I've been looking for a 3rd machine. I want something semi automatic, something heavy duty. I read online about Janome HD1000 and visited Usha Janome shops in my town and they said it is not available in India.
But I need a machine to sew my wallets and bags.
My Bernette has been having some problem and in and out of service a couple of times but the problem persist. My Husqvarna Viking DT 20 can handle it so far, but it is not tough enough to handle the load. Besides, if anything happen, there is no service support for Husqvarna Viking in my town or the nearest Metro (that is Calcutta), it's going to be a headache for me. So, I was looking something less expensive which will serve my purpose.
First I went to the main dealer of Usha Janome in GS Road, the guy there was trying to sell me the high end machine, and refused to show me Usha Stitch Queen, the machine that I have in mind (besides the HD1000). I told him, I already have fancy one and I don't need another one. So I went to the shop where I bought my first Janome when I came to India 14 years ago.
I spoke to the old man and showed me 2 machine, Janome Empress and Usha Stitch Queen which basically the same, except Janome Empress only treadle and has a couple of decorative stitches, while Stitch Queen is equipped with electric pedal and only has straight and zig zag stitches (which is what I need). He insisted that I try sewing using the sample fabric that I had with me. He said "I will not sell you the machine if you are not happy with it and it doesn't serve your purpose". And I was sold. His honesty is a rare quality of a master salesman. Despite of having a small shop, he didn't try to sell me the more expensive machine. He also insisted that I meet the machine demonstrator to check if everything is ok and will send him to my house for thorough demo.
And so I brought the Queen home ^_^
Top View ~ you can see the motor attached at the back, that is Janome motor.
it's written : designed and specified by Janome
and I got more than what I bargain for, that I can drop the feed dog down, that mean you can you FMQ, right?
I mean, if you google about FMQ you will always find the instruction goes like 1) drop the feed dog and 2) set the stitch length to 0
et voila!!
My first trial
I was amazed. No loose stitch, no tension issues (literally!!!) and it just goes...smoothly..just like when you drive again after a long gap, after few minutes you will race in the highway
and I did finish this mug rug in one go...just as simple as 123...
And I recently found this tutorial by Lizzie Lenard on YouTube on How to do FMQ if you have treadle machine.
Isn't it inspiring?
Until then,
Happy Sewing
