Sewing machine question

- G
- Ginger in CA
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posted 14 years ago

Tue, Oct 10, 2006 2:28 AM

I am thinking of buying a Janome Jem Gold 660. My question is: do you
have one, do you like it, would you recommend it to your friend? If you
had one but didn't like it, why?
I am going to downsize my machine count, but have been thinking of
buying one of these to go to retreat/everyday use. My other two would
be my portable Stradivaro (Singer 115 look-alike that weighs 30 lbs)
and Singer 401A slant in her own table. I don't do any machine quilting
at this time.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Ginger in CA

- M
- Marcella Peek
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posted 14 years ago

Tue, Oct 10, 2006 2:57 AM

In article ,

My mom has one. She uses it for class only...well, maybe also when her nice machine is getting serviced. It is a very basic machine. No bells and whistles. It's light which makes it nice for toting around. It has a nice stitch and you can buy a quarter inch foot for it (or use the one that came with another Janome you may have or an Elna - cuz Janome makes those too) It's not heavy duty by any means so it's not as sturdy nor quiet as her fancy Janome with embroidery and such.
marcella

- L
- Laurie G.
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posted 14 years ago

Tue, Oct 10, 2006 4:29 AM

I think it is a fine machine and perfect for classes and a backup when your regular machine is in for service. My oldest dd decided she did want to quilt after all so I loaned her mine. It works just fine. I was at a machine quilting class a month ago and a lady was using her Gem Gold for free motion machine quilting! It worked beautifully! I say go for it!!!!
Laurie G. in CA

- T
- Tamara
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posted 14 years ago

Tue, Oct 10, 2006 5:09 AM

Ginger, I had a Janome Gold and loved it. It was my main sewing machine for years until I fell into a great deal on a Viking. I kept my Janome for classes and retreats as it was light weight. Recently I upgraded to the Jem Platinum 720 as I didn't need a all the fancy stitches of the Jem Platinum 760. I have more fancy stitches on my Viking that I know what to do with. The reason I upgraded was for the needle up and down, the ability to move the needle and some of the fancy stitches. You might want to check out the Janome web site and look at the different machines.

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Hope this helps. Tamara also in CA

- A
- "Anna Belle" fladavis
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posted 14 years ago

Tue, Oct 10, 2006 10:56 AM

I have a Jem Gold and love it. The only complaint I have is that it is a set stitch width and length. Makes doing a satin stitch out of the question. If you are doing machine applique in class you are sunk. I think maybe a sight upgrade to a Platinum or other Janome would be good. I did that and still have the Jem. As Tamare said, you would have needle up or down, and you could drop the feed dogs and not have to use a plate to cover them. Jem would make a perfect machine for a young person just learning to sew, we use them in the school classes. Anna Belle in Palm Bay

- J
- Jessamy
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posted 14 years ago

Tue, Oct 10, 2006 11:00 AM

while I *love* my jamome 419S (see the site it's rather low down on the list) the satin stitch leaves something to be desired for how ever that might just be me not the machine LOL
this doesn't answer the question but the other janomes are pretty good too IMO :-)

- M
- Maureen Wozniak
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posted 14 years ago

Tue, Oct 10, 2006 12:39 PM

On Mon, 9 Oct 2006 21:28:26 -0500, Ginger in CA wrote (in article ):

David gave me a Jem 760 for Christmas last year. I really love it. It has a very nice stitch quality, though it didn't really come with many feet or accessories. I did end up buying all the quilting feet.
I've taken it with me to several different retreats and it sews like a dream. I've even done some machine quilting with it on small quilts.
Maureen

- T
- Taria
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posted 14 years ago

Tue, Oct 10, 2006 2:02 PM

Bernina is tops in satin stitches. They really are beautiful when compared to others. It is too bad that they don't make much effort to meet the needs of users though. No machine with a larger harp, no machine with classes in mind (lightweight and portable).
If you do a google group search on the Jem's there has been lots of discussions of them that might help. Taria

- S
- Sherry Starr
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posted 14 years ago

Tue, Oct 10, 2006 3:35 PM

I bought a Jem Gold about 3-4 years ago, and I love it. It is perfect to take to classes/retreats. I have used it for quilting a twin size quilt a few times. I won a Marie Osmond Bernina e65 last year from the Houston show. It is larger than the Jem Gold, and much heavier so there is no danger of it being taken to a retreat. The feed dogs on it drop, and it has more stitches than the Jem Gold, but I really prefer the Jem Gold. I make myself use the e65 because I feel like I need to get more familiar with it.
Sherry Starr

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