is:


Wow..I love it! I had no idea that this was a GIANT size tote bag..like I know what a tote bag is..LOL. I don't even carry a purse. That's what pockets are for. So the size right now is 12x16 inches. The directions have you add another 4 blocks making it a 16x16 size block. People have THAT much stuff?

Then you are to stitch out the blocks above for the back panel. Wait..it gets bigger! The smaller sides are 8 inches wide x 16 inches tall. Heck, I could my car in that. Or my sewing machine...Hey..that's an idea! Make it a cover for my 6600!

Dunno..make it a tote bag or a sewing machine cover?

Bag: If I did a purse thingy, I wouldn't add the extra 4 blocks on the top or the 8 inch sides. I'd keep the size I have and made the side pieces a width like 4 inches. I'd also use a dark color for the other sides. I figured I'd make the other sides quilted. It's constructing all the sides that will be the death of me. I have it planned out in my head but it's still an overkill sized purse/bag. Hmmm ...anyone want to make this into a bag for me?

Machine Cover: I have the cover to my 350e that I could use as a template. I'd have to do some adjusting but could get it to work. I'd have the best looking 6600 cover for miles. Then I could find a pattern for a smaller bag and get the "best of both worlds" according to Hannah Montana. LOL! I have little girls..can you tell? Hubby picked up the dvd for them.

Machine Embroidery And Quilting

I played with the editing feature of my machine last night and came up with this:


I played with the rotation of the design and liked this one. It would be great for a border for a larger piece like a table cloth. I added the border with my Janome 6600. I had to take out part of the side design (try undoing all those tiny leaves) as I had a major pleat when the lines met. I hate when this happens. I used the border to quilt the design. It's still really hard to get the block square because of the quilting. It puckers the fabric and distorts it.

I'm not sure if I should finish it or attempt a "quilt as you go" using different designs. The dang quilt wouldn't be square when I got done though because of the distortion between all the blocks. The block is 8x12.

My thread for my peacock purse will be in Wednesday according to UPS. Stupid shipping cost half of what I paid for the thread and I went basic ground. Maybe I should spend the money to get software to convert to thread I buy locally. It would still have to be mailed out but I'd get it the next day and it wouldn't cost me more than a couple of dollars.

Machine Embroidery And Janome Lesson

Sigh. Never go into a sewing machine dealer and just look. *homerdrools* She showed me a Janome embroidery machine that I think I want. It's the 350E. Now, I've never done machine embroidery but always admired it from a distance. They had a quilt that was machine embroidered that was stunning. *really homerdrools* That didn't help either. I just stood there and admired it.

I had my lesson and it is me. She showed me how to work with the seams so that the machine doesn't choke up when I get to one. She showed me how to pin fabric together so that your machine works with it. Yeah..there is a trick to that pinning. Most of all she told me to RELAX. The machine isn't going to break and the more tense you get the harder you push down on the pedal. That starts an endless cycle. Because you push down on the pedal when you tense up, lower the speed. I have generalized anxiety disorder, relaxing is something I don't do very well. Add in bipolar frustration and it can be a nasty mix.

Now..I was told that Mode 2 #13 was the piecing stitch. She said it was for using the decorative stitches and I should use Mode 1 #1 stitch. You can use it for piecing, but said because the stitches were so small, going over seams would be really difficult because the fabric isn't moving as fast. The machine gets hung up on the bulk and stalls out. Hmmm.

Machine Embroidery Questions

Okay..anyone ever used the Janome 350 embroidery machine? Is machine embroidery worth it? I just see dollar signs. You have to buy the cards (aren't cheap), threads that match the designs, and stabilizers. This one has a USB card port as well. My computer sits next to my sewing machine so if I needed to use it, I could. I know the cards came in collections but what if I wanted the butteryfly from collection A and the roses from collection B? Ouch on price. What if I only use that card a couple of times and never use it again? That's a waste. She said that it would be expensive to get started but would even out over time. I appreciated her honesty on that. Of course she said she'd give me a package deal. LOL

I hate to spend the money and find out I hate machine embroidery. All you do is sit there and watch the machine and change out threads. Would that get old? She did tell me how to do jeans. You open up the side and do it. And..everyone knows that I get FRUSTRATED so easily. I can't just go up to Omaha every time I get stuck.

Back to work on these blocks. I took apart the ones that had pleats and have redone them. I hope to get the rest done today.

*Edited* It works!!!! My machine isn't possessed! At least for now it isn't. The pinning was so easy! Starting with the needle down means my thread doesn't come undone from the hook thingy. Slowing down the speed has helped too. Pinning more (now that I know how to do it) has made my seams more accurate.

Being self taught and living in the middle of nowhere Nebraska makes quilting difficult sometimes. You know you are doing something wrong, but can't figure it out.

*Another edit* I figured out why my thread is coming out of my take up thingy! It gets caught under the handle and jams! Not sure why yet, but at least I know what is going on.

Janome 6600 table and Paint Sponges

I got an email from a lady looking for this table as she couldn't find it. I checked on Ebay for Kens Sewing Center and couldn't find it. Wow. So I did a Google search for Ken's website and called him up asking about this table. He said Janome no longer allows him to ship out-of-state and had to shut down his Ebay store because of it. Geesh. Talk about getting ruthless Janome. When I asked how come he has these tables and my Janome dealer has NO clue what I am talking about he said that most dealers don't carry acessories. They just want to sell machines. He said he sold hundreds of them all the time as the demand was so high.

I emailed Janome and let them have it (politely of course) about my frustrations of my dealer not knowing about this table and that their new rule was unfair to us as the consumer. They won't care of course, but at least I feel better.

SO since Janome is being stupid, if your dealer has no clue what you are talking about give them this part number: 494702002 for the Janome Sewing Cabinet. It took me forever to find it on the Janome website.

Hopefully that clears up some things for people who want this Janome table.

Next problem LOL.
I've been using invisible thread for a week now without any problems until today. Sigh. Of course I need to get this project done ASAP so I can mail it out when problems hit. I had just changed needles and was quilting along nicely when there was this loud CLUNK and my needle broke. Of course it's my last size 60 needle. I rethreaded the machine and put in a new size 70 needle and proceeded to sew. CLUNK and the needle breaks. Today really isn't my day. I check the thread path again and realized that the thread was getting caught up in the thread stand thingy. The invisible thread is twisting around the thread holder. I try my big thread holder and as I watching it, it got twisted up again.

I really can't can't win today. The invisible thread is all twisty like from being on the spool and I really needed better tension. Then it hit me. My mom has a thread stand that she got from her Viking dealer years ago. It has a foam thingy that you put your thread through and creates wonderful tension. Of course when I checked the Viking store a couple of years ago when I was visiting my mom they said the stopped carrying those about 10 years ago.

I had hubby drive me to my local Pamida and got a few of those cheap wide foam brushes in the paint department. They are just like the sponge thingy on my mom's thread holder. I carefully took out the handle and realized it was just perfect to fit over the the two thread paths over my Janome 6600.


IT WORKED. I took a needle and pushed the invisible thread through the foam and followed the thread path. No problems whatsoever. Whoo Hooo! Yeah, I know about the safety pin trick but the thread was twisting up by the bend in the holder.

My day is going so much better now. I just need to put a sleeve on the back of the quilt and keep working on hubby's quilt. I don't know if the foam works for thicker threads (my mom's stand does) but for invisible threads, it's perfect.

It's nice to know I'm not nearly as dumb as I think I am.










494702002