List Price: $249.00
Sale Price: $169.98
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This is a great machine that's done everything I need, and does it well. I've owned it for a while now, I sew on it several hours a week, usually in one big sewing block. It quilts just fine, hems jeans (with the help of a jean-a-ma-jig) there are many feet available for it very inexpensively, both Janome and generic feet. If you're new to sewing and want a simple, reliable machine that won't give you a headache, I definitely recommend this machine. It is a vertical bobbin, and while the trend right now is horizontal bobbins, there are some advantages to the vertical bobbin. For instance, it's really easy to clear thread jams, and you can clear them without removing your project from the machine, you can change bobbins without moving your project, and many people prefer vertical bobbin when doing free motion quilting. Another great thing about this machine, if you take up sewing and decide you can't continue, you won't feel bad about giving this machine to someone else because a) it's a good solid machine and b) it wasn't expensive. If you decide to keep sewing and want to upgrade to something fancy later, you still don't have to feel guilty because a) you can still take it to classes easily (15 lbs so easy to transport) b) it wasn't expensive and c) it's always good to have a reliable back-up machine in case your fancy one breaks down or your friend needs to borrow it, or you want to teach kids in your neighborhood to sew, but don't want to teach them on your expensive machine. So in the end, it's a simple basic machine that works very well, and because it's simple, it will last a long time as per the 25 year warranty.
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Got this for a 10-year-old niece to start her sewing lessons on. I have two full size Janomes and am VERY IMPRESSED with this little machine! I know from experience Janomes are very dependable, sturdy workhorses that keep going for years, and mine have never needed maintenance besides cleaning dust out of the bobbin case. It stitches out and sounds exactly like my big machines very smooth and precise and all the stitches are perfect. There's definitely no reduction in quality with the reduction in size/weight. Weighs a little less than 13#, so it would be a perfect weight to carry to classes vs 20#. But it's almost the same measurements as the full size so you have almost the full size workspace both are 15" long, the 2212 is 1" shorter overall at 11" tall vs 12", and 6" deep front to back vs 7" . The harp or throat area (opening) is the same 6.5" from the needle to the motor casing, and only 1/2" shorter at 4.5" vs 5" high. So if you are able to quilt on a standard machine, close to the same size roll of fabric/batting would go through this too. Baby quilts or throws no problem. I have made full size quilts on my standard size Janome. Doesn't have a lot besides straight stitch and zigzag, but would be perfect for piecing and basic garment/craft construction. Stitch length is adjustable from 0 to 4 on straight stitch, zigzag, tricot/darning stitch, knit stitch, blind hem stitch, and decorative shell stitch. Width is adjustable too on zigzag, it's not pre-set like on Hello Kitty, but the other non-stretch stitches are preset width. All the stretch stitches are pre-set length and width and can't be adjusted straight stretch, rickrack, smocking, decorative, and blanket stitch.It does have drop feed-dog for free motion stitching. For bobbin winding you pull out the handwheel, very easy to do. The bobbin case is in front instead of top-loading if that is an issue with you, it doesn't appear to have the thread tangling problems that frontloading Singers do. It does not have an automatic needle threader, needle up/down button, or adjustable presser foot pressure. If these options are important you need to upgrade to a more expensive model. For a basic sew & go or beginner machine at a great price, I don't think the 2212 can be beat.
FEET: It requires a phillips screwdriver to remove the snap-on shank, which is not included. If you buy extra feet for it, make sure you get feet made for the 5mm front-load bobbin style, as the needle is in a different spot and can't accept generic or other Janome feet made for 7mm top-loading, unless there is a wide opening for the needle. The right toe of a 7mm will barely touch the feed dog as it's too wide. Generic straight-stitch feet won't work, the needle will hit metal. You canNOT use a standard Janome or generic spring-load darning/FMQ foot because the needle shaft of this machine is shorter than normal, and it cannot raise the hopping foot high enough to move the fabric. Look for Janome brand darning foot for front-load machines.
UPDATE 2-14-12: Just finished a 50x60 rag quilt made from two layers quilting cotton with flannel for the batting. The 2212 didn't balk or complain at sewing 6 layers together. Of course it's louder when sewing through thick layers but all other machines are too. I was able to join the blocks without a walking foot, but joining long strips of blocks required a walking foot because it would eventually start pushing the top layer forward. Since I clip the seam allowances at the ends of the blocks before joining strips, I don't have to sew 12 layers like some people make rag quilts, I doubt the 2212 could do 12. If you need a walking foot, be sure to get the Janome front-loading 5mm foot, the generic and other brands of 7mm will work but the needle ends up on the left and it's hard to tell where your seam is going to end up.
The only 'con' is it being front-loading bobbin as a beginner machine for a young girl, as my niece did have thread jams until she got used to turning the wheel to get the needle in the right spot. Once she got used to it, no more jams. The wheel must be hand turned to get the needle positioned correctly before starting a new seam, or will jam every time you start stitching, as will all other brands of front-loaders. It's just the 'nature of the beast' and I'm not lowering my 5 star rating for it. As I've sewn many years, it didn't take long for me to automatically turn the handwheel and get the needle in position for the next seam before ever lifting the presser foot to remove the fabric and pull out the thread tails. No more jams. Just be aware, a beginner will have a harder time than with a top-loader. The Janome quality is there and I expect it to last for years trouble-free :o))
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The Janome 2212 is a great sewing machine, especially for beginners and those who are looking for a less complicated machine. When we set out to find a sewing machine, we wanted to find one that met four criteria:A.) It had to be affordable. We did not have several hundred dollars to invest in a sewing machine.
B.) We wanted it to be mechanical. Computerized machines are nice, but they tend to break down more often and are more complicated to use. A good mechanical machine with a metal body will last a lifetime; once the computer breaks down in a computerized machine, it's done for. (Some of them can be fixed, but it's cheaper to buy a new machine.)
C.) The machine had to be dependable.
D.) We wanted a machine that could be used for quilting and other projects that require several layers. Too many of the less-expensive machines are so cheaply made or so lightweight that they can't be used for any serious work.
The 2212 fit all of these criteria. We decided on it after an extensive search. We read all of the reviews for this and several other machines and then went to a local sewing center to try it out. We've had the machine for two weeks now and have used all of the different features. It works great. We've also made several big projects using this machine, so we know it works well. We finished an art bag for a cousin's birthday last night. Some of the stitches had to go through 10 layers, most of them heavyweight, and the machine didn't so much as hiccup.
One word of caution: if you buy this machine online, be sure that the retailer which is actually selling you the machine is an authorized Janome dealer. Otherwise, the 25-year warranty that comes with the machine is void.
Honest reviews on Janome 2212 Sewing Machine
Janome 2212 has all the basic stitches a serious beginner needs when learning to sew curtains and clothes. It threads easily and has an easy to follow guide book. It comes with a plastic cover which is rugged enough for home storage. It feels steady even when you get up to a faster speed. I bought the same machine in the UK for my daughter, and it has been without problems for 2 years. This one I bought for my daughter in law in the US. Practise on spare material forward and reverse to get rid of may surplus oil it has around the bobbin area, before starting a project!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Janome 2212 Sewing Machine
This was a wonderful fit for me as a person looking to try quilting as a new hobby without spending an arm and a leg, and also wanting to avoid the random issues that can come up with electronic machines.Pros:
-Setup for (in my opinion) everything you could possibly want to do with the exception of a lot of random "fancy" stitches like swirls and such, which I don't like to use anyway, or embroidery which drives up the price of a machine by a lot lot.
Mechanical not electronic, which makes it less prone to issues, and makes troubleshooting much more straightforward.
Literally the least expensive machine that could be used for quilting that also had a great reputation for being solid and lasting.
Worked well for free motion quilting. Since this comes with standard accessories, needed to get quilting accessories separately. (Note: even with this added expense, it was still much less expensive than alternatives)
Much faster and hardier than the Singer Confidence Quilter that I had used previously (see story in background below), there is even a video online of this machine sewing multiple layers of denim.
Things to keep in mind:
#1 When purchasing accessories, this little engine that can has a shorter needle and different setup than a lot of its siblings (like the Jem) so be sure to check that accessories are for a 5mm front load bobbin machine thank you love2sew66 for mentioning this in your review!
Lessons learned while free motion quilting with this machine:
#1 Buy the Janome Front Load 5 Piece Quilt Kit for $50 b/c it will fit this machine, it has both the free motion quilting foot with a clear bottom and a walking foot. Mine was from Sew Vac Direct. It was really hard to figure out if this would fit while online shopping... fortunately it does.
#2 The needles for this machine are shorter than most other Janome machines, so be sure to check that you are getting the right type. Janome Red Tip Needles (Size 14) worked well for me as an all purpose type for heavier materials/ multiple layers.
#3 Remember to put the presser foot down when free motion quilting. This sounds silly, I know, but it isn't as obvious as when you are sewing normally, since you don't really see it drop down. If you don't then the tension discs won't engage and you will either get a nest of threads on the bottom of your quilt OR it will look like your top thread tension is too loose and the bottom thread will just look like a flat line with eyelashes.
#4 If your thread starts getting caught in the front-load bobbin area, i.e. does half a loop rather than full loop around the hook area, take out the bobbin and replace it with a full one. This usually happened when the bobbin started getting low and is the only reason for my 4 rather than 5 star rating.
--> UPDATE: Changed my rating up to 5/5 because this issue seemed to be mostly due to using a poly-blend thread. Made my second quilt using a cotton machine thread and only had a jam like this once in the 80+ hours spent piecing the quilt top/bottom and free-motion quilting the quilt sandwich.
#4A: USE COTTON THREAD in this sewing machine. This one worked for me personally: http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Quilting-Thread-White-Each/dp/B000WMGJOM/ref=cm_rdp_product
#5 Really hold the thread strings down when you start a new line since it pulls hard at the beginning (probably adjusting the tension) and will unthread itself otherwise. I'll often do the first couple stitches using the wheel to get around the hard pull at the start so everything goes more smoothly.
#6 When you move the switch over to raise the the feed dogs after they have been dropped, they will not actually go up again until you turn the wheel/ press the petal to start sewing again. So don't get worried about them not popping up immediately after moving the switch.
Background info: I'm more of a beginner/intermediate sewer, my recent experience was borrowing a friend's machine to give quilting a try. Had used a Singer Confidence Quilter machine for a couple weeks before it randomly stopped working during free-motion quilting and gave a beep sequence that the Singer representative indicated is an electrical problem. I've been using the Janome 2212 for about two weeks now for both regular sewing and free motion quilting. Just finished a crib sized quilt, well, finished save the edges ;) which is the last step. Hope this review helps some of the other beginners!
--> Update 8/8/12: Have now used this machine for the last couple months and have logged 100+ hours in use. Used the walking foot on quilt edging, the darning foot for free-motion quilting, and regular foot for piecing
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