I’ve called her Betty!
This week I want to talk about the latest piece of equipment that I’ve added to my sewing room. It’s my lovely new Janome HD9 Heavy Duty Sewing Machine. I’ve been thinking about upgrading to an industrial machine for a while now. Although my Brother has handled some heavy duty fabrics, it reached it’s limitation once I started to used vinyl. After some research and reaching out to other bagineers, I finally settled on the Janome HD9 and I lover her!
The Janome HD9 is classed as a semi-industrial heavy duty sewing machine. It doesn’t have the speed that an industrial machine has but it’s considerably faster than a domestic sewing machine. However the HD9 does share some similarities with industrial machines, such as the fact that its a straight stitch only machine. No zigzag, no button holes or decorative stitch. So my domestic still gets used regularly on the side. Another thing the HD9 has in common with industrial machines is that it uses a High Shank pressure foot. This means the foot shank has a height of 1 & 1/4”, where as a domestic will generally have a Low Shank at the height of about 7/8”. So if you do think about buying this machine (or already have!) you can usually use generic industrial high shank feet.
A few other notable features of the Janome HD9 is it’s ability to handle different weighted fabrics. Particularly heavier fabrics such as Vinyl or leather. You can also use a variety of threads. Ranging from you standard polyester Gutermann threads (Tex 30) to your heavier weighted threads such as Tex 75 and above. In order to be able to handle these different weighted threads there are two different ways to thread the machine. One path is used for light to medium weight thread and the other for heavy weighted thread. Needless to say it’s always handy having the manual on hand to make sure I’ve threaded the machine properly – lol!
One more thing I will mention is that the HD9 is quite a heavy sewing machine – as are most industrials. Since it’s not very portable my Betty stays on top of my IKEA ‘sewing’ desk permanently. It also doesn’t have any clearance underneath so it’s best to use her on a proper sewing desk or if you’re lucky like me someone might make you a stand. My dad made one for me, which is awesome and now allows for my bags to be able to pass underneath. I’ve also seen people use books and yoga blocks to achieve the same result which is a great alternative.
I admit – I’ve never named any of my sewing machines in the past. But when I got my Janome HD9, the name Betty just seemed so right. Betty was the name of one of the pub landlords I used to work for in the UK. She was a tough little woman who never shied away from kicking people out of her pub. The way my HD9 deals with difficult fabrics in such a smooth way it seemed right to call her Betty. I obviously still love my Brother machine and it will still get plenty of use. I haven’t quite come up with the right name for her yet.
Overall impressions so far? I absolutely love my Janome HD9! She has handled everything I’ve thrown at her so far without missing a stitch. I can’t believe how much easier she handles my vinyl projects compared to my domestic. It doesn’t feel like I’m constantly fighting her over the thicker seams. Although not quite as powerful as an industrial the HD9 is a great intermediary sewing machine to upgrade to from a domestic. There is a bit of a learning curve but not as much as you would expect if you went straight to an industrial. You do need to give her a lot more extra attention though, particularly when it comes to maintenance. The extra speed and ability to deal with heavy duty fabrics makes the Janome HD9 great for bagineers and I just love her.
