I had been sewing on a Brother Innov-is 40e for about 5 years. I bought it after I got married & we were both still in college, so the budget was pretty tight. I was also just starting out sewing (I had taken home economics in jr. high & sewed with my mom a few times growing up) so I didn't want to make a huge purchase (not that I could have anyways). It has been a great machine for what it was designed to do. But since I really ramped up my sewing about 2.5 years ago, I was getting increasingly frustrated with it. I realize now that it was mainly due to me trying to push my machine to do things it just wasn't powerful enough to do. I have quilted multiple quilts using this machine, but with the combination of the very small throat space & not enough power to pull the quilt through the machine (even with a walking foot) I was fed up. Also, my tension had always been a little finicky (I don't know if that is part of this machine or just mine in particular) so even piecing was getting frustrating. I have never been a fan of how the thread pin was placed on this machine--I just don't think that the thread ever pulls off evenly. I was to the point that I didn't even really feel like sewing anymore because I was so discouraged. So I was dreaming of getting a new machine but it was a far off dream in my mind--mostly because trying to save up my sewing/fabric budget for each month was mysteriously not happening. There is just way too much beautiful fabric out there that needed to come live with me.
So this last weekend (Memorial Day weekend, actually) my husband was home on Friday (4 day weekends for the win) & suggested that we go look at new machines. When that happens--you just get in the car and you go. We went to a local store that carried both Jukis and Janomes because in my weeks/months of dreaming I had narrowed it down to either a Juki TL-2010Q or a Janome 1600p-QC. From some compulsive googling, I felt that they were fairly comparable, had nearly the same features & should be priced pretty similarly. I had read numerous reviews (mostly of the Juki--I couldn't find that many for the Janome) & felt that I really just needed to go try them out to try to decide.
I had decided that I wanted a non-computerized machine so I would have less technology to worry about breaking. I liked having a straight stitch only because I don't really need anything else with the kind of sewing that I do. I also wasn't planning on getting rid of my first machine, so I would always have that to pull out for a zig zag or whatever else. I also loved the idea of quite a lot of throat space to try to learn to free motion & even for just straight line quilting on bigger quilts. I felt very confident in my choice.
So we went into the store & we didn't have a great experience. I personally hate most sales situations & have a really hard time being assertive in them. So, from my point of view, I got a lukewarm reception. The first person who I spoke didn't seem to want to show me anything and told me that the machine expert was in a class. So she got her attention briefly and told her I was looking for 'something' for quilting, despite me previously telling the first person that I was only interested in two specific models. So the machine expert gestured to the machine she was showing in class & said I could sit in on the lesson & then she would show me some things. I presumed (mistakenly) that it wasn't going to be very long--mostly because I had my almost 2 year old daughter with me as well. It became clear that they were in the middle of the lesson and it didn't seem to be ending any time soon. It was also a machine that was way more money than I wanted to spend & not at all what I wanted. I got up briefly to check on my daughter & at that time the sales person asked me what I was looking for. When I mentioned the Juki and what I wanted, she looked bewildered and just asked me why. At that point, I was just done. I don't need to convince someone to sell me what I want. I felt like I wasn't being heard. This was especially true in the following exchange:
Sales person: You won't be able to appliqué!
Me: I don't appliqué (and thinking in my mind that on the rare occasion I felt it necessary, I'm sure I could make it work on the Brother, that she knows I own)
Sales person: You will want to with a little girl!
Me: I don't think so (thinking if I haven't appliquéd anything for her yet in the first 2 years of life the chances I start now seem low)
Sales person: I sell a lot of those Jukis, but usually as a second machine, not a first machine.
Me: (just thinking--I just told you I have a machine already, despite its limitations. & I have thought about this & I feel good about a straight stitch only machine)
Sales person turns back to her lesson and seems to just brush my answers off.
At that point, I just got up and left. They had a Juki that I could have tried but they didn't seem to have the Janome in store (I don't really know if this is true because they didn't ever really talk to me about either). I was leaning towards the Juki anyways because they seemed to be so much more prevalent. I was feeling pretty discouraged about the whole thing.
The next day (Saturday) my husband said that we should go to another local shop and look (or buy) at the Juki. I had been in there before I had much better experiences, so I was up for it. I wasn't passing up my opportunity since he had actually mentioned buying the machine. Timeout for a little sappy moment: Shoutout to my husband for taking a look at the budget and making this happen. He had known for a long time that I wanted a new machine. I looked like it would maybe happen in a few months. But he was sweet enough to realize that he was going to be traveling in that time & that maybe I would just like to get it now so I could sew to my heart's content while he was gone.
So we went in, I tried it out and we bought it. I was so excited. & it was nice to feel like they heard what I said I wanted & showed me. They didn't have one in box at that store, so I wouldn't be able to pick it up until Tuesday. So I did pick up yesterday but I didn't have a chance to take it out of the box until today. I've pulled it out and got it running. I was a little intimidated to thread it--but I figured it out. So I'm infatuated so far in the 10 minutes I've actually spent using it. So I'm sure there will be more info as I use it more and more.
This purchase was so unexpected but I couldn't be happier. I feel like I'm going to be back to sewing all the time.
Here's a picture of the machine. It is so much bigger & sturdier than what I'm used to. I still just can't believe it. After that word vomit, I think I'll get back to sewing!
