Janome Sew Mini 2-Stitch Sewing Machine

I have been teaching sewing for many years. Several students have used this machine and I own one myself. I believe it is the perfect sewing machine for the beginner sewer.Pros:Simplicity: Most people who ask me to recommend a sewing machine are moms who do not sew, and want a machine for their child. The Janome Sew Mini is so easy to use that anyone can thread it and have it running in no time.Speed: There is only one speed on this machine. Slow. This makes it easy for little hands or inexperienced sewers to guide the fabric.Cost: For just around $60 the machine is yours. This is good for those who are trying out sewing for the first time. The local sewing machine store rents machines for $25/day or $50/week. AFTER you learn to sew, and you like sewing and think you will want more features.....then buy the best machine you can afford.Free Arm: The machine has a free arm for sewing casings or hems.Warranty: Most stores will accept the machine for return within 30- 90 days. Janome will warranty the machine for 1 year. So if the machine breaks within the store warranty time, you can ship it back. If it breaks after that, Janome will repair it or replace it for free within a year, if you pay for the shipping. Know the warranty before you purchase.CONS:Some reviews mention these cons:No Light: If you are used to sewing with a light, you will notice that it doesn't have one. For children that are learning, they have great eyes if your room is well lit. You can also use a table lamp.Noisy: When children are learning how to sew, the sound is a good reminder that this is a piece of machinery that is to be taken seriously.Not Fast: This is a good thing for beginners. More expensive machines have a speed control, but the in-betweens do not.Another con not usually mentioned in the reviews: Limited Fabric Capacity. It delivers quality stitching for up to 6 layers of lightweight fabric.This is not a heavy duty machine and will not sew all kinds of fabrics. Don't plan on hemming jeans or sewing upholstery. But again, for beginners sewing cotton fabrics (quilting cottons) it is perfect.For best results from the Janome Sew Mini Sewing Machine, use it how it was intended. Learn to sew on it or use it as an extra machine for lightweight work. Never sew more than 6 layers of fabric at once, never sew over elastic, or other unsuitable materials.

When my grand daughter first used it it work fairly well then we could not get the tension adjusted . It is possible that we just got a bad machine. I read eviews before I bought this and they were very favorable, just don't know what happened to this one!

I learned quickly that sewing by hand only works for a little while. I was planning a major project that included applique of items about a foot long/wide, and hemming of a 6 ft long piece of fabric. I ordered this machine based on reviews claiming that it was a decent-if finicky-machine. I didn't wish to spend more than the price for this, either.The product arrived on time, in great shape. I immediately set to work-the instructions were easy enough that I-who had never so much as set a sidelong glance at a sewing machine-had my bobbins threaded and was ready to sow in about 25 minutes. I can't speak to other products, as I've never had the pleasure of using one other than this. I can talk about things I've noticed, and if commenters wish to correct me, by all means, do.A previous poster noted that the sewing machine was rather noisy. I did notice this-especially when nothing else was going on in the room, which is typically the environment in which I use this. It's not to the point that it's annoying to use this-just something to note before you bring it on vacation with you.I was under the (mistaken) impression that once I got a sewing machine, my lines would be amazingly straight. The foot helps keep the fabric flat, but I have a tendency to let the fabric curve, somehow, and get hems that slant towards the inside. For this project, that's not really an issue-just something to keep in mind if you're a beginner like me.Previous reviews have also mentioned the slowness of the machine. While the machine may be slower than others, at the skill level I am at right now, I think I prefer it this way. A faster machine would scare me, and I would undoubtedly make more mistakes that I would regret correcting.Short of the long-I enjoy this purchase. I think it's a great machine for a beginner like me to build up their skill.

I just received this sewing machine yeaterday yesterday (3/2/2013), did few simple repairs w/ my scrub uniforms, a day after that it broke on me. It's skipping stitches and It took me and my husband A VERY LONG TIME figuring out how to tighten the screw that holds d needle. :'( For some reason it doesn't seem to hook and get in to d hole of it. Trust me! It's sooooooo FRUSTRATING!!!!! I almost wanna cry for I received a LEMON PRODUCT! :'( I won't ever gonna buy this brand again!I hope Jenome can improve this thing for their future customers.. If they still have some.. Lol!This is a very frustrating day for me and my husband.. :'( Yeah tell me about it.. Anyway, good thing Amazon has a very very very very helpful and patient rep named NOWEL! He save our day! And did d right thing as quick as possible! Thanks so much guys for hiring this wonderful man! U should promote him and give him some kind of appreciation! I've worked in a call center before and I know how hard it is, especially when cs disputes it sucks! But he handle d call very well and I'm sooo happy! That Noel is there to fixed all my issues about returning d sewing machine and refunding my money. I' Am very happy w/ d resolutions that Nowel gave me and I hope this will never happen again.. Once again thanks Nowel! Appreciate it! :)