Look What A Fabulous Find I Found!

Once in a while you’ll find the greatest deal in your local newspaper. It might be a good coupon for peanut butter. Or a reliable used car. Or a special two-for-one offer at a new restaurant. Or a dirt-cheap sewing machine! That last example is the best one of all, and I’m living proof that such deals can and do happen. Just last week I was browsing my local paper’s Market Basket section, where everything offered has to cost $100 or less, and I came across the listing you see above. Someone in my community was offering a gently used Janome for just $65. That’s right: a Janome, the Rolls Royce of sewing machines!

After meeting up with the seller, a sweet, grandmotherly type who shared the story behind the machine, I was even more thrilled. It was kind of like buying a mint-condition vintage auto from a little old lady who only drove it on Sundays and otherwise kept it garaged. The machine was super clean (albeit a little dusty), all the attachments were there, and the instruction manual looked as though it had barely been cracked open. Interestingly, the woman said she had only used the Janome to make quilts; she never sewed any clothing with it — ever. But I did plenty of research on this particular model, and there was no doubt in my mind that this machine would be more than capable of handling my type of sewing projects: clothes, clothes and more clothes!

The one thing my husband suggested before we forked over the cash was to test the machine by plugging it into our car’s cigarette lighter using a power adapter. It turned on, we saw the light, and we saw the screen displaying various stitches with the turn of the selector knob. Good signs for sure! We tried pressing the foot pedal to operate the sewing machine’s motor, but the power adapter couldn’t handle the boost in voltage. It did work for a moment, though. Another good sign!

So I gladly handed the lady the money as my husband loaded the machine and all its extras into our trunk. Then we drove home, with one brief stop at a conveniently situated fabric store (it was literally on our way home!) to buy 10 Janome-brand bobbins. I don’t think I felt a single highway bump on the entire ride home. It must be because I was floating on air or something!

Anyway, my new machine, a QC6125 (the QC stands for Quilter’s Companion), is exactly what I had been looking for: a solid, mechanical, heavy, basic Janome with real metal parts. I called it the Rolls Royce of sewing machines, but I suppose you could also call it the Humvee of sewing machines. It feels twice as heavy as my all-plastic Brother machine — in other words, very rugged. Plus, I love how it sews. The motor just hums along and the stitches are nice and even, without a hint of skipping. It’s an older machine (I think the lady said she bought it close to 10 years ago), but it sure feels new to me.

My new Janome, seen in the photos directly above and below, looks lovely next to my collection of Brother machines. To the left is a four-thread serger and to the right is an all-electronic sewing machine.

The first garment I made on this machine was completed with great enjoyment and ease. It’s a cute back-to-school dress for my youngest granddaughter.

Here’s my first Janome sewing project: the Hattie dress by Violette Field Threads.

There’s just one small problem with my new machine: The buttonhole foot appears to be broken, and the pieces just slide apart. Being unable to make even a practice buttonhole on the Janome, I went back to my Brother machine and finished the dress with that buttonhole foot and mechanism. I have serious issues with buttonholes, but I’ll save that for another day, and another blog post!

This story finds itself ending on a very happy note: There’s an old, unwanted sewing machine that found a welcome new home in my sewing room!