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I have wanted to take the plunge and get a machine just for my scrapping needs - trust me, it will never go beyond paper ;). Is this a good machine for this, and is it easy to use? Thanks!!!
Lots of people here at SCS have bought this little machine just to sew on their cards, even though they have another machine for "real" sewing. That's why I got one. I have sewed for years and have a nice Singer multi-function machine. But it's set up across my house from where I make cards, so I got this machine just for cardmaking.
It's very lightweight and small, and so it's easy to just pull out and put on your crafting table. It has a couple of straight stitches, and a couple of different size zig-zag stiches built in.
A lot of novice sewers like the fact that it sews pretty slowly, and only one speed. You don't have to feel like the machine will "run away" and sew too fast when you push the pedal, lol. It doesn't come with a built-in light, so you need to use it where you have some direct lighting.
It really is handy for sewing on cards, but lots of people also use it for basic sewing on fabric, too, if you decide to branch out.
Here is a series of great tutorials on this machine by our own Gina K. I linked the first one, but there are several others on her blog.
I just picked one up this evening and I am VERY happy with it. I recently had purchased a Singer machine on sale and was very unhappy with the results I was getting. But the results are great on the Janome Sew Mini. It's a very easy machine to use and I really like the fact that it only weighs 5 lbs. It's so easy to stash away when it's not in use.
I really like the look of sewing on cards, scrap pages, etc but my problem is I have NO experience what so ever using a sewing machine :( I'm completely in the dark!! Just wondering if this a easy machine to learn/use. As another post said I need sewing for dummies book!!! That would definitely be me. Could this machine possibly be more then what I need? I haven't sewn on cards so trust me when I say fabric is definitely out lol!!!
I really like the look of sewing on cards, scrap pages, etc but my problem is I have NO experience what so ever using a sewing machine :( I'm completely in the dark!! Just wondering if this a easy machine to learn/use. As another post said I need sewing for dummies book!!! That would definitely be me. Could this machine possibly be more then what I need? I haven't sewn on cards so trust me when I say fabric is definitely out lol!!!
Thank-you for your advice!
Connie, I think the most important part of learning anything new is to have the "want to", or desire to do it. It sounds like you want to learn to sew on cards because you like the look.
I highly recommend this little machine for a beginning sewer, for paper or fabric. It is a full function machine, but small and lightweight. If you get it at the sale price, it's a really good deal. There are a couple of other small sewing machines out there, but from what I've read, they don't perform well at all. The Janome gets excellent reviews.
I would suggest looking at the links I posted to the tutorials on Gina K's blog. They are very well done and will walk you through the steps to get started sewing on your cards.
Sometimes it helps to have someone "hands on" to help you. Do you have any friends who sew? They would probably be willing to give you some encouragement, too.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
To bugginok- Thank-you for your kind words of encouragement. I just may put that machine on my wish list! I honestly don't know the first thing about a sewing machine and I think that I should look into some lessons!!
Trust me when I tell you that you don't need to be an experienced sewer to use the Sew Mini - I've always been fearful of sewing machines and was afraid of investing in the Sew Mini since I didn't know anything about sewing. I'm kicking myself in the butt now that I finally went out and got one cause it's really very easy to use. The sew mini only has one speed so you don't have to worry about the machine getting away from you like the fancier machines tend to do if you're not very experienced.
You won't regret getting one of these - but try to catch one on sale so you can spend the rest of the money buying yourself other stamping goodies. ;)
Trust me when I tell you that you don't need to be an experienced sewer to use the Sew Mini - I've always been fearful of sewing machines and was afraid of investing in the Sew Mini since I didn't know anything about sewing. I'm kicking myself in the butt now that I finally went out and got one cause it's really very easy to use. The sew mini only has one speed so you don't have to worry about the machine getting away from you like the fancier machines tend to do if you're not very experienced.
You won't regret getting one of these - but try to catch one on sale so you can spend the rest of the money buying yourself other stamping goodies. ;)
Grandepuce, I let my 37 year old dd borrow my Sew Mini, and she loves it, and said the same thing. She had always been afraid of a sewing machine "getting away from her". The fact that when you push the pedal, the machine only has one speed, was such a big deal to her.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Love it...Love it...Love it....Did I say I love it? Greatest little machine ever. I highly recommend Gina K's tutorial on this little gem. I followed them from opening the box to sewing on a card. Worked for me. Have fun...you won't regret getting this one.
I was wondering if the Janome Sew Mini is still available anywhere? According to the Hancock Fabrics website this is out of stock and also discontinued. I did a bit of google-ing and couldn't find it anywhere else either.
I live in Australia and haven't been able to find a small machine like this that isn't a toy (I'm told the toy ones are no good on cardstock). I'd love any suggestions for online stores or even local stores, as I have a friend going to the USA in 6 weeks and she could pick one up for me, assuming there is still stock available!
Thanks for the info about Home Depot! I ordered one to go to a friends house in the USA and she's going to send it on to me.
Yay - finally a sewing machine I can dedicate to paper!
Good for you, Bella. Glad you found one and can get it all the way home to Australia.
There is a great series of tutorials on the Sew Mini by our own Gina K. They are very helpful when you first start using the machine. Here is a link. Scroll down on the left to Tutorials:
So my machine turned up yesterday and now I need to work out if I need a different power adapter or if I just need to have a US to AU plug to convert it!! Does anyone know what I need to get it to work at 240V (instead of the 120V in the US)?
Also, I realised *after* I ordered the Janome sew mini from the States that there is an almost identical one called the Elna mini available here in Australia at Spotlight, for anyone interested! It's $99 RRP but if you use a $40 off voucher when you spend $100 then you can get it for $60! (just need to find an item worth $1!)
I just scored a White machine for $10. It's been reconditioned and works fine. It's a great machine for cards 'cause I didn't want to use my computerized machine. Look on Craig's list for people getting rid of sewing machines. I have even seen them for sale with cabinets for $50 and they were advertised as working machines. Ask to operate it before buying! However, if you are a novice sewer, you might want to stick with a new machine that will come with a manual (I downloaded mine from the internet ;) and the ability to return it if you don't like it.
Janome Sew Mini on sale for $49.95
