My Favourite Features of the HD9

Today’s janomelife post comes from one of our Janome Canada Artisans, Meagan of “Made by Meag” who shares with us why she is loving sewing up a bag making storm on her Janome HD9 . Ed 

The world of bag making can be a little overwhelming when you are first getting started. While picking out your fabrics is still the best part about bag making, creating structured bags requires more materials, and the question of “Will my machine be powerful enough to sew through all these layers?!” is top of mind. 

Thankfully, Janome has a wide rage of heavy duty machines that can glide like butter through layers of cotton, interfacing, foam, vinyl, and peltex all layered together –  and they are built with a wide variety of features that make sewing bags, wallets, pouches, and more, so much more enjoyable!

Taking a look at the Janome HD 9, I’ve put together a Top 5 list of my favourite features that make bag making with this Janome machine a breeze.

Necessary Clutch Wallet – Pattern by Emmaline Bags

1. Let’s start off first with the obvious – this is a straight stitch machine, and when it comes to bag making, a beautiful, straight stitch is your best friend. If you want a perfect straight stitch for seams, and especially top-stitching, your best bet is to go with a machine where that is the sole function. It may be tempting to look for one with more bells and whistles, but when it comes down to it, a heavy duty machine that can only go one direction is going to give you the best stitch.
2. Next up, the bobbin – and this feature is like a 2-in-1! There is nothing worse than having to stop what you are sewing, breaking your groove, only because you have run out of bobbin thread and need to wind another. Not only does it break your concentration and your stride, but it takes up even more time when you need to unthread your machine to wide a new bobbin. Not anymore! The Janome HD 9 has two features that make this task (while not completely avoidable), a lot more enjoyable. First up, the bobbin itself is much larger than the standard Janome bobbin, giving you more time to sew along uninterrupted. Next, while you’re sewing along, enjoying the extra-large bobbin and not worrying about running out of thread, you can casually wide another bobbin (or 2) while sewing. The independent bobbin winding feature allows you to restock your bobbin supply without slowing down from sewing. And, when your bobbin does FINALLY run out, you have another one set and ready to go, cutting your time between stitches WAY down.
   

   Independent/ separate bobbin winder

3. The Janome HD 9 also comes with two threading options – one for regular thread, and one for heavy thread. This is a fantastic feature that really sets this machine apart from others on the market. Being able to switch back and forth between the thread weights without too many adjustments is an excellent time-saver and a fantastic feature for bag making.
   

   Heavy and regular thread options

4. So, my favourite feature on machines is one I never knew I needed and now I cannot live without – the knee lift! Most people I teach have machines with a knee lift but have never used it as they just didn’t see the function or point – well, after seeing mine in action they quickly have gone home, dug theirs out of the box and began using it immediately. The knee lift is a game changer for bag making as it saves you from having to lift your presser foot with your hand to adjust the position of your bag. Being able to make quick adjustments with the shift of your knee definitely makes it quicker to move through bags and wallets – this one feature is my new ‘go-to’ when it comes to all sewing machines!
5. And lastly (or at least the last thing I’ll mention today, as there are a TON of other awesome features that you can discover when you use this machine) are the feet! It may seem like a simple thing, but the right foot for the right project makes all the difference. I have thoroughly enjoyed the zipper, standard, and teflon feet for all my bag making needs. I have always preferred a teflon foot for working with vinyl and the Ultra glide foot in the Leather Kit for the  Janome HD9  is definitely my go-to!

 

So there it is, a quick round up of my favourite features of the Janome HD9. I could spend some time talking about how great the thread cutter is, or the automatic needle up/down, or the large throat, or speed of the machine (1600 stitches per minute!), or most important, the portability of the machine, but that may have to wait until another day…….