New Sewing Machines For Quilters From Janome

A review of Janome 6019 QC from Janome America, Inc.

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Janome has introduced a new line of sewing machines especially for quilters, and it's about time. But as a late-comer to the quilting world, Janome has the advantage of observing other manufacturers, selecting the most-wanted features at prices to meet every pocketbook.

I tested the Janome 6019 Quilter's Companion, the mechanical, entry-level sewing machine in the Quilter's Companion series. Since it's an entry-level machine, I wanted to see if its quilting features are the most useful ones.

After sewing on it all week, I'm pleased with the included features. I did everything I normally do without feeling restricted in any way.

General Sewing

The 6019 QC comes with Janome's Superior Feeding System (SFS). This was one of my favorite features on the top-of-the-line Janome Memory Craft 10000, so I was very pleased to see it included in the entire Quilter's Companion line.

Read my review of the Janome 10000

The SFS is a special feed dog system that allows me to start sewing right on the edge of the fabric without holding the threads or starting with a scrap piece. This feature saves lots of frustration and time when piecing.

A couple of times I got one loop in my thread on the back, but the loop disappeared when I gave a gentle pull. I actually tried to make the thread knot up on the first piece, but the fabric always fed smoothly, with the first stitch as smooth and even as the last. And I got no bird's nests on the underside of my pieces.

The 6019 QC's stitch selector has 19 stitches around the dial. While it's easy to use, changing stitches is a little tricky.

I spent some time experimenting before I decided to read the manual to see what I was doing wrong. I found that the 6019 QC works differently than my own Janome, a Memory Craft 3000.

Read my review of the Janome 3000

On my Janome 3000, I change the stitch, the size, and the length with the presser foot down and, sometimes, with the needle still in the fabric. But the 6019 QC requires the needle and the foot to be in the up position.

I can understand this requirement -- going from a straight stitch to a wide stitch could cause problems if the needle were still in the fabric. But fortunately, nothing bad happened when I changed the stitch width with both the needle and the foot down. The 6019 QC just ignored the change and continued using the originally selected stitch size and width.

I did discover one inconsistency in the stitch selector. I had to turn the stitch selector dial forward one position and back again to sew another buttonhole.

That trick seems to reset the automatic buttonhole to start at the beginning each time. It is only a minor inconvenience and infinitely easier than a four-part manual buttonhole.

Perfect Buttonholes

For the buttonhole stitch you place a button (up to one inch) in the grip of the buttonhole foot. The buttonhole sensor makes buttonholes the perfect size for the inserted button. If you are making your own buttons with polymer clay, you don't have to be a slave to standard button sizes.

The Janome 6019 QC uses sliding selectors for both the length and width of the stitches. In some ways, I like this better than digitally-selected stitch sizes. A slide switch makes it easy to slide the stitch length to zero, lock the stitch, then return the switch to the original stitch size to continue sewing.

The needle threader included on the 6019 QC is so easy to use that anyone will be able to use it after the first couple of attempts. And after that, you can do it without thinking about it.

I have been using the needle threader on my own Janome 3000 for years and think it's quite easy to use. But the needle threader on the 6019 QC is even easier. The only needle threader I've ever used that is easier than the 6019 QC's is on the Janome 10000 -- it threads the needle for you!

Accessory Drawer

The Quilter's Companion series no longer uses the flip-down accessory compartment of earlier Janome machines. Instead, the 6019 QC has a drawer underneath the bed that slides open from the needle end of the machine. When there is a quilt or garment under the needle, the new drawer is easier to open than the old flip-down compartment.

The foot control cord and the power cord are joined together to one plug-in device. This two-in-one combination makes it easier to bring all your cords along when traveling. And the Janome 6019 QC comes with a hard cover carrying case to protect it.

The Janome 6019 QC comes with many features especially for quilters. It has seven standard feet for straight and zigzag stitches, overcastting, buttonhole, zipper and more.

The 6019 QC also comes with a quilting kit with a 1/4" foot, an open-toe darning foot, an open-toe walking foot, and an open-toe appliqué foot. The kit also contains a screw-in cloth guide and a quilting guide.

Dave La Valley of Bittersweet Fabric Shop, my local Janome dealer, designed these open-toe feet after listening to his customers. Janome liked his ideas, and the rest is history.

Snap-On And Screw-On Feet

Janome uses snap-on feet for every foot except the walking and darning feet. Those two feet take much more stress and have moving parts, so they must be attached with a screwdriver.

The screw for attaching the ankle for the snap-on feet is the same screw you use to attach the screw-on feet. Unfortunately, the screw head is smaller than the ones usually provided with sewing machines. It is hard to hold, especially when screwing on the walking foot.

Some large green screws come with the cloth guide, so I tried using one of those to secure the walking foot. Being larger, it was easier to handle. But there is no slot in the large green screws, so I couldn't tighten it with a screwdriver.

I finger-tightened the screw the best I could and used the walking foot, watching for any problems. Everything worked perfectly. The walking foot performed as expected, and the screw was as tight when I finished as when I started.

I tested all the open-toe feet that come with the 6019 QC, and liked them all. I hope that Janome sells the feet separately, because I'd like to buy the walking foot and the open-toe appliqué foot for my own Janome.

Hand-Quilting Stitch

Most sewing machines that provide a mock or hand-look quilting stitch have you use monofilament thread in the top position and your choice of quilting thread in the bobbin. So, without reading the instructions, I set up the 6019 that way for my quilting tests.

It didn't work, even when I set the tension all the way to the top. The stitches still looked like regular stitching, but very tiny.

So I decided to read the instructions. The manual goes into detail about many of the stitches, but the decorative stitches are covered with one set of directions telling me to set the tension control dial in the normal sewing position.

I tried the hand-look stitch again, but to no avail. Then I realized that I should be using the quilting thread in the top position. I was amazed how easy it was once I got it right. It requires no fancy adjustments -- just start sewing.

The hand-look quilting top stitches are hooked together by a single thread, but every other stitch is reinforced three times, making those stitches very prominent. Viewed from more than a few inches away, the one thin thread that connects the stitches seems to disappear.

I think it's a perfectly acceptable compromise, especially since it eliminates using monofilament thread, which can break over time.

No Needle-Down Option

The feature the 6019 QC lacks that I thought I'd miss most is the needle-down option. But after just a few minutes of sewing, I found I could tap the foot pedal once or twice and put the needle just where I want it. So not having that feature isn't the big deal I thought it would be.

I did find that I have more control setting my stitches on computerized machines than I do on the 6019 QC's sliding stitch length and width selectors. But that's not really a problem -- the only place I noticed the difference at all was in stitches smaller than one millimeter.

All things considered, I found the Janome 6019 QC to be everything a quilter needs. There is also an optional extension table for the machine bed to make handling the quilt during machine quilting easier.

Janome has put the 6019 QC, which normally sells for $749, on sale for $479 until the end of December 2002. If you are thinking of getting a new machine but aren't ready to get a computerized one, this machine may be just what you're looking for.

This review goes out with a great big Quilter's Review "Thank You!" to Dave, Don, and Audrey LaValley at Bittersweet Fabric Shop in Boscawen, New Hampshire for letting me have custody of the Janome 6019 QC while I ran it through its paces and wrote the review.

I loved testing the machine at home, because I had the time to repeat tests and experiment more. And having the machine handy while I'm writing makes it easier to check the facts. Unfortunately, once I was done I had to return it to its rightful owners.

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