HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023!! 2022 Rewind….

We did it! We made it through another year of trying to adjust to our collective “new normal” in this post-pandemic world. Onwards and upwards, as the saying goes, so this year we’re focusing on getting back to doing what we love to do – sharing the Janome love in person as we head back out on the road to visit the various Janome Canada dealers across the country this spring!

More details of what’s coming up will be revealed over time, but for now, before we look forward, it’s fun to look back to see where we’ve been.

In March of last year we had a wonderful update from our friends at I Love First Peoples as they shared some wonderful photos of students from remote Indigenous communities using their new Janome 2030QDC machines, which Janome Canada donated. Read more about the I Love First Peoples Sew&Sew program HERE.

The BIG news of 2022, of course, was the release of the brand new Top of the Line Janome Continental M17 with it’s 13.5″ throat space and giant 11×18.2″ RE46d embroidery hoop, which is the largest in the domestic industry.

So many features debuted with this machine! This is the first Janome machine to have a stitch regulator for free-motion quilting, the (A.S.R.) Accurate Stitch Regulator, BUT, this is also the industry-first machine to have a dedicated Ruler Work foot to use with a stitch regulator. We’ll be showing more of the Janome CM17’s fabulous features at our Janome Canada dealer’s stores this spring, but for now, there’s lots of information about the machine available online, such as the Janome HQ You Tube channel where our video launching the machine has 29k views!

Speaking of online, the Janome HQ You Tube channel is a terrific resource for all things Janome. We’re over 6.5K subscribers and growing! Much of the feedback we received in 2022 is more videos, so that’s one area we will also focus on in 2023.

If there’s any silver-lining to the COVID pandemic, it’s that more people are online and connecting through social media. Our Janome Canada social media outlets; Janome Canada Facebook and Instagram and Janome HQ Facebook and Instagram followers have increased steadily over the last year. I’m especially proud that the Janome HQ Instagram has hit 2000 followers as I started doing Instagram LIVEs in May 2020 as a way to connect with our Janome fans during the height COVID lockdowns, and it’s become a weekly staple in our education menu.

Also debuting on social media, we began monthly Janome Canada Facebook LIVEs with our good friend, Liz Johnson, Senior Editor of Sew4Home.Com. Liz and I go LIVE the third Thursday of the month to talk about all things sewing, quilting, embroidery, and creating using various Janome machines, presser feet. etc. We also debuted our fun, Janome Canada exclusive Hobby Patch embroidery series with a new patch revealed each month. As always, full instructions are available on Janome.CA.

Over on Janome Sewing Machines Facebook page (which is Janome America’s main page) our fabulous Janome Canada educator, Celine Ross, has continued her weekly LIVE presentations every Tuesday at 3pm eastern. You can catch all of Celine’s presentations by searching the Videos/Media tab on the page. Celine and I also contribute to the Janome Continental Club Facebook LIVEs, which are every Friday at 3pm eastern.

To help support and grow our French Janome Canada Dealers and consumers, Celine has been doing weekly Janome Canada Facebook LIVEs in French every Friday at 2pm eastern on the fabulous new Janome CM17, as well as contributing to our sister blog, La vie chez Janome.

Don’t have Facebook or Instagram? Never fear! It takes some extra time, but I’ve been loading these presentation onto the Janome HQ You Tube channel under their respective playlists.

Our Janome Life Blog continues to grow in followers and viewers around the world as we share education tips and tricks, and sneak peeks of new products in the Janome line. Among those posts with the most views, anything pertaining to the new Janome CM17, and our Janome Canada Artisan, Melissa Marginet’s Janome Quilt Along! We announced in January 2022 that Melissa would share instructions, complete with accompanying video, each month on piecing and quilting a series of quilt blocks using different techniques. This series concluded in December 2022, but you can always go back to review previous blogs using the SEARCH box. Thank you sew much to Melissa, and all of our Janome Canada Artisans for sharing the Janome love with us all year here on Janome Life!

A huge THANK YOU! to all of our Janome fans and users around the world who continually support and share the Janome love! We wouldn’t be here without YOU, so please let us know in the comments below what you’d like to see from Janome, and our Janome Canada team in 2023!

Happy New Year and Happy Sewing!