Now I know we pretty much all have a sewing machine…or two or three or even more…But I just have to talk about the sewing machine I use 99% of the time…It is my #1 Needful thing…Most of you probably have never heard of Juki…so let me just say they are not new to the market…Juki is well known in the garment industry and are mostly industrial machines. I think I have had a Juki for about 8 years now…I also own 2 Berninas, 1060 and a 1530, and a couple of featherweights…one black and one white. I confess this to you so you also know what I am comparing to and you all know I teach all across the country and have stitched on many machines.
I bought the Juki with the intention to use it as a second machine to have set up for machine quilting my little quilts, and also so I didn’t have to change the walking foot from my regular foot on my Bernina…that would have been nice, right?…Juki has entered the quilt world with a semi-industrial machine for quilters. Here are a few of the features that the Juki machines have…all metal…no plastic bobbins, no plastic feet, comes with all sorts of feet including 2 free motion feet and a walking foot, a larger 9″ opening between the body and the arm, so machine quilting would be easier to handle. It has a nice extension table, this is nice for retreats, I have it embedded in my table usually. The machine ONLY stitches straight. Now this might be an issue for some, but I was only going to use this for machine quilting…The fact that it only stitches straight is actually a plus…nice tension all the time, single hole throat plate . It holds large cones as well as regular thread…It has an automatic thread cutter, automatic needle threader , knee lift and stitches 1500 stitches per minute or something like that, in other words it is FAST.
After stitching on this machine and using it. I did not want to stitch on anything else. It “pieces” beautifully…I didn’t have to hang on to my threads at the start, the feed dogs are nice and close together and fed my little pieces in nicely. Having the single hole meant my piecing wasn’t sucked down into that oblong hole… and again…I could stitch, cut my thread with my foot(or there is a button, but I like my hands free to hold on to my patches) knee lift my presser foot and be on to the next thing…I especially love piecing triangle paper on the Juki for all the reasons I just stated…Now I know being fast really should not be an issue, right? We want to be accurate! But let me tell you, if I am stitching strips, borders or you name it…fast is handy…I tried going back to my “regular” machine to piece on…it was almost painful!!! Just shoot me…I loan this machine at The Gathering, but it comes with a warning…if you stitch with it you WILL be going home with it! I think only one person didn’t buy one after she stitched on it for a weekend…lol…They also have updated the Juki recently…I have a TL98Q, now they make a TL2010 Q1, they have updated to an LED light…they have added a Turtle and a Hare button, if you want to control how fast it can go…and they changed the foot pedal, a bit…I love my 98 and the features they added do not make a difference to me…so I am keeping my 98.
Here is the only con to my Juki…it is heavy…but it is all metal! You can’t have metal parts and it be light!…I think of it like today’s featherweight-but it is not light. Anyone can work on a Juki…it is a basic machine, it has no computer…it just needs to be oiled and used and it is happy!
So if you are ever in the market for a machine, please check out the Juki’s and you can read all the technical words I should have used to explain it. They now have a presence at the larger quilt shows and will soon come out with a long arm, that will be most reasonably priced. I do sell the Juki 2010Q1 at my store…I could sell other machines but remember what I said, I only sell what I use…therefore I sell the Juki’s. I am placing the Juki 2010Qi on sale now until the end of the year at a special of $899-(yes…not a typo) including shipping. This is a great deal. We will order more for this same price as long as you order before the end of the year. JUKI In 2013 they will go back to $999.00 still a great price when you think about what you all get with this machine! Please allow a few weeks for delivery…we will not charge your card until we are shipping it.
In this “needful series” I could have talked about a lot more things…but I promise to do so in posts in 2013 or like I said the YouTube videos, where a video would be easier than taking a 100 pics and writing about it.
Here are some of the things on my list for next year: 1/2 square and quarter square triangles….single and double fold binding….instant antique….fusible web..especially Steam-a-steam 2 LITE….Cutting….Blanket stitch…stem stitch…colonial knots…couching…and that is what is on my list so far…if you have anything that I may have missed or you need help with please email me and I will let you know if I know enough about it to help you…I am also going thinking about doing a Stitch-along project on YouTube…we will cover each block and have step by step lessons for an ongoing project. Hopefully you can join me…we will offer a kit so you will have everything you need to Stitch Along…let me also know if you think this may be something you are interested in…
Yesterday’s winner is….Comment #112…Pam Miller December 23, 2012 at 11:49 pm
Lisa, I love all the tips you have given us. The circle template will certainly improve my circle making. I can’t wait for a few free minutes to get started on another project. I made the candle mat in your Primitive Christmas book and sent it to my sister in Virginia for Christmas. It turned out great and I can’t wait until Christmas Day when she calls me to let me know how she likes it. I could have used the circle template to mark all of those circles. Maybe next time. Merry Christmas!
Pam…please send me your address and we will send you some Snowman Gathering goodies! It will be a surprise!
Please comment today, as I will be picking winners for today’s post…as well as a sheep ornament kit for 12 lucky winners from my Christmas Blog Hop…so if you didn’t comment on that post get back there and do so…hope you all are enjoying your families at this time…LB
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