Replies

1. 
   Grimelda | Aug 07, 2006 12:37am | #1

   I have the Janome MemoryCraft 6500P which looks essentially the same as the 6600. I heartily recommend it.

   First and foremost, I have never had tension problems with my machine on a wide range of fabrics. This is especially important for machine quilting.

   The features I use most are the needle up/down button and the knee lift bar. You can set the needle to the down position, sew, stop, lift presser foot without taking hands off the fabric, then continue sewing. This is especially useful for quilting but also for garments which are a bit tricky to handle, like attaching collars and facings or sewing slippery fabrics. The thread cutter is also handy as you don't have to search for scissors at the end of a seam. My snips always go missing at bad times. I see the 6600, like the 6500, has extra space under the arm. This is a mixed blessing. The size of the machine made it impossible to fit down into my Horn sewing cabinet which meant I no longer had a flat bed setup. It did come with a large extension table but this is a bit flimsy and just not the same as having a whole flat table to hold my quilt or garment. On the whole I would have prefered less space under the arm and to be able to push it down into my cabinet but that's a small complaint.

   The alphabets and other stitches are quite nice as well. I think it did a nice satin stitch. I suggest taking one for a test drive to check it out first to see if you are satisfied with the stitch quality. As always, I have used less than a third of them.

   I hope this has helped. :o)

1. 
   keysgal | Aug 07, 2006 02:14am | #2

   Hi,  Thanks for the great info,  I haven't had to look for a good machine for a very long time, so this is great news. 

   By the way I also have my mothers very old (1958) Singer cabinet,  and I think I would have my son-in-law enlarge the hole with some kind of a tray or bin for the larger machine to fit into.  Right now the little Janome fits.  for Now.

   Jean

2. 
   VKStitcher | Aug 08, 2006 11:24pm | #3

   Hi Jean,

   I'm new to this forum as well, but I've been sewing forever.  I have the Janome 4800, and I love it.  It has sewn everything from a silk christening gown to sofa slipcovers, and has never given me a problem.  When I bought it, I also looked at the 6500 for the speed and larger sewing area, but it doesn't have a free-arm like the 4800.

   Janomes are great machines (I also have the 300e), and you get a lot of features for the money as compared to other brands.  If you don't need the free-arm,  the 6600 would be great for garment sewing and quilting.  Lots of neat stitches and features, especially the new Accu-Feed system.

   Good luck with your decision!

   Vickie  :-)

1. 
   keysgal | Aug 09, 2006 03:41pm | #4

   Well, I jumped last night and ordered the 4800 Janome!!!  So would guess I am going to spend the weekend reading the manual...  sounds like fun tho. 

   Thanks to all the info I recieved from here and others 

   love to all

   Jean

1. 
   VKStitcher | Aug 09, 2006 06:44pm | #5

   Jean,

   I'm excited for you!  The manual has lots of pictures, not much heavy reading.  But it's easy to get up and running with it.  You'll have fun trying out all the different stitches--and the buttonholes turn out beautifully.  Have fun!

   Vickie  :-)

2. 
   Kiley | Aug 13, 2006 09:00am | #6

   I think you will love your new machine. I have a Janome made Kenmore 19365 that is very similar to your model. My machine came with a video. I love to create stitches with the stitch programming, editing and elongation. I have found that the seven piece feed dogs give wonderful feed to any fabric. There are some new Janome open toe feet available now for quilting and crafting if you wish to check them out. I recently purchased a 4 foot open toe foot set for only $25 that included an open toe embroidery free motion foot and quilt bar, open toe walking foot , open toe craft foot and a ditch foot. Let us know how you like your new machine..enjoy.