Janome Memory Craft 8900QCP

My New Arrival!

I've finally done it. I purchased a new sewing machine and isn't she a beauty!  It has great features and many more stitches I will ever use, But, what sold me was the AccuFeed Dual presser foot that glides through thick and shifty fabrics with ease that came with the machine.

I've waited a long time to invest in a good machine. A few years back the Viking machine I had since I graduated college over 40 years ago, pooped out on me. Given its age I figured it wasn't worth the money to have it fixed, so I quickly purchased an inexpensive Singer to get me through till I purchased a new one. 

Four years later I finally settled on this machine.  When the American Sewing Expo came to my town last fall I used the event to shop all the brands and newest models within my price range. I am glad I did that. It was the perfect forum to try out machines and listen to the sales pitches from all the top companies that ultimately helped me make a more informed decision.

Viking was at the top of my list for the longest time, but after learning ownership has changed hands several times within recent years I became concerned. The same conglomerate also owns Singer and Pfaff.  This raised the question of whether their future was on solid ground or would it mean a decline in quality for the 3 brands.  Of course, this change of hands could be for the better, but it seldom is. So I passed on Viking and Pfaff.


What I learned from shopping around is how small the sewing machine industry has whittled down to.  Brother and Baby Lock are also essentially the same company. While I find the Baby Lock machines to be exceptional, they are simply higher priced versions of Brother models. Not that that's bad, but I wasn't in love with the Brother models I could afford. 

So, that left me with either Bernina or Janome. While there is no question Bernina makes one of finest machines on the market the models I could afford were too basic. The really good ones are simply too high priced for me, so I had to pass - maybe one day if I win the lottery I'll get one. 

I was left to conclude a Janome machine would fit my needs. Its a company that appears to be on solid footing and they make good machines to fit just about any budget. I really liked the new Skyline S7 model and almost bought that one, but settled on this Memory Craft 8900 which in the end despite having a higher MSRP came in cheaper than the Skyline S7. It has all the bells and whistles I was looking for. I sews quietly and smoothing and makes lovely buttonholes - many different ones in fact. 

AccuFeed Dual presser foot

Like I said, I've researched and waited a long time to find a good machine. I just hope this one will also last me another 40 years.