Janome Memory Craft 9000

Well, folks -- it has been a long time.

I'm still at it, collecting machines and sewing a few seams here and there.  Lately I've been getting rid of machines that cannot be fixed without considerable time and expense (not many) and acquiring more modern, computerized models at bargain prices.  While I've generally stayed away from these machines in an effort to avoid failing motherboards and circuits, bad sensors, and blown capacitors, there are a remarkable number of working machines that are still going strong after decades of use.  

Here is a venerable addition to the collection, a Janome MC 9000.  This is a sewing/embroidery combination from 1994 and is an upgrade of the 8000.  While the machine continues to accept the CF memory cards with embroidery designs made by Janome, it can also accept .jef files from cards with a PCMCIA adapter and has several other upgrades including a larger, better-designed UI with a larger LCD and logically placed controls.  As an embroidery machine, the 9000 is, by today's standards, a bit clunky and rather limited by the small hoops the machine can accept but as a sewing machine this is still quite a strong model with quiet, smooth operation, beautiful stitching, and the usual controls one finds on higher-end computerized models, excepting the missing automatic thread cutter -- a feature that at the time was only just becoming common.  That a '94 model still works this well indicates this machine was made to very high standards of quality, especially its electronics.  While the paging through the menu from the main screen and the beeps the machine emits with each and every input evoke an earlier, less sophisticated time, the stitches it produces are stellar.  I prefer a manual upper thread tension assembly but the electronic override does the job adequately.   

Mine has slight discoloration and a few light scratches but overall this machine is in excellent condition for its age.  And the price was simply too good to pass up.

 

I'd like to monogram my shirts and a few other items in a quick, efficient manner without having to set up a machine I use for sewing these items just for doing so, only to break it all down again.  (It's not really all that time-consuming but I'm trying to justify keeping as many machines as possible.  Indulge me.)  This would be an excellent candidate for that role.  

I hope you're all well.  2021 isn't much of an improvement over 2020 -- at least mine isn't; here's to a brighter 2022.  Enjoy your Fall and the upcoming holiday season.       

 

   

Kenmore Elite Ergo 3 19010

Here is yet another departure.

I love Kenmore sewing machines.  Over the decades they were manufactured/badged, Sears did a phenomenal job of quality control via choosing its manufacturers, testing their products, and listening to their customers.  The vintage all-metal machines particularly from the 1960s to the early 1980s built in Japan are some of the finest sewing machines I've ever had the pleasure of using -- especially the 158 series Jaguar/Maruzen models with multiple functions including stretch stitches and cam assemblies.

I've recently become more familiar with Kenmore machines built a little later, specifically from the mid-'80s to recent years.  (Sadly, the Kenmore name will no longer be appearing on sewing machines made by any manufacturer.)  Most of these machines are made by the Japanese giant Janome and their quality overall is very high, especially the mid- to high-priced models, full-featured, and designed with the latest sewing gadgetry.  As a vintage enthusiast, some of the plastic-clad machines strike me as dubious but Janome's Kenmore machines (twins or stand-alone models made for Sears) are very fine.

I found a simple, straightforward model several days ago, one built in the 1980s and I'm pleasantly surprised with how good it is. Here is a much newer machine, a combination sewing/embroidery machine that until recently was at the top of Kenmore's lineup and almost the top of Janome's (MC 9700):

I just got it home about an hour ago and I haven't had much time to even look at it.  I found it on CL and the seller was getting rid of it, as he bought it as a gift for his now ex-wife.

This machine has literally never been used.  It was taken out of the box and plugged in to make sure it works but it has absolutely zero hours on it.  It is utterly pristine except some slight dust near the base.  It's virtually brand new.  It was never threaded, never run.  It came with all kinds of stock equipment and bonus accessories that were part of a package deal:

I won't list all of the items but the entire sale includes the machine, digitizing software (for manipulating and designing from scratch), CF card, card reader, presser feet and other tools, three boxes of embroidery thread, pedal, manuals, dust cover, needles, and a few other things.  It's quite a package -- certainly the most complete sewing machine purchase I've ever made.  Not being an embroiderer, I'm not quite sure where to begin except to open the manuals and dive in.

It's odd how these things happen.  A few days ago at Peter Lappin's Male Pattern Boldness blog, Peter blogged about sewing labels, i.e. how they're made, what they should look like, what they should say.  He asked for ideas for his own labels and I suggested he purchase an embroidery machine so that he can make his own.  The next day I saw this for sale on CL: $200 for the entire package.  I remember shopping for my first Janome machine.  I bought it used and really enjoyed it; in my search, however, I read reviews for many Janome computerized models including the 9700, this Kenmore Ergo 3's twin machine and I lusted, wishing I could afford the then-$3500 price tag.  The price eventually came down to $3000 but I don't think they're made any longer, so 'new' models are NOS, floor models, returns, or refurbished being sold as 'new' or 'like new.'

I didn't think I'd be owning this type of machine and I'm not sure if I'll ever have a need to embroider but I'm excited to give it a try.  I've applied for membership in the Yahoo! group dedicated to this model so I expect I'll be posting some questions there.

Kenmore, Janome, embroidery, and sewing were/are all part of my conscious and/or subconscious mind.  Did I immediately key into the CL listing because my subconscious triggered an immediate response to my eyes glancing past the ad?  Or is there perhaps a more mysterious, spiritual dimension at work?  That I would have been looking at this type of machine about 2.5 years ago and suggested such a machine a few days ago, then finding one in this kind of condition at this price is kind of staggering.  I'm not sure what it all means.